FAQs Ngā Patapatai

Absentees

Absence  If a student is going to be absent from school, parents / care-givers are expected to phone the school office and leave a message by 8.30am or notify the school via school links.  Any student who arrives late to school must sign in on the late register. For Lower School children this is located at reception in the office. High School students sign in on the sign in register outside the High School management office.  When students have been absent because of illness parents need to provide an absence note to the teacher. This helps us monitor and act on any school refusal and truancy concerns.  Medical certificates Students away for more than 2 days must provide a medical certificate.  Overseas trips Any requests for extended holidays or absences during term time other than for medical reasons are discouraged. The school does not formally approve or decline leave for students to travel overseas. Parents are requested to contact the school well in advance of any such trips and the school will advise what work needs to be undertaken to ensure that the trip does not have an undesired impact on learning. It may be necessary for the student to undertake additional learning tasks on their return to school. 

Behaviour

Michael Park’s aim is to ensure there is a safe, inclusive, orderly and positive school environment in which students are supported and encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour and in the development of appropriate social skills and modes of personal behaviour. This is described in our code of conduct. Our approach to student management aims to promote a culture of service leadership as well as the principles of restorative practice and ensures a fair and consistent response to any behaviour and wellbeing concerns. Kindergarten  The kindergarten has in place a positive guidance system. Issues that may arise are referred to the Kindergarten Leader for support.  Lower School and High School Student management follows a five-step system outlined in our student management procedures. In the Lower School this is called the Ripples and in the High School Poutama. Teachers are familiar with the guidelines and our code of conduct to ensure consistency and a focus on resolution and the restoration of positive behaviour. Any queries regarding follow up and potential consequences for students should be referred to the appropriate class teachers or Dean.

Concerns and complaints

If you’ve got any questions or concerns please raise them with the class teacher or appropriate   administration officer in the first instance. If you require further information you may wish to consult our policies or contact a section leader.

Dress code

This is differentiated in Kindergarten, Lower School and High School environments and takes account of our special character and the age range of students. School students are expected to be familiar with and abide by the student dress code at all times and when participating in inter-school sports activities wear an appropriate Michael Park School sports uniform. At graduation, formal ceremonies and concerts a formal standard of dress is expected. To download a PDF of the dress-code click here. 

Enrolment

Enrolments at Michael Park are handled via our  Enrolments Coordinator, tel. 09-579-3083 x710. Please see our Expression of Interest Pack.

Fees

Please see our 2021 Attendance Dues & Donations.

Homework

Homework is never set for the sake of it. Homework expectations will vary depending on the age of the student and the learning context / curriculum. If you have questions concerning homework we encourage you to talk to your child and contact the Class Teacher or Subject Teacher.  Classes 2-4 In the Junior School (Classes 2-4) teachers will outline their homework expectations. This may include reading, spelling, maths maintenance and the completion of some Main Lesson work.  Classes 5-7 In the Middle School (Classes 5 – 7) regular maths maintenance is encouraged to support the development of multiplicative and proportional thinking. Students are also expected to review and extend the learning / content from Main Lesson each day and maintain a programme of personal reading to build inference skills and vocabulary. There may also be some home-based tasks associated with their language and instrument programmes. The teacher will make clear to the students their expectations and homework will be recorded in a student notebook (Classes 5 & 6) or diary (Classes 7).  Classes 8-12 High School students have a mix of Main Lesson and elective subjects and their homework will vary from student to student. However, regular subject homework is set in addition to Main Lesson and extracurricular activities of music and sports. Students have a diary / planner for recording this information and due dates for assignments. 

International Students

We welcome international fee-paying students and exchange students, particularly from other Steiner Schools. International fee-paying students are commonly accepted into Classes 9, 10 and 11 while exchanges usually only occur in Class 10. Contact our Enrolments Coordinator to find out more about international students enrolments and exchanges. Click for information about fees for international students in 2021.

Lunch bar

The school lunch bar is open Monday – Thursday with a varied menu of items up to about $7. Please see the lunch bar website.

Music programmes

Our music programmes are detailed in the music section of the website.

·         Senior orchestra is on Tuesdays 3.00 – 3.45pm

·         Wind-band runs on Thursdays 3.00 – 3.45pm

Newsletters

The school has a weekly Friday Flyer newsletter and a termly Spiral magazine.

Open hours

Kindergarten tuition hours are Monday – Friday from 8.30am – 2.00pm. School tuition hours are Monday – Friday from 8.30am – 3.00pm. The reception office is open Monday – Friday from 8am – 3.30pm.

Open Days

Michael Park has several open days a year when the school is open to visitors for talks and guided tours. This is an ideal time to view the school in action. For details see our schedule of open days or phone the office 09-579-3083.

Policies

Copies of school policies can be found here.

Reporting to parents

The school reports to parents on student achievement twice a year, in writing, and once at parent teacher interviews. Students in Classes 6 and 7 attend student-teacher-parent conferences. The timing of reporting and parent teacher interviews is different in the High School from the Lower School. See our calendar for details. 

School trips and camps

At enrolment, parents are asked to sign a blanket consent form which covers permission for school trips not involving water activities. This blanket consent does not cover permission for camps. For such activities not covered by the blanket consent, a separate permission pack will be sent home to parents.  Annual camps include:  Class 3 - Shelter Building  Class 4 - Lakewood Lodge  Class 5 - The Olympics  Class 6 - Waitomo Caves  Class 7 - Whanganui River  Class 8 - Boyle River, Lewis Pass  Class 9 - Organic Farming  Class 10 - Surveying / Trigonometry  Class 11 - Poetry Study  Class 12 - Astronomy  Parents attending camps are required to be familiar with school protocols for adults attending camps.

Students using social media

We are frequently asked by parents what our stance is on social media. In accordance with our special character, we do not encourage students having access to social media before the age of 15. This includes access to Facebook and other social networking sites and use of smart phones. Social media frequently becomes a distraction from the many other more purposeful and creative routines and extra-curricular activities with which students can be engaged.

Special Character

As an Integrated Rudolf Steiner School, Michael Park School and Kindergartens have a defined ‘special character’ or ‘designated character’ (Ministry of Education). As such, all parents/caregivers enrolling children in the school are required under the preference clause of our integration agreement to have established a connection with the special character of the school. Please see Our Philosophy for details.

Special education programmes

Lower School Michael Park uses a Hub approach to special education in the Lower School through which students and teachers can access a range of support programmes provided by the school and external agencies. This includes Eurythmy therapy, work with retained reflexes, Irlens and behavioural optometry and differentiated support programmes for literacy and numeracy including phonics support and lexia. Where students have additional learning needs this may be documented in a partnership plan or through an individual education plan (IEP) which involves support of external agencies.  High School In the High School all students participate in the Horizon Programme. This ensures all students have an individual learning plan and meet regularly with the Horizon Coordinator to review progress, individual needs and set goals.

Sports activities

In addition to regular ongoing PE and movement lessons, Michael Park has an extra-curricular sports programme including Basketball, Netball, Soccer, Volley Ball and La Crosse teams.

Stationery

Stationery arrangements and lists will be communicated at the time of enrolment and in term 4 well ahead of the start of the coming academic year. Contact reception if you have any queries.

Term dates

Please see our Calendar.

Transport

Michael Park is located at 55 Amy Street which is a 10 minute walk from Ellerslie village (via Ladies Mile or Amy Street). This shopping district is on a main arterial and bus route and within easy access of Ellerslie railway station. As an area school we draw families from across the Auckland region and we encourage you to collaborate with other families and carpool to minimise transport costs. A shuttle is available for students travelling from Titirangi. If you are interested in this service, please contact the parent coordinator Melanie on [email protected] or phone 0212536957.