Daily Attendance Register.

The Ministry of Education requires that you sign your child in and out of kindergarten each day she/he attends. The roll also serves as an accurate indication of who is present in the case of an emergency.

Sickness.

Under health regulations children who are sick may not attend kindergarten. Please phone the kindergarten if your child is sick and keep him/her at home as long as recommended by your doctor. Your child must be free of symptoms for twenty four hours before coming back to kindergarten.

Absences.

Please phone if your child will be absent from kindergarten for any reason. The Ministry of Education requires written documentation if your child is absent for two weeks or longer. A form is available from the office for you to complete.

Clothing.

Please provide a spare set of clothes and underwear for your child in their bag each day. This is particularly important if s/he is toilet training. All clothing, hats and shoes must be named. If your child is not yet toilet trained please provide spare nappies.

Sun Safety.

The Kids Club sun safety policy states that we will follow the recommendations of the cancer society to protect children from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Shade areas are provided for the children to play under. Parents are asked to apply sun screen prior to coming to kindergarten and to provide a named hat. During day light savings hours children must wear a hat if they wish to play outside.

Snacks.

Children will need to bring a healthy snack and drink for morning or afternoon tea. Those staying all day at The Kids Club will also need a packed lunch. Please note that we do not allow sweets, chocolate or nuts. Please see below for an outline of lunchbox ideas and healthy eating guidlines.

Medication.

We require written instructions from parents if we are to administer medication to children. Please see a teacher to fill in the medicine register.

Birthdays.

We are happy to celebrate your child’s birthday at kindergarten. On your child’s birthday you are invited to come to the last mat time when our celebration takes place. Please, however do not bring edible treats to share with children as this is against our healthy eating guidelines. Please inform us if you do not celebrate birthdays in your family.

Trips.

Each term the children will be taken on an excursion to extend the learning programme. You will be notified, and your permission sought, at least two weeks prior. With exception to when we go to the theatre (where seating is limited) parents are always welcome to join us.

How Families can be Involved at Kindergarten

We invite you to …

- Spend as much time as you wish at the kindergarten.
- Encourage your family to visit the kindergarten.
- Ask any questions that you have.
- Take your child’s learning journal home to share with your whanau and friends. - Contribute stories and photographs to your child’s learning journal.
- Tell us what happens at your place.
- Come on excursions with us.
- Come along to family nights.
- Share your talents, knowledge and skills with us and the children. This may be art, reading stories, gardening, a language, food, carpentry … .
- Share with us the special celebrations that your family celebrates.
- Bring in any recyclable materials that we can use such as wrapping tubes, boxes, wrapping paper, ribbon, buttons, material and fabric, dress up clothes … .
- Read and contribute to our policy and procedure reviews.
- Read the daily diary and planning stories board.

There are lots of ways to be involved at kindergarten!

Changes to Enrolment Information

It is important that when your contact details change, you let us know. This may be address, phone numbers, or medical details. It is also important that if you inform us if someone different will be collecting your child from kindergarten.

For safety reasons we can only allow your child to leave with those people named on your enrolment form.

Settling Children Into Kindergarten.

A positive start to kindergarten will help children settle in and participate in the programme. We invite you to make two visits to kindergarten prior to your childs start date to familiarise him/her with the teachers and surroundings. Fees are not charged for these visits.

It is a great idea if you can walk past kindy before your child starts, talk positively about how much fun he/she will have and all the new friends he/she will make. Please see below our strategies to support you and your child to settle into kindergarten.

Notice Pockets And Art Work.

Newsletters, notices and invoices can be found in your notice pocket. Any art work left at kindergarten can be found in the art boxes, filed under your child’s Christian name. Please remember to check this regularly as the children put a lot of work into their art and are proud of their accomplishments.

Last Mat Time Routine.

Each session concludes with a farewell mat time. For safety reasons all children remain on the mat until this has finished. The children are then dismissed individually to ensure they are leaving with the correct adult. If you arrive during the last mat time please encourage your child to remain on the mat. You are welcome to sit on the mat with them.

The teachers cannot allow children to leave with another adult unless named on the enrolment form or prior arrangement has been made with you. Please ensure that you close the kindergarten gate and ensure that no other child leaves through the gate behind you unaccompanied by an adult.

Recycling.

The Kids Club contributes to the world’s sustainability by recycling whatever we can. Children are encouraged to assist us with this. All plastic, tin and paper are recycled via collection each week. Rubbish from the children’s snacks is sent home, and food scraps recycled to feed local animals. You can assist us with this by packing your child’s snack in reusable bags or containers. These will be sent home in lunchboxes for reuse.

What to bring to Kindergarten

A named bag containing a spare set of clothing including underwear, a healthy drink and snack, a sunhat, and on your child's first day your enrolment form, a copy of birth certificate and immunisation record (found in your plunket book).

Please ensure that all your child's belongings are named as this helps us find the correct owners of misplaced items.