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Parent Info A-Z

Parent Info A-Z

When your child is absent from school please inform the school office prior to 9:00 am. 
 
You may notify the school through the Hero app.
 
Alternatively you may either email or phone the school office  03 329 4842. Please include the following information:
 
  • Child’s name
  • Reason for absence
 
If your child is going to be away for an extended period of time please email the school office and your child’s teacher with the dates of absence and the reason. 

To view the Annual Report or Annual Plan please click on Strategic and Annual Plan in the information drop down menu

School assemblies are held every second Friday at 2:00 pm in Te Kete Aronui. All parents are welcome to attend assemblies. Information about the weekly assembly can be found on the school calendar and in the school newsletter under Upcoming Events. Each assembly is led by one of the teaching teams in the school.

At each assembly, value certificates are handed out. If your child is receiving a values certificate your child will receive an email informing you of this. 

The last assembly of each term is a Diamond Challenge assembly.

Click here to access HERO/Linc-Ed for Diamond Harbour School. If this is your first sign in please read the instructions below. 
 
HERO is the system we use for reporting to parents. Children are assessed against curriculum levels and parents will be reported  to twice a year. Teachers use a range of  data including formal tests, learning conversations and ‘book work’ to identify what curriculum level a child is working at. Teachers moderate these judgements to ensure accuracy. Teachers also report on general achievement and attitude.
 

How do I access my child’s HERO page?

 
Step 1
 
Step 2
Your username is the email address that you have previously shared with the school. Enter your email and then click Get New Password.
 
Step 3
An email will be sent to you containing a link for you to click on. The link will take you to a page where you will see your new password. If you choose to personalise this, you can delete the generated password and enter your own strong, secure password.
 
Step 4
If you have any problems with access please contact: add the details of your school’s HERO administrator.
 
Please don’t hesitate to contact a staff member if you would like any help in accessing HERO.
 
Twice a year there are formal opportunities for parents to meet with teachers regarding students’ achievement. Students are encouraged to attend these sessions. You are also welcome at any time to pop-in or make an appointment to see a teacher if you have any queries or concerns.

Our school bank account details for internet banking are as follows…

ASB: 12-3482-0006256-00

Please enter your child’s name and reference details when making payments.

We have a number of students who cycle, scooter or skateboard to school. Students who cycle are able to cross over the road at the pedestrian crossing which has a staff member patrolling it to ensure student safety. At break times children are allowed to use their ‘wheels’ in the allocated places. There is annual cycle safety training for students in year 6.

Students from year 4 – 8 are welcome to bring their own digital device to school. Most BYOD devices students use are Chromebooks. It can be beneficial for students to have their own device. If you wish to do this, please discuss suitable options with the classroom teacher.

Car parking is available in the park that we share with the Kidsfirst Kindy. We encourage as many people as possible to walk or bike/scooter to school. If you are using the Hunters Road car park we encourage you to just drop off or pick up quickly as there are only a limited number of parks. There are currently two mobility parking spots. Please remember to keep these clear unless you have a mobility parking permit.

Diamond Harbour School goes from year 0 to year 8. Children are placed in the next year level after spending one year at the previous year level. Children who start school in Term 1 will generally be classified as Year One and then Year Two in the following year. Children who start school in Term 2 may be classified as Year One and then Year Two in the following year or they may be classified as Year Zero and then Year One the following year.  
 
Consideration will take into account the following:
 
  • Emotional and social development
  • Academic development
  • Consultation with parents and caregivers
 
Children who start in Term Three will be classified as Year Zero then Year One for the following year. There may occasionally be children who will be placed in a different level at times other than the beginning of the year. Each case will be considered on its merits following consultation with the parents.
 
Our classes encompass more than one year level, and teachers work collaboratively in these classes to ensure the needs of all students are met.
Our goal is to communicate with our parents in the ways that are most suitable to them. Here is a brief summary of our communication methods:
 
School-wide specific information:
 
  • School Website: This is the go-to place for all information about Diamond Harbour School. Parent Info A-Z is included on the drop down menu on the drop down menu under school info.
  • School Newsletter: This is our most detailed publication and it comes out every second Thursday.  If you read the newsletter you will stay well informed regarding everything that is going on at school.
  • HERO/Linc-ed: This includes school communication and reporting. Communication comes via normal email channels or via the app depending on your settings. For new parents, to log into Hero go to https://our-hero.com/nz/ and type in your email address. You won’t have a password so click ‘Forgot Password’ and you will be sent a link to set your password. 
  • School calendar: There is a link to the calendar from the front page of the school website. There is also an Events widget on the front page – this has the events that are coming up over the next week.
  • Facebook: This is used to share special events and celebrations. 
 
Class specific information:
 
  • Class Weekly Updates: This comes out at the beginning of each week and keep you updated with what is happening in the classroom. 
  • HERO/Linc-ed: This includes emails, class updates and reporting. 
 
To contact staff:
 
  • Email: Email is the best way to contact staff members at Diamond Harbour School. Staff contact addresses are on the school website and on the school app. 

Parents and teachers have the same goal – the best possible education for the children. In the first instance, concerns must be referred to the class teacher or staff member concerned. If the concern is not resolved please refer to the Deputy Principal or Principal. For further details on concerns or complaints please contact our school policies. 

To access our policies go to http://diamondharbour.schooldocs.co.nz/. The username is diamondharbour and the password is diamond. 

Cycle safety is run each year for the year 6 students. It is held in Term 4. This is a cycle skills education programme for schools. Students learn the benefits of cycling and how to ride with confidence and be road-wise.

Our home learning programme is structured around our Diamond Challenge. Progress with students’ Diamond Challenge is celebrated at the final assembly each term.  See here (need to update document to link to) for further information. 
Digital Citizenship is covered regularly as part of the school curriculum. Students also sign a digital citizenship acceptable use policy at the beginning of the year.
 
Our focus is on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to ensure they are able to stay safe in the digital world. Comprehensive information is available on our SchoolDocs policy page.
 
If you have any more questions please contact your child’s classroom teacher, or the principal.
 
To access our policies go to SchoolDocs . The username is diamondharbour and the password is diamond. 
In New Zealand, ERO (the Education Review Office) evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools. 
 
(Update information on new ERO approach)
 
Education Review Office Report 2015
 
Click here to view our latest ERO Report.

Diamond Harbour School runs a number of enrichment and extension programmes for students as these are available. Programmes we may run include:

Coding and Robotics extension programmes are run for students who display a high level of achievement in the areas of mathematics and logical thinking.

Young Writers – we access the sessions as appropriate for our children.

 If you are interested in any further information, please contact, in the first instance, your child’s teacher.

All our teachers, office staff and many other staff are trained in First Aid. They compete their training every two years. The office is the place to go in the first instance if First Aid is required.

School is open from 8:30am. From Monday to Thursday classes start at 9:00am. Morning tea goes from 10:40am – 11:00am. Children get to play first and then they eat in their classroom from 11:00am – 11:10am.

Lunch is from 12:30pm – 1:30pm with eating time for the first 10 minutes. School finishes at 3:00 pm Monday to Thursday. 

On Fridays, school starts at 8:45am. Morning tea is the same but lunch is from 12:30pm – 1:15pm with children eating in their classroom first. School finishes at 2:30pm on Friday.

Diamond Harbour School has four houses: Godley (green), Stoddart (red), Bradley (blue) and Adderley (yellow). There are year 8 students who are house leaders and they run house activities. 

Students are encouraged to wear house colours at whole school sports events such as Cross Country and Athletics.

All our students are involved in kapa haka rehearsals once a week. The group perform at school events and cultural festivals.

The name of the pattern on our kapa haka costumes is “Pātiki”. If you go into a wharenui on a marae you might see a similar design on a woven tukutuku panel. This one was designed by Natasha Hawkins.

Pātiki means flounder in te reo Māori and the flounder was an important food for local Māori who were the first inhabitants of Te Whakaraupō – Lyttelton Harbour.

Te Ahu Pātiki is also the name of the mountain we mostly refer to as Mt Herbert. Te Ahu Pātiki translates as “In the shape of a flounder”.

It is a nice coincidence that the pātiki design is a diamond, therefore the pattern also represents the name of our community and school “Diamond Harbour”. 

If students arrive late to school, they need to report to the school office before going to their classroom so they can be marked as present on the school roll. This is a legislative requirement.

Students will be required to sign in on the digital sign in tab.

Diamond Harbour School has a comprehensive Learning Support programme. This is lead by our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator), Karen Steedman. 
Teachers plan to cater for a wide range of needs as part of the classroom programme. This can be augmented by Learning Support Workers who support the classroom programme, focussing on children with specific needs.  
 
If you have any concerns about your child’s learning needs, speak to your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance. It may then be recommended that Karen is involved to identify needs and look at what support is required. Please remember that all children are unique. They develop at different rates, and in different ways. If you have concerns, it is important you talk about these with your child’s teacher. 
Links:

Diamond Harbour School has a library with a wide range of high interest books and magazines. Children have a library account from when they first start at school. Children are encouraged to bring a library bag to put their borrowed books in.

Most classes visit the library weekly and the library is also open many lunchtimes. Each year in Term 3 we have our Book Week. This includes a variety of activites including a ‘hot chocolate and night-time stories’ session and Book Character dress up parade.

Lost property is kept in the office. Please come in and check if your children are missing any items.

Diamond Harbour School publishes a newsletter each fortnight during term time.

The newsletter is published on Thursday afternoon. It contains all the important information that parents need to know including events and success from within  the school as well as what is coming up over the coming weeks. Parents (and others who subscribe to the newsletter) and informed of its publication by Hero, Facebook.

The newsletter is essential reading for our community to ensure they stay informed on everything that is going on at the school. If you are unable to access the internet from your home contact the school office and we will ensure you get a paper copy of the newsletter.

Past newsletters may be accessed from the school website. 

The Diamond Harbour School office is the hub of the school.

This should be your first point of call for all administrative questions regarding the school. Our office is staffed by Gabe Buis and she has a wealth of knowledge about the school. 

The school office is open from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm Monday to Thursday, and on Fridays 8:30 am – 2:45 pm. It is closed during school holidays. 

Diamond Harbour School policies are managed through School Docs which implements best practice in school policies. 

To access our policies go to SchoolDocs . The username is diamondharbour and the password is diamond. 
 
Each term different policies are up for review. Parents are notified in the school newsletter about any policies that require parent review.

Safety on the roads is of great importance.

The pedestrian crossing on Marine Drive (near the bottom of Hunters Road) is monitored by staff or community members from 8:30am – 8:50am before school (starting 8:20 on Fridays) and after school for 15 minutes. This enables children to be assisted in crossing (using the pedestrian crossing) safely. 

Please also be careful when driving along Hunters Road as there can be a number of cars parked along here and this reduces visibility. There are also children who bike to school using this road.    

Children are also encouraged to use the school track to walk to school. This is a track that comes in from the east side of school and enables children to walk to school while avoiding most of the road.

Diamond Harbour School has two school bus routes – one covering beyond Purau onwards to Port Levy, and the other covering Diamond Harbour, Purau and Teddington. Please either stay with your children while they are waiting for their school transport in the morning or keep in contact with them to make sure that they are picked up safely.
Route maps can be found on the Ministry of Education website. Instructions on how to use these route maps can be found here.
 
Eligibility for school transport assistance
 
The Ministry of Education has three criteria that students must meet in order to qualify for school transport assistance. They are:
  1. The student must attend their closest state or state-integrated school
  2. The student must live more than a certain distance from the school:
    • Years 1-8: At least 3.2 km
    • Years 9-13: At least 4.8 km
  3. There must be no suitable public transport options
 
The Ministry of Education has a handy video on their website that explains the eligibility criteria for school transport assistance.
Those who are required to pay for the bus need to purchase a ticket from the office. Please contact the office for further details.
 
To ensure a safe environment for bus loading and unloading caregivers should:
 
  • not park in bus bays
  • adhere to the speed limit (20 km/h while passing a stationary school bus on either side of the road)
  • try to eliminate the need for children to cross the road
  • ensure that children get to and from the bus stop safely
  • teach children to not run across the road

School camp is one of the highlights of the school year for many children. Not only do they provide many educational benefits, but they also play a big part in helping build resilience and develop relationships.

All children, from year 4 – year 8 have the option of going on camp. The older the children are, the further afield the camps go. In year 8, children go to Wellington. 

At the end of each year, information will be provided about the camps for the following year. Camps can only be successful with the help and support of our parents. Parents who join us on camp are invaluable, and without this help we would not be able to provide such experiences for our students.

School donations are a very important part of school income. While the Ministry of Education covers the basics for students, to provide the extras that we like to provide, additional funding is essential. 
 
The amount of the school donation is set by the Board of Trustees at the beginning of each school year. For 2025 the donations are:
 
– Single student: $200
– Family with 2 students: $260
– Family of 3 students or more: $320
 
This amount is added to your school account. There is now a facility to pay online directly from HERO. 
Remember that donations are tax deductible. If you wish to claim your deduction on your tax return please ask at the school office for a receipt.

Sushi is our lunch option this year and is delivered from Lyttelton Nama Sushi every Friday lunchtime.

Order forms are available from the office and need to be returned to the office filled out by Thursday 9.00am

Payment can be made online with sushi as the reference or cash 

The school may be structured differently from year to year depending on the number of children in each year group.

Currently the school is organised into a Junior School, Middle School and Senior School. The Junior school includes years 0-3. The Middle School has two learning spaces – Year 4 & 5, and Year 5 & 6. The Senior School includes our Intermediate students – Years 7 & 8.

We have a very smart school uniform that is currently (2025) compulsory for students up to year 7. In 2026 uniform will be compulsory for all students. It can be purchased online or in person from the NZ Uniform Shop at 455 Blenheim Road, Sockburn. 
 
Compulsory in the Diamond Harbour School uniform are the polo shirt (short or long sleeved), hoodie and sports shirt. Any bottoms (shorts, trousers, skirt, skorts) may be worn as long as they are dark blue or navy. The dress is also part of the uniform and the sports shirt is part of the day to day uniform – it doesn’t have to be worn just for sports. 
 
If the cost of a school uniform is a concern, or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us to see if the school can assist.
Our school uniform is purchased online, or by visiting NZ Uniforms. If you purchase online and you wish to exchange your purchase you can send back to exchange or exchange in-store. When purchasing in-store you are also able to try on samples to check sizes. A price list is attached to this article.
 
We do not have a second-hand uniform shop but if you wish to buy or sell second-hand uniform items we recommend you use the community Facebook page.
If you wish to save for school uniform by putting a small amount aside each week you are able to add payments to a Uniform Club card. Further information about this can be found here. 
 
 
It is recommended to have each article of clothing named. Visit NameIt for some great ideas at a reasonable cost.
 
 

We use Warehouse Stationery as our school stationery supplier. Details will come out from the school office in early December for stationery the following year. We encourage you to have your stationery early so that your child is ready for their learning at the beginning of the year.

As part of their curriculum, all year 8 students have a leadership role. Leadership groups may include: STEM Leaders, Arts Leaders, Sports Leaders, Library Leaders, Cultura Leaders, Green Diamonds (EnviroLeaders), Garden Leaders and House Leaders. If a student has an area of interest they would like to have a leadership role in, leadership positions can be created in additional areas. Examples of events that have been run include Talent Shows, Teddy Bear’s Picnic Book Reading, Scratch Day, Sports Shed and lunch time Science club.  

Our sun protection policy applies during Terms 1 and 4. Sun hats are compulsory in these terms. In the pool, students are required to wear rash vests.  Sunscreen is available in classrooms and students are encouraged to put sunscreen on before they go outside during breaks and outside events.