Sumner A-Z
Our A-Z holds information about our school. If you can’t find the answer to a question you have, please contact our School Office team who will be happy to help.
Attendance: Children are expected to regularly attend school. Caregivers are obliged by law to ensure their children maintain regular attendance. We use an electronic attendance register system (eAR). Each morning and afternoon teachers complete their class register. If a student is absent from school for any reason, the teacher must enter a code. These absences fall under two main categories ‘ explained’ and ‘unexplained’.
It is the responsibility of parents to contact the school to explain why their child is absent. You can do this by;
- Phoning 326 6546 to explain the child’s whereabouts ([please leave a message before 8.30am)
- sending an email to admin@sumner.school.nz
- Reporting absence via our School app.
If an explanation is not received the office staff will attempt to contact parents to seek an explanation. These follow-ups do have a significant impact on our admin time so we really appreciate all parents ensuring that they have contacted the school if their child is going to be away. Please note that according to the Ministry of Education criteria, any absences due to travelling on family holidays during term time are treated as unjustified absences. These absences need to be put in writing or email admin@sumner.school.nz
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Accidents: Although every reasonable precaution is exercised, accidents do happen. Minor ones receive first-aid treatment from the teacher on duty. In all cases of head injury, suspected bone injury, bad cuts, etc. the parent is notified immediately for the necessary medical attention to be sought.
All accidents at the school are investigated, recorded and if serious enough, reported to Sumner School Board. Children are not sent home unless their parents have been informed, and must be accompanied before leaving the school.
In order to keep our Emergency Contacts up to date, please notify the school of any change of alternative contact, (for when a parent is not at home) and change of doctor.
After School Care: My After School Headquarters (MASH) programme is run from our school site before and after school each day during the following times: 7.30am to 8.30am and 2.30pm to 5.30pm
MASH also run holiday programmes 8.00am to 3.00pm throughout the year (child care from 3.00pm to 5.30pm). Please contact them either by phone: 0800 420520 or email: admin@mashkids.co.nz
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Assemblies: Whole school assemblies are held fortnightly (‘odd’ weeks) on Friday’s from 9.15-10am in our School Hall. Whānau and families are warmly invited to attend. PLEASE NOTE: During 2022 these may be held virtually within classes due to Covid Protection Framework settings.
Communication: Our School App is our main method of communication with whānau, parents and caregivers. All newsletters, school updates and reminders and team notices and newsletters will be sent out via this platform. Most importantly however, all communications in the event of an emergency will also be sent via our School App. 
To download our App, head to the Apple App Store or Android Google Play Store and search for School Apps. Once downloaded subscribe to Sumner School.
You are welcome to share the App with any Whānau members who may need to be in connection with the school, but please note for safeguarding purposes we have asked for it to be password protected and you will therefore be required to enter a password on download. Please click to request our password on download or ask at the School Office.
Once you have the app on your phone you will need to subscribe to the Alert Groups that are appropriate for your child(ren). To do this open the app, click on the Alerts icon in the bottom right of the home screen and click on tick icon in the top right hand corner. From the drop down options deselect any alert groups that are no longer needed and select your child(ren)’s class and learning team for the current year. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to select both groups to receive alerts for both the class and the team.
Please contact the school office or your child’s teacher if you require support with this.
Concerns: The partnership between home and school is an essential part of learning. If you have any questions or concerns about your child please make time to speak to one of our team about it. Your first port of call would usually be your child’s Homeroom Teacher. Our team are available to talk to parents before school from 8:30am and immediately after school. At times it may be more appropriate to arrange a meeting time with us so that we can have a little more time together to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. In these cases please contact us via email to arrange a separate meeting time.
If your concern is of a more serious nature it may be applicable to speak directly to your child’s Team Leader, our Deputy or Associate Principal, or to our Principal. Please use the flowchart below to help you identify the correct course of action for your concern.
Cycling and scootering to School: Parents are urged to ensure that children are not only proficient cyclists but that they also have an adequate understanding of basic road rules before allowing them to ride to school.
It is compulsory for all children to wear an approved type helmet when cycling to and from school. It is recommended that all bicycles and scooters left at school be locked as we cannot be responsible for stolen bikes and scooters.
Community Pool: The school has the use of a heated pool that is operated by our community. Key cards are available for purchase from the Sumner Community Pool Committee. Key holders may use the pool outside school hours. Adult key holders are required to do some supervision during public hours.
Cell Phones: If parents wish their child to bring a cell phone to school for use outside of school hours, they must be kept in your child(ren)’s school bag and not used during the day. Please note that students who choose to bring their cell phones during the school day do so at their own risk – the school will not take any responsibility for them.
Parents needing to get a message to their children can do so via the school Office on 03 3266546.
Digital Technologies: Digital competence is an essential skill for 21st Century learners. Digital technologies are an integral part of learning at Sumner School with opportunities woven throughout our curriculum where appropriate. As well as learning how to use digital technologies, digital citizenship is also a vital skill that is taught across the school.
Our community value the vehicle that technology can provide for learners and believe that our children should be responsible, confident users and creators of technology. Understanding of Digital Citizenship and the safety, etiquette and footprints that go alongside using digital tools is essential. We also value a blended approach to technology where tools are selected for the value they can add to learning.
At Sumner School, we use a variety of digital platforms to support teaching and learning. In order for your child(ren) to access these platforms we will need your permission. Consent documents are available at our School Office and an overview of the platforms we use can be found below.
As well as using a variety of platforms to support learning, our students will also have access to the internet to support their learning.
School Donations: Requests for contributions towards the school donation and curriculum associated activities are forwarded to parents and caregivers at the beginning of each term. The school donation is $195.00 per year ($48.75 each term). Please be aware that this is a donation and therefore parents are not obligated to pay. School donations however, are an important component in the school’s fundraising and without them we would not be able to provide the same level of learning support and high standard of teaching programmes.
Parents/Caregivers will receive notification of upcoming trips or activities; your contribution towards these costs would be appreciated within the term the trip or activity occurs. For large expense items e.g. swimming lessons, camps, skiing etc, payments are to be made in advance of the trip. The school is happy to accept regular part payments throughout the year, and offers internet banking facilities and EFTPOS.
Office staff would be really grateful if these two forms of payments could be used if at all possible as it has a huge impact on the amount of paperwork that needs to be done. If you must send cash to school there is the drop off box at reception for you to leave your payments in. Please ensure the envelope is clearly marked with your child’s name and room number and is not sent to the classroom. For those who wish to make internet payments, the school account number can be found on the bottom of your child’s statement.
Enrolment: The Ministry of Education requires schools to hold certain documentation before your child(ren) can begin at a school.
Sumner School is part of an enrolment scheme which means we are ‘zoned’. An enrolment scheme is a means of limiting the roll to prevent overcrowding or the likelihood of overcrowding at a school, and enabling the Ministry of Education to make best use of the accomodation at schools in the surrounding area.
You must be residing in the Sumner School zone to attend our school. For information on our zone please see the map.
Evidence of residing in our zone may be in the form of an original bill, rental agreement, rates statement etc.
For New Zealand Citizens: In order to process your enrolment we will need production of your child(ren)’s original Birth Certificate or New Zealand passport along with completed Sumner School Enrolment Form and immunisation booklet.
If your child is not a New Zealand Citizen, we require the following documents:
Original passport showing an open student permit/visa allowing your child the right to study at any primary school in New Zealand, along with the parent’s original passport showing endorsed work permit and completed Sumner School Enrolment Form.
International Students are required to pay Sumner School the appropriate fee before they can proceed to apply for a student visa to study specifically at Sumner School. Please contact our Business Manager Sue Stevens (sstevens@sumner.school.nz) regarding international fee payments. A student visa must be obtained before your child can start school.
Please present all your original documents at our school Office where copies will be taken for our records.
Hauora Fund:
Poipoia te kakano kia puawai – Nurture the seed and it will blossom
What is the Hauora Fund? At Sumner School we recognise that there may be times when individual families need additional financial support. Our Hauora (wellbeing) fund has been established to provide financial assistance to Sumner School families in need, helping them to meet certain school related costs and activities.
What can the Hauora Fund be used for? The Hauora fund is supported by our Parent Teacher Association and generous anonymous donations from members of our school community, and can be used for payment (in whole or in part) towards school related costs including:
- stationary;
- uniform;
- food; and
- curricular activities such as sport and camps.
How can I access the Hauora Fund for my family? The Hauora Fund is intended to be easily accessible to Sumner School families in need. If you would like to discuss access to the fund please contact Sue Stevens (School Business Manager) or Anna Granger (Principal) in confidence.
All payments made on behalf of a family shall be treated as confidential and only disclosed to the Hauora Fund administrator (Sue Stevens) and the Principal.
How can I donate to the Hauora Fund? If you wish to make a donation to our Hauora Fund please contact Anna Granger or Sue Stevens who will be more than willing to accept your generous donation on behalf of the school.
Lunch at School: Children are supervised at lunchtime and must be seated for the first 10 minutes to eat their lunch. Children may buy their lunch on a Friday, which are provided by Pure Sushi. Order forms are available from the school office and need to be submitted before Thursday 12pm. We encourage all children to take their lunch rubbish home with them. This keeps litter on the school grounds to a minimum and also helps parents monitor their child(ren)’s eating habits.
Lost Property: Lost property is an ongoing problem. Please name all articles of clothing, footwear and swimwear. Lost property is available for inspection inside the Office each weekday.
Newsletters: To keep parents informed about school activities, meetings and other functions, newsletters will be electronically sent home via our School App on every second Friday. Other notices usually go home on that day as well. Our newsletter is sponsored by local business people. A paper copy of the newsletter is also available at the Office.
If you would like to find out more about sponsoring our Newsletter please contact our Office Team (admin@sumner.school.nz)
Policies: Sumner School uses SchoolDocs to maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date set of policies and procedures. These policies and procedures follow guidelines and legislation and best practice, and have been tailored for our school. The principal, board, and members of our school community all have access to SchoolDocs.
To view our policies please visit SchoolDocs and log in.
Username: Sumner
Password: Wakefield
Parent Teacher Association: The Sumner School Parent Teacher Association is made up of a group of interested, motivated parents. They are involved in a wide range of activities which support the school both practically and financially and believe in the importance of maintaining a strong parent, teacher relationship. It’s not all about fundraising – they have a lot of fun in the process!
The PTA will happily welcome new members at any time so feel free to contact any members about joining our friendly team. It’s a small commitment for a very satisfying result. You can choose to officially join and have a specific role, or just be someone who helps out with special events from time to time. Fresh faces and bright ideas are always welcome!
Some of the roles the PTA do outside of fundraising include: holding a new parents morning tea, providing morning tea at sports day, returning lost property.
Ways to get involved:
- Join the PTA team and attend meetings – Come along to a meeting and/or just join the PTA team. Not only will you be helping out our school but being part of the PTA is a wonderful way to get to know the families within our community.
- Have a look at what’s coming up – The latest news and events linked to the PTA can be found on the PTA page on our website.
- Help out with events – If you can’t commit to meetings but would still like to help out on an ad hoc basis, email Georgie Lang pta@sumner.school.nz and you will be added to a list of parents we can call on for helping out at events etc.
Because many hands make light work!
Pre-entry visits: Children who have enrolled as New Entrants at Sumner School are invited to visit the New Entrant class during the fortnight prior to their fifth birthday. This visit is organised and coordinated by the Rapani (Years 0-2) Team Leader and takes place between 9-11am. This visit includes time for new parents and whānau to meet with our New Entrants teacher and Deputy Principal so that any questions they may have can be answered. These visits are an important way of introducing children to the school and class environment. We look forward to meeting you and your child.
Reporting to parents and whānau: At Sumner School we use a variety of ways to report your child’s progress and achievement to you. These include formal written reports, Learning Conferences and more informal methods such as assemblies, open afternoons and our special Kai me Kōrero hui.
More information can be found on our dedicated Assessment and Reporting page.
School stationery: To order school stationery packs for your child please go the OfficeMax MySchool website that supplies stationery for all students in Years 1-8.
Please note all New Entrants starting school are to purchase the Year 1 pack.
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The structure of our school day: An outline of our school day can be found below.
Uniform: Uniform is compulsory at our school. Our uniform is based around a colour code of navy with jade. Samples are on display in the school office and are for sale at The Warehouse, Eastgate Mall. Mainland Uniforms also supplies online ordering of our uniform with free delivery for purchases over $50.
We also have a small amount of second hand uniform available for sale in our School Office. All proceeds from this contribute towards our PTA (Parent Teacher Association) fundraising efforts for the school.
Jewellery is fully discouraged at school, mainly for reasons of safety. This includes such items as dangling earrings, necklaces, coloured fingernails, multi-bangles, etc. It is preferred that students do not wear these to school.
For health and safety reasons we also ask all students with long hair to have their hair tied back.
Please ensure that garments are named clearly. Lost property is stored in the school Office.
Volunteering your time: We encourage and greatly value the help parents and other community members are able to give teachers and the school. This greatly enhances the programmes that we are able to offer and many extracurricular activities are not possible without extra adult help. Volunteers who commit on a regular basis, particularly on overnight trips like camps, will be required to undergo police vetting. Programmes that regularly require parental support include PMP (a Perceptual Motor Skills Programme for juniors), and Road Patrol before and after school. If you are available to assist with any of these, please contact a class teacher or the office.
In the event of providing transport for students in private cars, parents are reminded that all passengers must wear a seatbelt, junior students should not be in a seat with an airbag, the car must be registered and have a current Warrant of Fitness and the driver must be fully licensed.
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