General Information
Please explore the tabs below to find out more about our school. If you require additional information, contact the school office.
Term dates
Term dates for 2025
- Term 1
Monday 3rd February - Friday 11th April
Waitangi Day: Thursday 6th February
Easter holidays: Friday 18th April- Tuesday 22nd April
ANZAC Day: Friday 25th April
- Term 2
Monday 28th April - Friday 27th June
Kings Birthday: Monday 2nd June
Matariki Day: Friday 20th June
- Term 3
Monday 14th July - Friday 19th September - Term 4
Monday 6th October - Tuesday 16th December
Labour Day: Monday 27th October
Lunches at School
Papatoetoe East Primary School is part of the Ministry of Education Ka Ora, Ka Ako - Healthy School Lunches Programme. Our lunch providers, Good Vibes and Subway, ensure all students receive appropriate healthy meals that meet all dietary requirements, including but not limited to vegetarian, vegan, halal, dairy free and gluten free meals. Any families that choose to opt out of this programme are expected to provide a healthy alternative, not ‘fast’ foods, sweets, lollies or chips.
We are also a water-only school. No other drinks are allowed to be bought to school. This includes energy drinks, fizzy drinks or boxed drinks (Up and Go, juices etc)
Due to the number of pupils with food allergies and associated food intolerances we discourage the sharing of food except when organised and monitored as part of a school event.
Uniform
At Papatoetoe East Primary School we have a uniform that every child is expected to wear correctly.
Our uniform can be purchased From:
- ANGELS FASHIONS, 98 ST GEORGE STREET, OLD PAPATOETOE
- THE UNIFORM SHOPPE, 1 RONWOOD AVE, MANUKAU
If for some reason our school uniform is not able to be worn an explanation note is required and must be sighted and signed by a classroom teacher. Lost clothing is always a problem. Parents are asked to name all parts of their child's uniform clearly. Our school lost property box is kept inside the foyer of the van Wijk room and you are welcome to search through this if something has been lost.
Polar Fleece Jumper
Polo Shirt
Skivvy
Culottes
Cargo Shorts
Knit Shorts
Skirt
Track pants
Hat
Footwear
Stationery
STATIONERY
Specific student stationery is required to support classroom programmes and learning. Stationery information is avaliable as students enrol or are provided to existing students at the end of the year in preparation for the following year. Each year level, or classroom block, has specific stationery requirments and it is important that you select and purchase the correct stationery please.
At the beginning of the year stationery packs can be purchased from our school office for all students. These packs are organised according to the needs of students and contain a complete set of books as well as additional stationery items. If you are requiring stationery throughout the year you are able to purchase this directly from our school office.
If your child is joining us and has stationery from a previous school we ask that you bring that in and we will use that rather than ask you to purchase another pack from us.
Absence
Parents are asked to contact the school office and let us know if your child/ren are going to be away for any reason. You can do this by phone, and leave a message, by email or by using the Skool Loop App. Absenses may be reported by clicking and recording the relevant information on the link at the bottom of each page.
Parents are also to provide a written explanation of the absence on the first day back at school. The Education Act states that children must attend school on a consistent and ongoing basis and that parents must account for all absences. The school follows up all pupil absences on a daily basis with phone calls home for all absent pupils. District Truancy is advised of all school concerns and an officer may contact or visit households to discuss on-going absences and consistent lateness as per Ministry of Education guidelines.
Learning Timetable
Here at Papatoetoe East Primary we want to maximise key learning times and have organised our daily teaching and learning timetables to reflect this.
Learning starts daily at 8.50am and our day finishes at 3pm. We ask that students are at school earlier enough to prepare themselves and settle into our learning community.
Our school operates two 40 minutes breaks. This consists of 10 minutes supervised lunch eating and 30 minutes playground or activity time.
Our Timetable
- 8.50am - 10.50am (Block 1)
- 10.50am - 11.30am (First Break)
- 11.30am - 1.05pm (Block 2)
- 1.05pm - 1.45pm (Second Break)
- 1.45pm - 3pm (Block 3)
Safety
The Papatoetoe East Primary School Board of Trustees is committed to providing a safe learning and working environment for students, staff and its community. Our safety policy and practices reflect current NZ Health and Safety requirements and best practice.
School Access
- our school grounds are not supervised before school, after school or in the weekends.
- the Board of Trustees has a public bylaw that states that all bicycles, rollerblades and skate boards are prohibited from the school grounds.
- the school grounds are closed to the public after school hours.
- dogs are not permitted on school property (except our school dog Milo) without seeking permission from the Principal.
Security Gates
The school has full security gates that are closed from 8.55am to 2.50pm each school day. All visitors must report to the school office on arrival.
Access to children
The Principal must be informed of :
- any parent or caregiver who is denied access to their children
- any parent or caregiver who has restricted rights of access
- other pertinent details if children are involved in custodial situations
All parents and caregivers, even if known to the class teacher or principal, must call at the school office first if they wish to contact or visit any pupils.
No right of access to classrooms or pupils is deemed to be automatic unless permission has been given by the Principal.
At all times the school operates under the guidelines of the Privacy Act.
Civil Defence Emergency
In an official civil defence emergency, all pupils are held at school and then when approval is given by Auckland Civil Defence pupils are released to parents or family members in person. Any children not claimed by their family would be held under strict control at one designated local school centre as per Civil Defence instructions. Official radio messages will announce all details and whether children can resume school or not after the emergency situation has been declared as over.
Each term regular school practices are organised to ensure children and staff are familiar with all fire evacuation and other emergency drills.
Pedestrian Crossing
There is a patrolled crossing operating at the school from 8.20am to 8.50am and them 3.00pm to 3.15pm. Pupil patrol monitors and a supervising adult are on duty at these times. Parents are asked to co-operate fully with this school operation, and to park within the road lines as marked by the Auckland Council. Local Auckland Transport parking wardens patrol our school roads and entrances as required.
NO PARKING IS AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOL GROUNDS
