By using HERO you are able to communicate absences, receive notifications about up coming events and our school newsletter.  We are also hoping to be able to  use HERO very soon to report on your child's learning progress.  Follow the steps below to join HERO today.  If you need any further support or information please phone the school office and speak with Casey Twist (09-233-6108 ext 900) or email office@pokeno.school.nz.

We do not have a compulsory uniform.  It is important that children are dressed appropriately for school.  Shoulders should be covered so please avoid singlets and tops with shoestring straps.  Crop tops are not appropriate and clothing should not have any writing or images that could offend.  Children are expected to wear hats during terms 1 and 4 when playing outside.  We do ask that you name all of your children's clothes.

9:00am - Learning block one

10:30am - Morning tea eating time

10:40am - Play time

10:55am - Learning block two

1:00pm - Lunch eating time

1:10pm - Lunch play time

1:45pm - Learning block three

3:00pm - Home time

Lunchboxes can be a real challenge - you want to make sure your children eat a variety of healthy foods, but you also need to know the lunch will be eaten! By including foods from each of the four food groups you will help ensure they get all the necessary nutrients. Asking your children what they would like, or involving them in preparing their own lunchboxes, will reduce the likelihood of the food being thrown away or coming home uneaten.

The healthy lunchbox

Lets think about filling our lunchbox in terms of the four food groups:

Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetable sticks - carrot, cucumber and celery with an optional dip such as cottage cheese, hummus, pesto, Greek yoghurt, tzatziki or *peanut butter.

Small (cherry) or chopped tomatoes

Fresh fruit - chopping bigger fruit  beforehand will make it easier to eat - a variety throughout the week maintains interest and ensures a variety of nutrients

Fruit pottles

Mini salads - coleslaw or a lettuce salad with tomato, grated carrot and cucumber

Small packet or handful of raisins or dried fruit

Grain foods (bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals)

Sandwiches (ideas - see below)

Cereal bars

Plain biscuits

Plain popcorn

Rice crackers

Potato or pasta salad

Potato cakes

Left over pasta and rice dishes

Milk and milk products 

Pottle of yoghurt or yoghurt squeezables

Cubes or slices of cheese

Cottage cheese - add to sandwiches or use as a dip for vegetable sticks

Lean meat and alternatives (lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts & seeds, beans and lentils)

Meat or chicken sandwiches

Egg or tuna sandwiches

Hard-boiled eggs

Hummus - Add some to sandwiches or put a couple of tablespoons in a container to go alongside vegetable sticks

* Peanut butter - add to sandwiches or use as a dip for vegetable sticks

* A small handful of nuts and seeds

*Note:   We don't have a 'peanut free' policy but we do ask that children do not share food in case of allergies.  

A school bus funded by the Ministry of Education is available to eligible children free of charge. Eligibility depends on the age of the child and distance they live from their nearest school. To find out if your child is eligible for the bus please contact the school office. Ineligible children are able to catch the bus for termly fee of $45.00. This fee must be paid in advance. For more information about the bus service please contact the school office.

We use a company called Office Products Depot for all our stationery.  Teachers carefully select the stationery to meet the needs of the children at each year level; therefore our preference is that stationery is purchased as a pack. You are able delete any items if you already have these at home. Stationery can be delivered to school or home.

To order, go to www.nzschoolshop.co.nz and select your child's year level.  

If you have any further questions please phone the school office.

Reading Eggs is an online programme that we use to support reading progress for all learners in our school.

Reading Eggs incorporates a wide variety of effective, research-based, learning activities within a highly motivational framework that help to keep students on task for longer periods of time. 

Through an interactive Web-based program, the design of Reading Eggs uses the following instructional elements that have been shown to be highly effective components of reading programs as evidenced in the research literature: 

· an early and continued focus on phonemic awareness and phonics – the alphabetic principle 

· building automaticity (instant recall) of a core list of high-frequency sight words 

· repetition of activities and re-reading of texts to build fluency 

· a wide range of motivational elements 

· a variety of instructional formats 

· parental involvement · vocabulary activities that build understanding 

· comprehension strategies that ensure reading for meaning is central. 

If you have any questions about Reading Eggs we encourage you to ask your child's teacher.