Term Dates & Times

2023 Term Dates

Term 1 Tuesday 31st January to Thursday 6th April 2023

School closed Monday 6th February 2023

Term 2 Monday 24th April to Friday 30th June 2023
Term 3 Monday 17th July to Friday 22nd September 2023
Term 4 Monday 9th October to Friday 15th December  2023

2023 Public Holidays

Auckland Anniversary Monday 30th January 2023
Waitangi Day Monday 6th February 2023
Good Friday Friday 7th April 2023 (Term break)
Easter Monday Monday 10th April 2023 (Term break)
Easter Tuesday  Tuesday 11th April 2023 (Term break)
ANZAC Day Tuesday 25th April 2023   
Queen’s Birthday Monday 5th June 2023
Matariki Friday 14 July 2023  (Term break)
Labour Day Monday 23rd October 2023
Christmas Day Monday 25th December 2023
Boxing Day Tuesday 26th December 2023

School Hours

8.25am Classrooms open for children to arrive at school. Ideally children arrive no earlier than this time.
8.55am School begins.
10.30am Interval with 10 minutes sit down morning tea.
11.00am End of interval.
12.30pm Lunch time with 15 minutes sit down eating time.
12.45pm Students free to leave seated lunch area.
1.25pm Bell goes for students to return to class for afternoon learning.
3.00pm School finishes.
3.20pm Children to be clear of school grounds.

Children should arrive at school no earlier than 8.25am. The Board of Trustees supplies supervision in the school hall from 8.00am for children arriving prior to this time.

After school, any students still on the school grounds after 3.20pm will be taken to after school care, where a small fee may be incurred.

School Tours

School tours are available on selected Tuesdays at 1.30 pm.  If you would like to attend one, please contact the main office to make a booking.  Please note, under current COVID settings we are unable to offer any school tours.

Absentees / Lateness

Absentees

Parents should contact the school when their child is absent.

A text message is sent out by 9.45am to all parents/caregivers of children who are unaccounted for. This system has been established to ensure the safety of all children and to monitor attendance.

If you are planning on going away on holiday during the school term please fill in the form below and return it to the school office.

NO student is allowed to leave the school grounds without teacher permission.

Parents/caregivers who wish to collect their child for appointments, or for personal reasons, must inform the school office. Parents must first report to the school office before removing any child from the school. No parent will be able to remove a non-family member unless accompanied by a note from the non-family member’s parent/caregiver.

Lateness

All children who arrive after 8.55am must check in to the school office as soon as they arrive at school.

Visitors

All parents/caregivers or visitors to the school are required to sign in at the office upon arrival any time between 9.00am and 2.50pm. This is a health and safety issue for us as we need to know who is on site at all times.

Transport

We encourage families to choose safety over convenience when dropping off or collecting children from school. Walking to school, even a short distance, is a great way to start or end the school day.

Road Patrol

Hillcrest Normal School operates two patrolled crossings on McCracken Ave and Cambridge Road. Both crossings are patrolled before school between 8.25am – 8.45am and after school between 3.00pm – 3.20pm.

Bikes and Scooters

All children who ride bicycles to school must wear an approved safety helmet, as they are legally required to. It is a police recommendation that children under the age of 10 years old do not ride unaccompanied. The school endorses this recommendation. We also recommend wearing a hi-vis jacket or vest and padlocking your bike at school in the stands provided.

Please share with care if you are using a scooter on the footpath. Scooters must be stored tidily in the racks provided. No scooters or bikes are to be ridden inside the school grounds.

Parking

The driveway at the front of the school is a drive through and drop off or pick up only zone between 8.40am – 9.10am and 2.30pm – 3.15pm. Vehicles should not be left unattended.

Cambridge Road outside the school is an extremely busy four-lane highway where traffic travels at speed. There is very limited parking and we advise parking on other streets around the school instead.

Lunch Orders

The school offers a lunch scheme everyday through Your Lunch Box. Our aim is to provide healthy and appetising food choices for children.  As Your Lunch Box packs contain enough food for the whole day, they will be delivered to the school office in time for morning tea. The exception to this is if you order a Friday’s Hot Lunch Box which will be delivered between 12.10 – 12.30pm. Orders can be placed up to the day before you would like your lunch order (before 8.00pm). Please click here to visit the website and read more about the delicious and healthy lunches available.

SunSmart

The school strongly encourages all children to wear sun hats when outside in summer. We have two styles of hats available from the school office. Sunblock is also available in every classroom for children to re-apply throughout the day.