UNIFORM

I would like to inform you that Ōtaki College no longer has a specific boys and girls uniform, instead we have a genderless uniform that has specific combinations for students to wear.  These combinations can be found on our website.  At Ōtaki College one of our core values is Rangatira Te Tū/ŌC Pride and as part of this we expect our students to be wearing our College uniform correctly at all times.  If a student has difficulty to access or buy uniform items, please contact the College and we will do our best to help.  

When students  wear non uniform items

There are times when a student may be unable to have the correct items.  They will require a uniform pass and this can be obtained from any of the Senior Leadership Team or Kaihautū-Kaiārahi (Deans), provided the student has a note stating the reason and signed by a parent.  Caregivers will be contacted by the SLT or Kaihautū-Kaiārahi if a student consistently does not have the correct uniform.  Following this call students will be expected to wear correct uniform at all times.

Uniform will be checked during Kaiārahi and in subject classes.

Any student who has a non-regulation uniform item will be asked by the teacher to remove the item; if a student refuses to do so then the matter will be passed onto the Kaihautū/Dean for further follow-up. Incidents of students in incorrect uniform will have their name and the non-regulation item noted on a central register; it will be the responsibility of the Kaiārahi teacher to follow-up; continual uniform infringements will be followed up by the Kaihautū/Dean. 

In matters of dispute over uniform, the Principal will determine the matter.

Please note that all students will be expected to dress appropriately for the occasion at all times. 

Full college uniform should be worn to and from College and on all College occasions unless specific exemption is given.

Can college help with a uniform item on the day?

Students at school without a uniform or specific uniform items will be required to wear uniform items issued on the day. These will be returned at the end of the school day. Excusing notes from parents regarding uniform will influence actions that will need to be taken around correct uniform being worn but will not excuse students from the requirement to wear issued items.

Action to build Rangatira Te Tū/ŌC Pride in uniform

We will be having a uniform blitz starting next week. This means that all students must be in correct school uniform. 

OUR CELL PHONE POLICY

At Ōtaki College, one of our areas of strategic focus is the Hauora | Health & Well-being of our students. In recent times we have become increasingly concerned about cell phone use interrupting the learning and health and well-being of some of our students. 

At Ōtaki College cell phones must not be used during any class time, including Kaiārahi time. During lessons, phones must be turned off and in the school bag. No exceptions.

Consequences:

• A cell phone can be confiscated if the student does not follow the above expectation, in which case the phone will be kept until the end of the spell it was confiscated. The student must then discuss the return of the phone with the classroom teacher. ​

• If the phone is confiscated a second time, caregivers will need to come in to collect the phone.

• If this happens a third time, which we do not expect, then someone from Senior Leadership will contact caregivers about what will happen next.

The aim is to support our students around sensible device use and to educate them on how to use other suitable devices for learning, such as tablets and laptops. As parents, you can support us by not contacting your children during learning times. If you need to contact your child urgently you can do this through the school office. Students can respond to messages at break times. 

If you have concerns about your child’s use at home of devices for social media, gaming or other purposes, there are some very helpful resources found on the Netsafe parenting page that can support you. https://www.netsafe.org.nz/online-safety-for-parents/

THE LETS PROCESS

Lates impact on learning, but lates become a habit that impacts on life after school. Employers’ common complaint about employing school leavers is their lateness to work, not turning up to work and not calling in to advise that they will be late or absent from work.  What we do matters. 

Our LETs (Lateness, Explained & Truants) process is a means of addressing attendance concerns for students who have issues with either arriving late to class, or truancy. 

Kaiārahi teachers should be accurately tracking attendance weekly to note where concerns may be arising. If in any one week, a student has any combination of three or more Lates, Truant, or Unjustified absences, they are to be placed on ‘Monitoring Week’. Kaiārahi should have a conversation with students in this position about the effects that poor attendance has on their achievement and about establishing positive self-management skills. Whānau will be contacted to discuss these concerns as well.

If a student on Monitoring Week is Late, Truant or Unjustifiably absent just once, they will have to complete a Thursday after school callback with their Kaihautū | Dean.

If the same student is again, continually Late, Truant or Unjustifiably absent after this callback / intervention, then the Kaihautū | Dean will follow up with next intervention steps.

Please find below an infographic explaining the LETs process.