Information for parents
Student account statements
The school will post home on a regular basis a statement for each student so that parents can check what has been paid and what is still to be paid. Please contact the school’s Executive Officer, Mrs McCormack, if you have queries about these statements.
Payments
Payments can be made in cash or cheque or eftpos at the student reception office. The school is very happy to arrange automatic payments or time payments to assist parents and caregivers with their financial commitments. Please contact the school’s Executive Officer Mrs McCormack on 07 881 9032 for more information.
Extra Help
Sometimes parents feel their child may need some extra help to ensure they succeed at school, these are some ideas you may wish to try
Encourage your son/daughter to talk to their teacher. Teachers generally know when a student is struggling but there is nothing more powerful than a student waiting behind after class and actually asking the teacher to give them some extra guidance.
Talk to the Teacher. The teacher can not know the student as well as you do, and they always appreciate being informed of any difficulties they have so they adjust their strategies to suit.
Talk to the Deans. If you notice a change in your child's behaviour or attitude this is often also reflected at school. Contact the Dean and ask them if there have been any changes at school also. We always want to help.
Homework
All students should be doing homework on a daily basis. This could be in the following forms...
Set homework given by the teacher. It could be due the next day or be part of an ongoing project.
Reading and revising the days work. Going over the notes from the day is an excellent way of consolidating learning.
Reading a set book. Reading should be done in a quiet comfortable area. If there is no set book than reading a novel will always improve reading skills.
Revising for tests & assessments. Find out when assessments are coming up and encourage your son/daughter to go over their notes.
Revision that involves re-doing tests, making up quizzes etc is far more effective than just reading over notes.
Homework should always be completed before tiredness sets in.
Lunches and Other Meals
Nutritious and healthy meals allow students to work their best at school
Don't let them out of the house without breakfast. This is an important meal that sets them up for the day.
Ensure they have the right foods in their lunchbox. Plenty of fresh fruit and old fashion sandwiches. Try to keep chippies and lollies to the minimum.
Ensure they take a water bottle with them that they can keep topped up, water helps
For other lunch ideas try clicking on this link
Meetings with Teachers and Staff
Parents are encouraged to attend the two parents evenings held after the Interim and Term Two reports are sent out. Click on the calendar for dates.
If you have any concerns or would like to know how the student is going, by contacting their Dean you can find out. Details of the deans is on the contacts page.
Parents Teachers Association (PTA)
The PTA allows parents to support the school in a number of ways. If you would like to become involved please contact one of these people...
Kathy Lesley ph. 880 9622 (Chairperson)
Joanna McKinnon Ph. 888 7839 (Secretary)
Sue Laing Ph. 888 5543 (Treasurer)
Glenys Yates Ph. 888 5574 (Uniform Room)
The PTA runs a second hand uniform shop on the last Friday of the month from 9.30am – 11.30am. The shop is located at the end of V block. Parents wishing to sell uniforms can leave them clearly named with a price at the front office. All enquiries about the uniform shop can be directed to the college reception staff.
School Reports
Parents and guardians receive three reports each year
At the end of Term One an 'Interim Report' is posted out. This does not contain comments, instead it contains a grade for attendance, behaviour, progress and homework for each subject.
At the end of Term Two a full report is produced. This contains the information found in the Interim Report plus written comments for each subject and group teacher comments.
At the end of the school year a full report is also sent out.
After the term 1 & 2 reports are sent out a parents evening is held. This allows parents to discuss the reports plus any other concerns they might have.
Buses & Cars
All school buses that operate through Matamata are coordinated by Mr Kent, who is a teacher at a College. If you have any concerns please contact him at the College on (07) 881 9018
All students who drive a car to school must first register their details with Mr Munro. This includes the registration number of any car they might use, driver licence details and any authorised passengers. Students must operate within the limitations of their licence.
Camps & Trips
Year 13 students go on a camp on the first day of the Term 1 after the powhiri. This camp allows them to get to know their fellow students, meet and be informed by visitors from other institutions and learn the differences related to being Year 13 students.
Year 9 students go on a camp to Findlay Park near Karapiro for 4 days a few weeks before the end of the year. This camp involves a number of activities including living it rough in a bivouac, questing and kayaking. Students are well fed and well looked after.
All through the year there are a number of Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) activities. These range from a walk into Matamata to visit the Police Station to several days skiing or kayaking. Parents often need to pay towards these trips as well as completing permission slips and medical forms.
For details of any upcoming trips or camps click on the calendar
Computers
Many parents ask the question "Do I have to buy a computer for school use". The simple answer is "no". Matamata College has over 120 computers for student use, that is about one computer for seven students. A high ratio by New Zealand standards. After gaining permission from their teacher students can access library computers during lunchtimes, additionally many teachers book computer rooms for lessons. With the obvious exception of computer based classes there is no requirement for type written work.
However computers at home can be a great asset for many students. Computers through the Internet allow additional research to be done, and typing homework assignments allows for changes to be made more easily and for richer work to be produced.
Parents often ask what sort of computer they should purchase. Matamata College uses PC's which are replaced on a three year cycle. For home use most computers under five years old with Internet connection will do well. If you are looking to buy a new computer, allow your choice to be based on your budget. If the student is planning on University a laptop may be the wise choice.
Parents of students who are taking advanced computer classes are often concerned as the software used is not available at home and can be very expensive. Senior computing students have adequate access to computer suites during lunchtimes and study periods. They only need a computer at home that will allow them to type up their assignments.
Expenses
There are many expenses involved in sending your child to school, these include
School uniform
Field trips and camps
Pens, paper etc
Classroom materials
School donation
School Donation
The school donation is $125 per student or $200 for two or more students. The college relies on this donation to provide equipment and activities not funded by the Ministry of Education. The money generated by the school donation is used to maintain the extensive school network of over 140 computers as well as providing for software and server upgrades. The BOT also uses the money to provide resources for the library and to subsidise the running costs of the school mini vans. Some of the money is also used to provide extra teacher aide help for students.
Subject Costs
Some subjects have a fee attached to them. Normally this is in subjects where there is a take- home component (e.g. Technology) or when students have a course manual or homework book that the student writes in and keeps for revision. The annual subject prospectus for each level, which students receive before making their subject choices for the following year, contains the subject costs for each subject.