Absences and Lateness

If your child is absent from school for any reason please phone the office on 481 1400 to let us know. You can phone outside of school hours and leave a message on our answer phone.

Assemblies

We have a whole school formal assembly every second Thursday from 12.15 - 12.45 p.m. Parents and caregivers are always welcome to attend our assemblies. Each class has a turn to organise assembly. There is usually a curriculum component to the assembly where students share work they have been doing related to the current unit of study. On the weeks we don't have assembly we have school singing, always a favourite with students and teachers.

Canteen and Lunch Scheme

The lunchroom is open at morning tea time and lunch time on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Students must order their lunch in the classroom at 8.45 a.m. by putting the correct money in an envelope and writing their name, room number and what they are ordering on the outside of the envelope. This is put in the classroom lunchbox and sent to the office at 9.00 a.m. Students may purchase items at morning tea by queuing outside the lunchroom, next to the hall, but all lunches must be pre-ordered at the start of school as there are no counter sales at lunchtime.

Classroom Overview

The school is currently divided into two teaching teams. We have 8 teaching classrooms and a Learning Support Class which takes students with special needs from our local cluster schools.

Students stay with their home class and teacher for most lessons but may go to another teacher for Mathematics which is streamed. We have specialist teachers for Technology, Music, Visual Art, Dance, Drama and Korean Language. Children spend a block of 10 weeks on each specialist area for an hour and a half.

Each class also has a block of lessons in a second language - this year all classes are learning Chinese from a specialist Chinese Teacher. Each class has a 45 minute Chinese lesson for 20 weeks.

"A marked strength of the school is its student body. Students demonstrate their willingness to benefit from their time at school. They cooperate well with teachers and each other, establishing good quality relationships that result in a positive school tone. Students generally put their full effort into undertaking tasks set by teachers and engage enthusiastically in the programmes provided by the dance and visual arts teachers. Overall, the school has a well-established learning climate that provides a sound foundation for students’ learning and for their active engagement at school." ERO 2007. 

Communication

If you have any questions or concerns about your child at school please contact your child's teacher as soon as possible to arrange a time to talk. It's a lot easier to resolve issues and problems if they're addressed early on and the classroom teacher is the first point of contact. If you still have concerns or questions after that please contact Rose Neal.

Teachers can be contacted via the school office or each teacher has their own e-mail address. Teachers' e-mail addresses are listed on the "Meet the Staff" webpage on this site.

Curriculum

All the essential learning areas are taught with an emphasis on Mathematics and English. We use an Integrated Curriculum approach which means we believe students learn best when there are meaningful links between the curriculum areas as opposed to teaching the curriculum in distinct, fragmented, timetabled slots.  As young adolescents, Intermediate children need to be active participants in how and what they are learning.  We tap into this need by developing our units of work around current issues that directly concern our students.  It is important to give our students the opportunity to make a difference both in their own community and in the global setting.  Learning experiences within each curriculum area relate directly to the issue the students are studying.  This gives the students an authentic and relevant purpose to the work they are doing.  By making these links between curriculum areas our students are able to go deeper into the issues and they are encouraged to become critical thinkers.

"The integrated studies approach provides rich opportunities for students who are able, to take responsibility for their learning, to manage their own time and to think independently.  This approach also encourages students to develop their collaborative and co-operative learning skills.  It is a very suitable approach for early adolescents who value opportunities to find out about their world for themselves."  ERO 2007.

EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) Programme

We are into challenge here! At Northcote Intermediate you can expect to be taken out of your comfort zone a little with our EOTC programme. Each year every class goes on an overnight camp where students have to pitch tents, prepare their food on a gas cooker, survive the long drops and cold water. If that isn’t enough they then have to survive a selection of the following activities - three hour tramp, mountain biking, the very scary tree challenge, snorkeling, kayaking and team challenge activities. There is no shortage of parents wanting to help on these school camps. We have a two year rotation for the camp venues - in odd years we go to Woodhill Forest and in even years we travel north to the beautiful Tawharanui Regional Park.

ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages)

Additional English lessons are available for students whose first language is not English. Mrs. Gamble is currently undertaking university study to become a fully qualified ESOL teacher.

"Students who attend ESOL withdrawal lessons receive programmes that are well suited to their English language learning needs.  Programmes support students to acquire both spoken and written English.  They are appropriately targeted towards supporting students’ access to the curriculum, as well as helping them develop English for interpersonal interactions." ERO 2007

First Aid and Illness

The sick bay room, located in the office block, is available for treatment of minor injuries. In the event of a more serious injury or illness preventing your child from participating in classroom activities we will get in touch with listed caregivers and emergency contacts. Please ensure a student's contact details are up-to-date at all times for this reason. Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell.

Gifted and Talented

There are many opportunities for students with identified skills and qualities to be extended and enriched. Within classroom programmes students may be ability grouped for a variety of subjects. Mathematics is streamed across teams for each strand. Our top mathematicians compete in Mathex and sit the Otago Problem solving exams. We also offer the New South Wales exams in Computers, Science, English, Writing, Spelling and Mathematics. In 2009 we chose our best writers to attend a one day Young Writers’ Workshop at the Aotea Centre.

For children with an interest and ability in Technology there is the annual North Shore Intermediate Technology Challenge. Our Year 8 boys’ team won this event in 2008 and we will be defending our title strongly in this year. For the artistically gifted there is an Art Extension Programme, Rock Band, Drumming Group and a Boys’ Barbershop Quartet. For those students into sport we have an Extension Dance Troupe as well as all the Sports Zone Days and Sports Exchange Programmes. We participate in all the main zone days and we are always very competitive.

"Teachers put a lot of effort into helping to ensure that students have access to a wide range of activities.  In their own time, they coach sports teams, work with dance and music groups, and offer enrichment opportunities in areas of student strength.  Teachers work hard to make their crowded timetables work to the advantage of students.  They are proud of their students and show a strong desire for individual students, and for the school as a whole, to succeed.  Teacher turnover has had a marked positive impact on the quality of teaching in the school." ERO 2007.

Homework

Homework will be given from Monday - Thursday night, of approximately 45 minutes each night. The purpose of giving homework is to reinforce work being taught at school and to establish good work habits that will assist in a smooth transition to college. Homework, here possible, will relate to the current classroom programme and will usually include Maths and English. Homework should not be new learning - it should be work that children can complete independently. For children with special learning needs homework tasks and expectations may be modified. All homework will be marked by the classroom teacher and there are consequences for non completion of homework - these include an "invitation" to the lunchtime homework class. Each teacher has a different "method" for handing out and returning of homework - your child's teacher will let you know what their system is. If you have any concerns about homework during the year please see your child's teacher in the first instance.

Leadership Opportunities

Being a small school all students are given a number of opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Each class has representatives on a student council that meets weekly. The student council organises activities for the whole school and councilors are called upon to represent the school at official functions, to welcome visitors to our school and report back to their classes. 

Weekly assemblies are run by classrooms and students have to organise the format, guest speakers, items as well as present weekly awards. Each year we send a group of our school leaders to the Young Leaders’ Conference where they listen to inspirational speakers and talk to leaders from other schools.

Music and the Arts

Do you fancy yourself as a budding singer, musician, artist or dancer? You'll fit right in at Northcote Intermediate - our performing arts programme is awesome. If you enjoy acting you may win a role in our bi-annual school production in 2011 - sure to be a highlight next year. In 2010 our school-wide Talent Showcase will be a major draw card.

Newsletters

Newsletters are sent home each Tuesday and keep you up-to-date with what is happening in the school and what is coming up. Please make sure you ask your child for these each Tuesday. They're also available from the website on the link below and another link on the home page. We try to send home all communications on a Tuesday if possible.

Notices

Sports notices will be sent home at regular intervals letting you know about upcoming sports events. These will be on letterhead or blue paper. Correspondence from the PTA is on green paper.

Payments

We have a classroom money box system in place whereby any payments brought to school by students should be placed in their classroom money box during roll call and are sent to the office to be receipted. Permission slips for activities and events can also be returned in this manner.

Payments can also be made by direct bank deposit into ASB Bank account 12 3053 0365947 00. Please ensure you indicate in the reference who and what the payment is for.

PTA

We have a very active PTA who meet monthly. Please come along and support your school. Meetings dates and times will be notified in the school newsletter and coming events.

Punctuality

School starts at 8.45 a.m. and all students are expected to be at school by 8.30 a.m. at the latest. This allows for them to catch up with friends briefly, get to class and get everything ready for the start of the day. We ask for your support in ensuring your child is at school by 8.30 a.m. each day. We have a card system to monitor punctuality to class and school. If your child receives three late cards for inappropriate reasons e.g. sleeping in, buying lunch etc, a letter will be sent home to make you aware there is a problem and your child will be given an after school detention. Your child will not be penalised for being late for appropriate reasons e.g. a doctor's appointment etc.

School Rules - Manners and Respect, Discipline and Behaviour Management

Manners and showing respect are very important at our school. We expect students to treat all adults and other students in the school with respect and to speak in a polite and pleasant manner. Swearing and abusive language is not permitted at school.

We have a school code of conduct which is displayed in all classrooms. The rules of the school are very simple and we have done this so that it makes it easier for students to know what is acceptable and what is not. We have a very rigorous behaviour management programme. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind - physical, verbal, social or emotional and will deal swiftly with any instances of bullying as soon as we are made aware there is a problem. Consequences for breaches of our behaviour programme and school rules vary depending on the individual circumstances and situation.

Special Needs

For students who need extra help with their work we have a Learning Support class that caters for students working at Level 1 of the curriculum. For other students who need support we can offer individualised programmes. For the past three years the Board of Trustees has funded an additional teacher to assist students with difficulties in Reading, Writing and Spelling. Mrs. Gamble takes small groups of students with identified needs every day to give them additional support. We have the Takapuna/Northcote RTLB service based in our school and some students get support from an RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour).

Sporting Opportunities

Are you mad about sport? Then Northcote Intermediate is the place for you! We have sports teams in most of the main sporting codes, we participate in the Intermediate Zone Sports days (where we perform very well), we have whole school sports once a week, daily fitness and organised lunchtime sports games most days.