Student & Parent Handbook
Student and parent handbook for 2025
We hope this page provides a helpful source of useful information for all Cornerstone caregivers. These are little details that are important in day-to-day school life, but so often are hard to find out.
A to Z of Cornerstone Life
Absences: Children are legally required to be at school from the day they first enrol until they turn 16. If your child is sick please inform the office of an absence by 8.45am on the day or beforehand if you can. Please state their full name, their class and the reason why they are not at school. If you wish to take your child out of school for any other reason, e.g. family holiday, please send a letter to the Principal well beforehand explaining the circumstances. (see Absences page for full details)
After School care: See “Kelvin After School Kids (KASK)” below.
Animals: Animals are not to be brought to the school unless the teacher gives specific permission.
Appointments: If you are collecting a student in Year 9-13 during the day for an appointment, please send a signed note, stating the reason why your child is leaving school early. Students will need to bring this note to the Student Administration Officer at student reception, who will give them a leaving pass to give to their classroom teacher. They will need to sign out when they leave and sign in again at the office when they return to school. If you are collecting a student in Years 0-8 during the day for an appointment, the parent/caregiver will need to sign them out from the student reception. If they are returning to school, they will need to sign in at the student reception upon their return. Alternately you can email the student administration officer (absence@cornerstone.ac.nz) and your child’s teacher to notify them both of the appointment.
Arrival and departure: Punctuality in both arrival and departure is important to ensure the smooth running of the school. Because students will not be supervised before 8.30am, we ask parents not to send them to school prior to this time. Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds during the day unless supervised by their parent/caregiver. Students in Years 1-13 should be collected from school at 3pm, and students in Years 1-3 must be personally collected from the classroom by their parent/caregiver (or by another adult if the school has been informed of this in advance). Staff oversee the departure of students to endeavour to ensure their safety. See ‘car parks’ section below for more info on our Traffic Management system.
Assemblies: Parents are welcome to attend our school assemblies, if they check first if there is space. Certificates are awarded at every assembly. They are held at the following times most weeks (please check the school calendar on the website in any given week as occasionally a full primary or full school assembly may be held on a different day):
- Aroha team (Years 0-2) – Mondays, 2.20pm in Room A1
- Manahau team (Years 3-4) – Mondays, 1.40pm in Room D5
- Tumanako team (Years 5-6) – Mondays, 9.10am in Room C6
- Secondary (Years 7-13) – Fridays 2pm in the Gymnasium on a rotation basis – Middle/Senior school
Awards: See School and External awards below.
Bell times:
Y1-6:
- Class time – 8:50am – 10:50am
- Morning Tea – 10:50am -11:20am
- Class time – 11:20am – 12:50pm
- Lunch – 12:50pm – 1:30pm
- Class time – 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Y7-13 – Timetable runs on a 10-day cycle with 60-minute periods (note * days when Lifelab runs)
- Period 1 – 8:50 – 9:50am
- Period 2 – 9:50am – 10:50am
- Interval – 10:50am – 11:20am
- Period 3 – 11:20am – 12.20pm
- Period 4 – 12:20pm – 1:20pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
- Lifelab – 12:50pm – 1:20pm (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
- Lunch – 1:20pm – 2:00pm
- Period 5 – 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Camps: The following camps are offered to students each year:
- Year 13 student leadership camp (Term 1, 2025)
- Year 6 camp (Term 1, 2025)
- Year 9 Activity Week (Term 4, 2025)
- Year 10 camp (Term 4, 2025)
Camps have a learning and outdoor education focus and are linked to the key competencies and learning areas of the curriculum. Parents will be advised of camp costs in advance and will be invoiced for these if they choose for their child to participate.
Car Parks: There is a new Traffic Management flier (see below) in effect from Mon 19th Aug,2024.
Please help to keep our students safe by following our traffic management procedures when entering, exiting or parking to drop off or collect your child/ren
Roberts Line: Turn left into the entrance gate and turn left out of the exit gate. When dropping off or picking up children always park in a car park, not behind another car. Please, no double parking and no right turns into or out of the car park.
Mihaere Drive: There is a ‘rolling drop off/pick up zone’ on the road, directly next to the large school sign along with a student waiting area. This zone is for the 8.30-9.00am drop off and the 2.45-3.20pm pick up times – it is not to be used as a general car parking area.
The Mihaere Drive car park will be closed between 8.25-8.45am and 2.45-3.20pm. If you need access to the Mihaere Drive car park for a mobility vehicle pick up, please contact the office to make arrangements.
Please be kind to duty staff who may gently move you on if you are caught transgressing.
Car parks at the supermarket: Parents can park in the supermarket car park on Roberts Line and cross over the patrolled crossing to drop off and pick up children, but may not leave their vehicle there for longer than necessary. This has been negotiated with supermarket management.
Cornerstone awards
These are awarded once termly at whole primary and a whole secondary assembly. They recognise students who have exhibited Godly character traits and/or the values that the school espouses.
Dental services
Our school dental service is managed by the Ross Intermediate dental clinic; you will be notified of appointment times so that you can attend these with your child. If your child has dental problems between appointments,
Extra curricular
Activities are offered from year to year depending on the availability of staff or suitably qualified volunteers to organise them. We intend to offer:
Kapa Haka
Choir
for students in Years 4-6, Monday lunchtimes.
Worship bands
for students in Years 5-13.
Sports
including hockey, netball, rugby, football, basketball, tee-ball, badminton, table tennis, futsal, cricket and volleyball. Where students’ needs are not catered for, e.g. we do not have enough students for a team in a particular sport, we organise for our students to play their chosen sport with another school’s team.
Music lessons.
Download EPIC Music Academy Application Form (pdf) Feilding/Bunnythorpe and Ashhurst buses
Home-school communication
Weekly school newsletters, regular website updates, the school App, class blogs, team newsletters, email correspondence with your child’s teacher, open door policy, learning and achievement portfolios, parent-teacher interviews, written reports, parent information meetings, consultation meetings, the sports website and sports and school noticeboards are designed to keep you well informed about what is happening at school and in a position to partner with us in educating your child.
Here are some useful articles about engaging with school life.
Illness and medication
Kelvin After School Kids
Kelvin After School Kids (KASK) provides both before school and after school care – every morning (7-8.30am) and afternoon after school (3-6pm) and extra hours for early finishes or Teacher Only days, as required.
During the mornings, breakfast is provided along with care and activities before school. In the afternoons together, we provide afternoon tea, have a prayer time and spend time helping the children with their homework. Once the homework is completed, we provide a selection of activities: eg indoor and outdoor play and games, baking, art and craft activities and lots of opportunities for creative play. Each term we have a values theme.
Library procedures
Mufti days
Mufti days are typically toward the end of each term. The dates will be announced in the school newsletter and on the website for a few weeks in advance. Students may dress in tidy mufti clothing (clothing guidelines are found in the Uniform section of the website and in the Student & Parent Handbook) and are encouraged to make a small donation the the Cornerstone Fundraising Group (CFG) via MyKindo (no cash on the day please).
The proceeds go toward a cause determined by the school missions committee.
MyKindo App Payment System
Payment for most school costs such as: sports team registrations, school activities, mufti days, subway lunches, student ID’s, Cornerstone Fundraising Group (CFG) events, etc are to be made using the myKindo App, which is an essential tool that we use in the school office. You can also use the myKindo App to register your children for any sports teams etc. you choose and to make payment from your myKindo account. Note: The school office does not handle any cash payments.
Parking
See Car Parks above.
Payments
Personal property
The school expects students to support and uphold the Special Character of the school. No chewing gum, firearms, identifiable gang paraphernalia or knives etc. are permitted. Personal property brought to school is the responsibility of the student and the school will not accept responsibility for any loss or breakages. We recommend that expensive items are not brought to school, e.g. cell phones.
Public Health nurse
Road patrol
School and external awards
Students at different levels may work toward school and external awards such as:
