Frequently asked questions

Does my child need a device?

All of our Junior Year 7 & 8 classes have Chromebooks which are given out to individual students to use in class. These cannot be taken home.  All other classes have devices that students can use.

Students are not required to bring their own device to school as classrooms have laptops available for them to use. Any student that does bring their device to school are required to get the school monitoring software installed on it. This is called Linewize.

For more information, please get in contact with Chris Plant or Rajal Singh.

What stationery does my child need?

You can find a copy of our stationery list here.

Can my child wear non uniform items?

All students are expected to come to school in full correct uniform.  If for some reason this is not possible, please provide your child with a note that they take to the Deans before Mentor time. They will be issued with a temporary uniform pass.

What are Mentor Groups?

Our school operates a vertical Mentor group structure for the Junior and Senior areas of the school.  This means the Junior Mentor groups have students from each of the Year levels 7-10 in them and the Senior Mentor groups have Year 11-13 students.  They are arranged around the three school Houses and have six Mentor groups within each House group.  There are also three whaanau mentor groups: ‘Te Puawai’.

Vertical Mentor groups mean Mentor teachers stay with students as they progress through each part of the school.  There are many advantages to this system, particularly in relation to pastoral care.  Furthermore, it allows us to have better organised House competitions with all students in a class being in the same House.

What is the Student Centre?

The Student Centre is open from 8.15am to 3.15pm.

Ms Straker is the Student Centre Administrator. Students can go to the Student Centre for:

  • All payments / Eftpos / Cash
  • To sign in and out
  • For sickbay / doctor
  • To make Counsellor appointment
  • Lockers
  • Any other general queries

How do I get in contact with a Teacher?

You can view all our current teacher contact information on the staff page.

How can I get a message to my child?

If you need to get a message to your child you can either ring the school on 07 8263715 or you can email at admin@tkcoll.school.nz  and we will make sure that this is passed on.

How does my child sign in and out?

If a student needs to leave school during school time they MUST have a leave pass issued by a Dean or the Student Centre.

To ensure we are meeting our obligations under Health & Safety legislation if your child needs to leave school during the school day, please contact us using one of the ways listed below:

There are four ways to contact the school to request a leave pass for your child:

  1. You can text us on 027 960 1750.
  2. You can phone the school on 07 826 3715.
  3. You can send a note to school with your child.
  4. You can email us: admin@tkcoll.school.nz

The student must sign out at the Student Centre and sign in again on their return.  Parents/caregivers are required to collect their student from the Student Centre if they sign out during school time.

It is very important that this process is followed as students will not be permitted to leave the school grounds without a leave pass.

Do I need to sign in at the office?

The College Office is open from 8.00am to 4.30pm.

General enquiries and enrolments can be made at the office.

Parents are to come to the College Office for all issues relating to your student/s.  For the safety of our students, visitors are not to go into the school grounds without permission

It is very important that this process is followed as students will not be permitted to leave the school grounds without a leave pass.

Can my child use a cellphone at school?

In short, no.

We believe all members of the Te Kauwhata College community have the right to a safe and healthy work and learning environment.  A school environment that protects and promotes the health and wellbeing of the entire school community.

Through our curriculum, we will encourage good decision making about cell phones/device usage and educate on the effects of these when used inappropriately.

The Te Kauwhata College cellphone policy discourages the possession of a cell phone/device on school property. However, if any aakonga has a device during school hours, the cell phone must remain turned off and concealed.  If a student is found with a device, we will follow school process.

Is there school zoning?

The school does not currently have a zone, however, this is to change in the near future. For more information on this, please contact the school.