Te Aroha College
Uniform Reminders
Uniform Reminders • News • Te Aroha College
Uniform Reminders
Starting the year well.
Firstly many thanks once again to those parents, caregivers and whānau who prioritise sending their children to school in the right uniform every day. We are aware that this, at times, comes at cost both financially and emotionally when dealing with teenagers that look to push the boundaries as they mature into adults. Parenting teenagers can be hard work at times.
We are a uniform school and have been for many, many years. As such, we want to do this well, not a half blown attempt, but actually setting standards for our students and following through on our expectations. We want this to be reasonable, not to produce robots that all look exactly the same but to have a balance between a tidy and smart appearance and also be realistic for today's society. Compared to quite a few other schools, we are relaxed about hairstyles and jewellery, providing opportunities for students to express themselves.
We are in the process of changing and lifting the overall culture of our school. Setting expectations and aspirations for our students. Showing that as staff and as a board of trustees, we care how our students look and present themselves. Trying to develop personal pride in their appearance and how they act, being respectful and building resilience. This aligns with our strategic plan goals.
We will have some new processes in place this year to help develop this culture of pride in student appearance.
There is a clear expectation of how the uniform should be worn, what is acceptable and what is not.
Each day, the Deans will greet students as they arrive at school. Some students may receive small rewards for wearing the uniform correctly. This is a small acknowledgement to those students that are doing the right thing, at the right time.
Those students that do not come to school in the correct uniform will be asked to meet with a Deputy Principal.
The student will be offered a clean, replacement uniform item to wear for the day. This is to be returned at the end of the school day.
If a student refuses to wear the replacement uniform item, you will be contacted by one of the Deputy Principal’s and we ask that you support the school by encouraging your child to do what has been asked.
If the student continues to refuse what is asked, they will work in the administration area for the remainder of the day, completing their school work as normally expected.
If the student refuses to work in the administration area, the principal will call home requesting an urgent meeting with the student and family to discuss the situation and solutions required.
Failure to comply further may result in more serious consequences put in place which may include being stood down from school for continual disobedience under the Education and Training Act (2020).
A reminder about the alternative new style of sandal.
The second change is to allow Birkenstock style leather sandals alongside the current Roman Sandals. The Birkenstock style sandals have a cork base and two straps and black in colour. There are much more affordable options from the Warehouse and Kmart.
Examples can been seen below
Please support us in order to have all students wearing the correct uniform all of the time.
Just to clarify some misconceptions:
Absolutely no crocs-style shoes or foam sandals; and
No socks and sandals to be worn in combination. If students have cold feet, please wear plain black shoes with socks.
We really want our staff to focus on developing positive relationships with our students, prioritising their learning and making school an enjoyable experience for all involved. Teachers constantly addressing uniform is a distraction from this and should not be what teachers are focusing on. Please support us as we look to improve this aspect of school life at Te Aroha College.
If you would like to discuss any of the information above, please contact the school and a member of the senior leadership will be in contact.