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Donations Scheme

A Budget 2019 initiative saw Decile 1-7 state and state integrated Boards of Trustees able to choose to receive a $150 per student, per year payment instead of seeking donations from parents.  As a result, the Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School Board of Trustees resolved to opt into the Government School Donations Scheme for 2020 and this will continue for 2026.  Therefore, we will not be requesting school donations for the delivery of the New Zealand Curriculum at our school for 2026.

This means that in 2026, the Board will not charge parents for the following ICT items:

  • Internet charges for curriculum use.
  • Access to the school ICT network.
  • Use of school hardware.
  • Software or software licenses for core curriculum programmes.

These items will all be provided at no cost to all students who attend our school in 2026.

 

BYOC (Bring Your Own Chromebooks)

The school will continue to encourage students to bring their own chromebooks to school and is making the following changes to how this will operate in 2026. This is the result of a changing educational environment where all Tauranga Secondary Schools require their year 9 students to have a Chromebook on entry. This is in anticipation of NCEA examinations being carried out online.

In line with Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School’s Inclusive Education policy, our goal is to shift to an organisation where student access to Chromebooks is more equitable and all students have a sense of belonging.  As a school, we want to equip all our young people with the right set of skills for whatever path they choose to follow.

We live in a ‘fast evolving digital world’ that is characterised by changing ways of living and working.

Digital technologies are used everywhere: we have automatic scanners at the supermarkets to buy our food, drones helping farmers to know when to water their crops, and surgeons using robots to mend hearts.

The challenge for educators is to equip all our students with the understanding of how digital technologies work so they can make life better. We want all of our young people to have the knowledge and skills to deal with new problems and opportunities as they arise, and be safe while doing so.

What is Planned

2026

  • The school will provide access to school Chromebooks for year 7 students who do not have their own. Year 7 students are encouraged to bring their own Chromebook.
  •  All year 8 students are asked to bring their own Chromebooks. There will be support provisions in place for families who may struggle to purchase a Chromebook for their year 8 child.
  • All students with their own Chromebooks are distributed across the school and grouped with students of similar ability.

Rationale for Change

 

  • Changes to NCEA and the introduction of co-requisite requirements in literacy and numeracy will disadvantage students who arrive in year 9 ill-prepared for online exams and new literacy, numeracy standards. We are working closely with Ōtūmoetai College to review and align our student learning progressions with the new requirements at secondary level including being able to use Chromebooks as tools for learning.
  • All Tauranga secondary schools into which our students feed, require students to purchase their own chromebook for year 9.
  • By moving to an organisation where Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School year 8 students have their own Chromebooks, their families would have the following costs spread over three years:

 

Entry into OIS year 7 cost:

  • New uniform
  • Stationery
  • (no school fees)

 

Entry into OIS year 8 cost:

  • Purchase Chromebook
  • Stationery
  • (no school fees)

 

 Entry into year 9 cost:

  • New uniform
  • (already have a Chromebook)
  • Stationery
  • Subject specific fee
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