2021 New School Uniform



A new uniform will be introduced from 2021 to replace the current uniform. The existing uniform will be phased out over three years and may be worn in Year 8 during 2021.

As from 16th December 2020, New Zealand Uniforms and The Warehouse will cease to be suppliers of the Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School uniform.

The Board of Trustees have decided to sell the new uniform exclusively online through Argyle Schoolwear from Auckland. This is to enable the Board to keep the cost of the uniform affordable to our families and to maintain quality of supply.



New innovations include a wider variety of items and the ability to provide items for students who may:

  • Need different sizes from those normally offered.
  • Require longer skirts for cultural and religious purposes.
  • Wish to wear cultural items such as a lava-lava.

Options:

From Argyle Schoolwear

  • Polo top
  • Dress Shorts
  • Shorts
  • Skirt
  • Track pants
  • Softshell jacket
  • Sweatshirt
  • Sports shorts ( Compulsory for Physical Education )
  • Sports top ( Compulsory for Physical Education )

From School

  • Beanies
  • Sunhats
  • Lava-lava
  • Raincoat (sold in winter term)

Footwear

  • Plain black shoes (white soles acceptable but no logos)
  • Black sandals
  • Black or white ankle socks

Students should wear shoes with soles no thicker than 3cm and with the front of the foot fully covered. The shoes must be black with no logos or other insignia in another colour. Where shoes have laces they must also be black and done up.

Boots (any footwear that comes over the ankle), high heeled shoes and sports type shoes with other colours are not acceptable. Students may wear their black shoes or sandals all year round.

The school encourages parents to buy shoes made of leather for weather proofing and hygiene reasons, however, this is at parents’ discretion.



Year 8 students in 2021

Year 8 students growing out of or replacing their 2020 uniform items, may mix and match the 2020 items with the new 2021 items during this transition year. The pre-2021 uniform will still be accepted at school until 2023.


Grooming

The school’s grooming bylaw is intended to be age appropriate yet inclusive of all cultures and religious beliefs. Our focus is on students being able to learn in a supportive environment without unnecessary distractions.

Expectations:

  • All students are expected to look natural in appearance.
  • Hair must be natural in colour and appearance. (This means no unnatural colouring or hair dye).
  • Long hair must be tied back during technology classes.
  • Makeup or fingernail polish is not permitted.

Jewellery permitted at school:

  • Plain stud or studs in each ear.
  • Watch.
  • Medic Alert bracelet.
  • Taonga such as a religious pendant, greenstone pendant or bone carving. (These may be worn in full view but will need to be tucked under the top in the hard materials workshop.)
  • Religious bracelet.
  • Hair ties.

Jewellery not permitted at school:

  • Round sleepers in each ear. ( NB: These can cause injury to your child in school sport or physical education.)
  • Body piercing.
  • Trinkets.
  • Bracelets.
  • Necklaces.
  • Neckbands, ankle bracelets.

Cultural or Religious considerations:

Variations to the school’s grooming bylaw for religious or cultural reasons will be treated on a case-by-case basis.


Keeping sun smart

The school takes student health and wellbeing seriously and actively promotes the SLIP,SLOP,SLAP and WRAP sun smart message from the New Zealand Cancer Society. We encourage students to put on sunblock before coming to school, wear a hat and sunglasses.

Sun hats

All students are expected to wear a sunhat during the summer terms and these are compulsory items in terms one and four. They can be purchased from the School Resource Room.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are an optional item that we encourage students to wear in the summer terms. They should be black, preferably a wraparound style and have a UV rating.

Why We Believe Sunglasses at School are Important.

As soon as the sun comes out, we all know we should slap on sun screen and put on a hat to protect ourselves against ultraviolet rays. These can burn the skin, causing premature ageing and cancer.

What many people don't realise is that UV rays can also cause serious and potentially irreversible damage to our eyes. In fact, eyes are ten times more sensitive to UV light than the skin, according to the British Eye Care Trust.

It is children who are most at risk, because younger eyes have bigger pupils and clearer lenses, allowing up to 70 per cent more UV light to reach the retina than an adult's eye does.

Worldwide, experts are urging adults and children to wear sunglasses as soon as the sun comes out - winter or summer. Even when it is overcast, UV light penetrates into the eyes and experts advise wearing sunglasses whenever the UV rating is three or higher.

Sun damage is linked to serious eye problems such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the industrial world. Sunlight is also linked to other eye conditions including cataracts, pterygia (benign growths on the white of the eye, which can end up blocking vision) and skin cancer of the eyelid. Very bright sunlight - reflected off sand, snow, water or the pavement - can cause immediate damage to the cornea, the eye's surface.

One of the most effective ways to protect our eyes is to wear sunglasses. In some Australian schools, it is mandatory for children to wear sunglasses in the playground.