School pupils get a helping hand

When you walk into Fieldays with your gumboots and rain jacket on ready for the day, you will be greeted by a group of friendly people who you will buy a programme off.

This programme will be your best friend for the day, letting you know what’s going on, where and at what time.

But you will be helping a bigger cause.

Remember those kind people as you walked in?

They are volunteers who are also teachers at a local primary school that caters to children with intellectual disabilities.

So a portion of the money you spent will help those kids to get new equipment to get them out into the community, like a mobility van.

Now doesn’t that make you feel good?

Tony Kane, 56, has been the principal of Hamilton North School for 10 years and is there volunteering every day of the Fieldays.

Kane says there is always a good atmosphere at Fieldays and he and his staff love meeting different people. “We talk to a lot of people out there, so a lot of people from a different group get to know about our school.”

They have been volunteering for six years. It involves long days starting at 6.30 am, rain or shine, and finishing at 4.30pm but Kane says the staff “really enjoy it”.

He says some parents also help out but many cannot go as they have full time jobs.

A team of between 20 and 30 volunteers sells the programmes at every entrance gate wearing unique jackets “which can’t be missed”.

The programmes sell for $5 each and the school receives just under 50c a programme.

Over the years they have used the funds to help pay for an environmental garden, PA sound system, computer equipment and vans, things that assist the students. This year they are hoping to buy iPads as an educational tool.

But what they earn isn’t enough so they sell lots of sausages and raffles and hold quiz nights to raise even more money to get the things needed.

The children also help, but in a different way. Kane says the students can’t handle the long days so they help by organising and packing the programmes in separate bags.

“They love doing it,” he says.

“There are 16,000 programmes and they wanted one in each separate bag, and we thought that would be fantastic for our students.”

Assistant principal Michelle Smith says the students benefit from joining in and being involved in raising their money as they see what comes out of it.

“They see the input from the school with the staff going out there and doing that [volunteering]. They feel they are helping because they see the school vans being bought. They see the fruit of everyone’s labour.”

Hamilton North School was established in 1976 by the Education Board and aims to guide each student regardless of their disability towards the realisation of their potential.  Students with special needs include those with learning difficulties, behavioural problems, visual and hearing impairments, intellectual disability, developmental delay, speech/language delays, communication and learning disorders, physical and multiple disabilities.

Kane says he got into his job because he loves the challenges it brings to him every day.

“This particular job came up when I was looking for a challenge. I wanted to be involved in a place where I felt I made a difference.

“You come to school thinking you have everything planned out, but other things happen.”

As he explains the job, his office is filled by the sounds of happy children from the playground that is right outside.

“Every day is a challenge, but it’s a good challenge. You get payback, you see the kids smiling and interacting and you just know you are making a difference in their lives.”

The school has students from five to 21 years old and offers an adaptive education. This means it has the same curriculum as other school but adapted to suit its students. There are host schools that they can attend, such as Crawshaw Primary School, Ngaruawahia’s Waipa Primary School and St Andrew’s Middle School.

The school’s online description says they aim to help the social and functional development of their students allowing them take part in normal activities and schools.

“It is the policy of our school to encourage our students to interact with their peers in regular schools and with the community in general.”

The school has 80 staff members.

Kane talks about how all the staff love helping the kids. He says they try to challenge their students to learn, develop and be happy.

He points out a young girl wearing a pink jersey. He says she arrived at the school on a wheelchair, but they were able to get her going and now she walks around as though there never was anything wrong.

“We have programmes in place that strengthen, teach and help students to develop,” he says. “It’s really neat.”