Question 1

What to expect at MindPlus Online

Accepted Answer

When does MindPlus Online start and finish in a year?We start our MindPlus Online year in the second week of Term One and end one week before the end of Term Four. This gives children a chance to settle into regular school before they start MindPlus Online and not to miss out on the end of year activities at regular school at the end of the year. We keep to the same terms and public holidays as public schools in Term Two and Three.What is a MindPlus Online Session?MindPlus Online is a half-day a week programme made up of:A weekly online meeting of thirty to forty minutes with our specialist teacher and a like-minded group of gifted learners, at a set time each week. Each meeting is a fun, fast-paced session of working together.
 Activities to complete delivered on the MindPlus Learning Platform, powered by Google Classroom. Activities are designed around our specialist curriculum. These can be completed at any time and in any way that suits. If your child is coming to MindPlus Online at their regular school, activities are ideally completed during school time. What do you teach at MindPlus Online?In the MindPlus Online meeting and activities, have three focal points:Conceptual Development - where we think and learn through ideasPersonal Development - where we  learn together about skills and strategies to navigate personal and social development as a neurodivergent learnerLearning Processes - where we learn and practice skills in thinking, research, communication and executive functioning MindPlus Online students also join Clubs, where they can connect and learn with like-minds in their interest areas.Each of our MindPlus Online classes develops their own journey across these areas that reflects the interests and skills of the students.What does my child need for MindPlus Online?Your child will need:A device to work on - this can be any sort of internet-enabled device that can run Google applicationsTime set aside each week for the meeting and activities We will provide:A Google login and passwordA link to the MindPlus Learning Platform, including the online meeting link
You will be emailed these in advance, and you can find them in Hero How does MindPlus impact school attendance?Some MindPlus Online sessions are outside of school hours, so there’s no impact on attendance at all. Some sessions are during the school day. Taking part in these doesn’t mean your child will fall behind at school - there are always plenty of opportunities to revisit curriculum content at school. Also, schools mark attendance on MindPlus days as PRESENT at Board approved off site learning, so there’s no impact on school attendance figures either.  We will work with your school to make sure they know the correct attendance code to use. How do parents get involved?When your child starts with us at MindPlus, make a time to connect with their MindPlus teacher (you can find their contact details on our website here) so that together, we can make MindPlus a success.  We love to see parents at MindPlus Online and are very happy for you to sit with your child for the online meeting and to guide your child through the online activities. This is often an invaluable support for your child and their learning.​What happens if my child is sick or has another commitment?If your child is going to be absent from their MindPlus Online meeting, please let us know in Hero. Click on Report An Absence and let us know why your child will be away. If we haven’t heard from you, we will be in touch. Remember that even if your child misses the meeting, the learning activities can be worked on at any time over the week.   Please note that fee refunds are not given for days when your child is absent. What if MindPlus is not working out for my child?We know that MindPlus is just one option you have for your child and our aim is always to support your child and your family.  If MindPlus is not working out well for your child, your first port of call is always to chat with your child’s MindPlus teacher.  Make a time to chat and let’s see what we can do together to make things work. You can find all staff emails here. If together you decide to finish your journey with us, fill in the Leavers Form to let us know. This helps us with administration at our end. More information about leaving and fees is in the section about fees. Do you take photos of the students and their work?We do regularly take photos and videos of students in action at MindPlus. We do this to  record students’ learning and to share with you. We also use photos and videos of students  on our website and social media but do not use students’ real names to identify them without consent. We will ask you at the beginning of the year for your permission to use photos and videos for these purposes and are very happy to respect your wishes.

Question 2

How we communicate

Accepted Answer

We are committed to open, regular communications between you, our MindPlus teachers and your child’s regular school teachers. We know that families are always keen to know more about what their children are up to on their MindPlus days - and sometimes our children are not super forthcoming with details! It’s important to us that parents do feel included and part of the learning going on, so please get in touch anytime for an update or with ideas on how we could communicate with you better. How you can communicate with usWhen your child starts with us at MindPlus, make a time to connect with their MindPlus teacher - you can find their contact details in Hero and on our website here - so that together, we can make MindPlus a success.   Your first port of call, if you have anything you’d like to discuss about your child or the MindPlus programme, is to get in touch with your child’s MindPlus teacher. If you’d like a specific time to chat, please get in touch to set this up as well, as sometimes right before or after the online meeting isn’t the best time for a good in-depth discussion.  If there are things you’d like to discuss further, you are welcome to contact our Head of Programmes.  You can find all staff emails under their photos on the People page of our website here. Communicating about your childOur MindPlus teacher will proactively be in touch with you to share good news about your child’s progress as well as if they have any questions or concerns. We welcome you to pop in to your child’s MindPlus Online meeting at any time. We are also happy to welcome regular school teachers and principals. Hero is our ‘one-stop shop’ app for checking in with what’s going on in your child and their MindPlus class.  When you start your MindPlus journey with us you will be asked to enrol in Hero, and you can find out more about how to do this in our Hero guide below called Hero Guides and Instructions. If you currently use Hero for your school, your accounts  will be linked and will show up side by side.Through Hero you will get:Weekly Class Updates - to keep you up to date with what’s happening in your child’s MindPlus class, with news, notices and upcoming events. These are in Community Feed. You can comment on these posts - our teachers love to hear your thoughts. These comments are first moderated and then can be seen by all parents in your child’s MindPlus class. My MindPlus Year Updates - in their first term with us, and again during each year, we will update you on your child’s progress and achievement. We will also add any special highlights of your child’s MindPlus journey here as well.
 Termly Invoices - more information about these are in the Fees and Scholarship section. Invoice and payment information is found under Finance.

Question 3

Connecting with our MindPlus whānau

Accepted Answer

We know how valuable it is to connect with other MindPlus families and we will help you to do this. This is through a shared MindPlus class parent contact list that you can opt into, and is confidential to MindPlus families. Keep a lookout for this in Hero Community Feed early each term about this.
 
We also come together online for different family focused events, like a parent welcome session, parent education events, and special celebrations. We’ll let you know in Hero when these are coming up.

Our other regular communications with our MindPlus whānau include:
Termly Updates - Each term, we share an update by email with families and schools across Aotearoa, keeping you up-to-date with what’s happening with our programmes, students and gifted education more generally, and sharing events and opportunities
 
Facebook - Our Neurodiversity in Education Project Facebook page is not our main means of communicating with families but we use it to share information, news and events.

Learning more
We’ve heard from families that you want to learn more about giftedness and neurodivergence and about ways to support your child.  
​
We are committing to supporting you with that through:
Our Learning Hub - all of our resources, tools, articles, blogs and videos are here, free and on-demand. Start with our Welcome to MindPlus video and explore from there. If there is a specific learning module you would like to see, just let us know!
 
Regular parent learning opportunities - we hold regular online parent learning sessions across each year. Keep an eye out for these in the Community Feed of Hero.

Question 4

How to get started

Accepted Answer

After you have accepted our Place Offer, we will email you details of a Google log in and password as well as a code for the MindPlus Online Google Classroom, along with instructions for getting stated. These will also always be in Hero for you. Your child will use this log in and password for MindPlus Online each week, so do keep it handy!​Joining the MindPlus Learning Platform Work through these instructions with your child:Go to www.google.co.nzClick on Sign inOR if your child is already signed in to Google using another account, click on your account, then Add another accountEnter the MindPlus Google log in and password.Your child will need to use this log in and password each time.Click on the 9 dots
Click on ClassroomClick on Join classEnter the MindPlus Online Google Classroom code.Click on JoinCongrats! You have now joined the MindPlus Learning Platform!​What’s in the MindPlus Learning Platform?You will find the meeting day and time at the top of the Google Classroom.The Stream is the place for MindPlus Online chat about learning, activities, questions and sharing. It’s also the place where your MindPlus teacher will share news, events and new challenges!You will find the Join button for the weekly online meeting on the left hand side of the Stream.The Classwork is where you will find the learning activities for each week. Click on an activity to explore it.The People section is where you will find the names of the MindPlus Online Teacher and classmates.How do I get my child ready for MindPlus Online?Five to ten minutes before each MindPlus Online meeting, we recommend that you:Log into Google using their MindPlus login and password.
 Go to their MindPlus Online Google Classroom.
 Review any comments in the Stream.
 Review any comments in the Classwork.
 Log into the online meeting using the Meet - Join button.
 Get settled and ready!​How do I get tech help?You can contact our office team at hello@neurodiversity.org.nz OR check out Google Classroom Help directly. How do I get learning help?You can contact your child’s MindPlus teacher. All of our contact details are here.

Question 5

Hero Guides and Instructions

Accepted Answer

Logging into Hero for the first time

Go to the Hero Website -  https://our-hero.com/nz/

Click LOG IN in the top right hand corner.

Add your email address (the same one you used in the enrolment form) then click NEXT

Click the NEW USER? button.

Click SUBMIT. This will send an email to the address with your password details.

Check your email (double-check in your spam/junk folder too!) 
 
An email that looks similar to this will arrive in your inbox within 5 minutes. 
 
Click the link to a secure page to enter your chosen password.

Enter a password to set for your Hero account

Welcome to Hero!

If your page looks like this or no details appear, please contact our office team and request Hero Access.

If you receive this error when looking at the finance section, you did not select to view finances when you enrolled in Hero.

Please contact the office and request finance access.

Where to go in Hero
Side Bar (Left-Hand Side)

Home - The main page on the Hero site. 
​This has quick accessible buttons to the main pages of Hero.

Community Feed -  This is where you can find weekly class news and other updates.

My (YEAR) Class - This is where you can find your child’s class.

Learner Profile - This is where you can find termly individual updates about your child.

Finance - This is where you can find your invoice for the term.

Report an absence - Click this button to report an absence.
Find the instructions on how to report an absence, here.

Term Dates - these are our New Zealand wide dates, not ones that are specific to your child’s MindPlus class.  For any specific changes to your child’s MindPlus class, please check the Community Feed.

Changing your settings in Hero

Go to your account in the left hand menu

Here you can:
Change your profile picture
Change your password
Change your notification preferences

Help! I’ve forgotten my password!

Enter the email associated with the account.

Click the “Forgot Password” button below.

Click the “Submit” button.

Check your email (double-check in your spam/junk folder too!)

Report an absence

Click on the “Report an Absence” on your Home Screen or Navigation bar.

Click on a pre-made answer or add more information in the “Additional Information” box below.
 
Then press “Send”.

Downloading Hero onto your phone

Go to your preferred app store
Search for hero by linc-ed
Click on Install
Log in and continue as normal

Printing a Statement/Receipt from Hero

Login to Hero.

Click on Finance

To print your statement: 
Click on FULL STATEMENT
Then click CTRL P and print your statement from there.

To print a RECEIPT
Click on VIEW ALL PAYMENTS

Click on FULL RECEIPT, this will generate a WORD doc for you to print your receipt.

Question 6

Our expectations of each other

Accepted Answer

We value our relationship with you and your family and we want to be clear on what you can expect of us, as well as what we expect of you and your child.
 
We have comprehensive policies on privacy and health and safety. We can provide you with these on request and all policies will be online soon.

Our commitment to you

Learning
We are committed to providing you with:
A  specialist programme for a half day each week.
 
A high-quality, experienced specialist teacher.
 
A safe, inclusive, welcoming learning atmosphere.
 
Regular communication with you about how your child is doing and an ongoing invitation to talk with your child’s teacher about their progress and how we can better support you and them.
 
In some cases, circumstances outside of our control may limit our ability to provide these things (e.g. a drop in student numbers). In such circumstances, we will do our best to find a suitable solution and to keep you informed of the issue we’re dealing with and what steps we are taking.

Your commitment to us
As we work together to provide the best possible MindPlus experience for your child, we expect you will share any information or insights that will help us to support your child. You know your child best and sharing your wisdom benefits us all.  We expect you to keep us up to date on any changes that might impact on how your child is doing at MindPlus.

We ask that you bring any issues you might be concerned about with your child or the MindPlus programme to us promptly so that we can work together constructively to address any issues.

Our expectations of your child
At MindPlus, we expect our students to aim high and to challenge themselves across many dimensions - intellectual, social and emotional - and our MindPlus teachers will support them in this.

We expect MindPlus students to be open-minded and curious, to take on new challenges, to reach out of their comfort zone, and to make connections with their like-minded peers, and again, our MindPlus teachers will support them in this.

We expect our students to use internet-enabled devices appropriately and safely, in keeping with our policies and procedures around device use. Our MindPlus teachers will make these expectations clear and visible and will work proactively with students around online safety.

We expect our students to contribute to the safe, inclusive and positive learning environment that MindPlus provides, by behaving appropriately in the online environment, respecting their MindPlus teacher and peers, and working together to have a great experience with us.

Question 7

Fees

Accepted Answer

The Neurodiversity in Education Project is a non-profit organisation. MindPlus Online receives no Ministry of Education funding for its services, and relies on parent fees as well as philanthropic funding to operate.
What are the fees for MindPlus OnlineIn 2026, MIndPlus Online costs $380 per term (incl GST).There is also a $50 application fee, a one-time fee payable on application.We also ask for an annual donation of $50, which is voluntary and tax deductible, payable at the start of each year, or when your child starts at MindPlus.
How and when do I pay the fees?Term Fee: Your termly invoice will be in Hero at least two weeks before the start of each term. You will get an email notification when the invoice is there.Payment must be made, or an automatic payment set up, before your child starts the term. Payment can be made directly from Hero or through electronic banking, and these details are included on the invoice. If the term fee for the past term has not been paid, your child cannot continue at MindPlus for the following term. Application Fee: This is payable through the link on the Place Offer Confirmation Form.Annual Donation: We will provide an invoice for this at the start of each year, or when your child starts at MindPlus. You will get an email notification when this invoice is there. Payment can be made directly through Hero or through electronic banking, and these details are included on the invoice.  You can download a receipt for tax purposes from Hero, or donate the rebate back to The Neurodiversity in Education Project NZCGE using the link on the receipt. What happens if my child is away OR the class is cancelled?If your child is away from MindPlus for any reason, we cannot provide a refund (see our Financial Terms and Conditions).In the rare event of a class cancellation, we can provide you with a credit for the following term on request. Just email us at hello@neurodiversity.co.nz to request this.

Question 8

Financial Terms and Conditions

Accepted Answer

These Financial Terms and Conditions apply to all children attending MindPlus programmes.  If we need to vary these Terms and Conditions, we will notify you before the start of a new year so that you have the opportunity not to continue on the new terms.

Do I get a refund for absences?
The Neurodiversity in Education Project is a not-for-profit organisation, but we do need to be financially viable. So that we can meet our financial commitments, we cannot give a refund if your child is away from MindPlus, for whatever reason.  In the rare event that we cannot hold a MindPlus class, we will arrange either a credit or refund for you.
​

What if my child leaves during the year? 
We understand that sometimes families want or need to leave MindPlus during the year for a variety of reasons. If MindPlus is not working out for your child and family, please have a chat with your child’s MindPlus teacher to work out how we might make things work better. If together you decide that your child will be leaving, you need to fill in our Leavers Form.  Please note that advising your child’s MindPlus teacher or our office is not sufficient.

What happens about fees if my child leaves?
In order to fulfill our financial commitments, fees are non-refundable.  
Our terms and conditions for fees are:

If your child is leaving MindPlus please fill in the Leavers Form. You will be liable for the fees for the full term.
If your child will be leaving MindPlus at the end of a term, fill in the Leavers Form before the end of that term, so that you are not charged for the term ahead.
When we receive your Leavers Form we will send you your final invoice.

If you feel there are exceptional circumstances, please contact our office to discuss these.

What if I can’t pay the fees?
We understand that sometimes families can experience financial difficulties in making payments. Please let us know as soon as possible if this is the case and we will work with you to establish a manageable payment plan to ensure any debt is paid.

If we are not able to agree on an acceptable payment plan with you, your child will not be able to continue at MindPlus until the debt is paid and we may need to refer the outstanding debt to a debt collection agency.

Where can I get help with fees?
We know that these fees are significant for many families. If this is the case for your whānau, we suggest that you work first with your school to support your child to attend. Some of our schools support families with up to a 20% subsidy. Some families may also be able to approach iwi, churches or local trusts to find support.

We are working hard to raise more funds for the Scholarship Fund from trusts and foundations and individual donors. We ask families who can afford it to consider  “buy one, give one” -  providing a scholarship for a child who would otherwise not be able to attend MindPlus to join the programme alongside your child. You can find out more here.

Question 9

Scholarships

Accepted Answer

2026 Scholarships
At this stage, the Ministry of Education has not confirmed ongoing funding for our programmes for gifted and neurodivergent learners in 2026.

Because of this, we are not currently able to offer new scholarships for MindPlus OurSchool or MindPlus Online in 2026. Scholarships already awarded will continue as usual.

To stay updated, please make sure you’re on our mailing list.

General Scholarship Information
Our scholarship programme aims to support students from groups that are often under-represented.

To be eligible for a scholarship, your child must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Identifies as a girl or gender diverse
Identifies as Māori and/or Pasifika
Attends a school in a lower socio-economic area
Has strong potential that is unlikely to be realised without MindPlus support

MindPlus Online Parent Guide