Well what a way to end term 3. Being in lockdown since Wednesday 18 August was not the way we wanted term 3 to go. Together we got through term 3, we worked together to make the most of lockdown learning. Everyone worked hard and I’m extremely grateful for all the hard mahi that our whānau have put into their child’s learning. We have been in lockdown for 42 days (so far) and our tamariki have missed 33 days of face to face learning at school. The thing that our tamariki have missed the most is their friends and teacher and our teachers have missed our tamariki and fellow staff as well. It has been tough for many of our whānau during lockdown and I thank everyone who has helped others anyway they could during lockdown. Hopefully we hear good news on Monday with Auckland going to alert level 2. If Auckland goes to alert level 2 then school will be open for everyone. It is safe to send your child/ren to school during alert level 2. Our school will have special procedures in place for schooling in alert level 2 to keep everyone safe who comes to school. Once the children are back at school we will focus on reconnecting, promoting a sense of increased wellbeing and resilience and settling our tamariki back into school and classroom routines. I will be sending out more information about what alert level 2 schooling will look like after the announcement on Monday.
Term 4
Term 4 starts on Monday 18 October and finishes on Friday 17 December.
Teacher Only Day
We will be having a teacher only day on Monday 20 December.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday to Alexa Gouws, Harlem Brahne, Ethan Hefe, Josh Bradley, Kaleb McPherson, Coby Kayes, Audrey Shen, Connor Garelli, Alexander Kotze, Thene Laubscher, Jainil Patel, Mile Boshoff, James Gee, Harvey Crawford, Vlad Deviatov, Rainny Niu, Nehru Harmes, Delilah Tuuaga, Islay Nicole, Chloe Pescott, Lisyanna Kumkee, Summer Torbet, Yusra Rashid, Lucy Cechova, Ethan Randeni, Saiah Brahne, August Shaw, Sienna Park, Rebecca Zhang, Stefan Van Der Nest, Ezra Ku, Selena O’Connell, Isaac Olthof, Keira Saddam, Ellis Grover, Charlotte Lancaster, Bastiaan Pretorius, Olivia Zhang, Charlotte Brown, Poppy Coleman, TJ Whatarau, Jessica Wright, Luke Walker and Nathan Lin.
Cancellation of Interschool Cross Country
It is with great sadness that due to COVID, the decision has been made to cancel the interschool cross country meet for 2021. Special thanks to all the children who competed in the tryouts and gave it everything they had, you’re all amazing.
Checklist for parents to prepare for Alert Level 2
Help prepare your child to transition back to daily school life. Talk to them about what they can expect when they return to school.
Play it safe
- Children should be going to school.
- If your child is sick, they should stay at home. Children who arrive at school sick will be sent home.
- If your child is awaiting a COVID-19 test result or is in isolation, they should stay at home.
- Remind them that COVID-19 is still out there so it’s important that they play it safe and follow the rules.
- Let them know that some things will be different. Our school will have some extra measures in place.
- Explain to your child that if our own hands are not clean, we can make ourselves sick. Remind them that we always wash our hands before and after eating, playing outside, playing with others, and after playing on hard surfaces.
- Talk to your child about playing safe when they’re with their friends. Remind them to keep a safe distance in a way that they’re ‘not breathing’ on each other.
- Tell them that their teacher might have some extra rules when doing an activity and it’s important that they follow their teacher to keep them and their friends safe.
- Explain to your child that they will need to eat their own food and drink their own drinks.
- Let them know that some children and adults may wear a face covering and there will be some who are not. Explain to them that it’s a personal decision and it’s important that we respect their choice.
- Remind your child to always wash their hands before and after eating, playing outside, playing with others, after sporting activities, after playing on hard surfaces including outdoor play areas.
- Explain to your child that they should not share their lunch or any other food and drink.
- Let your child know that they will see more cleaning of their school and their classroom.
For older children, remind them to play it safe and socialise safely
Remind young people:
- that they must wear a face covering when taking public transport and visiting indoor venues.
- that they must follow the public health rules at venues they visit. Even if they’re already vaccinated, they must follow the rules to help keep everyone safe.
- that they must keep a record of their whereabouts, either by making a personal note or using the COVID Tracer app. This helps with contact tracing.
Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness Week is being held this week here is the link to their great website. This year’s theme is take time to kōrero/mā te kōrero, ka ora – a little chat can go a long way.
This Mental Health Awareness Week is all about connecting with the people in our lives and creating space for conversations about mental health and wellbeing. Whether it’s checking in with a mate, having a kōrero over some kai or saying hello to a stranger, a little chat can go a long way.
The guiding whakataukī for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 is:
Mā te whakarongo, ka mōhio
through listening, comes knowledge
Mā te mōhio, ka mārama,
through knowledge, comes understanding
Mā te mārama, ka matau,
through understanding, comes wisdom
Mā te matau, ka ora
through wisdom, comes wellbeing
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