Tēnā koutou e te whānau o te Kura A Rohe o Whaingaroa
Level 4 Lockdown update
We are all adjusting to Level 4 Lockdown at home. I hope that you have had some quality time as a family to respond to the changes that Lockdown brings to our lives. As you are all aware it is looking more and more likely that we could be in Level 4 for an extended period of time.
School Site Access for Staff
For the past two days, teachers have been at home working to ensure that their online programmes are updated and ready to go next week. We have been informed by the Ministry of Education that we are now able to have limited staff access onsite. This will enable us to organise the cleaning of chrome books and to collate the packaging of some hard pack resources that will go out to students whom we believe will need them. Staff will also be able to access teaching and learning resources that they want to take home with them to support their online teaching.
Check and Connect
Staff will be connecting with students, parents and whānau next week on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 August to touch base and to confirm internet connectivity status. Wednesday 25 August is the day that we are planning for all of our devices and hard packs to be delivered to those who need them. We are working with our local civil defence personnel to get these resources delivered to families.
Raglan Area School Home Learning Portals
As you can appreciate, the timing of the Lockdown was unexpected and many teachers have been at home without access to some of the resources that will support them to provide home learning for our students. Our online Home Learning portals will be open for student and whānau access on the school website on Wednesday 25 August. The first teaching sessions online will begin Thursday 26 August.
In the interim, we are encouraging our parents and whānau to be patient and supportive with us. Please continue to make use of these Ministry of Educations links to support learning from home;
- Home Learning TV can be accessed on-demand here or via the TVNZ App on a device (mobile phone, smart tv or tablet)
- Mauri Reo, Mauri Ora can be accessed on-demand from Māori TV for Kura Teina students and here for Kura Tuakana students
Communication
The whānau or subject teacher is the first point of contact for any queries or concerns. Staff email addresses and contact phone numbers will be made available in the Distance Learning portals on the website (available from Wednesday 25 August). Email contact is the preferred first form of contact. Please ensure that you make contact with the whānau or subject teacher if your child is unwell or unable to attend a scheduled online teaching and learning session.
Louisa (Principal), Quenten (Deputy Principal Kura Tuakana) and Aroha (Deputy Principal Kura Teina) will be available every Tuesday and Thursday at midday for one hour to respond to any parent or whānau concerns. Google Meet links for these sessions will be published.
Whaingaroa Wellbeing Wednesdays
Many learnings have been made locally, regionally, nationally and all over the world following the 2020 Lockdown experiences. The mental health and wellbeing of everyone is a priority. With this in mind, we are implementing Whaingaroa Wellbeing Wednesdays into our weekly Home Learning programme. The intention is to allow everyone a day free from screen time.
Teachers will ensure that options for independent learning are still available for students on Wednesdays. For our senior students who are fast approaching end of year exams, we recommend that some of this time be used for study. Students in Years 4-13 have access to a variety of online learning programmes including Write That Essay and Maths Buddy that they will still be able to access. But we are strongly encouraging our students and whānau to get out of doors on these days, to be active and to engage in quality whānau time.
We hope this communication reassures you that we understand the challenges that come with lock-down and ask that you do what is best for you and your whānau in terms of managing and engaging with home learning. Your wellbeing matters. Our focus as always is to support the learning, safety and wellbeing of our students and we continue to be here to support you as well. Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or me, if there is something you need assistance with.
Ngā mihi nui – Whaea Louisa (Tumuaki / Principal)
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