Kia ora koutou,

At the end of our second week back at school and routines seem to be well established in all hubs. I am seeing a lot of learning and activity happening outside around the school grounds, which is fabulous. This allows ākonga and kaiako to take their masks off, distance, and get some fresh air.

We have started the year with pleasingly high attendance at school whilst the current Covid outbreak remains relatively small across the motu (country). This is really positive, and has allowed teams to have a settled and productive start to the year. Hubs are all working hard to set systems up that will allow for a mix of learning from home and from school as we begin to have tamariki and adults who need to isolate and stay at home. Our learning websites are up and running in all teams, and each team has set up a system of ‘school connections’, with one connection each school day where tamariki at home can either connect with kaiako (teachers) and ākonga online for discussion, or tamariki can watch live streaming or recording of learning content from kaiako. The three learning websites can be found here:

• Koru      
• Harakeke 
• Pōhutukawa

If you have not viewed the online Meet ‘n’ Greet session on Friday evening, please check out the Hero community feed for the link to the recording of the session. Each team shared their learning sites and the key systems they will use to enable students to connect with school and learning from home. We hope that all ākonga can continue to learn onsite through the term, but in the event of Covid disruption, we are prepared for supporting students who are learning from home.

As the current outbreak increases, please be prepared for disruption to the organisation of learning if we have staff who cannot come onsite. We have contingency planning to deal with staff absence, but if absences increase we will need to be flexible and manage things as best we can. This may mean reorganising groups of students, moving teachers across groups, or having different teachers come into hubs, if necessary. We will always make decisions with the needs of our ākonga at the forefront, but we will also have to be practical. In the case of Covid cases at school, we will be in touch first with whānau of any children identified as close contacts, meaning they need to isolate for 10 days (currently). We will then contact any casual contacts, who do not need to isolate but need to monitor for symptoms. Then we will let the rest of the school know of the case, so that you can also monitor for Covid symptoms.

Cars at drop off and pick up time

We have had several messages from our neighbours along Romaine Road about congestion and parking that is making access difficult for houses along the road. Please remember that this is a narrow road and is not designed for plenty of movement and parking. Access becomes particularly difficult when cars park on both sides of the road, and this cuts down visibility of our tamariki, impacting their safety. To keep our tamariki safe and respect our neighbours, please:

• Park on one side of the road only. If cars are already parked, please do not park opposite them
• Do do park or wait across driveways, even if you think you will only be there for a minute or so
• Do not park on the kerb or walkway, as this obstructs the safety of pedestrians

Generally, we are currently seeing high levels of vehicle use to drop off and pick up tamariki. This is causing a lot of congestion in and around school at key times. Compared with many other local schools we have a generous car park and good access for our drop off zone. However, it becomes quickly congested if traffic flow is high. Some easy ways to keep things safe for everyone are:

• Walk or bike to school where possible.
• If your child is in Harakeke Hub or Pōhutukawa Hub and you need to use a vehicle to pick them up, please either use the drop off zone, or park on Amesbury Drive or along the surrounding roads, leaving the schools grounds freer for people picking up younger tamariki.
• If using the drop off zone please do not get out of your car. This is a quick pick up option only, designed for children to hop into the car independently.
• If you want to use the drop off zone, ensure your child is waiting there for you. Please arrange with your child to go to the drop off area. If your child is waiting with their teachers on the courts, you need to park and walk to pick them up. 
• Be patient and respectful of pedestrians and other drivers. The most important thing is the safety of our tamariki.
• Please remember to stick to the 5 miles per hour speed limit at all times. Outside of drop off and pick up time, it is still important to drive slowly and expect the unexpected.

Have a good week and kia noho haumaru - stay safe.

Ngā mihi nui,

Urs Cunningham