Nau mai haere mai

Finally we have our students back in school!

It has been a tough couple of months as we went into lockdown on the 25th of March. The students have been working online for five weeks with varying success. Eight students experienced working at school whilst working online with their teachers who were at home and having a teacher supervising them with regular walks around the Palmerston township. 

We have almost had a full week back at school. This started with an extended form time and a full school assembly where the guidelines for working at school were outlined to them.

It has been a difficult transition for a number of students who are forgetting these guidelines and needing to be reminded on a regular basis. This is to be expected as we are all so used to working and learning in a slightly different way with habits and routines difficult to change.

It is important however to reinforce these:

• Stay home if you are sick. This includes students, staff and visitors to the school.
• Bring a drink bottle to school. Students cannot drink from the fountains but can use them to refill their bottles.
• Keep a practical distance from other students and staff. Classrooms have been set up so students will not be in each other's moist breath zone.
• Wash/sanitize your hands frequently. Students are asked to sanitize as they go in and out off classrooms.
• Be Kind!

Some students and staff will be feeling anxious about the return to school. Some will be feeling that they have lost so much time, that they are behind in their work, and think this is an insurmountable mountain to conquer. Stop, take a deep breath. "How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time". Our staff are here to support every student on their return to school. If you have any concerns, please contact the school and we will discuss this with you.

If all our students display the school values of Respect, Responsibility and Motivation we will go along way towards eliminating the virus in NZ as well as get back into the routines at school and get themselves back on track with their learning.

Nga Mihi Nui

Marcus Cooper