Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou

Welcome back to Term 2. I hope you had a safe and relaxing Easter break and were able to make the most of your ‘staycation’ time.

Today is an important day for our school as it signals the beginning of the new Distance Learning Programme (DLP). We know that this will look different for each family so we have tried to plan a programme that enables flexibility and choice that will enable you to support your child(ren) where possible, whilst balancing your own work commitments.

A reminder that all teachers are available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about your child(ren)’s learning between 9am-3pm each day.

A huge amount of effort has gone into creating the platforms to deliver our Distance Learning Programme along with the development of new content at each year level. I would like to thank our staff for the professionalism and commitment they have demonstrated in initiating this programme. 

As our Distance Learning Programme is an evolving process, we are keen to hear your feedback about how your child and family are getting on. If you have any ideas or suggestions about how the Halswell School DLP could be improved or just want to share your thoughts with us, you are most welcome to email me directly at principal@halswell.school.nz.

To support learning from home, the Ministry of Education has also developed a new educational TV channel that started today. Home Learning | Papa Kāinga TV will be free to air, on TVNZ channel 2+1 and on TVNZ on Demand, as well as on Sky Channel 502. It will run from 9am to 3pm on school days with programming for children and young people, as well as for parents. More information can be found here.

Where to from here?

Over the next few days, the Government is due to make some key announcements about any changes to the current Alert Levels. These announcements are likely to have significant implications for Halswell School in terms of when we will physically recommence learning on-site and what a possible staged re-entry might look like. We will keep you updated as any new information comes to hand. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.

Ngā mini nui

Stuart Cameron

Principal