Important information from Graeme Budler, 21 April 2020

Dear Parents,

We hope that Term 2 and our distance learning programme has been a success so far. We know there will have been any number of challenges but thank-you for your support.

On Monday 20 April, the Government decided that we will move into Alert Level 3 on 28 April which impacts schools.

The key message for you is that you should keep your child at home. You should only physically send your child to school if you are returning to the workforce, and you do not have anyone to care for your child. If your child has a health condition that means they are at a higher risk of a severe illness, you must keep them at home. If your child is sick, please ensure you keep them at home. Should your child attend school onsite, they will continue with a distance learning programme. KingsWay staff onsite will be acting in a supervisory capacity only.

To ensure the safety of those children and our staff who do come to school, we will be operating with strict enforcement of health and safety measures. All students will be based on the Jelas Rd Senior Campus. This means that playgrounds are closed, and no ball games or shared equipment will be allowed. It will NOT be ‘school as usual’.

There are a number of logistical issues being worked through in relation to school transport. Resuming services comes with the challenge of balancing safety, passenger numbers, social-distancing and driver availability. Information will be based on the expected uptake of transport services.

SHORT SURVEY for those intending on sending their child/ren to school during Alert Level 3

Please respond to this short survey asap but by 9 am Thursday, 23 April at the latest if you intend to send your child to school during Alert Level 3. This information will allow leadership to effectively plan and prepare. For the purpose of health and safety, we must receive this information to establish an accurate student roll.

The Ministry of Education has advised that they are working closely with the Ministry of Health to develop clear guidance that supports schools to safely re-open their premises to students and staff. This process will help us work through the public health requirements that we all need to meet. We want to be sure that what we do will keep our community as safe as possible.

For now, we will continue to support your child’s education through distance learning while we progress our planning for what Alert Level 3 will mean for you and KingsWay staff. I will be in touch on Thursday evening with more information. As you have been doing, please keep connecting with your child’s teachers with any questions you might have.

Regards,

Graeme Budler
Executive Principal