A Note from Graeme Budler, Executive Principal

Dear KingsWay Community,

I trust you enjoyed your free afternoon yesterday and are managing juggling the many roles that you navigate.

The Ministry of Education has now responded to the disruption caused to NCEA by the Lockdown. The management can now adjust the activity calendar and assessment timeline and accommodate catch-up sessions for practical subjects and the remainder of the year. We aim to get this information to you soon. However, please refer to the Senior School update below for a summary of important information.

God bless,

Graeme Budler
Executive Principal

Well-being During Lockdown

Join us at 7.30 pm TONIGHT 26 August for a live 'Wellbeing Special' broadcast. Hosted by Cherie Wallace (Head of Counselling) and Chris Martin (AP Hauora/Wellbeing), the Wellbeing Special is a chance for you to understand your wellbeing through a Christian lens and ask questions of our expert panel. Our panel includes:

• Cherie Wallace (Head of Counselling)

• Su Fenwick (Counsellor – Primary Years)

• Vanessa Gateman (Kahui Ako and Director at the 'You Are' Charitable Trust)

To watch the Wellbeing Special be online at 7.30 pm on Thursday using THIS LINK for access.

Primary School:

We are here to support you with your child's learning. Would you please email your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns about the Home Learning provided?

Middle School:

Distance Learning is continuing along nicely. We welcome your questions and feedback. Please be assured that as parents you can decide how much capacity your child has for their work during the day. We provide the work, but we understand the contexts families have, so please know we understand when work is not completed.

Device Usage

Most of our students are using devices wisely. Unfortunately, we are noticing some online behaviours that are causing issues for a minority of the classes and students. Our observation is that increased awareness and monitoring of device use at home during lockdowns are required due to the amount of time students spend on them.

Please note that:

• Students are not to be gaming or messaging each other during lessons
• We will follow up with students sharing inappropriate content in online chats even when at home
• Parents will be contacted if we find any issues so that we can work together. In some cases, we advise parents that their child needs to do offline learning for a set period.

Here are a few helpful hints for your consideration:

• Monitor social media use and check their privacy settings
• Have your child’s screen visible in a shared space if possible
• Check platforms like TikTok or Snapchat
• No devices after dinner or an agreed time. Hand them in to parents rather than leaving devices in rooms overnight
• Ask your child to show you who they have on their Instagram account
• Limit gaming time.

Thank you – our heart is to partner together in support of our young people who can struggle with this kind of thing at times like these.

Senior School:

NCEA Exams

It’s important to note that the dates for final NCEA Exams have now been changed by the government to be two weeks later than planned. They now start on Monday 22 November and will finish on Tuesday 14th December. We encourage you to have conversations with Year 11-13 students about this and make any adjustments to end of year plans.

Due dates for portfolio submissions will also be extended two weeks for some practical subjects. These will be confirmed shortly.

Students who were scheduled to sit the Level 1 Mathematics Common Assessment Task (MCAT) will also be pleased to note their examination has been pushed out two further weeks as well. This is now scheduled for Thursday 30th September.

In light of all of this, we are also carefully considering all future calendar dates for the remainder of the year and will communicate soon the changes that are being made.