Preparation for a possible school closure.

Dear Parents,

KingsWay continues to adopt a practice of praying for the best and preparing for the worst. I am sure you have caught up with the school closure in Dunedin yesterday. While this closure is for 48 hours, I believe considering international responses; it is prudent to prepare for long-term school closure. While it is impossible to continue learning without any disruption if schools were closed, we aim to continue teaching and learning as much as possible. The counselling team is also committed to continuing their availability using the Skype platform.

Preparation for a School Closure

• Staff are meeting on Thursday after school to enhance their technical expertise to support their teaching program.
• Middle and Senior School students will upskill and establish their technical capacity on Friday morning. Please ensure all students bring their devices to school.
• The Senior and Middle School will close at 12.45 pm on Friday, 20 March.
  Teachers will use this time to determine digital protocols, establish daily off-site procedures and prepare for the digital practice with students later that day. Students who cannot go home will need to wait in the Senior School library until the end of the regular school day.
  Please note that the Primary School will continue as usual, and school will end at the usual time of 3.05 pm for all Primary School students.
• Between 5.30 pm and 6.00 pm, teachers will contact their homeroom classes online to establish connectivity and capacity.
• Please record any issues that your child experiences with this online connectivity on the Microsoft Form (which will be emailed on Friday).
• On Monday, each School Syndicate, e.g. Middle School, will identify and problem shoot any issues.
• If you have not downloaded the school app, please do so without delay to ensure you receive urgent notifications.

It is vital that during a crisis, we support our children emotionally. I attach a link to assist you in this endeavour https://schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-coronavirus. Many of our students feel a sense of loss as fun activities such as trips are postponed or cancelled. I challenge everyone to keep upbeat, and daily share things for which we are grateful to ensure that we maintain an attitude of thankfulness.

I continue to pray for God’s peace and comfort for our beautiful community during this challenging time.

God bless,

Graeme Budler
Executive Principal