A Note from Graeme Budler, Executive Principal
Dear KingsWay Community,
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa.
This update will be my last unless we move back into distance learning. I know that the previous weeks have been challenging. I want to thank everyone for their flexibility and understanding during this time.
Tomorrow most of our students return to onsite learning. Some parents are feeling relieved with a return to onsite education. However, some are feeling nervous, as, despite everyone's best efforts, there are no guarantees when it comes to controlling a virus. As an unmarried teacher, I had no understanding of why parents used to fuss over the children. Once I had my kids, my empathy grew exponentially. I remember that God challenged me with trust and faith when my children told me they intended to go on trips to Tanzania, Mali and Jordan. Everything in me wanted to put my foot down, give way to fear and protect them. It took every fibre in my body to release my children to the Lord and realise that this was not a guarantee of safety but a faith step. While they are adults now, I still struggle occasionally with trusting God for their future. I have realised that when I give in to fear and anxiety, I transfer this to them. I will pray for courage for you as you release your darlings to us tomorrow.
Thank you for completing the form that was emailed yesterday. This data will assist us in processing attendance information, notifying us of your child's attendance or non-attendance for the next five weeks.
The KingsWay Trust has indicated a slight increase in the Attendance Dues for 2022. Would you mind reading correspondence to this effect from the CEO?
READ HERE
Regards,
Ngā mihi nui and God bless,
Graeme Büdler
Executive Principal
Whole School Notices
Plan for the rest of Term 4
Student Vaccination Register
Please remember to complete an update of your child’s COVID vaccination record asap if you have not done so already (for age 12 years and older). We respect your ability to choose, but please respond anyway so we can register your choice as required by the MoE. Please complete this FORM.
Once your child has had two vaccinations, please send a copy of their completed immunisation card or certificate to KingsWay's Lead Registered Nurse anita.wicks@kingsway.school.nz
This data is only collected for aggregation purposes and to update our health records should there be a COVID outbreak at KingsWay School. Specific personal information cannot and will not be shared with other agencies without your express permission in keeping with privacy laws.
Wellbeing
Lockdown Life Series
If you wish to view any of the episodes in this series please open the pdf attached at the base of this newsletter.
Counselling
Our counselling team are available for sessions for all students. Senior students can email Cherie.wallace@kingsway.school.nz or use the Booking Form to make a face-to-face appointment. Middle and Primary students are still able to meet online and are encouraged to reach out as needed.
Primary School Notices
We are really looking forward to seeing your children back at school on Wednesday or Thursday. We will be spending time reconnecting and establishing good routines in our first days back. Thank you for all your support as we make this transition together. Below are a few reminders to help this go smoothly.
1. In the mornings children can be dropped off at the drop off zone. If you have children in Year 3-6 and need to come on site please arrange this with your class teacher. Year 0-2 parents we strongly encourage that you quickly drop your child off at their class door and minimize your time onsite.
2. In the afternoons Year 0-2 finish at 2.55pm and Year 3-6 finish at 3.05pm.
3. Term 3 and 4 New Entrant parents are welcome to join Mrs Gibson in the hall for a short socially distanced orientation.
4. Please remember to make sure your child is in their summer uniform with appropriate footwear, hats and a drink bottle.
5. Please send all readers, library books, pencil cases, grammar books, devotion books, bibles etc back to school.
6. Year 1-6 Class Meeting Links for Week 5-9 - Class Meeting Links
7. Year 1-6 Alternate Teaching Days Roster - Please click here to view the roster of teaching and supervision days.
8. Learning packs are now at the Junior Campus if you still need to collect for your child.
Middle School Notices
Teachers have been excitedly preparing for our return to school tomorrow. We have our Health and Safety measures in place. We will focus on helping the students to settle in after their long time away from school. For the first three days students will spend most of their time with their homeroom teacher. The normal timetable will commence on Monday of Week 6. Year 7 and 8 students will start their next rotation subjects. Year 9 will continue their Semester 2 Options.
Location Changes
Year 7
If your Year 7 child is unsure of how to get to their new class in Te Kainga, they are invited to either wait on the Bolam Court before school OR look at the large signs on the class doors. Teachers will be out and about ready to help guide them to their classrooms.
Year 8
Two of our Year 8 classes will be located in new locations:
- 8HWH is moving to S106 (7ZDE's original class on the corner)
- 8JGR is moving to S108 (7MWE's original class at the end of the corridor)
Year 9
Remain in their classrooms
Students Remaining Offsite
Our teachers will be focused on teaching classes who are onsite. While we cannot continue to provide the current distance learning model, we appreciate the unique context we are in, and we care for all our students. Much of the learning onsite at this time of year is hands-on and seeing as we have been on devices extensively during distance learning, we will not use online platforms as often.
Students remaining at home will be able to continue to access Education Perfect work, Stile, Google Classrooms and other platforms. Additionally, they will access a simplified year-level template each week. One teacher in each year level will update this weekly for homeroom subjects (Maths, English, Social Studies and Biblical Studies) and include optional links to meet online for Q & A sessions. As you educate at home you can decide how much work they will do and supplement with other work if desired also.
If you have indicated in the survey that your child will remain at home, you will receive information on this shortly as we work hard to keep this learning continuous while also preparing for onsite learning.
If you have general distance learning questions, please ask the year level teacher below:
- Year 7 - Mrs de la Guerre on zelda.delaguerre@kingsway.school.nz
- Year 8 - Mrs Daniel on paula.daniel@kingsway.school.nz
- Year 9 - Mrs Fitzgerald on aimee.fitzgerald@kingsway.school.nz
Reminders:
- Please send a water bottle with your children as we won't be using drink fountains
- Tuck shop orders can be made online only
- Students are to bring hats and come sun blocked
- School-owned laptops need to be returned to homeroom teachers if returning to site.
Library Books
If you have library books at home, please would you bring these back to school to the library on your return. No further items will be issued until 2022 as we prepare for stocktake.
Senior School Notices
UEG’s further Update:
Note that the vast majority of Unexpected Event Grades will be published in Kamar by 5pm Friday 19th November. They will be visible under the ‘practice for external’; for example, ‘Practice for History 1.3 Interpret Sources of an Historical Event’. UEG grades will also appear on Year 11-13 reports. We realise that this information is important as students will need to know what their UEG is prior to NCEA Examinations next week. While some teachers are emailing students/informing students in different ways, the final grades will all be in Kamar in the same area of the markbook. Note: some teachers may still be finalising the UEG’s of students on the cusp of one grade or another, however, this will be a small minority of students and their grade will be available prior to NCEA examinations. End of Year reports will be emailed to parents in Week 9.
Year 13's Farewell 18 November
This Thursday 18 November we farewell our Year 13 leavers with a celebration kicking off at 10.45 am on the Allen Block Quad. There will be no scheduled classes for Year 13's on this day. If subject teachers need further time with Year 13's there is a 'call back day' on Friday 19 November available. Teachers will initiate this if required.
As well as this, plans are also underway for a formal Graduation event on Friday 10 December. Information will be sent separately to Year 13 parents and students on this.
Year 10 Students Return Monday 22nd November
We look forward to Year 10s returning on site on Monday. They should come to school and head straight to the upper Sanford area. For the remainder of the term, the upper Sanford and Allen Block will be where all Year 10 classes will take place. The timetable will be the same as per before lockdown, with the exception of commercing with Form Class on Monday for 45 minutes. Signage will be up to direct students to their new classrooms for lessons and form classes, as we look to try and keep all of our year 10s together in similar spaces.
Library Books
If you have library books at home, please would you bring these back to school to the library before heading on study leave for exams (Week 6 for Year 10 students). No further items will be issued until 2022 as we prepare for stocktake.