Please read this information carefully as there are many details for the start of school on Monday, 18 May.

Dear KingsWay Community,

I appreciate how everyone is working together to get back to school on Monday. The sites have been prepared and are ready to go. Staff are eagerly anticipating the return of their students. The leadership are committed to being responsive to any unforeseen issues and welcome your feedback. I am happy to announce that all staff and the majority of students are returning on Monday, 18 May. Please take the time to familiarise yourself and your child with the following procedures to ensure a seamless and safe return to school.

Procedures

Please take the time to reinforce the COVID-19 Procedures for Alert Level 2 with your child. While staff are committed to monitoring and implementing these procedures, there is still a strong need for students to know and comply with the new protocols CLICK HERE.

Other than reception, parents are not permitted to enter any school buildings.

Junior Campus Protocols

Students are encouraged to bring along a drink bottle to avoid using the drinking fountains.

Senior Campus Specific Protocols

Adjustment

Please keep in mind that everyone will be in the process of readjustment to life back at school, and different people will process this in various ways. Be kind, patient and gracious with each other as we all transition back to life at school.

Uniform

For PE and Dance classes, we encourage all students to wear their PE uniform underneath their winter uniform on the days that they have practical lessons. While at Level 2, students will only be permitted to use the changing rooms in groups of 10. If students can be partly dressed, this can reduce the amount of time spent changing.

Lunchtimes

Unfortunately, until we move out of alert level 2, Year 13 will not be permitted to leave school grounds at lunchtime to go to the local shops.

Hygiene

We will outline to students procedures for how the school will operate at level 2. Many of these strategies have already been explained by Mr Budler in his correspondence. Some of our specialist subjects will have additional procedures that will be explained for each class. Students are encouraged to bring along a drink bottle to avoid using the drinking fountains.

Monday Morning Timetable

Senior Campus

The school will run Monday’s timetable on Tuesday bell times. This change allows teachers the opportunity to connect with their Form class at the start of the day. The Middle School timetable is slightly adjusted to allow for a gradual easing into school life again.

Junior Campus

All students must report to their studio areas where their homeroom teacher will warmly greet them. Time is set aside to orientate and practice the new COVID-19 procedures.

Bus Transport

If your child intends to catch the bus to school on Monday, I request that you carefully read the updated Auckland Transport communication CLICK HERE. The key message is that parents should not drop off their child at the bus in the morning and leave before they have first checked that they have secured a seat on the bus. I recommend that parents have a backup plan for the first week while Auckland Transport adjusts to Alert Level 2.

We will safely transfer Primary students from the Junior Campus to the Senior Campus pickup in the afternoons. As KingsWay is the first pickup point, we do not anticipate any congestion issues in the afternoons.

AT HOP Card Use on AT Buses

There are several students at KingsWay School who share AT HOP cards. Some individuals share their cards between a couple of students as they get on the bus. For example, one child tabs on and then make a cash payment on the same card for the 2nd person. Unfortunately, this will not be possible from next week onwards.

From Monday, 18 May every student is required to have their own AT HOP card.

Auckland Transport is using the information gathered by the use of AT HOP cards as one of the ways that they will assist in tracing and tracking students who use the buses. Therefore every student must have their card and make sure it is registered in their name. (All bus information has been included on our school website CLICK HERE).

Parking and Drop Off

Senior Campus

Please use the surrounding streets to drop off students and let them walk the extra 50m to school. Avoid Jelas Rd between the hours of 8.20 am, and 8.40 am, and outside these hours adhere to the strict kiss and drop protocol at the front gate. Parents should avoid coming onto the Senior Campus unless they have urgent business. Parents are required to sign in and out.

Junior Campus

Parents of children in the junior years (New Entrant to Year 2) should only come onto campus if they need to and must not linger. All other students are to safely make their way to class, as suggested in previous communication.

Wellbeing

I suggest that you use this handy resource to check in with your child before they return to school on Monday. CLICK HERE.

Uniform

We know that parents are working towards their children being in the correct winter uniform. Students will be granted grace if they cannot source the correct items for the first week back at school. We trust that most uniform issues will be resolved by Monday 25 May.

Tuck Shop

The Tuck Shop re-opens on Monday, 18 May. Please find attached a copy of the instructions for online ordering and a copy of the reduced menu that will be available during Level 2 (these documents can also be found on our school website CLICK HERE). Primary School online orders will continue to be delivered to the Primary School for lunchtime.

Distance Learning

As stated previously, with most students returning to school on Monday, the teachers first responsibility is to teach the students in front of them. Support for students who do not attend school will be provided on a case by case basis as indicated in a previous communication. Please liaise with your child’s Head of School for further details.

Parents / Visitors / Contractors On-Site at KingsWay

Due to further clarification from the Ministry of Education on requirements for contact tracing the leadership has decided to implement the COVID-19 module on the School App.

All parents, visitors and contractors must either:

a) sign in via the School App (being able to show the sign in confirmation on your phone to staff on request). The School App is being updated to the Google Play and the Apple App Store this weekend. Details on how to use this 'COVID-19 sign-in function' will be given to parents as soon as possible.

b) sign in on Vistab at the school reception

c) Junior Campus only and Uniform Shop:
Sign in manually with a staff member if they have not signed in on the App. To do this at Junior Campus, there will be a staff member on each gate at the start and end of each day.

Regards,

Graeme Budler
Executive Principal