A Note from Graeme Budler, Executive Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
I trust that the first day of home learning has been successful. Would you please inform your HOS or child's homeroom teacher if there were any issues so we can partner with you to resolve these difficulties?
Sadly, we are now coming to grips with the full extent of this Covid outbreak, and it appears to be much more widespread than first believed. Many in our community may be close contacts at different places of interest identified by the Ministry of Health. So far, we have no active recorded cases in our KingsWay Community. Please email me directly if you test positive for Covid. If a community member were to report a positive test, I would inform the community using the KingsWay App first and then follow up with a more detailed correspondence on our regular platforms.
I want to thank those in our community who encourage staff and each other during this challenging time. Let us all seek opportunities to maintain calm and exercise godliness and peace during this trying time.
Kind regards,
Graeme Budler
Executive Principal
Well-being During Lockdown
Today many feelings will be being felt; many thoughts will be whirring as we adjust and respond and react again. As our sense of predictability and control seems to shift gear again, we face the key challenge right now "sitting with uncertainty" and sitting with our young people as they sit with uncertainty once again. While we wait for government briefings to bring us more certainty, more control, can I encourage us as a community to hold fast to the stable and steady parts of our lives. Highlight and emphasise those things - connection with friends and family, love and care within our homes, the never-changing love of God who holds us through this. Encourage any connection building, whether formal like connecting with teachers online, or informal, within your bubble at dinner or for a "walk and talk" or with friends online.
Senior students who have any concerns about assessments or the coming practice exams are invited and encouraged to connect with subject teachers, tutor teachers, and Whanau Leaders. Sooner is better, and no question is too small.
Your children may be expressing worries about tasks that had to be left midway, unfinished, incomplete. Please reassure them- learning is a journey, not a destination, and though we may be facing a bit of a detour or roadblock, that is okay. This image may help…the teachers work with the students to take any "bits and pieces" of learning and tasks and create a beautiful mosaic of learning. Please reassure them that their teachers will communicate any adjustments in expectations - we are all in this together.
Primary School Notices
It was lovely to see so many of the primary students meeting online with their teachers today!
Most of the students are familiar with our Home Learning routines but please do contact your child’s teachers if they are experiencing any difficulties with the work.
Middle School Notices
Our students got off to a fantastic start to their Distance Learning today. Thank you for assisting them to access their Distance Learning planning template and Google Classroom with their links and activities.
Next week we will resume the full version of our learning programme so you will see more detail. Please refer your questions to the Homeroom teachers who will respond during school hours.
We encourage students to ensure they spend time with the Lord, being physically active and connecting with family and friends.
Senior School Notices
We hope that the first day of online learning has gone well and that you are managing all the competing demands at this time. If there are any concerns, don't hesitate to contact students Form class teachers in the first instance. In terms of the overall structure of online learning and protocols, refer to yesterday's communication.
If any student does not have access to a laptop for online learning, or is missing textbooks or classroom resources please email Rene Ames with details.
Also, if you have not yet completed the subject selection for 2022, please do so before the close of this week. Use the link here for this.
If you do not intend for your student to return next year, please inform Marsell Rott and Rene Ames to assist us in confirming courses and timetables for next year.