Be Wise and Sanitise has been my new mantra since the return of a very small group of students! We welcomed two small bubbles back this week while we also maintain distance learning for the majority of our tamariki. It has been fantastic having some smiling faces about the place. 

The kaimahi came in for a teacher only day on Tuesday and the chatter (from 1m and 2m of course) was in full swing after 33 days of separation! It was a valuable time for the staff to be updated on the key messages, to reconnect with each other, and to review the distance learning. They spent time planning the next two weeks of learning too. The team is in very good spirits and are missing the daily connection with their whānau children and parents.

I have been so impressed with how well the - 5C’s are being displayed by distance:

• Care is so evident in what you are doing with your children

• Amazing rich variety of purposeful, creative and engaging activities

• Deep connections over videos, zoom, emails and phone calls

• Courageous - putting yourself into new and uncomfortable spaces

• Curious - the opportunity to become more digitally savvy

The key messages I want you to take away from today are: 

• Wellbeing - this is the number one focus, learning is second.

• “Do what you can when you can.”

• “Enjoy your learning, don’t make it a burden.”

• You don’t know what others are facing, be careful not to judge.

• Reach out to others if you need help.

We are now planning our Safety Protocols for Level 2 and are awaiting for more guidance from the Ministry of Education so we can best inform you of the next steps.

Thank you all for keeping your children home within your bubbles to keep others safe. Thanks for making this experience the best it can be for your tamariki. Thanks for supporting each other to kick COVID-19 to the curb!

Stay safe everyone.

Matua Mike