We have had our first week in Level 2/Week 6 of the 12 week term 2. Six full weeks of learning to go this term.

Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste and Kumusta. Greetings to everyone at LCŌ and our wider LCŌ community.

It was a positive week. 

Attendance

Our attendance averaged 84% for the week. I haven't been able to find national attendance rates but anecdotally 84% compares well. It still means 16% on average not at school. Of this, however, 8-10% was explained absence as Level 2 guidelines state that students and staff who are sick must stay home. We are following up with the 6-8% unexplained absence.

Learning:  

Our focus remains not on the time that has gone as that is out of our control and has the chance of increasing any anxiety students may have. Rather it is how we can use the coming 6 weeks of this term well, adjusting to the new time frame.

Staff

We are fortunate that our teachers are back on site. To assist further with our learning focus we have employed 1.5 extra teachers until the end of the term and have the services of a number of NZ Graduate School of Education teacher interns, at present over 10 interns, also to the end of the term. These staff will be able to help in many ways including with small groups for specific learning needs and extension.

Positive environment

The vast majority of students have welcomed being back at school both for their learning and to be with friends. People are smiling. Up to half a dozen students, for a variety of reasons, were unable to show the necessary self-control and were collected by their parents to go home while appropriate support measures are put in place. 

Health measures

Hand sanitising, cleaning measures and the physical distancing of what is charmingly called the "moist breath zone" is occurring. Whānau are asked to remind students that hand-shaking, high-fiving etc are not allowed. It is a hard habit to break but necessary.

Lateness 

Many, too many, students are arriving to school late which not only reduces their learning time but has the potential to disturb the flow of the lesson as they arrive. While for some students there are more understandable reasons, some involving younger siblings, but for others there is no proper excuse. The term "slack teenagers" springs to mind for this second group. A particular focus will be going on these students.

Uniform

We want our students to be warm and dry for learning. Most students organised their uniform well for their return. We had individual conversations with others over the week. Again, some students have more understandable reasons why they are not in the complete uniform and we are very pleased to be able to assist in these circumstances, particularly in these economic Covid-19 times. We are assuming nothing. Other students - our second group of slack teenagers - have the uniform at home so appropriate conversations are occurring with them. For whānau wishing to discuss uniform support please contact your child's dean or Mrs Hancock, our uniform co-ordinator, ext 866.

And lastly, a repetition of a couple of reminders thank you:

• Borrowed chromebooks are to be returned to the school office. Thank you to those who have done this already.
• Alert Level 2 means that students who are unwell are to remain at home.

Ngā mihi nui -

Richard Edmundson Tumuaki-Principal