Ngā mihi ki a koutou,

Like the vast majority of you, school staff are all now adjusting to life in lockdown. Our support and thoughts are with those of you who work in essential services.

We are continuing to receive updates from the Ministry of Education. I have summarised key points below.

Schools are closed. 
From 11.59 pm Wednesday, no one is to go on-site to schools during the lockdown. If there is an emergency Police and/or Fire services will respond.

Learning from home website and Ki te Ao Mārama.
Two online spaces went live this week. These have been produced with other agencies and are available online at: 

https://www.learningfromhome.govt.nz/ 
https://www.kauwhatareo.govt.nz/ki-te-ao-marama/

With resources for parents and whānau, teachers and leaders spanning early learning through to senior secondary. Ki te Ao Marama has been developed to support those students learning te reo Māori and for those in kōhanga reo, kura and Māori medium settings. They have been purposefully packaged to support learning at home.

NZQA and the Ministry of Education will help schools and wharekura develop effective plans for NCEA assessment and qualifications for students affected by COVID-19, including supporting remote learning.

Access to devices and the Internet.
We know that not all households will have access to devices for their children to use for their learning. We also know that some households will have Internet connectivity issues. The Ministry is working hard on increasing connectivity and getting devices to households that need them.

Removing data caps for internet.
Please be advised most of the major telcos have now removed data caps and the possibility of any extra charges based on usage. See links below for more detail.

SPARK               VODAFONE               SLINGSHOT              2 DEGREES

The best advice we are receiving about how you can support your children is to create a routine. This will obviously look very different from your normal routine but a regular start to the day with allocated chores and study time alongside recreation and exercise is important to keep continuity throughout the lockdown and ease the transition back to school when this occurs.

We expect the flow of information to reduce over the rescheduled school holiday period but we will continue to keep you up to date.

Thank you all once again for your support.

Kia aha
Alastair Sinton
Principal