Welcome back from the Principal.

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Despite the challenges posed from entering the Red setting of the Covid Protection Framework (CPF) and some inclement weather, we have had a wonderful start to the year at Nayland College.  We have welcomed over 400 new students and staff to the school this week, and already the school is a hive of activity. Our main form of communication is this electronic newsletter, which is distributed fortnightly. On alternate weeks, a shorter 'update' will be published. This will include more general community notices.

House structure

Students will have noticed that our House system has changed slightly for 2022. We are taking a bold approach to our pastoral support programme this year and have introduced more layers of support for students. Each house will be supported by a Senior Leader, House Leader and Associate House Leader.  The ‘Reflection Centre’ remains to support students that need time out of mainstream lessons and to ensure that the learning of others is not impacted by the actions of a few.  As does the Learning Hub, which supports students from scholarship level through to those needing additional literacy or numeracy support.  We are also strengthening our processes around extending learners, with additional opportunities through our module and elective courses. 

Please note that House Assemblies will be held online until a change in the CPF setting.

Construction

Nayland College is a rapidly growing organisation, with a total roll for 2022 of around 1500 students. The Ministry of Education has moved quickly to ensure we have additional classroom capacity, with 12 additional temporary classrooms added last year.  This additional space has given us the opportunity to commence some significant infrastructure work around the school.  Upgrades to Block 1 will be complete within the next few weeks and a $4.2m project to upgrade Block 3 is now underway.  We have also completed a number of major roof and safety upgrades over the holidays. This work does not come without some inconvenience, with parts of both the library and staffroom now being used as temporary classrooms until construction is complete. 

NCEA Results

Congratulations to all of our senior students on their 2021 NCEA results. Our results at all levels were outstanding. In fact, our Level 1 results were the best the school has ever achieved.  Alongside ensuring that students with a UE pathway are well catered for, I am also proud that virtually no Year 13 students left without at least a Level 2 qualification. We are so proud of the academic performance of our students!

Face coverings

I am pleased to report that we have had no major concerns regarding staff and students wearing face masks indoors.

A reminder that public health advice is that an appropriate face covering will fit snugly and seal well around facial contours. This can include single use, disposable masks (medical masks) and re-usable fabric masks with three layers. That means no scarves, bandannas, or t-shirts pulled up over the face, for example.

Vaccination mandates

As you will be aware, the vaccination mandate under the CPF is causing some major issues for schools.  In particular, the decision by Sport NZ, Tasman Sport and the New Zealand Choral Federation to only allow vaccinated students to participate in sanctioned events (please see the attached document from Sport Tasman).

We also have additional problems with physical activity, singing and performance of wind instruments currently not allowed indoors during the school day.  As we are a community facility we are able to offer these activities after hours, limited to 25 students or 100 if all students are vaccinated (at the Red setting).  For this reason, the experience of some activities may be different for students at the start of 2022.  If you feel comfortable sharing the vaccination status of your child this would greatly assist us in planning activities as a school.  You can do this by logging into the Parent Portal and following the on-screen instructions.  We will never share this information and our school privacy policy applies. You can find this on our SchoolDocs site (Username: nayland Password: kuaka).

In terms of EOTC programmes, where possible we are working with providers to have sole access to part or all of a facility.  This means that swimming lessons, for instance, can go ahead in some form.  

Bus users

As with previous years, we are required to keep a list of students who travel to school by bus for contact tracing purposes. Click here to complete the online form. 

Looking back at 2021, I am proud of the way Nayland College faced the many challenges posed through circumstances well outside of our control. I had high hopes that in 2022 we would return to a sense of normality. However, as we have seen with Omicron, this can change in an instant. It is vital that students and families are prepared for any scenario moving forward, as in the event of an outbreak, we may struggle to adequately cover teaching staff across the school.  Therefore, a key task over the coming weeks is to ensure that students are set up online and that they are prepared and ready to move either partially or fully online at any point throughout the year. Our Learning@Home guide may assist in familiarising students with our home learning procedures.

Finally, just a reminder that our Caregiver A-Z Guide is available on our website which includes a wealth of information you may find helpful, such as how to notify the school of an absence (email away@nayland.school.nz or dial 1 if you are phoning in) and our sign in/sign out procedures for any students leaving school grounds for an appointment.

I look forward to another action-packed year at Nayland College.

Ngā mihi nui,

Daniel Wilson
Principal