Kia ora koutou

Greetings to all our school families at this uncertain time. We eagerly await the government’s announcement this afternoon and hope that a return to school is somewhere on the horizon.

In the meantime please keep students calm and focused on their online learning. This could continue for sometime yet if we remain at Levels 3 or 4. At Level 3 we are able to have students at school if their parents are essential workers, they are under 14 years of age and they have no other options for care. We would prefer where possible that students remain offsite and engage in their learning remotely as this is a more conducive and relaxed learning environment for them. There will of course be exceptions beyond this and we want to support families in every way possible. Please contact the school at admin@otagogirls.school.nz if you require your child to be at school during Level 3 lockdown conditions.

A reminder that Student Learning Conferences will occur at a later date and that there will be opportunities provided to discuss subject selection on the students’ return to school, most likely in the form of lunchtime drop-in forums. If we are able to, we will invite parents to attend these forums if they wish to discuss their child’s subject selection options. The NCEA evening that was scheduled for Year 10s is postponed but will happen at a later date.

As you may have realised, NCEA examination dates have been pushed back by two weeks and the examination period will now happen from 22nd November to 14th December. You can look at the revised timetable here. This has implications for the school calendar and please bear with us while we manage this and come up with the best solutions for everyone. We will not be making any firm decisions until we emerge from Level 4 lockdown and we will keep you fully informed. We are particularly aware of the Prizegiving and Graduation Formal dates and we are working towards solutions for easing the clash of these dates with the new exam timetable.

Parallel examinations for Years 11 to 13 students will take place in Weeks 9 and 10 this term, pushed slightly back from the dates previously published. We will advise further on the format for this soon and will keep students and families updated.

Your support at this time is greatly appreciated. Again, thanks to the Board, teachers, support staff and senior leadership team for their huge work at this time.

Take care in your bubble.