He mihi mahana kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to all.

A REMINDER THAT SCHOOL IS CLOSED ON MONDAY FOR TEACHER ONLY DAY

Thanks for your feedback on our messaging on COVID -19. We are trying to send you regular updates through APP, email and website as it is a movable feast. It is disappointing we have had to postpone events but disappointment is part of building resilience. Yesterday I spoke to our staff about the importance of being hopeful for our children. We know from well-being research post quakes and shootings that exposing our young people to too much media can be harmful. So please be mindful of this.

We need to model calmness to our children at this time and although we are having to postpone events we are still carrying on with our learning and ensuring the well-being of our tamariki.

But if you choose to keep your child away we perfectly understand but we will not be providing work if you make this choice.  If the Ministry of Health and Education instructs our school to close for a reasonable period of time we will be providing work and you will get more information on this shortly. To help us, we still need a number of you to fill in the googleform we have sent home. Please do this by 9pm tonight.

I'm also extremely proud of the Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo staff who have gone into organisational mode to plan for what might happen!

Today you will have received information that we are postponing the cross country and athletics  as a community event. For our tamariki well-being we are having a practice run as part of our PE  programme.

Also for our tamariki well-being we want life and fun to carry on so we are still wanting to celebrate all our cultures by dressing up next Friday (see further in the newsletter). But once again due to circumstances this is just for the children and their teachers.

I have included some good advice to parents form Ministry of Education and Health in the COVID - 19 section about talking to your tamariki about COVID - 19. Have a good read and action with your tamariki.