Dear Parents and Caregivers

Well – it is with considerable excitement and anticipation that we look forward to next week and the return of students and staff.

The school has certainly been a quiet and dreary place without all that laughter, chat, discussion, singing (and that’s just the staff room!) and the myriad of other sounds that reflect the activity, energy and hubblebubble of a school – so the noise will be welcome.

As you will have noted from the email that I sent out earlier in the week, we have put considerable thought into how best to reintegrate the girls back into school and classes, being mindful of their wellbeing, and safety, and also that of the staff. School will look and be different for the next few weeks, as we all take personal responsibility to look after ourselves and thus each other, and we are also confident that we have good processes in place to support our girls as they transition back to a ‘new normal’.

There are three key components that we have based our plans around and which have guided our priorities for the coming weeks:

Relationships: Reconnecting with our whanau groups, giving girls time to build friendships and relationships with their peers, friends and team mates. Helping girls to feel they belong, feel comfortable here in this space, and that whatever the last few weeks have been like for them, we are here to help and support them.

Routines: Where possible we want to assist girls to get back into routines that support their learning, help them to feel that they have a place here, they know what is happening and what to expect, and give them that sense of security, that in turn creates calm and confidence for students.

Reignite: Lastly we want to reignite that love of learning, whatever that looks like for each girl. Give her the assurance to look forward, appreciate all she has learnt in the last few weeks, focus on what is ahead, not what is behind and know that along with the rest of the world, she is living in extraordinary times, and there is much to look forward to.This next phase of learning is an opportunity to rediscover what works well for each of us and what we’ve learned about ourselves. We will support each girl, regardless of where she is at with her learning.

Have a wonderful Level 2 weekend.

Kind regards,

Jackie Barron