Last week we had a lockdown by request of the NZ Police due to an incident in the neighbouring area (not at the school itself).

A lockdown (or reverse evacuation) can also be a safety protocol related to other dangers such as a chemical spill, dangerous dog on the loose or even a swarm of bees. In a lockdown situation, everyone on site moves indoors and doors are locked.

In these situations our immediate focus is on the safety of our students and staff, but we also look to advise parents as soon as we can via texts to the nominated caregiver/s, and also updates on our school Facebook page.

If you did not receive a text then it is possible that you are set up as the secondary contact, or that we need to update your mobile number. If you would like to check this or add your number to receive text notifications, please email admin@teaomarama.school.nz. Please be aware that you will also receive text notifications for unexplained absences for your child/ren.

Monday’s lockdown occurred just before the end of the day and this was the most challenging time as we had many parents arriving to collect students. If you hear the lockdown message (played over our speaker system) then please do not enter the school site.

In a lockdown event, we also respectfully ask that you do not phone the school, as we need to keep phone lines free for any calls from the emergency services, as well as focus on the safety of students. In this situation we were not made aware of the nature of the threat/incident.

It is important to acknowledge that our students & staff were absolutely fantastic and were calm, safe & followed all instructions.

Thank you for your understanding as we keep your child's safety as our main focus.

- Te Ao Mārama School Board