The Marshland School - Te Rito Harakeke scooter track will be open from Monday 8th March and we have a community picnic planned for Thursday 11th March 5:00 pm-7:00 pm.

SCOOTER TRACK

We are thrilled to announce that the scooter track will be open from Monday 8th March.

The fences surrounding the field will be removed on Friday 5th March. Due to COVID-19 Alert Level 2, the school gates will be locked until Monday 8th March. We apologise, as we would have loved whānau to access the Scooter Track over the weekend.

Marshland staff have been working collaboratively to identify and manage risks over the past few weeks in preparation for the scooter track opening. Students will be walked out behind the fences and onto the track become familiar with the terrain, signs and behaviour expectations later this week. 

The Toroa (Year 7-8) Learning Hub are also developing videos to demonstrate how to be a ‘safe rider’ for Marshland School students. We will also upload these videos onto our website for members of our extended Marshland community.

We are conscious that some tamariki may not have a scooter or helmet. We are seeking support from local businesses. If you have an older spare scooter at home, you are welcome to donate this to the school for student use. 

Key Information to Ensure Student Safety

All students will:

- Wear helmets when using the scooter track

We appreciate only a few students currently wear helmets to and from school. However, we predict the number of students on the Scooter Track during school breaks and the risk of humps, bumps, balls, pedestrians and rock gardens present enough risk to make a blanket decision for helmets to be worn for students of all ages. Learning Hubs will work with students to support appropriate helmet storage.

- Move anti-clockwise around the track

All signs and track markings direct this way.

- Be considerate of all users

This relates to speed, allowing appropriate space between riders, watching pedestrians crossing onto the field and following signs directions. Students may be withdrawn from using the track for a set period of time if their actions present a risk to others' safety.

- Ride scooters that are safe and are in a good working order

This includes scooters that ideally have a functioning break to ensure students can stop when required.

- Only ride self-powered scooters during school hours

We appreciate that students will be interested in riding bikes, electric scooters, rollerblades, skateboards and rollerskates on the track. However, the track will only be open to scooters until further notice.

- Use the Scooter Track on their Learning Hub assigned days and times.

This expectation will change over time as the track becomes less popular and the track becomes ‘normal’ play equipment at Marshland School. We will notify students as and when this expectation changes. Learning Hub days will be:

• Monday - Toroa

• Tuesday - Korimako

• Wednesday - Tui

• Thursday - Pukeko

• Friday - Kiwi

- Not use the track between 8:00 am and 9:00am before school

This expectation may also change over time as students become more familiar with the scooter track, wearing helmets and safety routines.

- Be responsible for their own equipment or gear

The school will not accept responsibility for loss or damage to personal property (e.g. scooter or helmet). However, we will assign scooter monitors to collect and store any scooters if these are accidentally left behind at the end of the school day.

These expectations are consistent for all Marshland - Te Rito Harakeke students when using the Scooter track during and outside school time.  

COMMUNITY PICNIC

We are looking forward to holding a community picnic on Thursday 11th March from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Marshland School. We welcome your whānau to attend.  

The scooter track will be open for all students with helmets during this time. We also have delicious food trucks, a bouncy castle and music at this event. Hopefully, this might mean you get a night off cooking dinner! Please note, this is an alcohol and smoke free event.

We apologise for the short notice. We wanted to make the most of the warmer evenings and connect before winter sports practices begin for the season.