Useful information:
*Healthline: 0800 611 116 For free health advice and information
*Covid-19 Information site
*Need to talk: 1737 To connect with a professional counsellor. Free to call or text this number.
*Key information about school requirements at alert level 3 with translations in multiple languages
*Fact sheet about getting food deliveries if you are isolating at home
*Link to Home Learning TV
Tēnā koutou e hoa ma,
I hope you and your whānau are all okay and doing well during this lockdown. It has been lovely to have some delightful sunshine over the past few days, although it seems a shame to not be able to take full advantage of it by getting out and about. It certainly makes playtime duties at school more pleasant, and I hope you and your whānau are managing to get some fresh air in the local neighbourhood, or even in your garden!
We have just finished our first few days in level 3. We have three learning bubbles operating onsite at school, with 8% of our students signed up to learn onsite. This is more than the national average of between 2 - 4% of tamariki generally onsite. I’d like to say a huge thank you to our team of ‘bubble teachers’ who are working onsite with small groups of ākonga (students): Regina, Elena, Michelle, Eilis, Gar Kee, and Onaitta, and also to Demelza and Gail who are working onsite in the admin area. These fabulous teachers are very well supported by all of our other great online teachers who pick up the heavier load of planning and preparation to free our bubble teachers up. Special thanks to Brian, who continues to work tirelessly ensuring all areas of the school are well disinfected and sanitised. All in all, our school staff are working incredibly hard to support ngā ākonga both onsite and at home.
Huge thanks also goes to all of you at home, who are working so hard with your tamariki, being both parents and kaiako (teachers). We really do appreciate how hard it is to manage keeping everyone settled and feeling okay at home, manage home learning and also, for many of you, balance working from home at the same time. Certainly no mean feat, and we are all very appreciative of the efforts from everyone.
It is good to see the numbers of Covid-19 cases continue to decrease in New Zealand. Hopefully a shift to level 2 is on the horizon, and we will see you all again soon. I will communicate with you all on Monday after the announcement from our Prime Minister about alert levels, as we will then know more about any changes ahead. Our kaiako (teachers) will send out a weekly set of learning on Sunday as usual, for the week ahead. If we do have a shift to level 2 during the week, teachers will simply keep working on this same learning onsite at school for the rest of the week.
I would like to remind our community that we are still at alert level 3, and as such our school grounds and playgrounds are still closed to the public. Our two playgrounds are also closed to our ākonga (students) who are learning onsite. Currently, we regularly have members of the public coming onsite around the grounds throughout the day, which, at times, is putting our small learning bubbles at risk. We should not have any people exercising, playing, or taking their dogs for a run on school grounds. The public footpath between Amesbury Drive and Romaine Road is open and available for use, but please stick to the path - all other areas of our grounds are not open. Thank you for letting your whānau and friends know of these restrictions. If you see a breach of our level 3 rules, you can report it here.
One key appropriate reason for coming onsite to school currently is to pick up a weekly pack of reading books. Koru teachers will happily make a pack of reading books for your child if you have completed the reading pack form. If you have filled it out once, you do not need to complete it again - they will make a pack of books each week for every child on the form. If you are picking up books, they will be ready every Thursday from 9:30am onwards whilst we are in level 3. You can pick them up in a contactless way on Thursday or Friday each week from the tables outside the entrance to the school reception area (next to the hall). During poor weather these tables will be stationed inside the lobby. Please only have one person come onsite to pick up the books, please do not bring your child/ren with you. We ask you to wear a mask and sign in using the QR code as you arrive. If you see any of our learning bubbles around the grounds as you come onsite, we ask you to please keep a respectful distance away from them - at least 2 metres, to ensure their safety. If you cannot find your child's book pack on the tables, please return home and email Amaria (amaria@amesbury.school.nz). Thank you for helping to keep all of our tamariki and kaiako (teachers) safe.
During level 3 construction work on our new hub building will continue, albeit at a slower pace due to the necessary health and safety restrictions required at this alert level. There are careful health and safety plans in place for alert level 3, including keeping all tamariki and kaiako away from the construction fencing area, to avoid any close contact. Our learning bubbles all play on the fields or netball courts, well away from the construction area.
Kia pai tō wiki mutunga - have a good weekend. We will communicate with you on Monday next week once we know more about any possible changes to alert levels.
Take care, Urs Cunningham
