Beckenham Update: Monday 16th March 2020
Kia ora koutou
We are working on a day-to-day basis at the moment, as the nation prepares itself to make significant changes to the way we move around, in order to stem the spread of Covid-19. The situation we find ourselves in is unique and unprecedented in our lifetimes.At school, we see our role as being first and foremost to maintain normal routines, to reassure our children and our community, and to enable caregivers to get on with their working lives where this continues to be possible.
We are also very aware that the situation is changing rapidly, and we are trying to be proactive in our planning to be able to be prepared for future scenarios.
Preparing for the possibility of school closure
As you will have seen in other countries, closures of schools have happened and it is certainly now a possibility that we need to consider may happen here. Currently, whilst the expectation is that we will stay open, we do need to be prepared that this may change. The Ministry of Education has today asked every school in New Zealand to give the Ministry an indication of how 'connected' their school community is.To help us prepare for the possibility of closure, we would appreciate if EVERYONE would please take a moment to complete this brief questionnaire about your online capability at home. Please do this as soon as possible. This information will support us as we try to plan for how teaching and learning 'online' might look, and we can also give the Ministry of Education a picture of how connected our community is.
Hygiene Education
We have a programme of education in place that is continuously reminding children about handwashing, and of coughing or sneezing into their elbow, rather than their hands.We are adopting the 'no hugs, no handshakes and no hongi' approach.
Ask your child tomorrow to tell you about the East Coast wave!
We would really appreciate you reiterating these messages at home.
Absences from School
Thank you to everyone for keeping sick children at home. This is an important part of keeping our whole community as well as possible during this uncertain time.
Please ensure that you contact the office if your child is going to be away and include the reason why.
If you do not contact us, your child's absence is marked as 'Truant'. If you let us know they are going to be away, but don't leave a reason, the absence is marked as 'Explained but Unjustified'.
Year 7/8 Camp
At this stage - the situation is too uncertain for us to try and rebook this camp later in the year. We will consider alternative options such as day trips etc, once we have a better picture of what the next few months will hold. If you have paid for camp already, please make contact with Sandra Rauch, our finance officer, regarding if you would like to apply this to your donation or have it returned back to you.
School Photos will be taken this Wednesday morning!
Please ensure that children are all in full uniform on Wednesday, ready for their class and individual photos.
Updating Contact Details
Please ensure that you let Jacky in the office know if any of your contact details have changed. This includes email addresses, caregiver contact numbers and names and numbers of emergency contacts.Update from the PTA
The Twilight Fair may be cancelled but we still have a great Art exhibition running this week in Komanawa along with our Pumpkin competition, silent auction / prizes, raffle tickets and Mystery bottles. Come along to Kōmanawa (near the Eastern Terrace entrance to school, before or after school every day this week.