As the alert level 4 lockdown status has been extended in Auckland for two weeks and we can anticipate a probable return to level 1 and “normal” school either late in Term 3 or at the start of term 4, I feel it is important that parents and caregivers understand what our plan is during this period of distance learning.
Our priority continues to be the wellbeing of our community. We acknowledge that it is not easy working from home as well as supervising your child/ren’s learning.
We also learnt several lessons from last year which have informed and guided our actions this time. We strive to:
- Balance academic progress with hauora/wellbeing;
- Limit screen time and promote active learning;
- Provide students with a degree of autonomy over their learning – similar to Focus Friday with teachers outlining the expectations for the week and students managing their time to complete tasks given;
- Minimise the number of emails being sent to parents (apologies for this one!)
The partnership between home and school is of critical importance for student success so if you know what we are trying to do you will be better able to support us and your child/ren:
- Learning Advisors will check in with their students at least once a week, in case support is needed. We check on-line activity and/or entry to google classroom and other online platforms like Reading Plus, Maths Buddy or Education Perfect.
- Subject teachers will connect with classes using at least one collaborative tool a week like google classroom – this may not last the whole hour but is another useful check in for us to see students are OK, explain new work or the tasks for the week.
- As a general rule teachers will not set more than 2 hours a week/per subject for Year 9 and 10 and 1 hour a week for Year 7 and 8 (and options). We do not want students to feel overwhelmed but it is also important to maintain routines and some academic progress.
- We have asked our teachers to set work which does not involve too much screen time.
It is worth showing an active interest in what your child/ren are doing, making sure they are balancing work with their own wellbeing and that they are following the government’s guidelines about staying in our bubbles.
I thank you for your patience and ongoing support.
Stay connected, stay well.
Ian Morrison
Principal