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April 2 Covid-19 Update to Whānau

www.facebook.com/tokoitischool www.tokoiti.school.nz

Dear whānau  

As with all schools at the moment, Tokoiti School will be open for distance learning but not physically open for staff or Trekkers at the beginning of Term 2 on Wednesday, April 15th. 

We are experiencing an international health crisis of a magnitude unheralded in our lifetimes. It has the potential to change the way we live forever. To teach as we have in the past (although being online) would be to miss understanding the emotional and psychological impact of this crisis on our Trekkers and whānau.  

Some whānau are experiencing loss of employment; we are experiencing the stress of the whole family being underfoot day after day as well as struggling with the challenge of a changed world-of isolation and uncertainty.

We wish to infuse our home learning plans with our TREKKERS values, putting Kinship and Kindness at the very heart of what we are doing.  The number one goal of schooling currently is to nurture wellbeing. Just as we know the value of strong relationships for successful learning and teaching, we want to use this opportunity to help whānau nurture productive and supportive relationships in the home. We also wish to keep a sense of routine for our Trekkers to help them connect not only educationally with the staff, but socially with their peers.

In order to do this, we are looking at having six learning slots each school day, with reading writing and maths delivered online, and with other tasks being set for the rest of the day.

  1. 8am-9am
  2. 9am-10am
  3. 10:30am-11:30am 
  4. 11:30am-12:30pm
  5. 1pm-2pm
  6. 2pm-3pm

We are asking for you to choose 2 sessions on this form that your Trekkers will be working at the computer doing their reading, maths and writing tasks that will be set for them. Please fill out the form once for each of your Trekkers  We also are conscious of the time that the Trekkers are potentially going to be in front of their computers and we want to ensure that we have some time away from the screen.  In choosing the time that you feel will best suit your Trekker(s) please leave at least one session break for them. We will have a video meeting going for each session where the Trekkers for that session can come back to in order to seek assistance from the teaching staff.  The teaching staff will be meeting each day at 10am and will be out of contact during this time. At all times we are very aware that multiple stresses are impacting on whānau as well as our staff, please let us know if situations arise that may impact on your Trekkers ability to access their learning.  I am available via cellphone, WhatsApp email, the group chat, or Google hangouts.

Finally, this is an event that we have not faced in our lifetimes and we need to continue to work together as a community to support each other, be kind and get through this.  

Yours sincerely

Mr Shannon McDougall

Principal

Tokoiti School

020 4016 2811

Important Notice

We have been alerted nationally to concerns that school playgrounds are being used, now that council playground facilities have been closed.  Please put signs up in your playgrounds to say that your playgrounds are closed.

Children and families are not allowed to use school playgrounds at all after midnight 25 March 2020.  This is part of the whole community response to ‘unite against COVD-19’ and keep our children and whanau safe. 

Thank you for your cooperation with this.