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Kia Ora Tatou
This week has been very busy with the Common Assessment Activity (NCEA Literacy and Numeracy assessments) which a large number of Year 10 and some senior students have been attempting. Linked to this we have also had a visit from a representative from NZQA who has viewed our processes for the management of thee national assessments. Their view was that we have good systems in place and the students are well informed. Whilst all teachers have a part to play in ensuring the assessments run smoothly this has been lead by both Ms Beaumont and Miss Tuhega who we acknowledge for their organisation and leadership in this activity.
Student emails
In the preparation for the CAA’s students were provided with their log in details and also preparation materials to practice for the assessments. This information was shared to each individual student email. Teachers also reminded students to ensure they could log in to the assessment day, so that they knew their log in name, password and how to access the assessment. However, in the lead up to and on the day of the assessment students had not logged in and in a number of cases not checked their email to see all of the support/preparation material that had been provided. These are national qualifications set by NZQA and students have to take responsibility for checking their emails. Similarly, teachers will send emails to their class with work set to be completed, particularly if they are absent from school. Students must regularly check their school email.
Parent Teacher Interviews, Wednesday 28 May
Next week we will be holding our parent teacher interviews starting at 4pm to 8pm. Please see the separate item in this newsletter about how to book an interview time with a teacher. Please note that this is a very busy night for teachers so please do allow time to move from one interview to the next and endeavour to limit your time to allocated.
Attendance
Post pandemic I know that we have all become much more cautious about going to work/school when we are unwell. The Ministry of Education have provided the following advice for parents about when it is appropriate to send your child to school and when they should be kept at home. Please do consider this information when considering whether to send your child to school or not.
https://info.health.nz/keeping-healthy/healthy-homes-environments/knowing-if-your-child-is-well-enough-to-go-to-school-guidance-for-parents
Staff absence, relief teachers and rostering home
With Winter comes the usual winter illnesses and this can have a significant impact upon the school when teachers are unwell. We are still keen to hear from any teachers who may be available for relief work in school. The Board is willing to look at covering costs for refresher courses for qualified teachers.
During the last two weeks we have very close to the point where we have insufficient staff to supervise students due to staff absence. As we did last year, if we find ourselves in this situation we will potentially postpone trips and activities which require relief teachers or as a final option roster a year level home. We will NOT roster Year 9 level students home as we realise that this can cause issues for whanau with supervision of children under 14 years of age.
Start of school day, building open
Whilst the school has a focus on attendance we do note when students are late to school (and class) I would like to take this opportunity to remind our community that school starts at 08:40 in the morning.
Whilst some students may arrive on site early we appreciate their punctuality. However, we do not provide access to inside the school building until 08:30 as we do not have staff available for supervision.
Finally
With next week being the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers I really encourage whanau to attend. If you cannot get an appointment with your child’s teacher please do email the them to see if you can at least have a telephone meeting to discuss progress and support. Your support and involvement in your child’s education will have a significant impact upon their achievement.
Have a good weekend.
Ka kite ano
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