Rātā Street School Newsletter
Special Newsletter - Coronavirus update 7 - 13th April 2020
Coronavirus - update 7
Kia ora koutou
Many of you will have seen differing reports in the media about when and how schools will reopen once we move down from Alert Level 4. There has been a lot of speculation around the Minister’s announcement of a possible start date of April 29th. To clarify:
- No definite decision has been made yet about when schools will reopen. This decision will be made based on the current new case numbers, the spread within regions, and how well we are going at ‘stamping it out’. It is unlikely that a decision will be made before 20th April.
- The very earliest schools would open would be 29th April. And this would likely only be for SOME students, not all.
- The Ministry are considering a variety of possible scenarios. These include opening only for staff, opening for essential workers' children, opening in shifts so that children can stay 2m apart, opening for just senior students, a combination of distance and on-site learning, staggered opening, or not opening for a number of weeks and continuing with distance learning etc.
- There will be ample notice before schools open. We will not be closed one day and open the next. We will be given ample time to ensure that the school has been cleaned, that staff have opportunity to prepare for the students, and that we are able to work, learn, and play safely.
- The Prime Minister has been very clear that we will NOT be moving out of Alert Level 4 early.
- The Ministry of Education and the Minister of Education are working on guidelines for what Alert Level 3 could look like for schools.
Learning at Home website
Our Learning at Home web site will be ready for parents and students to access from Monday 20th April. The website will have
- a suggested daily timetable
- learning activities for if you have internet access and a device
- learning activities for if you do not have a device
- wellbeing and support for students and parents
It would be good if there was a good mixture of device learning (ie laptop, tv, chromebook, tablet), physical activity, creative and artistic activity, and pencil and paper activity.
We realise that families will manage Learning at Home differently. For some families, learning may not be a priority at the present time - that's ok. For others, activities may be accessed every day - that's ok as well. How you organise your days and the learning is completely up to you and your family. Be reassured - children will not come to any harm if they have a break from formal learning for a while, so do please do not feel any guilt if there is no formal learning happening at the moment!
Teachers will contact you and your child several times this week.
Learning at Home will not be without its challenges. There will probably be things that don’t work and frustrations along the way - but we are going to figure them out together. Let us know if something isn’t working and we will do our best to fix it.
Learning at Home - Ministry of Education resources
To help with this Learning at Home, some families may receive resources from the Ministry of Education. I have asked for
- Digital devices for families that had the internet but didn’t have a device
- Hard copy (paper) packs of work for families with three or more children in the family, and for families who don’t have a device and internet connection.
If enough supplies, the Ministry of Education will courier these items to the address we have for you. No guarantees though, and if this can happen - I have no idea of delivery schedules.
Ngā mihi nui
Dave Appleyard
Principal
Support for Pasifika families
Support for Pasifika families - Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office (WREMO) can provide you with assistance if you face hardship due to the Covid-19 lock down. Please complete the form below.
Faatalofa atu. Malo le soifua male lagi e mama. Manatu o loo manuia i tatou uma ile tausiga alofa a le Atua aemaise lava i nai o tatou tama ma tina matutua. E ui ina feagai tatou ma lenei faamai matautia Covid-19 ae e silisili lava le alofa ole Atua mo tatou uma.
O le mafuaga o lenei fesootaiga, ona o loo iai le fesoasoani o loo maua mai ile ofisa o WREMO (Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office) mo tatou aiga Pasefika o loo alala ile Hutt Valley region. Afai ua afaina galuega ona o lenei fa’amai, ma o loo fia manaomiaina se fesoasoani i itu nei:
- utiuti le faasoa i mea taumafa poo le seleni
- lavalava mafanafana: blankets, heating items
Fa’amolemole, fili ifo le form o lo’o i lalo, ona lafo sa’o ai la’ia ile ofisa ole WREMO. A iai ni fesili o fia fa'alaua'iteleina, fa'amolemole feso'otai mai iinei, pe imeli mai: trish.sopoaga@ratastreet.school.nz
https://forms.gle/PJsdZ5hEjghsGiZw6
Tips and tricks to look after yourself while we’re all staying home - some really useful advice
Contacts - teacher email addresses
Room 3 diana.molineux@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 4 katie.barber@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 5 nate.ellis@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 6 fiona.leong@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 7 trish.hereaka@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 8 inga.tromp@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 10 andrew.derwin@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 11 andrea.sinclair@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 12 shean.puru@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 13 juila.irwin@ratastreet.school.nz & craig.irwin@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 14 eddie.forster@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 15 trish.sopoaga@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 16 kate.coles@ratastreet.school.nz & amanda.read@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 18 carelle.austin@ratastreet.school.nz
Room 19 amber.kirk@ratastreet.school.nz
Assistant Principal Louise Thomson louise.thomson@ratastreet.school.nz
Deputy Principal Glenda Stewart glenda.stewart@ratastreet.school.nz
Information and resources to support wellbeing and support learning at home
· The Ministry of Education has developed a resource for parents, caregivers, whānau and family - http://education.govt.nz/school/health-safety-and-wellbeing/pastoral-care-and-wellbeing/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-coronavirus/.
· The Ministry of Health’s website includes Top ways to look after your mental wellbeing during the Covid-19 lockdown.
· I AM HOPE is the youth and community focused support group run by The Key to Life Charitable Trust, started by Mike King - https://www.iamhope.org.nz/
· Nathan Wallis has some helpful videos on his Facebook page for parents and whānau - https://www.facebook.com/nathanwallisxfactoreducation/ -
· Tips on looking after mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19 from the Mental Health foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/covid-19/
· a website by the Health Promotion Agency to help New Zealanders recognise and understand depression and anxiety - https://depression.org.nz/covid-19/
· Although overseas-based this is a good list and highlights some things particularly important for children. Remember the rules of New Zealand’s level 4 lockdown still apply - 25 Mental Health Wellness Tips during Quarantine from Eileen M Feliciano, Psy.D.
Contact us
Email: admin@ratastreet.school.nz
Website: www.ratastreet.school.nz
Location: Rata Street School Rata Street, Naenae, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Phone: 04 567 0096
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RataStreetSchool