BIS Newsletter Week 4 Term 3
Friday 20th August 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Well, I wasn't expecting to be writing this from home while watching the news and seeing active covid cases in our nearby communities and seeing many of our local places being listed as places of interest. It is worrying and has thrown us back into unchartered waters.
My first message to you all is Thank You. We have had lots of positive feedback and our students have very quickly settled into a new routine of checking google classroom, having zoom meetings and keeping in contact with their whānau teacher.
The second message is to reinforce that home learning has to work for you and your whānau. We are trying to organise a home learning programme that meets the needs of all. Some students have their own device, others are sharing with siblings or parents and some do not have access to a digital device. Pick ups of hard copies cannot happen at this time but we will look at deliveries next week.
Wellbeing is essential and this is a good time to practice mindfullness. This could be gardening, colouring, yoga, walking in nature (with a mask on), drawing, play with a pet, listening to music, cooking, crafting or anything that brings joy and is restful. The goal is to have time away from thinking about the things we cannot control. Many of our students will be concerned about covid and the amount of negative news on TV and the internet. It's good for students to be informed about the current covid situation but not to be obsessed with watching updates that can cause worry.
On Monday next week we will send out a week's plan of learning that students can self manage their time to work through the activities. In daily zoom meetings, teachers will go over tasks, teach skills needed and give feedback. If the workload is more than you want for your child then please do not feel pressure to complete each task. If your child wants more, they can ask their whānau teacher for inspiration and ideas. Home learning needs to be manageable and not impact on your family dynamics.
My last message is to ask for your continued support during this difficult time. Our staff are also parents and caregivers. They are also feeling the worry of these times and have many different home situations to attend to. Some of our staff are currently in a 14 day isolation due to having contact with students at Northcote College and some are awaiting covid test results. As a community, we are all feeling that this is very close to home.
Birkdale is an incredible community and we show resilience, empathy and perseverance on a daily basis. We are a strong team who support one another and take care of those in need. This will continue throughout lockdown. If you need support, reach out to us, if ou can ot=ffer support to others, please do. Lockdown is not a time to just survive but a tine to thrive as a community. Birkdale - we've got this!
Stay safe, show care for all, kia kaha e te whānau,
JoAnne Sutton
Basketball Zone Day
Due to our lockdown, the Boys Zone day has been postponed, but we hope to hold it later in the year. We will keep you posted on this.
Production
The decision has been made to move our Production from Week 9 this term to next term Week 4. These new dates mean we will be performing between Monday the 8th of November and Thursday the 11th of November (exactly which days and times are yet to be confirmed and won't be decided until we have a clearer vision of how this lockdown is progressing).
However, we can only work within the time we are given and if the lockdown continues further into the term, the decision on whether to continue with production this year will be re-evaluated. But rest assured we are doing everything within our power to make sure our production goes ahead this year.
Sports Camp
Due to moving to Level 4 lockdown the 'Coast to Coast' sports camp that we were booked for next week has been cancelled. We were quick enough however to secure ourselves the last remaining spot in another camp in week 9 20th-25th September 2021. This was the original camp that we were going to go with but that was changed as many of our students were going on a Northcote Rugby Tour.
We are so lucky to have been given the opportunity to take another spot as every other school that was booked with us is now unable to go.
Please note: This will only be able to go ahead if we are in Level 1, we will keep you updated regularly on the situation. There may be some people who now may need to withdraw due to the Rugby Tour or other reasons, if you need to withdraw please email me as soon as possible ryoung@bis.school.nz.
Newsletter proudly sponsored by
Year 8 Camp
Camp is an amazing experience for our students and gives them the chance to participate in a range of outdoor activities that are challenging. Students learn valuable life skills through managed risk taking while having lots of fun at the same time.
Please set up your automatic payment using your child's name as the reference and the words Y8Camp.
BIS Bank account - 12 3035-0413925-01
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Upcoming Events
Tuesday 24th August: APPA Combined Choir Rehearsal at BIS, NSIS Gymnastics Zone Day POSTPONED
Wednesday 25th August: BandQuest - CANCELLED
Thursday 2nd September: NSIS League Zone Day, Rehu Tai Cluster Speech Competition, TBC
Friday 1st October - Teacher Only Day - No school
Communication Home
Please ensure we have an up-to-date email address, download our BIS School App, like our Facebook page and check our website regularly for more detailed information about what is happening at BIS.
Contact Us
Email: office@bis.school.nz
Website: https://www.bis.school.nz/
Location: 200 Birkdale Road, Birkdale, Auckland 0626, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9-483 9168
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birkdaleintermediateschool
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