Kia ora Gracefield whanau,
WE ARE OPEN ON MONDAY!
Our focus over the next two weeks is to make sure that the transition back to school for our children is one where they feel safe, happy and are ready to learn. We will be designing learning programmes that focus on wellness, relationships and connections as these are the foundation for effective learning to take place.
Every teacher at Gracefield School is passionate about designing learning programmes that are shaped to meet the needs of the learners in their spaces. So this will look different across the school. There will be lots of rich and deep learning opportunities being driven by the arts, health and PE, digital technologies, science and social sciences curriculums.
The Covid-19 event has caused huge changes in our own personal lives, within New Zealand’s society and across the world! It has changed the way we behave, interact with each other and has without a doubt highlighted the inequities within our communities and the need for people to focus on wellness, relationships and connections.
In education, the Covid-19 situation has given us an opportunity to pause, question the education system and has given us thinking space to reimagine what education could be and what we now think is important. We know that innovation, agile thinking, communication, creativity have been critical throughout the Covid-19 event and in moving forward, we would like to work alongside whanau and students to understand what learning might look like at Gracefield School in the future. We will make time for this some time soon so keep an eye out for information early next term. Otherwise please feel free to send me an email
NEED TO KNOW INFORMATION
At Alert Level 2 there are some changes to the way school will be operating at least for the next two weeks. Below is some key information that you need to know.
* No parents onsite for the next 2 weeks
* School will open at 8.30am and close by 3.30pm. Teachers and admin staff will be off site by 4pm.
* The school playground is closed from 3pm
* Please ensure social distancing of 2 metres is adhered to during Alert Level 2
* Kelly Club will be operating at Alert Level 2, so please contact them to organise after school care
* No school lunches for the next two weeks
* Water fountains will not be working, so please ensure children bring a water bottle
* IF children arrive late to school, please send the children to the office to sign in. A reminder that parents/caregivers are not allowed on site during alert level 2
* Please name your child/rens belongings especially clothing
* No school assemblies this term
GRACEFIELD SCHOOL CAR PARKING
With the current building refurbishments happening at our school, car parking will be a challenge. So we encourage whanau to park along Riverside Drive or further down Bell Road and walk to the designated pick up areas. Most importantly, as a community we really need people to be aware of children walking to and from school. There will not be any road patrollers for the first two weeks of school.
REVIEW
We will be reviewing these processes after two weeks. A reminder that, while we know some of you will be anxious at this time, we assure you that school is a safe place for your children to be.
We will be following the most up to date advice and guidance from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. We believe that the Health and Safety measures that we have in place to support children and staff to transition back to school are extremely robust.
We can’t wait to see you all!
Mauri ora,
Kelly Barker, Hamish Regan and the Teaching Team.