Kia Ora to you all,

Today I am back writing this newsletter from my office. I want to thank the staff here on the ground, Mr Irvine, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Hill, Miss Jackson, and Mr Lee for all the work and the positive attitude to get us back up and running. We do have very few children with us, as is the pattern across the country, but those that are here are safe, learning, and having fun.  The gates were opened, but we do keep it closed during the day and locked at night and at the weekend.

Another glorious day in New Zealand and at Wainui School.  We do have such gorgeous grounds and once again we all feel very privileged to work in this environment.

Moving Forward in COVID-19 Level 3 – If you need to come to school you can, we have two bubbles of children with two teachers. We understand that other workplaces will be opening up,  trying new ways of working as we all are. If your circumstances change please do not hesitate to let us know if your child needs to attend school. Some children are attending full time, some are attending on certain days.

PLEASE do not come to school without first informing us by emailing myself gbray@wainui.school.nz  or Mr. Irvine jirvine@wainui.school.nz as this enables us to ensure we have all the safety measures in place.  All the safety procedures are on the website and listed in previous emails.

Bubble One has the junior children in Years 1 – 4 with Mrs. Hill and Miss Jackson.

Bubble Two has the senior children in Years 4 – 8 with Mr. Irvine and Mrs. Taylor. 

Distance Learning and Term 2 – We are now in week 3 of Term 2.  It is hard to believe as it is quite different, things are still nowhere near “normal” for any of us, especially if you are at home all day. 

Many of you as parents are juggling working at home and some will be feeling like you are not helping your child as the “stand-in teacher” as much as you should, some children are not as connected to the new school routine or not motivated, other children love this way of learning and are. This is no different from school and learning, it is never the same for everyone. 

Teachers are available all day from 9.00am – 3.00pm.  Once they have finished their “ZOOM/ Google Meet session” if you need more support or help, please contact the teacher, it could be by email, it could be on the phone or it could be in a “ZOOM/ Google Meet“ way. We can then talk this through. We may not be able to solve everything, but we can help.

SENCO – Mrs. Taylor wtaylor@wainui.school.nz  is also available and has already put in all sorts of supports for various children. We have our Teacher Aides supporting children as well, your child may need some extra support. Please do not hesitate to ask.

OTHER NEWS

FOWS – Last night our “Friends of Wainui School” met on ZOOM!!  It was great to connect and receive feedback on how it is going from all the Mum’s perspectives!!  Yes, we hear it is such a juggling process in many households as everyone has online meetings and commitments but thank you for all the positive comments and feedback about the online learning and communication.  I will be passing on all the positive comments back to the teachers at Wainui School.

I also heard how poor the internet connection is in some homes, this is something obviously currently beyond my control but I will certainly bring this up with the Ministry of Education and with local council and the local MP.

Business Directory – The BOT and FOWS would like to support and help businesses with promotion and offer free promotion on a business directory on the school website.  The call is throughout the country to support local businesses. Please contact myself or Mel with your information/ logo and we will go from there.

Fundraisers – We discussed fundraisers, but of course currently all of the planned events are on hold!! Bike-a-Thon was all set to go and had just gone online, we will bring it back, but not until the community is ready.

Ag Day is what we are all looking forward to so please go ahead, despite the drought with planning on raising lambs, kid goats, and calves (not sure what has happened to Mycoplasma bovis) in the usual time frames.

Lastly please let the FOWS group know if there is anyone needing support in our community. This is an area we also do very very well.

Enjoy the weekend in Lockdown Level 3 – time to get out and support small businesses in our area as well –  perhaps a coffee or a takeaway!!

Gillian

COMMUNITY

The Family and Whanau Project – Counselling and parenting support during COVID-19 – As you are aware, there are so many pressures on individuals and families at this time. Some are facing financial hardship, others are working in the essential services to keep our country running but this has caused undue pressure or risk to their family, others are really struggling to keep their children entertained or away from working parents, or to reassure their children who have worries of their own, and others are enjoying the reduced time pressures and the increased chance of family bonding.

Please go to The Family and Whanau Project website www.tfwp.org.nz and click on the COVID-19 drop-down box and see a list of tips and strategies to the online Triple P course, other helpful links for individuals of all ages, and direct access to us for personal support.

As you know we are local and we are in this together.  Hopefully, it won’t be long until our Triple P Positive Parenting groups and face-to-face sessions are up and running again. In the meantime, we send our very best wishes to you and your whānau.

Kia kaha, stay safe, stay well, stay connected.