Kia ora koutou
As announced by the Prime Minister yesterday afternoon the decision has been made to move out of the traffic light system and remove the mandates that were still in place. This means that from this morning:
- Masks are no longer strongly recommended / mandatory in school settings or on transport to and from school.
- We will still be providing masks to staff and / or students that would like to continue to wear them but they will not be expected. It is expected that all members of our community are respected in their decision to continue or discontinue with mask use at this time.
- Household contacts are no longer required to isolate if a member of their household contracts Covid-19. Instead, if a member of your household has Covid-19 you should take a RAT test each day and as long as it is negative and you have no symptoms, it is fine for you to be at school.
Māori language week
This week we continue to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language week. This year sees us commemorating the 50th anniversary of te Petihana Reo Māori. 14 September marks the 50th anniversary of the Māori Language petition, an event that led to many of the kaupapa we have today, including Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Kia kaha te Reo Māori!
Shine
This Thursday at 7 pm we will have the chance to see our wonderful musicians and singers perform for us at our annual Musical Extravaganza. This wonderful event has been disrupted in previous years due to the pandemic so we are very much looking forward to celebrating it again this week. As part of celebrating te wiki o te Reo Māori our kapa haka roopu will also be performing. Tickets are available from the office for $5.
Senior Assessment Week | 19 to 23 September
During this week, senior students will focus on completing NCEA internal assessments and practice external examinations. The MCAT is on Tuesday 13 September. With the announcement of the public holiday on Monday 26 September, we will be advising on a new date for the DCAT shortly.
Public holiday | Monday 26 September
To honour the late Queen’s years of service, New Zealand will hold a one-off national public holiday on Monday 26 September. School will be closed on this day.
Mentor days | Thursday 29 and Friday 30 September
All students’ last day for learning onsite this term is Wednesday 28 September. We will then hold two Mentor Days on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 September. During these two days, students and whānau will have the opportunity to meet with Mentor teachers and discuss their ownership of learning and academic progress to date. We will be in touch shortly with details on how to make appointments with your child’s teachers. This is an important opportunity to hear how they are tracking and make plans for their learning and/or NCEA Assessment in term 4.
Year 9 Student Enrolments for 2023
We also look forward to meeting and interviewing our new Year 9 students on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 September. Information will be emailed out to those whānau this week on how to book an interview time. If any in-zone students are yet to complete the enrolment process we would ask that you do this as soon as possible. You can get an enrolment pack from the office, or, enrol online at https://kamar.edgewater.school.nz/index.php/enrolment.
This week the out-of-zone ballot takes place on Wednesday, after which whānau will be informed in writing on the status of their enrolment application for 2023.
Ngā mihi nui
Louise Addison