COVID-19 Tumuaki update 19 October

Fakaalofa lahi atu

Welcome to Term 4

I know you will share the feelings of our staff that it would have been great to be able to return to school onsite this Term. Given that we remain at Level 3 I’m sure you will potentially be feeling some disappointment and perhaps anxiety about not being able to return. Please know we are here to help however we can for as long as it takes 😊. Given that we remain at Level 3 it is important we continue to stay the course and follow the Level 3 guidelines so that we can work towards a potential return to school in the future.

This is also a great opportunity for us to continue to grow our vaccination rate to provide longer term protection in the future. As you will have seen in the media all staff are required to be fully vaccinated by the end this year and we would encourage all students to also get vaccinated to help support the health and wellbeing of our entire school community.

If you would like further information about vaccination please go to https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19-vaccines/get-the-facts-about-covid-19-vaccination/covid-19-vaccination-your-questions-answered/

Return to school

A decision about Education will also be made by the Minister of Education tomorrow. This may include some form of return to school at Level 3 but we will need to wait for that announcement tomorrow. Given the 48 hours notice that the government has promised regarding a return this suggests that the earliest we might return is next Tuesday (given that Monday is Labour day). We await this information with interest – particularly for our senior students and what this might mean for them going forward.

In the meantime we will be continuing with distance learning and assessment opportunities.

Niue Language week

This week is also Niue language week. The theme is Tupuolaola e Moui he Tagata Niue which means May the Tagata Niue thrive.

Kia tupuolaola e moui he Tagata Niue, reminds us of the importance of our Pacific languages and cultures and how they contribute to spiritual, emotional, physical and social wellness for prosperity and wealth in the home, community and nation. Particularly important given the challenges we have continued to face this year!

This year’s theme reflects the overarching 2021 Pacific Language Week theme of Wellbeing, by linking the importance of language to overall wellbeing. If you do have any photos celebrating Tagata Niue please send through to Ms McCarten [email protected] so we can share through social media.

Student Options

A reminder was sent to all students who have not yet completed their options yesterday. If you have not yet picked your options for next year could you please do this as soon as possible!

This is vital information for us to plan for the timetable for next year so your help is very much appreciated. If you are not intending to return to school next year please let your Mentor Teacher know so we can add this to our database.

NCEA – IT IS NOT TOO LATE!

We still have 8 weeks available to us to support all our senior students to achieve their NCEA and University Entrance goals! Please do not give up – even if you have struggled to keep up with distance learning your teachers are happy for you to get in touch and talk about a plan going forward. Any work that you complete during lockdown can be used for assessment evidence so send an email to your teachers now and find out what it is you could be working on to achieve in this area.

We are still expecting further information from NZQA about any further supports in terms of NCEA this year and I will share this with you as soon as it becomes available.

Please also don’t hesitate to reach out for support however you might need it. To access this support you can email: