Whaia te Matauranga-

Hāwera Primary is a caring community of lifelong learners who strive ever and always for higher and better things.

Email: admin@haweraprimary.school.nz
Website: https://sites.google.com/haweraprimary.school.nz/haweraprimaryschool
Location: 261 South Road, Hawera, New Zealand
Phone: 06 2787709
Facebook: facebook.com/haweraprimaryschool

Kia ora koutou

We hope that Term 2 and our remote learning programme has been a success for you so far. We know there will have been any number of challenges for you to deal with but we have been getting some great feedback about the learning that is happening and thank you for all your support. A short Google Forms survey was sent out earlier this week, please take the opportunity to fill it in so we can continue to refine our approach.

The Government has decided that we will move into Alert Level 3 next week That means if we are ready we may be open to receive students from the Wednesday 29th April following a teacher-only day on Tuesday 28th April. We can start to prepare our site from Tuesday 21st April.

The key messages are:

• IF YOU CAN, YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR CHILD AT HOME!
• If you can work from home you should continue to.
• You should only physically send your child to school if you need to.
• If your child has a health condition that means they are at a greater risk of a severe illness you must keep them at home.
• If your child is sick please also ensure you keep them at home.

We reiterate the Government’s message that children should only be coming to school if they aren’t able to remain at home.

In order to ensure the safety of those children and our staff who do come to school, we will be operating with strict enforcement of health and safety measures.

People who work in education settings (i.e. our staff) who are at a higher risk must be supported to stay home in their bubble. Under level three, the vast majority of children will still be learning from home, so we expect that a large number of teachers and support staff in both ECE and school settings will also be working from home to support them. Our onsite staffing will be significantly reduced as several of our staff members are deemed to be "vulnerable" at level 3.

I want to assure you that we will continue to support your child’s learning at home. Students who do have to physically attend will continue with remote learning activities, the attending teachers will supervise them. Remote learning will be the platform for our curriculum delivery until further notice.

We have been trying to contact all our parents/caregivers during this week to find out whether you can keep your child learning from home, or NEED your child to attend in person.

The Ministry of Education has advised that they are working closely with health to develop clear guidance that will support schools to safely re-open their premises to students and staff. This will help us work through the public health requirements that we all need to meet. As you will be doing, we want to be sure that what we do will keep our community as safe as possible.

For now, we will continue to support your child’s learning by distance while we progress our planning for what Alert Level 3 will mean for you and for our school. We will be in touch again soon with more information. As you have been doing, please keep connecting with your teachers or email me principal@haweraprimary.school.nz with any questions you might have.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees I would also like to farewell learning assistant, Matua Rem Thompson. We sincerely thank him for his significant contribution to our school during his time here at Hāwera Primary. We wish him all the very best for his future endeavours.

Thanks so much for all you are doing at home. Once again I would like to acknowledge our amazing staff. I’m so proud of innovative work and incredible care I’ve been seeing from all of them during these very challenging times. The connections between staff, students and families is truly heartwarming.

Remember to take the time to acknowledge the sacrifice of our brave ANZAC soldiers.

Have a great weekend-kia kaha everyone!

'Ma te huruhuru ka rere te manu-Adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly!'

Ngā mihi nui

Shevaun O'Brien

PRINCIPAL

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we acknowledge the passing of one of our Year 5 students, Tuwhakararo Hohaia on Friday 27 March as the result of a tragic accident.

Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions we are unable to pay our respects in person.

Although we cannot physically be with the whanau at this time, we have done our best to support them. This is a sad time for all of us.

We feel deeply for Tuwhakararo’s family; all our thoughts and aroha are with them. We will continue to support them as they grieve their loss.

In the meantime here are the details for if you would like to contribute to a koha to be passed on to his whanau, thank you to all those who have already contributed:

The bank account is:

Hawera Primary School PTA

TSB Bank: 15-3950-0347677-000

Reference: Hohaia and your name

The response from our school whanau and wider community has been outstanding, their support has helped to ease the shock and pain in what was already an extremely hard time.

When the time comes we will organise an appropriate memorial, that will do his memory proud.

Moe mai e tama-Rest easy beautiful boy, you will be missed.

On April 25th we commemorate ANZAC Day, this year is different as we cannot be together because of our collective battle against COVID-19.

Hāwera Primary School honours the brave military personnel who have served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations protecting our country, people and

way of life.

Every year as a nation we mark the anniversary of the ANZAC soldiers first landing at Gallipoli, we come together to honour the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who returned home forever changed .

"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them"

As a further tribute this fortnight we have dedicated our homelearning to this important turning point in New Zealand's history.

It is an integral part of our heritage the significance of which we can never truly comprehend.

We stand for them

LEST WE FORGET

The staff and I have been busy trying to contact all our families in preparation for possible reopening on WEDNESDAY 29th APRIL for those students who HAVE to physically be at school.

I have noticed a few things that need urgent clarification:

1. Students CANNOT opt in or out during Level 3 because that unnecessarily breaks the bubble and increases the risk to other bubble members including staff and their families.

Once bubbles are set they CANNOT change for 14 days. That is the amount of time it takes for symptoms to show and helps with tracking should there be a confirmed case

Also we have to know EXACTLY who is coming each day so we can make sure we have adequate staffing. Most of our teachers and support staff or their dependants are vulnerable at Level 3 and therefore they are not allowed on site. Our staffing levels are significantly reduced.

If you child HAS to be at school they will need to be there for all day every day for those two weeks unless they are sick, otherwise it becomes a logistical nightmare and potential health and safety issue for staff.

2. You and your child/ren also need to understand school will not be as they recognise it, strict health and safety procedures will be in place during Level 3 for example:

• the students will be supervised, the teaching and learning will still be remote and the responsibility of their class teachers
• they will likely be in mixed level family groups to reduce number of households within a bubble
• highly likely they will not be in their usual classroom setting
• NO mixing outside their bubble including break times via separate areas and/or times
• all playgrounds will be closed
• all hard surfaces including classroom equipment. PE gear etc will be carefully managed and reduced as it will need to be sanitised after each use.
• there will be no school lunches provided during Level 3 (e.g. Koha Shed, Subway or Lunch Shack).
• each student will need to bring their own named water bottle each day
• their access to parts of the school will be restricted to reduce contamination risks and cleaning requirements
• the Admin Block will not be accessible except to staff unless advised otherwise.
• social distancing will continue (2m if outside and 1m inside), parents/caregivers will be strongly encouraged to drop off and wait outside the school grounds at the beginning and end of the day to reduce contact with bubbles.

As you can see these are quite intense measures for your children to operate under and teachers/staff to enforce, obviously the less children we have at school the more manageable this becomes.

All the health advice is VERY clear IF YOU CAN STAY HOME, YOU SHOULD STAY HOME especially if you will be working from home to reduce the risk to your household.

Therefore, we urge all parents/caregivers to also consider slightly increasing their bubble to the home of a non-vulnerable close relative or friend who could assist with childcare if possible

Hopefully this information will help with making your decisions

We know it can be challenging having the children at home, the teachers and I understand because a lot of us are parents ourselves who are experiencing the same struggles and challenges with remote learning and well-being etc. Remember we are here to help if you reach out.

If you change your mind from what you have already told us please let us know ASAP. Some of our families still haven't responded PLEASE answer our calls and messages. We need to know urgently.

If you have any further questions you can message this page, contact your child's teacher or email me at principal@haweraprimary.school.nz

Hang in there everyone!
#wevegotthis

Tēnā tātou e te whanau o Hāwera Primary

Ripiripia Haehaea!! Ripiripia Haehaea!!

The Board of Trustees would like to once again extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the whanau of Tuwhakararo Hohaia.

“Haere atu ra e te, ki te ringa kaha o te Atua me ou matua tipuna, e moe”.

As we look back at the last month of COVID-19 and the lockdown, the BOT would like to take this time to thank all our Hāwera Primary Community for their patience and perseverance at this time and to remind whanau that although we are going into Level 3, the same restrictions as Level 4 are still in place.

We must continue to stay safe within our bubbles and adhere to the advice of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. Shevaun and her team are working hard to ensure that all safety measures are in place for those tamariki who will return to school on Wednesday the 29th and onwards and that our staff are also taken care of.

These are testing times for all, especially our staff. All the Board asks is that we follow the messages that have been sent out via Facebook, Seesaw and the school newsletter.

We would also like to thank all our staff who have been working hard to deliver the remote learning along with preparing for school's return while juggling their home life. Thank you all for the work that you are putting in, this is a very challenging time for all.

Remember,

“Noho haumaru ki te kainga-Stay safe at home”

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact the Board of Trustees via email on; bot@haweraprimary.school.govt.nz

Naku noa,

Russell Hockley – BOT Chairperson

School for 5-12 year olds in the weeks ahead.

So... now we know how we're doing as a country and we know where we're all heading in the next few weeks. We're on top of this thing... now we need to see it through.

Some kids are heading back to school next week (although even for them it won't be school as we usually know it)... and a lot aren't. So this one's Natalie and Nigel talk through the issues around education for 5-12 year olds over the coming weeks in the short video below....

Since Easter there has been be a new chapter in education. There is a huge learning curve that students, school staff and parents/caregivers are navigating together.

As we embark on these new methods of teaching and learning, we are asking our Facebook friends to refrain from publicly scrutinising their children’s teachers/schools for the way they are teaching or the lessons they are assigning.

Please offer grace to your child’s teacher and other school personnel. We promise that educating your children is still the #1 priority.

Students, school staff and parents/caregivers are navigating unchartered waters with minimal prep time, a rapid technological learning curve, as well as very little certainty as to what exactly they are preparing for - with a number of possibilities as to what this term will look like on the ground.

We also have challenges in some areas with families struggling with availability of technology access including some rural areas.

This is a crisis, not a time to be playing armchair expert.

Teachers deeply care for all of their students and will be doing their absolute best!

Please support teachers...THEY'VE GOT THIS

Let's see how many staff members you can name....Weren't we cute!

Can you find.....

*Miss Thomson *Whaea Terri *Miss Baylis *Whaea Tina *Miss Burgess *Susan *Miss V *Whaea Paula *Miss Hitchman *Mrs Leigh *Mel *Mrs Lancaster *Rachel *Ms O'B *Whaea Janine *Mrs Dunlop *Miss Skedgwell *Mrs Thomas-Wilkins

In this section you will find the latest remote learning updates and information. You can also find all the information you need on our school website

THE THEME IS: ANZAC Day

It is also available on our school website and will be sent out on Seesaw.

Remember to contact your child's teacher between 11am-1pm Monday to Thursday if you have any questions etc.

Check out these AMAZING examples of 'Personal Best' remote learning from our EASTER slidedeck. As you can see our students have been engaged in a wide range of rich experiences from a range of learning areas.

Keep an eye out for our second slidedeck about 'ANZAC Day' which runs from Friday 24th April until Friday 8th May.

Well done whanau, the effort you are putting into supporting your child's remote learning from home is definitely paying off.

The teachers and Ms O'B are seriously impressed-keep up the great work!

Tino pai kids we are so proud of you, we can't wait to see what you'll do next!

Tena koe,

Harold and the team are sending our best wishes and aroha to you all during this unprecedented challenging time, and would like to remind you that in terms of Life Education’s position during Level 3 and 2 of lockdown, we are open for business.

Students still have access to our work books and/or packs, plus access to our many online resources:

• www.lifeeducation.org.nz/resources has over 350 resources that support topics relevant to our teaching. Educators provide links to these resources when they do their usual lesson planning.
• www.healthyharold.org.nz this website is designed for children to access themselves. It includes our Food Analyser tool and children are able to ask Harold a question which will provide them with relevant Fact Sheets.
• www.smallchanges.org.nz provides activities for children and families, encouraging them to spend more time together doing things positive for health, wellbeing and learning.
• www.gbr.org.nz is our new interactive website educating young people about substances.

With the uncertainty and worry some tamariki may be experiencing, you may feel that a focus on resilience, managing emotions, well-being or human anatomy may best suit your school. As always, we are happy to tailor our planning to best support your tamariki during this time while working collaboratively with you to develop the best programme.

Please click on the small changes picture below for some great ideas.

Harold has been missing spending time with his friends so has been busy drawing, making up obstacle courses and writing to your tamariki!

We look forward to hearing how you all are, and would really appreciate hearing from you so that we know how to best support you and your students.

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Be strong, be steadfast, be willing.

Ngā mihi nui

Michelle, Amber and Donna (Taranaki Life Education Educators)

We all need a bit of support from time to time. If you or someone you know is struggling, there are free help and support services available.

For some of us the move to level three on April 28 will mean a return to a tiny bit more normality, for some there won't be a lot of change, and for others it will create new challenges to muddle through.

Whatever it means for you, you can take pride in the fact you have done your bit so far to flatten the curve, saving thousands of lives in the process.

It has been tough and we do still have a little way to go until we are out the other side. So be kind to yourselves and look out for yourself and those around you.

Remember to do the things that bring you joy each day - incorporating these ways to well-being into your life is a great place to start. (https://www.allright.org.nz/articles/top-tips-to-get-through)

Please note that this webinar is at a special price to help support teachers in New Zealand during the COVID19 period. Please note that the price shown is per head. No discounts can be applied when purchasing this webinar.

What we can do – as parents and community – to help!

We use the word resilience all the time, we want it for ourselves and for our children. But what does it actually look like? And how do we develop it?

Understanding the neuroscience of how resilience develops, will help us recognise what we can do in our everyday lives and interactions, to increase resilience in our communities. This session will help you understand, in a simple yet sufficient way, how we can build resilience.

The beauty of this session is that you can take the information and immediately apply it to your world. Reports of ‘you have changed our household’ and ‘I get it now’ are very common feedbacks from those who attend this session. Come along and hear how it can help you too.

What you'll learn

• What resilience ‘looks like’
• What can impact the development of resilience
• How we build resilience in ourselves and others

Target audience

Everyone!

Featured review

Excellent presentation, loved the examples, easy to understand. Have heard some of the info many times before however the way you explained things CLICKED for me!

Parent, Whangarei

Presenter(s)

Kathryn Berkett