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For COVID-19 information from the Ministry of Education please follow this link

COVID Protection Framework, CPF Traffic Lights system

WGC Covid-19 Updates

Info for parents updated 6 May  2022

Kia ora, e te whānau, 

I wanted to update you on how our school is continuing to respond to COVID-19 under the COVID protection framework Orange. Thank you for your patience while we work through this process. 

The Government’s decision to move to Orange as of 13th April was made on public health advice and reflects that we are moving past the peak of cases and our health system is able to cope. We are seeing that cases are declining due to high levels of vaccination and natural immunity after infection. 

Our decisions for WGC have been based on guidance from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health, our WGC case numbers and our site.

Our WGC response to Covid 19 CPF – Orange is outlined on our school website and we have decided the following moving forward from Monday 9th May. 

The changes include:

  • Changes in mask wear (see details below)
  • Ability to have visitors on site for non-curriculum reasons
  • Less restrictions on events and gathering 

Masks while onsite at WGC: 

Mask wearing is strongly encouraged when indoors and supported by public health advice. Wearing a mask is a key health measure that slows the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings. 

For that reason all staff, students, contractors & visitors:

  • Must carry a mask with them at all times.
  • Everyone must wear a mask when walking around inside any WGC building.
  • You will also be required to wear a mask during any high density situation, eg. year level or whole school events, evacuations, assembly and when you are in our school library. 
  • We strongly encourage you to continue wearing masks indoors all classes.
  • A teacher / staff member can request that masks are worn in class or at a meeting when in a high density situation or to support an immunocompromised person.
  • Masks are required for children aged 12 and over on school and public transport.

Anyone who chooses to continue to wear a mask will be supported in this decision.Some places in the school may be mask on zones and this will be indicated by a sign, please respect this. 

If a student/staff member has a mask exemption this should be recorded with our Deputy Principal, Deb King (Deb.King@wgc.school.nz).

This decision will be monitored and may change depending on the Covid-19 situation in our school community.

We will continue to keep all the other health measures in place at school that we know slow the spread of COVID-19. These include wiping down our spaces at the start and end of each day, ensuring our indoor spaces are well-ventilated, maintaining good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette, appropriate physical distancing whenever we can and, most importantly, staying home if we are sick. 

As we are heading into the winter months, please continue to monitor your whānau closely for symptoms. If unwell, please stay at home and test for COVID-19. You may still contract COVID or be a household contact. This means that from time to time some students will need to isolate themselves at home. This is in line with Government advice. If your student contracts COVID-19 please following our current system by emailing the Acting Principal (anna.wilson@wgc.school.nz) and letting our absences team know the dates that your student will be away from school (absence@wgc.school.nz or phone 4966125). 

We will continue to offer students who are isolating the ability to work from home with all learning accessible to students via Google Classroom. Please communicate with your students Wānanga Teacher and Dean and ask them to email their teachers to let them know that they are isolating and will be learning from home. 

As we transition into the CPF Orange we look forward to being able to come together in different ways and working together with our WGC community.  

Noho ora mai, 

Anna Wilson 

Acting Principal 

Info for parents updated 29 march  2022
Kia ora, e te Whānau,
As you are aware New Zealand is still at Covid Protection Framework – RED. Here are the latest updates for you all on our COVID Protection Framework.
All visitors on site:
  • It is recommended that only essential visitors should be onsite at Red.
  • If bringing visitors onsite, including parents and caregivers, the general rules for events and gatherings will apply.
  • Must report to reception on arrival and sign in.
  • Use hand sanitiser on entry to college buildings.
  • Wear a mask indoors.
  • No longer have to scan in using NZ Covid tracer QR codes.
Key changes to the COVID-19 Protection Framework impacting schools from 11.59pm last Friday 25 March:
  • Removal of any outdoor capacity limits at all colours of the framework.
  • Increased capacity limits when indoors at Red, moving from 100 to 200 (but still allowing for one-metre spacing).
Mask Wearing:
  • No mask requirements when outdoors.
  • Masks remain a requirement indoors for staff and children/students in Years 4-13 when at Red.
  • Students are not required to wear masks while participating in indoor sports (or other physically exerting activities).
  • Masks are required on all public transport, this includes school buses for anyone aged over 12 years old.
Kai:
  • No sharing of kai, unless it is individually wrapped and eaten outside
  • If eating inside, due to wet weather, physical distancing of one metre is recommended indoors and masks put back on once you have finished eating
Activities held indoors – especially those involving physical exertion, singing, playing wind instruments, kapa haka – remain a higher risk for spread of COVID-19.
The preference is that these activities are held outdoors, we do understand there will be times when they need to be held indoors.
When that is the case:
  • Activities should be in well-ventilated spaces
  • There should be at least one metre of space per person (to determine a capacity limit for the room) or ensure the total number of attendees does not exceed 200 (whichever of these two options is smaller)
  • Participants should be physically distanced by at least one metre where practicable, and at least two metres apart for singing and when using wind instruments
Kapa haka activities can go ahead in Red. Public health advice is that holding kapa haka activities indoors remains a higher risk for spread of COVID-19. As such, wherever possible, performances and rehearsals should be held outdoors.
Vaccination mandate status: We are awaiting MoE guidance on this
Other: 
Reasons we want to remain open at Red.
  • Cases in school will rise and fall with that of the level in our community, our health experts tell us that children are much more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 in the community than at school. We also know that nationally in mid-March no more than 4% of teachers in any seven-day period reported as testing positive. It is currently around 3.5%.
  • It’s great for any child’s wellbeing and learning to be at school with their friends, teachers and other school staff. You also know that we have very good systems in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
  • In our school we are keeping the additional layers of protection in place to help prevent or reduce the risk of onward spread. We continue to wear masks inside, keeping our spaces well ventilated. We also continue to focus on basic hygiene such as washing hands regularly, covering any coughs and sneezes, and cleaning surfaces at the beginning and end of each day.
From time to time some students will need to isolate themselves at home. This is in line with Government advice and if this happens, we will support them to continue their learning home to minimise any interruption.  Please continue to contact our communicate if your student is isolating via our Admin Team (absence@wgc.school.nz)
Please be in touch if you have any questions.
Ngā mihi,
Anna Wilson
Acting Principal
Info for parents updated 10 September 2021

Mālō e lelei

It was great to have everyone back yesterday – and have so many students wearing masks. Just two things to update you about today:

  1. The weather looks as if it is going to be very cold and wet next week. Because we still need to ventilate all the rooms well and keep doors open, we will let everyone stay in non uniform clothes for next week, but be back in uniform from 20 September
  2. Yr 11 – 13: NZQA yesterday told us that all students out of Auckland WILL be receiving  Learning Recognition Credits this year. Our students will receive fewer than those in Auckland  or at Hutt Valley High School, because we have been out of school for fewer days.  

The Government has decided that students disrupted by 16 days of COVID-19 lockdown this year will be eligible to receive Learning Recognition Credits (LRCs) at a rate of 1 LRC per 5 credits achieved through assessment, up to a cap of 8 LRCs for NCEA Level 1, and 6 LRCs for Levels 2 and 3.

In simple terms that means in Yr 11 students now need to earn 72 credits and in Yrs 12 & 13 they now need to earn 54 credits. These are added by NZQA before results come out in January next year. 

There are NO changes to Endorsements or UE.

Please note that I have now removed the information I added to this document on 2 September about the possible LRCs students might receive. If students have any questions about this, they should talk to Ms Simonsen or their Dean. 

I hope you all have a relaxing Level 2 weekend.

Mālō ‘aupito

Julia

Info for parents updated 7 September 2021

Mālō e lelei

Apologies for the delay in getting this information to you – we only received the MOE update at 3.30, so I hope this makes sense… 

The WGC Level 2 2021 (Delta) plan is attached. 

We would ask that ALL students and parents read this so you understand the new ways of doing things under Level 2 (Delta). 

We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday morning. Please remember, if your child is sick DO NOT send them to school. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Mālō ‘aupito

Julia

Info for parents updated 6 September 2021

Mālō e lelei

Welcome to Tongan language week.

And of course to the news that we move to Level 2 at 11.59pm tomorrow night and that students will come back to school on Thursday 9 September.

We are waiting on advice from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and we expect there will be some changes this year. We will be in touch with you as soon as we have these confirmed and worked out how they will apply in our setting. I’d hope this document will be updated  tomorrow afternoon. 

It will be good to see everyone.

Mālō ‘aupito

Julia

Info for parents updated 2 September 2021

Kia ora, Yr 11 – 13 

We have just received this information from NZQA. Please be aware this WILL NOT come into effect unless we are at Level 3 or 4 for 20 school days – as of today it’s been 12 days – so this is by NO means a certainty. The highlighting and parenthesised words are mine not NZQA’s. I’m really concerned that students don’t see this as guaranteed credits, so please read it carefully. 

(Possible) Changes to NCEA for 2021

Because being in COVID-19 lockdown has affected learning and assessment, changes have been made to NCEA, NZ Scholarship and University Entrance. These changes help give students a fair opportunity to gain the qualification they are aiming for.

These changes will (only)  take effect if your school is in Alert Level 3 or 4 for a total of 20 or more school days this year.

What could this mean for students?

The more credits you achieve the more you are entitled to.

  • For every 5 credits you achieve through internal or external assessment, you are entitled to 1 extra credit. These extra credits are called Learning Recognition Credits (LRCs)
    • Up to 10 of your LRC’s earned this year can be used towards the 80 you need for NCEA Level 1.
    • Up to 8 LRC’s earned this year can be used towards the 60 you need at Level 2 and Level 3.

Endorsements are still achievable.

  • To get a certificate endorsement you will need 46 credits at Merit or Excellence level, instead of the usual 50.
  • To get a course endorsement you will need 12 credits at Achieved or Merit or Excellence level in a course, rather than 14. You still need to achieve at least 3 credits in externals and 3 in internals.
  • Your LRCs don’t come with Merit or Excellence, so they can’t count towards an endorsement.

University Entrance has been adjusted.

You’ve got more time to study.

  • Most portfolio due dates and exams for NCEA and Scholarship have been moved later, to give more time for students to learn and prepare.

What do I need to do?

Keep working to make sure that you achieve as many standards as you can. Your teachers will help you to track your progress.

You don’t need to do anything else to get your LRCs. NZQA will do the calculations before you get your results.

Make sure that you know when your portfolios are due, and double check the new exam timetable.

If you need any more information, talk to your Dean or Ms Simonsen or ring NZQA on 0800 697 296.

We will be in touch once we know more. To be honest this isn’t the outcome we were hoping for – it’s far too uncertain – but we have to work with it.

I hope you are all ok. And I guess we just hold out for the next decisions…

Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 30 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

After communications from the Ministry of Education last night, we emailed all Yr 9 & 10 whānau about whether any students needed to be at school under Alert Level 3. They had until 1pm today to let me know so that we could book relievers to supervise students, put the heating back on, get the cleaners in and prepare rooms. 

We are now in the same position we were in last year at Level 3 – no students will be at school. This means that the school will remain closed until we get back to Level 2. I will let the MOE know this. 

We will let you know more as we move down the levels. We know the rules are stricter this time, so we are already looking at what we did last year and are ready to make changes as soon as we have the health directives.

I’m delighted to report that the online exams are working really well – thanks to everyone who has made allowances at home so that the students could do these. 

Take care, stay safe and we’ll be in touch as soon as we know more.

Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 27 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

The Prime Minister’s statement this afternoon means nothing will change until Wednesday next week, when Wellington heads into Alert Level 3. 

The message this afternoon was that schools remain closed under Level 3, but the under 14 yr old children of essential workers, who have no other option for child care, can send them to school.  This needs to be very carefully managed and we need to bring staff in to look after any students, so we will need warning to set this up. 

I am expecting advice from the Ministry of Education this evening about what Level 3 looks like when we are dealing with Delta. Once we have seen that, the SMT will meet and I will be  in touch about the arrangements we will be making and asking parents to contact me directly if their child needs supervision. I expect this will get to you tomorrow afternoon.

Please be aware that students will not be taught, they will simply be supervised and will continue doing online learning, just in a different place. 

I’ll send more information as it becomes available. It’s good to see a small ray of light as we all deal with this situation. 

I hope you manage to have a restful weekend.

Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 24 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

I shouldn’t have been so rash saying we couldn’t be in touch again until Friday! Two quick updates now, to help with your planning:

  • The mid term break scheduled for Friday 3 September is cancelled. Once we get back to school we may decide to have it at a later time to help staff with senior exam marking, or we may decide to finish school a day earlier in December. We will confirm once we are back at school in person
  • The second night of senior interviews postponed from Wednesday 18 August is on hold until we are back at school. The number of staff with small children and babies means it is really challenging for them to manage these along with their other responsibilities while we are in lockdown. If you have any concerns or questions about your student’s progress, please email the classroom teacher directly and they will get back to you as they are able – remember most staff are teaching around 130 students

Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 23 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

  • Oh well, at least we know where we’ll be for the rest of this week. That level of certainty is reassuring I think
  • Thanks for the information about gear that’s still at school. We’re working with HODs on this and will get anything that is ESSENTIAL to you, but we may be doing some work arounds as well, as we don’t want too many people having to come in and be at risk. Staying home is still the best way to keep us all safe and we can’t just go in for the ‘nice to haves’ 
  • We had confirmation late on Friday that Winter tournament week is cancelled. This is so disappointing, but there is nothing we can do. Thanks to everyone who was working so hard to head away and play at your highest level. I’m really sorry for our Yr 13s in particular
  • We have had some good news in recent days though: 
  • Antonia Gibbs (Yr 10) came 2nd in the Asia NZ Foundation Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games mascot competition
  • The recent Goethe oral competition also produced some great results.

Year 9: Clara Kennedy: 1st in group A and the winner of the Jacoby Junior prize; Hannah Brockett: 1st in group B; Tali Whiteridge: 3rd equal in group A

Year 10: Imogen Veal: 2nd equal in group A

Year 12: Lara Vautier: 1st in group B; Sarah Langdon: 2nd in group A

Year 13: Evie Dore: 2nd in group A 

  • And congratulations to Rosanna Asiata, Saatchi Kennach & Cody Tanielu Winter who have been selected as members of the Wellington U18 Samoan Rugby team  and Natascha Casey who has been selected for the Wellington U18 Centurions Rugby team. For a school that doesn‘t have a long standing tradition in 15 aside rugby this is so exciting and we’re thrilled for them. And well done to the team coaches and supporters!
  • Unless something major needs to be shared with you during the week, I don’t expect to be updating this thread before Friday evening. We’ll just keep on keeping on
  • Stay safe, stay home, be kind and wear a mask if you have to go out

Arohanui

Julia, Penny,  Deb,  Anna, Anna, & Melissa

Info for parents updated 20 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

With Delta now in Wellington and Level 4 confirmed until the end of Tuesday we can’t see we’ll be back at school next week – and possibly for even longer than that so….

    • The Big Sing finale is unfortunately cancelled; a decision on Winter Tournament week is expected later tonight
  • Monday 23 August will be a  non teaching day, but students can keep working or studying of course! Staff will be planning for the next week given some changes to programmes.  All classes will have a meeting with their wānanga teachers at 12.00pm. By the end of the day they will have been  emailed by their teachers and told when they will have their  weekly ’ lesson’ and the work they are  expected to do next week. 
  • We are moving to Lockdown Timetable as from Tuesday 
  • Staff will also let students know what their ‘office hours’ are – so when they can expect a reply to emails. Because so many of our staff have young children this might not be when they would normally have classes
  • Senior Exams. A few exams 11 – 13 English, 12 EGP, 11 – 13 Drama, 12 – 13 Classics and 12 -13 History will do their exams online next week. (This is fully supported by NZQA after trials last year in Auckland.)  The HODs of these departments will be meeting on Saturday 21/8 to create one document that will come to the relevant students to explain how this will work.

All other subjects will do their exams in their double periods once we return to school. No other class time will be used for exams this year as we all want to maximise available teaching time. 

And we’ll be in touch as we know more on Tuesday afternoon.

Stay safe, stay home and be kind. 

Info for parents updated 19 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

Not a lot of new information today. We are in a holding pattern really as we wait to hear from the PM tomorrow about where to next. Please be assured that if the lockdown extends, or if we move to Level 3, we will have lots to tell you later tomorrow about senior exams, senior parent interviews, Yr 8 interviews,  and what the Working from home programme will look like next week. We are also waiting to hear when we will be able to get into school to access devices for students who don’t have them at home.

Study wānanga Saturday 21 August 

Unfortunately, we have made the decision to cancel the study wānanga for this coming Saturday. Even if the rest of the country goes back down the alert levels, we would not be able to hold the event until level 1 as there would be food sharing and groups in and out all day. Also, with us readjusting to lockdown we think it will be too difficult for you as well as the teachers who were volunteering their time to come into school this Saturday. We will be looking to see if there are other ways to support you with your study.

Student rep on Board

What we have been told today by the School Trustees’ Association is  that any students wanting to stand for the position of student rep on the Board MUST apply on the official form. If you don’t have one, please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9uVyl_7qo3ZRnhsLXFlaXh5M1E?resourcekey=0-RdnZRc7o299sirl4GuOUOw and the form is at the bottom of the page on the left hand side.

This must be returned by email to ann.gilbert@wgc.school.nz by midday on Monday 23 August. Please be aware that this is a hard deadline – we aren’t able to vary it. 

Congratulations

And congratulations to Molly Dowling, Evie Malyon & Rebecca Williams, who won the Maatangi Whēnua Yr 11 Geography competition on Tuesday night – in between watching the lockdown announcement. Thanks to Paul Walker who was their coach and Anna Wilson who was there on the night and helping as a marker. 

Info for parents updated 18 August 2021

Kia ora, e te whānau

With both Level 4 lockdown AND some challenges with our IT system we are feeling very cut off from everyone today. This email is to update you on what is happening at WGC. 

  • The senior parent interviews scheduled for tonight are postponed. Staff left yesterday without the material they need; they can’t access KAMAR to see any results or notes and many of our staff have small children, so 4-6pm isn’t an ideal time to be working. We will reschedule once we have a clearer picture of where this is heading.
  • Staff will be in contact with students about their lessons for the rest of the week. While we will run our usual timetable for the next three days, some won’t be in a position to teach in person, so it will be really important for students to check emails regularly. That will be the only method of contacting some teachers – and they will respond when they are able.
  • It would be really helpful if you could all get the WGC app – go to the App Store and search SchoolAppsNZ.  Then select Wellington Girls’ College. Please sign up to the alerts for your year level/s
  • No-one can come into school now. While we were open last night until 10, we can’t open again until we are told to. We know that means some students (and staff) won’t have the resources they need but we all need to do the best we can
  • The Yr 12 Leadership Assembly scheduled for p6 this Friday is cancelled. Once we know where we are at next week we will reschedule, be that on line or in person
  • Derived Grade examinations for seniors will go ahead if possible. We will update you with any date changes as the situation evolves.  
  • We will send another video in the morning and follow that up with an email later in the day. In the meantime, we’ll be doing our best to keep students engaged as much as they are able, but as we know from last year, everyone needs to prioritise their own well being. So look after yourselves, look after each other, be kind, stay home and be safe

Arohanui

Julia, Anna, Anna, Deb, Penny, Melissa & Alys

Info for parents updated 17 August 2021

Kia ora te whānau

The Prime Minister’s announcement this evening has caught many of us a little off guard, so apologies for the delayed comms. 

What we know is:

  • School will be open until 10pm tonight for students to come in and collect any gear they need 
  • We will be shut until Monday at this stage – keep watching the media. They will tell you more well before I can
  • I will post a briefing before 8.30 am every day to update students about what’s happening. This is only available on the WGC network so please ask them if you want to see it
  • Students will follow their normal timetable each day
  • Some staff aren’t in a position to ‘teach’ as they have small children at home or their personal circumstances make online lessons impossible. So there may be email comms from them about what will happen. It’s really important that students are checking emails several times a day
  • We will make a call about parent interviews tomorrow morning and get back to you. Again some staff’s personal circumstances may make this challenging for some 

Stay safe, be kind. We’ve done this before and we know we can do it again this time.

Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 12 August 2020

Kia ora te whānau

As a result of the move to Alert Level 2, please be aware of the following:

1. The Senior parent interviews scheduled for tonight have been cancelled. Once we know more we will be in touch about alternate plans. In the meantime if you have any concerns or questions, please email the teachers directly

2. Students need to bring their own device to school each day. Students who don’t have a device at present need to tell their wānanga teacher so that we can get them a chromebook issued long term

3. Students are encouraged to wear masks, particularly when they are in large groups

4. We will revert to spraying the desks (not with bleach) more regularly and having a virtual assembly. Some sports tournaments scheduled for this week are postponed

5. We will be in touch, by email, as we know more

At least we know what to do this time…I guess there is some comfort in that.

Take care and wash your hands

Julia

Info for parents updated 14 May 2020

Kia ora koutou

Today’s the day. Level 2. Thank you so much for your support and kindness over the last, nearly 8 weeks. We are so looking forward to seeing the students back next week. 

We have Support staff in today working on the final stages of preparing the school for teaching staff to return tomorrow and students on Monday.

The school’s Safety Plan is attached. It is a Google doc, so is constantly being updated. It should be read in conjunction with the WGC response and also the school’s Pandemic Plan.  Please read the Safety Plan and the WGC response document closely – they have lots more detail than this letter can provide. 

Please be aware that the rules for schools around distancing and numbers of people are very different from the rest of society. That said we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe. 

Our key drivers are:

  • To maintain social distancing wherever practicable
  • To minimise ‘moist breath’ 
  • To prevent the spread of infection wherever possible
  • To ensure contact tracing if necessary
  • To encourage individual responsibility

If students are unwell, they must stay home. If they aren’t well at school we will send them home. Please be extremely careful about this.

Return to school:

As you are all aware, WGC is extremely overcrowded. We are therefore cautious about having everyone back too quickly – we need to test some of the systems we are putting in place with increased numbers each day. Next Friday we’ll review how things are going and if we have worries, we’ll be in touch about the following week.

Here is the plan for next week:

Week 6:  18 – 22 May
Learning at school Learning at home
Monday 

18 May

Yr 9 – P1 Assembly in Hall and then regular lessons 

Yr 13 – P2  Assembly in Hall and then regular lessons (no class P1)

Yr 10, 11, 12
Tuesday

19 May 

Yr 12 – P1 Assembly in Hall and then regular lessons

Yr 9, 13 – regular lessons

Yr 10, 11
Wednesday

20 May 

Yr 11 – P1 Assembly in Hall and then regular lessons

Yr 9, 12, 13 – regular lessons

Yr 10
Thursday

21 May

Yr 10 – P1 Assembly in Hall and then regular lessons 

Yr 9, 11, 12, 13 – regular lessons

Friday 

22 May

Regular lessons for everyone all day 

Staff and student feedback to review systems. If we need to make changes, families will be told what the plan is for 

Week 7

 

We do expect the Yr 9-12 students to be in full uniform with hair back to a ‘natural’ colour when they return to school. 

What students need to bring:

It would be really helpful if you could make sure your student has the following when they return to school. 

  • Their device. We won’t be lending any devices out 
  • Headphones  
  • A small ziplock type with a couple of chux (or similar) cloths and some hand sanitiser. Please name your bag. Wash the cloths each night so they are clean for the next day
  • Lunch and a drink bottle 

What else do we need to know?

  • Students will be cleaning their own desk at the start and end of each lesson, as per the MOE instructions. That’s why they need the cloths. The teachers will spray the desks and they will wipe them 
  • Cleaning PE gear each lesson. This will be the same process as for classrooms – and gear that has been used will have to be sprayed and wiped
  • Buses are a worry – Met Link have been quite vague, but they say everyone needs a Plan B, especially for getting home. Again their link is on the website. Please check it and talk at home about what Plan B might look like in your family
  • We will have a Custodian on site from 8-4 each day, continually cleaning common areas and heavy use areas like handrails, door plates, toilets etc

If your student is staying at home, please remember to email me and include  a reason (the MOE have asked for this). Students working from home will need to be really independent with their learning – the main focus for the teaching staff will be on those in front of them. We recommend that students have an in class buddy and maybe come in by Facetime (or similar) each lesson, so they know exactly what is going on in class.

If students are sick, just contact the absences team as you have done in the past.

I know you’ll have lots of questions, so please read the documents carefully – we hope they answer most things, but if not, please ask. 

We’re looking forward to seeing most of the students next week and getting things vaguely back to normal. 

Take care and I hope your own plans are going smoothly.

Play it safe

Julia

Info for parents updated 8 May 2020

Kia ora te whānau

Thanks to everyone who came to the Drive through yesterday. It ran pretty well until the rush came after 2pm. We’ve changed the process for today to get cars off the street more quickly and will have a holding area on the field as we get busier. Please be patient and please note it isn’t allowed to be a ‘walk through’. We have been given permission to hold this only as a drive through because of the numbers.

Yesterday’s information about Level 2 is in the process of being clarified by the Ministry of Education and we are working through the enormous number of pages we have so far – more will come! The good news is that when we are able to, we will be ready to welcome all students and staff back to our school site. We need to work on a plan which the BOT will need to approve before we can have students back, but we’ll aim to let you know what is going on as soon – we hope by Thursday next week at the latest. To help us in our planning,we need to know from you, who won’t be coming back to school once we are fully open. So if your child has a condition that would put them at severe risk if they got Covid-19, can you please email me before Wednesday 13 May telling me that they won’t be returning and will need to continue with online learning.

Until we are able to have the students and staff back, online learning will continue. We know many of our students and whānau have found the online format challenging. While we have been doing our best to touch base with specific students sometimes we don’t always know when they are finding things difficult. Here is some of the advice and support options we have been sharing with the students that might help you .

Firstly you need to have a plan:

  • A weekly time able with each of your Meets/ chats added in
  • Add in a 15-20 minute break between your work blocks and of course lunch!
  • Where possible add in some workspace after each Meet/ chat to make a list of what you need to do next in this subject. or to follow up any work while it is still fresh in your mind.
  • Finally, add in some set work times for each subject this is to complete assessments and class learning tasks.
  • Remember the school does not expect you to be working solidly online from 8:45-3:20. You need to also be looking after your physical, social and mental health.
  • Need help with any of this? please email your wānanga teacher or the Learning Services department wgc.learningservices@wgc.school.nz and one of our friendly staff will be happy to help.

I know we’ll all be waiting to hear Monday’s announcement. We’re really in limbo until then, but the planning has started and I can assure we’re doing everything we can to prepare for a safe and positive return to school for everyone.

Until then, take care and be kind
Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 1 May 2020

Kia ora te whānau

I hope your week hasn’t been too hectic. We haven’t had any students at school, but we have a skeleton staff back to help organise the property and deal with the huge amount of mail and courier parcels that have been delivered. We’ve even had some carpet laid in a couple of classrooms. Every now and then a teacher pops in to collect a resource, but they are a rare sight. At this stage it looks as if we’ll have even fewer people here next week.

Thank you for your feedback on last week’s parent survey – and as you can see we are acting on the request the majority of you made to have a direct email each week. This information will also go up on the website.
We really appreciated your thoughts and your articulation of the learning issues – and how we could help. There were some common themes and we have been sharing these with the staff. We surveyed the staff and students at the same time and we also have some feedback about how you could help at your end:

  • We’ve been at this for three weeks now and while we have no idea how much longer it will last, we know that at some stage we will all head back to school and that’s going to be a shock for the students who aren’t getting up until midday and are online until 2 or 3 in the morning. Getting a daily routine which even vaguely resembles a school day would be a help
  • Some people need help managing their emails and calendar. That’s where they will be getting invitations to class meets and instructions for their work – and if they aren’t being checked, the whole experience will be completely overwhelming. If you know that your student is finding things tough, this might be the first place to start. Using the Google calendar function might be the best thing you can do at this stage, to help organise the week
  • Deb King (DP Teaching & Learning) is preparing a short video clip to help parents support online learning. Look out for it next week

In the survey several people asked about NCEA. At this stage, we haven’t lost much actual teaching time, so there is no suggestion from NZQA that anything significant is changing. What they are doing is sharing ideas with teachers about how to change the ways they assess in an online context. They have started with some of the practical subjects – like Drama – which are so dependent on group work and performance. But more ideas are coming every week and staff are using them to inform their practice, particularly how they gather evidence that could be used instead of assessment if necessary. Probably the best thing you can do is try not to worry about NCEA and be confident that if any changes are made we will keep you informed and we will make them work. I am constantly reminded of the research after the Christchurch earthquakes, when some students missed a whole term’s work yet results improved – when the chips are down teachers will focus on what is needed for the assessment.

Some of you have asked to see the Virtual assemblies and my daily briefings. You can – https://wgc.school.nz/wgc-hub/4students will get you to the page and then go to the left hand side. Right down the bottom is the Virtual assembly folder and they are all in there. They aren’t intended to organise the students for that day, they are much more general than that.

Please be aware that we are asking staff to monitor students’ engagement and work completion. If there is a concern across a number of subjects, the Deans will be in touch with you. If your student is having trouble contacting staff or getting feedback, please let me know. As I’ve said before, we can’t replicate school and a significant number of our staff are having to structure their weeks very differently to deal with their own circumstances, but do let me know and I’ll see who else might be able to offer some support if they can’t.

At some stage over the next week or so, every family will be contacted by the school to check your contact details and to see how things are going for you. Please let the staff who ring know if there is anything we can do to better support your student’s learning – and if we can do it, of course we will. We are all making this up as we go along, and we’re so grateful for the feedback and suggestions people have made so far.

In the meantime, stay home if you can, be kind and take care.
Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 24 April 2020

Kia ora te whānau

I hope things are going as well as they can in your bubble.

Today’s the 8th day of running things in this new way. We have a short survey we’d love you to complete to let us know how things are going and give us some ideas about what we could do differently/better in the weeks ahead. Students and staff are also being surveyed today.

It has been an interesting week, and the news that we are moving out of Level 4 next Monday has meant a lot of discussion about what we are able to do at school. To keep you in the loop:

  • The parents of all Yr 9 & 10 students were emailed on Tuesday and we have been told there will be two students with us from next Wednesday
  • These parents will be emailed today with information about the processes for being at school next week. Health and safety is paramount so there will be some really tight rules in place, as you would expect
  • We understand that people’s circumstances will change as more companies return to working on site. If your Yr 9 or 10 student can’t be supervised at home because you have to be at work, please email me and we can add them to the school bubble julia.davidson@wgc.school.nz I would need 24 hours notice as we will need more staffing in place as the bubble grows
  • The cleaning of the school has started
  • The grounds are being looked after again – goodbye to the toadstools and flowers that have covered the field, but we hope the rabbit is still around somewhere
  • There will be no lessons on Monday 27 April – it is the public holiday for Anzac day
  • WGC will have lessons on Tuesday 28 April. The Prime Minister announced schools could have a Teacher Only Day to prepare for students being on site, but with only two students to deal with, that has been managed already. And we seem to have got into a bit of a rhythm, so we want to keep that going
  • We have a large number of resources that teachers want to get to students. We’ve been told we can do this as long as we make it contact-less. So we’re working on that and hope to have a plan in place later next week that we can share with you. Some of the resources are waiting for the school to open before they can be delivered, so we won’t be able to do anything until all the materials are on site – we don’t want people having to come out several times
  • Remember the key message at Level 3 is that if you can stay home to work, you should. While we will have a skeleton staff at school, it doesn’t mean that students can pop in and grab stuff from lockers or classrooms. Maybe that will come at Level 2 – we have yet to hear

I’ll appreciate anything you can tell us through the survey and will be in touch next Friday as we learn more.

Stay home, be kind, stay safe
Arohanui
Julia

Info for parents updated 17 April 2020

Kia ora te whānau

Thank you all for your support of your kids as we settle into the new term. We were aware that wednesday was a bit overwhelming for lots of kids (and parents and staff) but it sounds as if we have settled into a bit of a rhythm now that is less frenetic and everyone can manage a bit better. Just remember we’re all learning and it will take a bit of time to get things right.

Yr 9 & 10 voluntary return to school at Alert Level 3
The Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday has left us all wondering what this will look like. We have surveyed our staff and we know already that we won’t be able to run actual classes at Alert Level 3, but we will be able to provide supervision (using our relievers) from 8.30 – 3.20, for students who need to come to school while their parents are at work – just as we did on 20 March. Students will be put in one room for the day and will work on their on-line lessons, just as they do at home now. Because of the need to maintain as safe a workplace as possible, they will not be able to access any other rooms and they won’t be able to leave the site during the day.
If you intend to send your child to school once the voluntary option is available, please email me at julia.davidson@wgc.school.nz as soon as possible, so that we can work out the logistics.


Term One Subject Overview reports

These are being completed over the next couple of weeks and we will have them live in early May.

Senior parent interviews
These were scheduled for 5 & 7 May. they are now cancelled. We will run them later this term, and they will definitely be online. The package we looked at using requires a huge set up, so we’re working on that currently and will let you know details as soon as we have them.

School grounds closed
If you live in the Thorndon area, please stay away from the school. It hasn’t been widely enough reported, but all school grounds are closed during the lockdown. Our Property Manager has had a few unpleasant episodes with locals over the lockdown period. We have now employed a security guard to be on site 24/7 and if there are any issues the Police will be called. We’re not trying to be difficult – we have been instructed to close our school to the public – it’s just really hard to do that when we have no gates we can lock and the perimeter is so porous.

We are also working on a solution to our email problem which will mean we can contact you directly. In the meantime, check this site every Friday for updates.

Stay home, be kind, stay safe
Arohanui

Julia

Info for parents updated 9 April 2020.

Kia ora koutou

I hope you are all well and coping with everyone at home over the last couple of weeks. At least the weather has been pretty good.

As we indicated a couple of weeks ago, this update gives you the information about how WGCLearning@home will operate, starting on Wednesday 15 April.

What if my child is sick? Please let us know. Use the WGC app or the absence@wgc.school.nz email ONLY (no-one will be able to check the phone!). It’s important that we know if people are sick – with Covid-19 or anything else – so that teachers aren’t expecting them to engage with work at that time

How will they know what is happening? Students will be emailed a daily briefing from me. It will come to them before 8.30 every day and we’d ask that they check it before they start work. It will also tell them which staff are sick – so they won’t be able to expect contact from them that day. The briefings will also be uploaded to the Virtual assembly page in the 4Students section of the website if you want to see them. Next Wednesday they will also get an email which gives them lots more information about the structure of the week and what we expect of them regarding work

So what can we expect?  We’re really glad that we had the day on 20 March to trial things. We learned a lot and have adapted the timetable accordingly. Please be aware of the following:

  • All classes will have work pared back to the essentials; some of the extras are likely to go
  • All work will be uploaded by 9am each day
  • All classes will have 3 learning ‘events’ per week, but each is likely to be shorter than before – so it might be one 20 minute  session with the teacher, followed up by two activities to support or develop this work
  • Staff will nominate a time for the class to meet – this will be once a week – and students need to put that into their timetable and be at that meeting (unless they are sick)
  • Wānanga teachers will connect with their students twice a week – again these times will be arranged with the students
  • Yr 11 – 13 students will have time in the afternoon to dedicate to their NCEA assessments
  • Yr 9-10 students will have time in the afternoon to dedicate to an individual inquiry or project. More information about this will come to them next Wednesday
  • Some of you gave us feedback that it would help if all work was on the same platform – sorry, wth the lead in time we’ve had that hasn’t been possible, but staff will let students know what they are using, and they will vary to best suit the activity

 

What will the day look like? Here is a link to the Covid19 Daily Timetable Template

 

What do we expect from you as whānau?  Well, we don’t expect you to be teachers! We’re sorting that bit out. These are strange and unusual times and we realise that everyone has individual stresses and pressures at both work and home. You need to be there for your kids to give encouragement and support – and maybe help them frame questions if they are stuck. We’re trying to keep things simple, but remember, this is new to us as well and we won’t always get it right. We know that everyone needs to spend time exercising and relaxing as well as working, so we’ve tried to build this into the day.

And please remember that most teachers teach around 150 students a week, so replying to individual emails takes more time than answering questions in class – so patience will be needed!

What if my child is having problems? The usual support networks are still available

And of course you can email me at any stage – if I can’t help, I might know who can.

What about Senior Parent interviews? These were in the calendar for early May. We are assuming that we won’t be able to hold them in the usual way, so we’re working on digital interviews and we’ll send you the details once we have the logistics sorted

How often will this site be updated? The plan at this stage is that we will update this site every Friday we continue to be in lockdown. If something happens nationally, which is significant,and we need to respond to it, we’ll do so and send an alert  through the WGC app, but we want to try and get into a regular rhythm if we can

What about post Lockdown planning? We are working on this and will have a plan ready for the BOT at their next meeting. Because of the over crowding at WGC, the number of staff with small children and the number of staff and students with pre-existing conditions, we are concerned about the practicalities of returning from lockdown, so we are working on a plan that will maintain safety while also maintaining learning. I think it would be fair to say that we are erring on the side of caution as we plan

What about the property work? That continues, but obviously construction of the new village has stopped while the lockdown is in place, so that is delaying any move out of Tower and into the new rooms. We will keep you posted about a timeframe once things are back to ‘normal’

And what about the reports that should have been done by today? Sorry about that, but we’ve been a bit distracted and have put our energies into the online work instead. We were also keen that our staff had a break over the ‘holidays’. We’ll get onto them and get the new upload date to you next week

Thanks for getting to the end. Any questions, just email me and I’ll do my best to get you answers

Stay home, be kind, stay safe

ArohanuiJulia

Update 25 March 2020

Kia ora te whānau

Thank you for all the support as we start this new way of working and living for a while.

This is the site you will now come to for any information about how we are managing Working from home if you are a WGC student.

We will be posting on or before 9 April with information about how things will work as from the first day of Term 2 – Wednesday 15 April. (The Tuesday after Easter is always a holiday for schools in New Zealand.)

This page will be updated and new information will go at the top of the page. All posts will be dated.

Look after each other

Arohanui

Julia