Learner Profile, learning online

Raffle update and final notice

Hi to all who are still holding raffle tickets. Please put any raffle ticket money you are holding directly into the school bank account. 12-3091-0078850-01. Also let me know the numbers of the tickets that you have sold, principal@boi.ac.nz.

At this stage we have sold more than 200 of the 250 tickets available. Any unsold ticket numbers will be withdrawn from the draw, increasing everyones odds. If the money is not in the bank by Tuesday 31st (or you have called me and guaranteed you are holding money for tickets), those tickets will be withdrawn.

I will conduct the draw on April 1 as planned. It will not be able to be witnessed by a police officer as I will be in isolation. I will record myself doing it, and it will be witnessed by my family, who have no tickets in the draw. I bought one book of 5 tickets myself, but should my numbers come up, I plan to redraw.

Good luck for the draw next week.

Our plan for learning continuation

All you need to know - latest update

Wow, even a few short weeks ago who would have guessed we would end up here? Firstly I just want to extend our best wishes to all parents, caregivers and whānau for what will be a challenging few weeks ahead. Please stay safe and close to your loved ones. And in an unprecedented time, we hope you find unexpected yet positive opportunities for connection and reconnection.

As I have mentioned in previous messages today on Facebook and Skoolloop our school is closed from today. Except for children of parents providing essential services, we are closed. Staff will be on site for these children. As of midnight Wednesday night, we are fully closed. No staff will be on site. This will be in place for 4 weeks, at least.

We are offering parents, caregivers and whānau the opportunity to drop by in the next couple of days and collect Chromebooks and other resources to support learning at home. Many have already done this. If you are coming onto school grounds please be mindful of physical separation around others, and feel free to wait if teachers are busy with other parents.

While I need to seek further clarification, I understand the government has decided to bring school holidays forward. The suggestion is that with the children at home, on holiday, teachers have more time to prepare for better quality learning support online. At the Bay Academy we have been preparing for this eventuality and are ready to provide online support immediately. We will be maintaining contact with all students as appropriate and will be offering lots of learning resources and supports. We encourage parents, caregivers and whānau to become involved. 

If you have any questions or concerns or feed back, please email teachers or myself, principal@boi.ac.nz.

In the meantime Mā te ngākau aroha koe e ārahi, Let a loving heart guide your decisions.

Ngā manaakitanga

Chris Bell, Tumuaki/Principal

Covid-19 update for our school

Tēnā koutou katoa

With the latest announcement made by the Prime Minister on the NZ ‘alert level’ in relation to Covid-19, it is timely to consider your personal circumstances at home. If your child/children are returning home daily from school to someone in your household who fits the criteria of those most at risk (see images attached taken from the Ministry of Health website) then it is advisable for that child/children to stay away from school. This is assuming that the at risk person is unable to be safely isolated elsewhere at home. Please do this from tomorrow Monday 23rd. Please also advise us at school if you are taking this step. We will act to provide learning support at home for those children who are forced to stay away.

As mentioned earlier we will be making Chromebooks available for children in Rooms 3 to 5. Alternative ways of connecting will be available for younger children. We have a brief agreement to sign for parents taking devices away from school for their children.

If you have further questions or concerns please do not hesitate being in touch with your classroom teacher, Whaea Sharon or me.

Ngā mihinui

Chris Bell

Tumuaki/Principal

Staying up to date

Sometimes the range of tools we use for communicating to a large school community can seem confusing. We hope you feel as though you are getting what you need from us as a school? This graphic is designed to let you know where to expect communications from us.

Covid 19 Update

Kia ora koutou

You may have seen that the World Health Organisation has now declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. As noted by the Minister of Health, this doesn’t change what New Zealand is doing to respond to coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health has been working through its pandemic plan since January. You will also know the Government has already implemented a range of measures to minimise the impacts to New Zealand. This includes border restrictions, a requirement to self-isolate on arrival in New Zealand from China, Iran, Italy and the Republic of Korea and immediate and detailed contact tracing of any confirmed cases. It is important to note those four countries account for more than 90% of cases globally and China and the Republic of Korea have significantly declining numbers of new cases.

We have 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand and it is pleasing to know they are all doing well and are at home.  Their children, four students at Auckland schools, continue to be well and show no symptoms. While we expect that more cases will arise, the Ministry of Health says that with continued vigilance the chance of widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low in New Zealand. We all have a role to play in this.

For our school, our pandemic plan is also ready to be implemented if needed. In the mean time we will continue to focus on good hygiene practices. Hand washing and good cough etiquette are very important tools in preventing the spread of illness including colds, flu and COVID-19.

With that, there is a good video clip from Nanogirl that will help your children to better understand the virus.

One other action we can all take is to be vigilant about our own health and the health of our children. I will be encouraging my staff to stay away from school if they are showing signs of illness such as coughs and colds. I ask that you please do the same with your children. Colds and flus are common in schools and by staying away, seeking medical attention and practicing good hygiene, we can all keep any spread of illness to a minimum.

Ngā mihi nui

Chris Bell, Tumuaki/Principal

Free Hip Hop Workshop - Whangarei

Creating a peaceful environment, managing behaviour expectations

As we strive to build a school environment where kindness and peacefulness are core values and are practiced by all, we need your help.

Please be open in your communication and let us know when you hear of behaviours that are not in line with these values. Creating a successful community of learners together is a shared responsibility, staff, students, parents, and whānau.

And please be assured - we do not accept or tolerate swearing, unkind or inappropriate language or physical aggression, and children will face immediate consequences. These may include a loss of personal freedoms and/or tasks required, and will more than likely require restorative conversations with teachers or principal and those affected by the behaviour.

Following are the expectations for behaviour at all places in our school including the bus.