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Mar 6:
Getting ready for Week 6:
Learning packs: 9- 12 Mon – Wed
Register for Essential or Critical worker Class :
https://forms.gle/MByaGiEQ9wKxGt4f7
Mar 5:
Jan 31
Children returning to school at Red Light Setting,
Dear parents and whānau,
I hope this letter finds you and your whānau safe and well. We are all excited to be welcoming back our tamariki on February 2. We are looking forward to seeing you all. We know we have the challenge of COVID with us however with safety measures in place school is ready to go.
Pick up and Drop Off:
Under the Red light setting parents and caregivers will not be coming on site unless absolutely necessary. If you need to you will visit the office, sign in and we can direct you from there.
Our A/5 and our New entrant parents are allowed in for Wednesday Visit.
Parents are to “drop off and pick up” at the A1 gate and Carpark gate.
NE, APOD, BPOD – A1 gate
C POD, DPOD – Car Park gate
A5 parents onsite only – Contact register kept.
Students will not be allowed to enter before 8:15am.
Families with Siblings will be leaving at 2.50pm
We will be finishing at 3pm.
Children will be required to wear a mask after school..
Staggered Timetables:
Every day: We will run a staggered timetable. This will allow us to reduce the number of interactions between students . E.g. only APOD playing and hanging with APOD. This is the same for the whole school.
Masks:
In addition to this, all staff and children in Years 4 and above are required to wear face coverings indoors (unless they have an exemption), and we’ll ensure all staff (and external contractors) who are on site are fully vaccinated.
Teacher and School Staff Precautions:
Teachers and school staff are all doubly vaccinated. Teachers and school staff are also required to have the booster shot. This has been added to the mandate and will be carried out as the dates arrive for each staff member. Medical standard masks will be worn at all times inside and out.
Safety Within School:
Classrooms will be well ventilated at all times .Teachers will ensure routine and regular sanitizing of hands. Hygiene practices will be taught and encouraged.
We have also purchased some Air Purifiers to add to the safety of the school. Ensuring we have a safe environment. We will be holding no large gatherings until further notice.
Teachers will monitor for signs of illness and parents may be asked to collect their child from school if they are displaying signs of covid.
Learning:
The government is trying to keep schools open at all levels, however if there is a breakout in our school community it could mean partial or full school closures depending on the amount of staff that are available to continue work. We will contact you should this situation arise. School closure will be a decision of the board.
Please ensure your contact details are correct and up to date, this is vital for rapid communications. Contact our office to update.
We encourage you to send your tamariki to school as much as possible, however if there are any signs of sickness please keep them home
We will be preparing packs that can be sent home with children if home isolation is required.
Vaccination for Children:
Vaccination is our best defense against the spread and the effects of covid. Please carefully consider having your child vaccinated
We are confident that we can help to minimize the spread of covid through these precautions. We appreciate your support in keeping our community safe.
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
Principal
Jan 23
Tēnā Koutou St MMK whānau,
I am sure that you all have been following the government announcements, as we have and will be aware that we have moved back into Red (in the traffic light system) as of 11:59 last night.
Schools are still expected to open for the beginning of the 2022 year and the communication from the government says that there will no longer be ‘lockdowns’ the same as we experienced last year.
We would like to assure you that our Senior Leadership Team are working on what this will mean for our students and staff on our return back to school on Wednesday 2nd of February.
We will be following all Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education guidelines to make sure we are as safe as we can be.
We will be in further contact with you about how this will look for your tamariki and yourselves as far as entering school grounds etc.
At this stage it will mean that children in Years 3-8 are required to wear masks while inside at school. Please ensure that your child has a suitable mask and that you have spoken to them about the safe way to use one. They will need to have this ready for day one.
If your child is feeling unwell or showing any symptoms, please keep them at home.
We can assure you that all of our staff are fully vaccinated and children aged 5 and above can now be vaccinated. This is the best way to keep ourselves and our children safe against the virus.
Dates:
Jan 25 9 – 12 pm Office open
Jan 28 9 – 12 pm Office open
Feb 2 First day for children
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
Principal
Jan 17
Kia ora koutou katoa,
A happy new year to all our St MMK whanau and a welcome to all new families that are joining us for 2022.
We are very excited about the new year that lies ahead of us. We are all hoping, as you all will be, that this year will be a lot smoother than the last two, but we also know that we are resilient and can deal with any covid hurdles that come our way!
Reminders:
https://www.myschool.co.nz/stmarymackillop
Stationery is to be ordered from Office Max. Remember to order online.
https://marymackillop.nzuniforms.com/
NZ Uniforms in Manukau is our provider. They are open and ready for business. Summer hats are a must.
Address: Unit 5, 20 Lambie Drive Manukau 2104
Phone: (09) 950 6747
Email:
ma*****@nz********.com
Open Hours:
Monday · Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday Closed
Dates:
Term 1 starts – Feb 2
Office Open:
Jan 28 9 -12
Feb 1 9 – 3
We will up date with some more messaging as we get closer to the start of school.
Aroha Mai Aroha Atu
Nov 15
Dear parents and whānau,
Children at school during Level 3.2
I hope this letter finds you and your whānau safe and well.
We are delighted to be able to welcome more tamariki back onsite under Alert Level 3 from next Wednesday 17 November.
We know learning kanohi ki te kanohi is the best option for children and young people. It’s important for them to connect with their friends and teachers and it helps their social, physical and emotional wellbeing.
We look forward to starting to bring children back on site. Even with the Delta variant, the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools is low because of all the public health measures we will have in place.
For other children returning we will be managing the numbers of students attending each day to keep everyone safe.
We have decided to:
Week 5 and 6:
Every day:
We will run a staggered timetable and staggered finish to the end of the day. This will allow us to reduce the number of interactions between students . E.g. only APOD playing and hanging with APOD. This is the same for the whole school.
We may need to limit the number of tamariki and staff onsite each day, however at the moment we chose:
“Whole school return at once”
At the moment our attendance looks like it is going to be low. We may change our week and what it looks like when attendance begins to increase.
In addition to this, all staff and children in Years 4 and above are required to wear face coverings indoors (unless they have an exemption), and we’ll ensure all staff (and external contractors) who are on site are fully vaccinated or will have had had at least one dose of the vaccine and return a negative weekly test.
A reminder that during Level 3.2 there is no access to the school grounds for parents.(except A5 and A6)
Pick up and Drop Off:
Under Alert Level 3 parents and caregivers will not be coming on site unless absolutely necessary.
Parents are to “drop off and pick up” at the A1 gate and Carpark gate.
NE, APOD, BPOD – A1 gate
C POD, DPOD – Carpark gate
A5/A6 parents onsite only – Contact register kept.
Students will not be allowed to enter before 8:15am.
Staggered finish:
I realise there is a lot of information in this message. Please have a read and we will ensure a safe return to school.
Keep in contact
Mike PIper
Principal
OCt 28
Kia ora,
I am writing to you following the Government’s announcement that plans are underway to support the return to onsite learning for our schools who are in Alert Level 3 areas and to do this in a way that is as safe as possible.
The restrictions of Alert Level 3 and 4 have been a real challenge to the wellbeing of our tamariki and whānau and we have heard from many of you that your tamariki are keen to see their friends and teachers kanohi ki te kanohi.
You can be reassured that any decisions about bringing more children and staff on-site will be done in accordance with strict public health guidance – so what on-site learning will look like will be different than Alert Level 2 or Alert Level 1 settings. For example, this might mean attending school two days a week and learning from home for the other three.
The earliest a return to school will happen is 15 November, and we will provide more information about this closer to the time.
Ngā mihi
Mike Piper
Principal
Message: Online engagement back on !!!! for TERM 4:
Ahiahi marie koutou ST MMK whānau,
We hope that you and your whānau are safe and well.
Yesterday’s announcement by the Prime Minister has confirmed that we will start Term 4 working from home. This will see us continue with our Distance Learning Programme from Monday, October the 18th.
This lockdown has been a challenging time and we remain optimistic that we are getting closer to a time when we can be back at school with our awesome ST MMK learners.
Continue to take care, stay safe and look after yourselves and your whānau. We will get through this, your ongoing support and encouragement is appreciated and gives strength to us all.
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
Principal
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Monday Sept 13
Maori Language week/Still in Level 4
Tēnā koutou katoa,
This afternoon, the Prime Minister announced that the Auckland area would remain at Level 4 until next Tuesday, when it is planned to transition into Level 3 the next day. We will work through what this means for us over the next few days.
Kia ora to all whānau for the way in which you have collaborated together and with us in the online learning space. I have observed innovation and challenge in the way the children have engaged.
We’re excited to start off our Maori language week 2021 with you all. The teachers have a week of learning and interacting with our tamariki and are celebrating ‘Te Wiki o te Reo Māori’ with online resources and activities.
The reason I appreciate the way that the children are engaging is because we know that this takes support in the home to make it a success. This is a challenge for all of us but collaborating to keep a learning flow for our kids is hugely important and will help us return to school engaged and connected.
Remember to keep up the routines of online learning and engaging with your teachers.
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
Principal
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August 22
Kia ora St MMK whānau,
Tomorrow you can collect Hard Copy learning packs from ST MMK during a time slot between 10am-2pm.
We will be operating a contactless pick up system and would ask that only one person per whānau comes to collect their pack/s.
Please wear a mask and follow social distancing when you come to collect your pack/s.
Also if you are unwell or meant to be isolating do not come in. Be prepared also to Contact trace when you arrive.
We are trying to be creative so we do not have a gathering at school and we stick within very strict Guidelines for Level 4.
Pick up schedule:
10-11 am D POD – eldest child and siblings pick up
11-12 pm C POD – eldest child and siblings pick up
12- 1pm A POD – eldest child and siblings pick up
NE – learning packs will be delivered to houses. We have no devices for A5/6 in this round as school devices require logons and set up.
BPOD and Siblings- will be delivered to your house.
We are trying to be creative.
Your eldest child dictates when you come in for pick up. So that some of our families do not need to leave the house and
You can only turn up if you have registered online.
We will do our best to get it right and ensure we deliver on what you have asked for. Any mistakes will be fixed over Thurs/Fri.
Thank you for your ongoing encouragement and support of our school.
Mike Piper
August 21
Kia ora Whanau ,
We have woken this morning with news that our local high schools McAuley and De la Salle have recorded a covid case.
Our first thoughts are to offer our support and prayers for their communities. It will be trying times as they follow guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.
Our anxiety around this will rise. I will keep you updated if it has affected us.
Sticking to and following health guidelines is our best way to keep safe. As a community we must trust the process and follow it ourselves.
If you are unwell get tested and let’s do our part to stay on top of this.
To our St MMK families that are affected by this please reach out to us if you need support or we can help in any way.
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
Principal
August 20
Kia ora Whanau,
We are in planning mode for learning packs and devices given out to you. It is a very strict Level 4 at the moment so we are not allowed Parents on site.
We need you to register.
It will help us plan , then distribute resources.
We will do our best to meet demands , no guarantee.
This will be open August 20 – Close 6pm August 22
https://forms.gle/sxmSQ2K7dx2QnxHR8
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
Principal
August 18:
Kia ora koutou,
I hope your first day of lockdown has gone well and you are keeping safe.
We are now in Alert Level 4 for seven days.
I realise that the children have headed home without devices or learning packs. Unfortunately we are unable to be on school property, so we cannot access resources and devices to give to the children. We will let you know if or when this changes.
Distance Learning: Alert Level 4
Some online sites for you:
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
https://learningfromhome.govt.nz/
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/home-learning-tv
Your child’s teacher will contact you to explain how your child can continue with their learning at home.
Our expectation is that all children are working on school- related learning between 9 am and midday.
We understand that this is a difficult time for all families, but by working together we can overcome anything.
Kia haumaru te noho – stay safe
Mike Piper
August 18 2021
Kia ora koutou
We are now all in Alert Level 4 which means that our school will not be open onsite tomorrow, for any students, in fact we will be closed for the next 7 days!!! This follows someone being identified with COVID-19 and who has been in the Auckland and Coromandel communities while believed to be infectious.
It is really important we do everything we can to keep our community safe. Alert Level 4 means we need to stay home in our bubbles and avoid any travelling as much as possible. Check in using the NZ COVID Tracer App wherever you go and please also keep a distance from people you don’t know and wash your hands well and often, especially before and after using any public facilities.
With such short notice we weren’t able to hand out devices or hard packs to students in order to support distance learning. We will be in touch tomorrow with some information to support learning from home.
Please go to the Ministry of Health website if you live in Auckland or the Coromandel region, or have recently visited there. There is a list of locations the confirmed case has visited while they were considered to be infectious. If you were at one of those locations and at the same time as specified on the website, then please follow the relevant instructions to isolate and potentially to get tested. Please keep checking that webpage as new locations may be identified over time.
Our focus as always will be to support the learning, safety and wellbeing of our rangatahi and tamariki and we continue to be here to support you as well.
Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s kaiako or me, if there is something you need assistance with.
Ngā mihi
Mike Piper
Principal
March 7:
Dear parents and whānau,
Children at school during Level 2
We are pleased to say that all children can return to school tomorrow March 8.
School lunches are underway and will be delivered in Level 2.
An exception would be for any child who is currently unwell. Call the office on 2571435 to report your child’s absence. Please keep your child home until they have recovered.
For us our main messages for tomorrow are:
A reminder that during Level 2, there is no access to the school grounds for parents.(except A5)
Pick up and Drop Off:
Under Alert Level 2 parents and caregivers will not be coming on site unless absolutely necessary.
Parents are to “drop off and pick up” at the A1 gate and Carpark gate.
NE, APOD, BPOD – A1 gate
C POD, DPOD – Car Park gate
A5 parents onsite only – Contact register kept.
Students will not be allowed to enter before 8:15am.
We are looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.
Kia ora koutou
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March 1
Morena St MMK whānau,
Just a reminder that we are open for those of you who have no other options but to send your children to school and we will have safety precautions in place to look after them. If you child needs to attend school as you have no option please email.
mi***@ma***********.nz
So we can plan for your child’s attendance.
Make sure you are accessing distance learning .
As the team at All Right? Say: It’s all right to feel over this right now but we all know what to do, we have done this before and we will do it again, together.
Aroha mai Aroha atu
Michael Piper
Principal
February 28
Morena St MMK whānau,
With the Prime Ministers announcement last night we are now at Level 3 for the next seven days. That means that where possible you should keep your children home from school for this period.
We will be open for those of you who have no other options but to send your children to school and we will have safety precautions in place to look after them. If you child needs to attend school as you have no option please email.
So we can plan for your child’s attendance.
We are activating our distance learning tomorrow morning, as we did when we have been in previous lock downs. Children will also be able to work through their learning packs that went home on Feb 16.
We wish everyone all the best at this most difficult time. Stay safe.
Aroha mai Aroha atu
Michael Piper
Principal
Dear parents and whānau,
Covid 19 in Auckland
Dear Parents
As you would have read or heard in the news last night, there have been three confirmed cases of Covid-19 in South Auckland. As a result of this the Government announced that the whole of Auckland will be moved to Alert Level 3 for the next 72 hours from Sunday.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/covid-updates/
That means that where possible you should keep your children home from school for this period. St Mary Mackillop Catholic School is open for those who have no other option but to send their children to school. We will have safety precautions in place to look after them. If you need to send your children to school please email
mi***@ma***********.nz
.
Although the present lockdown is until midnight on Wednesday 17th February, we are activating our distance learning.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
Covid-19 continues to be a factor that we need to consider and I assure you that we have a robust plan in place to protect your children, family and wider whanau. If the situation changes over the next few days, you may contact us over the next 3 days or your child’s teacher.
Learning Packs:
On Tuesday 16th February you may pick up a workbook pack from the School Office between 9am – 12pm. And then 3 – 5pm
The workbook pack will include readers, pencil and activities that the children can do over the next few days.
We thank you for your support. Your child’s teacher will be in constant contact with you.
February 14 2021
Kia Ora Whanau
Auckland is in COVID Level 3.
School is open to children of essential workers. Unless you are an essential worker, please keep your children at home for the next three days..
Your classroom teacher will relay any relevant notices to you via our communication tools.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
Kia mau
Keep safe
Mike Piper
Principal
2020
October 9
Kia ora koutou katoa,
I hope you all are having a fantastic break and enjoying time as a family. We are looking forward to Monday and seeing all the excited students returning to school.
I am sure you were as pleased as I was to hear the Prime Minister’s announcement about moving to Alert Level 1. For us this means there is an extremely low public health risk from the virus at Alert level 1.
As a school we will continue to maintain our good hygiene measures such as regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces and washing of hands. It is very important that if your child/ren are unwell they stay at home.
At level 1 there are no restrictions on personal movement. Parents are welcome to come into school however you can still drop off and pick up from the gates if you want to continue with this especially if it is working well for your children.
Remember:
NE, APOD, BPOD – A1 gate
C POD, DPOD – Carpark gate
8.15 gates open.
8.30 Bell for class open.
They can be outside their classrooms. We have plenty of seats.
We are supporting contact tracing by having QR code posters at our entrances – so if you haven’t already downloaded the NZ COVID Tracer app the Ministry of Health’s NZ-COVID Tracer app page has information to help you do that. As always during school hours please ensure you go to the school office and not directly to your child’s class.
We will now be able to meet as a whole school again for assemblies and Masses. You are very welcome to join us. Watch out in the Newsletter and on Facebook for dates when these will resume.
Enjoy the last few days of the holidays and take care all.
Ngā mihi
Mike Piper
Principal
August 27
August 24
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August 15
Kia ora ST MMK whanau ,
As you will be aware we are now at Alert Level 3 until midnight on Wednesday 26 August.
This means that Remote Learning begins from Monday morning (Teachers have already been posting online). We have discussed our learning from term 2 lockdown and will be starting our next phase slightly differently.
Key dates :
August 17 – Online learning starts / Last day to register for devices or learning packs.
August 18 – pick up day 9 -12 at St MMK – Device/learning packs
August 19 – Online Google Meets begin again
We need to know:
You will receive a text message on Sunday around registering for one of these. You reply back with Y or N to the text with the child name and class. You will only receive one if you reply and register if you want one.
On Monday/Tuesday students will need to make sure they have connected with their teacher online.
We want to start this Lockdown with all children online and in contact with their teacher
We want to act early this time so we can get connected and get children into a routine early.
We want to do this early so we can start our Level 3 ready to go.
Our online learning is here on the website. It puts everything in one place for students and families.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
If you are an essential worker and your child requires supervision, please email:
We will endeavour to keep you up to date with masses you may like to participate online.
The most up-to-date information will be available on the Catholic Diocese website or Bishop Patrick Dunn’s Facebook page.
Please take care and stay safe, if support is needed let us know.
Nga mihi
Mike Piper
Principal
Tuesday 11 August
May 17 :
St MMK Level 2 start:Tomorrow see you all at school
Pick up and Drop Off:
Under Alert Level 2 parents and caregivers will not be coming on site unless absolutely necessary.
Parents are to “drop off and pick up” at the A1 gate and Carpark gate.
NE, APOD, BPOD – A1 gate
C POD, DPOD – Carpark gate
A5 parents onsite only – Contact register kept
Where possible in your house there should be one person designated for pick up and drop off.
Drop off, go straight to class- AP/Dp/Princ to meet at gate.
Students will not be allowed to enter before 8:15am.
Pick up : Staggered leave
2.30 – NE – Apod pick up – siblings
2.45 – BPOD – pick up -siblings
3.00 – C/Dpod
No playing or sitting and waiting
We are having to operate under new routines as our school gate needs to be done differently.
Thanks for your understanding
Monday May 18 we are ready to welcome ALL students back on site
Dear St MMK Community,
Monday’s announcement by our PM that we will be at Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm tonight is welcome news. I thank you all for your ongoing support of the school and your children during these unprecedented times.
I am delighted to remind you that school reopens on Monday May 18 and we are ready to welcome ALL students back on site – the exceptions to this are those with compromised immunity or those at higher risk if they contract Covid 19 as well as those who have a cold, flu or other sickness/injury.
On Friday 15th May all staff will be having a day at school.Then StMMK will reopen Monday 18th May.
Is it safe for my child to come to school?
The Ministry of Health and the government believe that it is safe for children to return to school although we understand that some parents might feel nervous about this and will want to keep their children at home. Everyone at school will be doing everything they can to ensure that the children and staff are kept safe at this time including:
• Encouraging safe hand washing and physical distancing
• Regular cleaning of all surfaces
• Minimising contact from other adults
• Sending anyone home who displays symptoms of cold, flu or virus
How will the school be ensuring physical distancing?
Advice from the Ministry of Education: “Where possible physical distancing is a good precaution. We do, however, know it is near impossible in an early learning environment and challenging in schools. So good hygiene practices and regular cleaning are even more important here.”
In schools, physical distancing means children, young people and staff maintaining enough distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other.
The staff will be applying this thinking with everyone at school.
Other Important Information:
As part of the safety measurements we are asking parents to stay off school grounds. The best way for children to come to school will be to walk. If you do need to drop your child/children in the car please find a convenient place to drop them at a distance from school ie, a nearby street. They can then walk the rest of the way into school.
The Senior management team will be at the gates to supervise this.
We will be spacing the children’s working and playing spaces, and training them on correct washing procedures to use while at school.
At the end of the day we will be staggering school finishing times to avoid any mass gatherings.Please arrange a meeting place with your child if you need to collect them from school.
SKIDS will be running and will be in contact with you if your child uses this service.
If you do need to take your child out of school early or for an appointment please arrange this with office staff.
I will be sending more information out on Friday around how we will be keeping our school safe.
Our staff are eager to return, and so we will, very soon.
God’s blessings
Mike Piper
May 10 :
Happy Mothers day everyone !!!!!!!!
A reminder we are still in Level 3:
Just a reminder we are still in Level 3 and we are still operating our school under these restrictions. Only registered pupils can turn up for school to be in our bubble.
Hope you having a Blessed Sunday.
May 8:
Dear Whanau , We are still in Level 3
Yesterday the Prime Minister outlined the broad conditions under which schools operate when we reach Level 2 again.
So if the announcement was made Monday 11 May, all children would return to school under Level 2 on Monday 18 May.
This is to give time for teachers to prepare. At this stage the date for moving to Level 2 has not been established.
Some possible dates for us:
· Online Distance learning will continue until 3pm Thursday 14th May. Online Distance learning will then cease for all students.
· On Friday 15th May we will be having a day Teacher only at school.
If we are in Alert Level 2, then StMMK will reopen Monday 18th May.
We will be in contact next week when we know what is happening.
Aroha mai Aroha atu
Michael Piper
Principal
St Mary Mackillop Catholic school
April 28:
Dear St MMK Whanau ,
As we shift out of lockdown and into Alert Level Three, we appreciate that there are still many challenges to face as we prepare to meet the learning needs of our children, both in school bubbles and with distance learning.
To help us do this well, below is some key information for you:
Children will enter the school through the gate required for each Bubble
Once again I’d like to thank you for your ongoing support, and we do understand the difficulties that this lockdown has brought about.
If you have any needs or concerns, please make contact
April 22:
April 20:
Kia ora koutou ST MMK Community,
We hope that Term 2 and our distance 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, including some families who have yet to receive devices or learning resources but we have been getting some great feedback about the learning that is happening and thank you for all of your support.
Today the Government decided that we will move into Alert Level 3 on 28 April. That means we will be open to receive students from 29 April. We will start to prepare our site from tomorrow.
The key message for you is that if you can:
– You should keep your child at home.
– 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.
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.
I want to assure you that we will continue to support your child’s learning at home.
We will contact you later 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. 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 with any questions you might have.
Aroha mai Aroha atu
Michael Piper
Principal
St Mary Mackillop Catholic school
April 14:
Term Two starts tomorrow !!!
Our teachers have been busy working towards this so we can help you and your for your family during this time.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
It is made up of:
This table outlines what each Pod is using:
New Entrant | A POD | B POD | C POD | D POD | |
Contact | |||||
Tools: | Class Blog | Class Blogs &
A Pod Google Classroom |
Google Classroom, Google Site | Google classroom | Google Classroom & Website |
Online access: | Google Hangout/Meet | Google Hangouts
Teacher emails School Website – A Pod Blogs |
Class Dojo Google Meet (through Google Classroom)
|
Google hangout/meet
Class dojo |
Google Classroom
Class & School Website Hangouts |
All our teachers are accessible by email and are looking forward to working with you over the next few weeks. They will make themselves available online during the day.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/about-us/contact-us/
Here is the email contact list for you to use. Please stay in contact and we will help you over this time as best we can.
Until next time , stay safe in your bubbles,
Stay home and save lives.
Aroha mai Aroha atu
Michael Piper
Thursday April 9
Kia ora Kotou,
THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020 ~ HOLY THURSDAY
“We will celebrate Holy Week in a truly unusual way, which manifests and sums up the message of the Gospel, that of God’s boundless love. And in the silence of our cities, the Easter Gospel will resound. The Apostle Paul says: “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor 5:15). In the risen Jesus, life conquered death. This Paschal faith nourishes our hope…. It is the hope of a better time, in which we can be better, finally freed from evil and from this pandemic. It is a hope: hope does not disappoint; it is not an illusion, it is a hope.”
Pope Francis
Easter reminds us that our Catholic faith is one of hope, victory and new life. In these difficult times our faith is what really matters. We are conscious that families around the world will be suffering from ill health, grief and worrying about the separation from loved ones. The stress from the economic fallout is also a heavy burden for many. Pope Francis has asked us to unite in prayer and to “reach out to those who are suffering and those most in need. May we not be concerned about what we lack, but what good we can do for others.”
There are several creative and reverent ways we can journey through the week. The following link has details of all the live streaming liturgies and various prayer resources provided by Bishop Patrick and the Auckland Diocese
https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz
This is our first message since last Saturday. We hope your Lockdown (School Holidays) has been going well and you and your family are safe.
Online/Distance learning:
Term Two
When Term 2 starts on Wednesday 15th April the staff, parents and children will be working together in different ways than we usually would. Staff, parents and children will be new to distance learning. The circumstances we are in are like none that we have experienced before. Your well-being and that of your child is most important during this time.
We have been busy working towards April 15. Our teachers have been working hard contacting you so we are sure you are ready for Online learning to start. Being in contact, making it work for our school whanau has been our main priority. We are still trying to reach a few families who have not yet made contact.
You may have seen the Minister of Education speak on Wednesday afternoon and he highlighted:
Television
Beginning Wednesday 15th April on TVNZ 1+1 from 9am – 3pm there will be a variety of lessons for students who do not have access to a computer or device at home. The lessons will be suitable for children aged 5 – 15 year.
The fact that these resources will start coming out to homes ASAP, it’s obviously a huge job to undertake but the wonderful support from our government will enable quality learning to continue at home. We will be sending more messages as we get closer to April 15.
A reminder if you need any support, please contact us as these are tough times for us all and as a parent I also know the many challenges faced on a daily basis, with working from home as well as trying to entertain and support our own children, so please do contact us if necessary and we can support you.
We still don’t have a confirmed start date back at school , but please be assured that when I know – I will inform you immediately, the staff are all missing their students so much and can’t wait to see them all again soon.
Until next time , stay safe in your bubbles,
Stay home and save lives.
Have a Blessed Easter.
Saturday March 28
Kia ora koutou,
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/covid-updates/
We have moved into a new phase of New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 and it is very different from anything most of us have ever experienced. I wanted to reassure you that our school staff and Board of Trustees will continue to be available to support your child’s learning and wellbeing in the next weeks.
Firstly we appreciate the significance of the lock down announcements and what it may mean for you and your family. Take time to focus on your family as you regroup.
We encourage you to access learning from our school website under the tab – ‘Online learning’.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
We hope that our learning packs are helping you during this time as well.
We also encourage you to think about how distance learning is going to take place in your household. We appreciate that for many there will be a number of people working from home, pre-schoolers in the mix and children’s learning to juggle.
You will understand the importance of routine for your family. If your routine has been shaken up, like you’re now working from home, it’s good to structure your time. Routines are reassuring, and promote health and physical wellbeing. The below timetable (targeted at children) could be something your household adapts to use over the next few weeks.
A school holiday version will likely look a little different, but some form of routine will still be important as we go through the lockdown period.
Daily Schedule
Before 9:00am | Wake up | Eat breakfast, make your bed, get dressed, put any dirty clothes in the laundry |
9:00-10:00 | Morning walk | Family walk with the dog, bike ride, |
10:00-11:00 | Learning at home | School-led learning or books, flash cards, study guide, journal etc |
11:00-12:00 | Creative time | Legos, drawing, crafting, play music, cook or bake etc. |
12:00 pm | Lunch 🙂 | |
12:30 | Helping at home | # wipe all kitchen tables and chairs
# wipe all door handles, light switches and desk tops # wipe both bathrooms – sinks and toilets |
1:00-2:30 | Quiet time | Reading, puzzles, |
2:30-4:00 | Learning at home | School-led learning or iPad games, Prodigy, |
4:00-5:00 | Afternoon fresh air | Bikes, walk the dog, play outside |
5:00-6:00 | Dinner 🙂 | |
6:00-8:00 | Free TV time | Kids shower time |
8:00 | Bedtime | All kids |
9:00pm | Bedtime | All kids who follow the daily schedule & don’t fight |
Some good news to support you either working at home and/or studying at home – Spark, Vodafone, Vocus/Slingshot, 2Degrees and Trustpower have all advised they have removed their data caps and the possibility of any extra charges based on usage.
If you are not aware the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ has been working to ensure useful information is available to Pacific peoples. A one-hour special will be aired on Tagata Pasifika’s segment Sunday at 7.35am, Tagata Pasifika will share messages from community leaders. The Ministry is asking you to reach out to all your family members, community groups, friends and group chats to ensure our Pacific community groups are watching the programming on both days.
A big thank you to all of you for taking the lockdown so seriously. As the Prime Minister has noted staying at home will break the chain and save lives; breaking the rules could risk someone close to you and if the rules are not complied with, this could risk the lock down period being extended or could risk the virus being spread to thousands
E hara taku toa, I te toa takitahi, He toa takitini
My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective
Saturday March 28
Key dates:
26 March Alert Level 4 commenced
28 March School holidays begin
10 – 14 April Easter including the Tuesday after Easter
15 April Term 2 begins
22 April Current date for ending of lockdown period
27 April ANZAC Day observed
We are sharing these dates with you that I have so far. These end dates as we know are far from certain. So we need to just keep them in mind but be ready for it to change.
Tuesday 24
Online learning went live today.
http://www.marymackillop.school.nz/online-learning/
If you want a Learning pack instead to take home. It is a collection of ideas and activities. It can be the same as what is online.
Wednesday 8.30-10 & 3-5 pm .
We will be at school to give out learning packs for each POD.
Keep safe everyone.
Monday 23
Dear Parents/Caregivers ,
Due to a Government directive around COVID-19, St MMK School will be closed from 3pm today.
I know this is creating confusion but only parents who work in Essential services may get support for Tuesday and Wednesday – there will be staff members on site Tuesday and Wednesday.
https://covid19.govt.nz/government-a…/covid-19-alert-system/
After Wednesday no one at school can assist, there is no school for everyone for the foreseeable future.
Online learning will go live tomorrow. I will send you a link.
If you want a Learning pack to take home. A collection of ideas and activities.
Tuesday 12-2 pm
Wednesday 8.30 -10 & 3-5 pm .
We will be at school to give out learning packs for each POD.
More messages over the next few days.
Keep safe everyone.
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