Spring is in the air
With the warmer weather and longer days, spring has certainly arrived and with it we look forward to opportunities to gather with the pre lockdown freedom before too much longer. The upcoming holidays are a great opportunity for students to reconnect with friends and family, reduce screen time and get out of the house for some exercise and fresh spring air. While these are all very important activities for our young people it’s also a timely reminder to do them within current COVID Alert Levels. We encourage you all to keep up the safety measures– scan everywhere you go, wash your hands often and regularly clean and disinfect surfaces. Together, we can continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Vaccinations
As we prepare for term 4 and the return to school, there may be questions about staff being vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health advises that everyone who is eligible should get a vaccination, however no one in New Zealand is legally required to get the vaccine. A person’s vaccine status remains private information. While they are encouraged by the school to be vaccinated, our teachers are not obliged to share their vaccination status and have the same right to make a choice about their COVID-19 vaccination as everybody else.

While high rates of vaccination in our community are very important, there are also a large range of mitigations in place in our school to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including staff and students staying away if they are unwell, regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces and keeping rooms well-ventilated.
We know that compared to other places, schools and early learning services are not environments where we have seen significant spread of COVID-19.
If you want further reading about the vaccine, there is some really great information available on the Unite Against COVID-19, Ministry of Health and Karawhiua websites.

Managing anxiety and keeping calm – transition back to school next term

Managing anxiety:
The Ministry of Education has some excellent resources on their website around supporting young people who may be feeling anxious during these challenging times and in particular preparing to come back to school after the holiday break.

https://www.education.govt.nz/covid-19/covid-19-and-wellbeing/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-coronavirus/tips-for-teachers-parents-and-caregivers-supporting-young-people/

They have also suggested that a video with tips and advice on managing anxiety from Dr Hinemoa Elder (child and adolescent psychiatrist) and Nathan Wallis (neuroscience educator) is well worth a view. It’s only 8 minutes long and offers a number of practical strategies. https://youtu.be/J1GuXHFSOHc

If you are concerned about your young person coping back at school and need extra help, remember to reach out and talk with a health professional. There is plenty of support, information and help on the health website or send Gina our school counsellor an email.
https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/looking-after-your-mental-wellbeing/

Keeping calm:
The intentional acts of calm listed below are helpful suggestions to help your young person manage when they may be feeling overwhelmed with change.

Reframe:
When you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself, “What is a different way of looking at my situation”? Doing this is a key step toward being a problem solver.

Get outside:
Take a walk. If you’re walking with a dog, that will help you get out of your own head.

Hydrate:
Drink plenty of water as it not only removes toxins but improves cognitive functioning.

Exercise:
A short burst of physical exertion releases nervous energy.

Imagine:
Visualise an admired person. What would they do?

Use the Pomodoro technique:
Work in 25-minute chunks followed by 5-minute breaks, and after four cycles, take a 15-20-minute break.

Mind clearing:
Clear clutter. This is especially helpful just before going to bed.

Accept anxiety:
Sometimes letting go of the need to control outcomes leads to greater acceptance of your circumstances.

And finally for the holidays …..
Make a fun plan. Think about how you will use social media to contact people who are good for your mental health – this creates positive anticipation.

Staying focussed in term 4, end of year school reports and assessment:

Staying focussed in term 4
As we move into term 4, it is really important to ensure we hit the ground running. We have a number of important assessments which take place as well as our Year 8 exam preparation programme. This is in addition to the many exciting term 4 programmes already planned!

With all this in mind it is very important to remind our students they need to remain focussed for the remainder of 2021. A full transition back to school after lockdown has been planned to ensure that each young person’s wellbeing is a priority. Once transitioned back, the message to all our students is to finish the year strong and put in 100% effort for the remainder of 2021.

End of Year Reports
Our end of year reports will be distributed at the end of term 4 as planned. They will be in a similar format to those that were sent home with students at mid-year, although it will be a revised report given we have been in lock down for 8 weeks this term. The reports will also be available online.

This report will include a comment from the teacher on Literacy, Mathematics and a general comment. Teachers will provide a curriculum level based on evidence they have gathered since the middle of the year in literacy and mathematics. The report will also include assessment in the area of the Key competencies.

Students will be asked to make a comment on their own learning and progress as they did in the mid-year report.

Assessments
Students will continue to be assessed by their teacher next term, using assessment strategies similar to those that were in place during lockdown. In addition to this, more formal testing will take place at the start of term four- we anticipate this to be at the start of November.

For year 7 students these tests will be onsite and for year 8 students these will take place off site at the University of Auckland (Epsom Campus), COVID level dependent. Details will be available at the start of term 4 – we are hoping to secure a booking at the Auckland University lecture theatre in the third week of term (early November).

Once we receive information on lock down levels in Auckland, and the availability of the University facility we will confirm arrangements.

If the venue for year 8 exams needs to be changed, this information will be updated and shared with you all. Watch this space!

Speed Limit around ANI – proposed change

We have been advised by AT that a consultation phase is about to commence investigating speeds around our school. ANI have been selected, along with 56 other schools for a proposed speed limit change in the first phase of their Safe Speeds programme.

“A message from AT:
What does this mean for your school?

We know that even a small difference in speed can make a major difference, especially for children. Safer speeds around schools are defined under the Ministry of Transport mandate as permanent or variable 30km/h limits in urban areas, with 40km/h limits considered by exception. The speed limit changes required around your school have been assessed by our road safety engineers based upon the relevant safety needs, and within current legislation.

What are the next steps?

Between 27 September and 14 November, AT will be seeking public feedback on the first phase of proposed speed limit changes around your school, and 56 others across Auckland.

We will provide residents within the zone information on the proposed changes and encourage them to provide feedback. For more information about the Safe Speeds Programme, visit at.govt.nz/speed.

We welcome any initial feedback you have via ATspeedprogramme@at.govt.nz.”

Happy holidays and remember parents -give yourself a break too, this has been a massive term and you’ve all done an awesome job homeschooling. Our thanks and appreciation, enjoy the down time.

Kia ngatahi ai te tu
E pakari ai te tuara
Together we are Strong

Jill Farquharson – Principal
Bryce Mills and Shane Devery – Deputy Principals