Kia ora and welcome to Term 3! We do hope you have had some positively memorable family time over the term break.
I am back from my Sabbatical feeling refreshed and looking forward to reconnecting with you and our ākonga.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank Diane Walker for running the ship so well in my absence last term. I also want to honour Mel Lemin and Anna Erskine for stepping up in so many ways and supporting Diane.
I am sending out this newsletter as there are a few things you need to know for the start of the term.
A word from our Presiding Chair, Nic Hill:
"Nominations are now open for 3 vacancies on the Myross Bush School Board. If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else, then you’ll need to fill out the Nomination Form sent to your home and return it to our Returning Officer (Irene) by 12.00pm on 3rd August.
Being on the Board is a great way to get involved with our fantastic school and help shape its future."
In previous years we have found there is an increase in winter illnesses in schools at the start of Term 3 as students bring back infections after travelling and socialising during the holidays. This year cases of COVID-19 are increasing in most parts of the country, and we are also seeing high numbers of other winter illnesses.
For the start of Term 3, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health strongly recommend that all schools and kura amend their mask policy for the first four weeks of term to require mask wearing in all indoor settings (where it will not have a significant impact on teaching and learning – see below) for students in Years 4 and above. As Kawaka is made up of Year 3+4 students we are including our Year 3's in this decision.
This recommendation does not include any situation where mask wearing might not be practicable, such as while eating and drinking, playing certain musical instruments, indoor sport, where it will have a significant impact on teaching and learning (for example, students with particular learning needs), certain activities such as singing or drama performance on stage, and PE. In these situations, particular attention will be paid to ensuring there is good ventilation during the activity, and physical distancing where practicable.
Wearing masks can reduce new cases of the virus by as much as 53%. It works alongside other measures including vaccination, good ventilation, staying home when sick, hand washing and other hygiene measures, to protect our students and staff.
We know that some of our ākonga are exempt from wearing a mask. If they have an exemption card or a letter from their health provider, or we have agreed that mask wearing is not practicable for them, we will support them to not wear a mask. We only have a handful of ākonga with mask exemptions in place. If there are others you need to email me at principal@myrossbush.school.nz or ring me on 230 4817.
Please make sure that all Year 3 up ākonga come to school ready to wear masks inside. If ākonga do not have them at home, masks will be available from the classrooms.
Thank you for your ongoing support and the kind and engaging way you continue to work with us.
Private tuition continues to be provided at Myross Bush School for our students during the day every Wednesday.
For Term 3, the following areas are provided 1-1 or in small groups: - Speech and Drama - Drums
- Guitar
- Piano/Keyboard
- Ukelele
A reminder that registration closes Monday 25 July at 9am.
A reminder that we ask parents to drop off and collect their children between 8.15am and 3.15pm. Unless they are bus children, children on the school grounds outside this timeframe are the responsibility of parents.
If the pickup timeframe is a challenge, we encourage you to enrol in an after school programme like what XO Church provide. The programme is in town but a minivan operates picking students up from our school.
Term 3 has some exciting sporting, and cultural learning opportunities planned on top of the important mahi (work) we do in the classroom! Please have a look at our School Calendar to stay on top of things and be informed about what is coming up.
Please also ensure you have downloaded our school app called Hero from where you will receive
classrooms notifications and access other important information.
