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Term 1, Week 6, 12th March 2021
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Last week's whole school evacuation
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Photo courtesy of The Informer
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Please remember to text your child/children's absences to us on
021 025 56802
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Greetings everyone; Nga mihi nui tatou
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Tsunami Evacuation: 5 March
This is a further comment about our school evacuation last Friday - there have been communications from me last week to help put some perspective, to seek some review/feedback and to clarify anything that may be unclear. Please refer to the notes here if you may have missed them.
The purpose of this note this week is to redirect you to our Tsunami Evacuation Protocol This is the key document which guides our processes in an emergency and it is vitally important everyone is fully aware of how it all works; in that way we are able to move quickly, calmly, purposefully and in a measured way to the first rendezvous point at Moewai Sports Grounds. It is from this venue that the following occurs:
- Students sign in with their teachers at that time and place - we are thereby able to confirm their safety and attendance
- Parents collect their children from the Sports Ground after children have signed in - they will all have a "smiley face" on their hand - so if your child/children does not have one when you go to pick them up, it means they have not signed in with our staff. Please take them then to their teacher to be signed in and thereby accounted for. Parents and families then practice their own evacuation plan
- It is clear some parents want their children to be picked up by other adults. We retain the duty of care for all children until they are picked up by an authorised person. If you wish to have other people authorised to pick up your children, it is essential that this data is included on our database. It does make sense to us all, however we are legally responsible for all children and unless there is authorisation for another adult to pick up children, then we are not permitted to release the children. Clearly this is a really high stress moment; so the way through this is for us to have the appropriate details on our data base - then there is no issue - and no stress
- On our Emergency Evacuation Student Lists we have the names of all caregivers and emergency contacts. If you wish to add an alternate adult/s who may also pick up your child in an evacuation please complete this form.
- Some families have alternative arrangements for evacuation that they have communicated to us - this is on our data base; If you wish to update your alternative evacuation plan, please contact us by Friday the 19th March with details of the plan
- Please note: No students will be left behind at school nor at the sports park in an emergency
Health and Safety issues:
The major issues we have in terms of Health and Safety relates to parents looking to pick up their children while our school community is walking to Moewai Sports Ground. It is simply a horrendous Health and Safety matter:
- Drivers are under stress and this leads to poor decision making and driving practice
- Drivers use their cellphone whilst driving - trying to locate in the 1100 person "snake" where their child/children are - this is highly distracting
- Drivers are scanning the "snake" to spot their child - this is inherently dangerous with cars being congested all along the evacuation route
- Children are called out from the "snake" toward the car, crossing double carriage ways - they too are under stress and their road sense is severely impacted. They will run to the car and will not be sufficiently aware of the conditions around them. The pull to them of a parent's call is incredibly powerful - it puts them in severe danger
- Drivers seek to pick up other people's children - which is not in keeping with the protocol of student safety - the school retains the duty of care until the child is assigned to an authorised adult.
How do we manage this?
- Please arrange to pick up your child/children from Moewai Sports Ground - put this info into your family's evacuation plan
- Assure them repeatedly in your family evacuation plan, that this is where you will meet them; that their job is to get to Moewai Sports Ground as promptly and safely as possible
- Please drive straight to the car park
- If you wish to (as several parents did), after parking your car, you can join us in our hikoi and accompany your children to the Grounds and to sign in with their teacher
- And finally we resolve as a parental collective - NOT to drive in parallel with the "snake" - it is highly dangerous and has the huge potential to be disasterous and have a tragic outcome. We can avoid this
On the positive side:
- The evacuation went really well (not withstanding the Health and Safety matters noted above)
- Virtually all students were with their families from 10:30 - a fantastic outcome
- Our students were fantastic - they walked calmly, purposefully and promptly to the Sports Grounds
- The sign in process worked well which meant students were able to be released promptly
- Our staff were remarkable in their duty of care; we are super fortunate to have folks of this calibre on our staff
It is worthwhile noting that the Duty of Care for all students and staff remains with me in emergency situations; hence the high need for us to all work collectively for the best outcome.
Any feedback on this process is most welcome.
Covid-19 Planning
We are wanting to gather information about students and families who will need our support in the event our area goes into Alert Level 3. Please only complete this form if your child/children will need to attend school if we go into Alert Level 3
Recommendations and guidance from the Ministry of Health says:
Schools (Years 1 to 10) and Early Childhood Education centres can safely open, but will have limited capacity. Children should learn at home if possible.
You can fill the form in here.
Cheers
John
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Photos courtesy of The Informer
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Photos courtesy A Penwarden
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Meet the Teacher/Kauri Coach
New Date
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Wednesday 17th March
2.30 - 4.30pm
Visit your students Teacher/Kauri Coach
Call in during the above times, you don't need to make an appointment
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When entering and exiting the school grounds during school hours, can all gates please be closed behind you. This is an area of safety, particularly in the primary area. Thank you.
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On this site you can see school notices, the school calendar, your child's time table, attendance, career information and NCEA information. You can also submit changes of details through this system e.g. your address, phone number or email.
**TIP - copy and paste in the login details
If you you are having any troubles logging on, or need your login details resent please email the Principal's PA, Linda - kendalll@mbas.ac.nz or ring the office and ask to speak directly to Linda
Attendance enquiries can be emailed to attendance@mbas.ac.nz
Financial enquiries can be sent to accounts@mbas.ac.nz
General enquiries can be sent to mbas@mbas.ac.nz
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Records were broken by the following swimmers!
Marlie Candelaria - 25m Breast 28:12
Tia Samuel - 100m Free 2.08.63
Marlie Candelaria - 100m Breast 2.30.00
Marlie Candelaria - 75m 1.37.81
Noah Candelaria - 25m Breast 24.25
Noah Candelaria - 50m Back 44.50
Noah Candelaria - 100m Back 1.40.13
Lennox Jennings - 100m Free 1.26.09
Lennox Jennings - 75IM 1.17.13
Miranda Coleman - 25m Free 16.78
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For full results click here
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House Points
Buffalo - 462
Mercury - 426
Matahaorua - 377
Tainui - 338
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Third attempt at this event and nothing was going to stop us, even the 30 knot winds that took 3 of our gazebo's and turned them into bent scrap metal!
NEW RECORDS
Tane Ganley - 300m 43.85
Francie Lidgard - 300m 12:41
Sally Mills - Shotput 11.55m
Olivia Outterside - Discus 24.37
Overall house points
Tainui - 398
Buffalo - 392
Mercury - 362
Matahaourua - 308
For full results click here
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Coromandel Cricket Festival
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Coromandel cricket festival was held at Coromandel area school yesterday with schools from Colville, Te Rerenga, Whenuakite, Tairua, Coromandel and Mercury Bay.
Mercury Bay had 2 teams in Y7/8 and 3 teams in Y5/6. Our 5 teams did exceptionally well and Northern Districts development officers were very interested in our players level of skills. Thanks again to the fantastic energy of the Bay kids and the wonderful group of Parents that transported and then became cricket coaches.
Year 7/8 Mercs were undefeated winning 5 games
Year 5/6 Blazers were undefeated winning 5 games
Year 7/8 Marlins won 3 lost 1 drew 1
Year 5/6 Bosses won 2
Year 5/6 Black Caps had close games and improved over the day
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Y7-8 Triathlon - Mon 22nd March
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Swim 100m of school pool
Bike 4 laps clockwise around outside of athletics track
Run 3 laps anticlockwise of athletics track
We encourage all students to participate in the Year 7 and 8 Triathlon
You can enter as an individual or in a team
Teams can be:
- mixed year 7 and 8’s and/or mixed learning groups
- mixed boys/girls
- boys only
- girls only
See your learning coach to enter your name or team
Guidelines for the day
- Students to come to school in uniform and change when they get to school
- Bikers need to wear helmets and covered shoes
- Swimmers need to wear swimming gear (goggles and flutter boards optional)
- Runners need to wear PE gear (shoes optional)
- Bring warm clothes for after your swim/bike/run
- Put bikes and helmets on the courts
- Go to your learning coach room for the roll at 8:45am
- Runners will get their individual or team number on hand/arm
- = different colours for different events
- KAURI behaviour throughout event
- Have fun
From Robyn Fotheringham on behalf of al year 7 and 8 learning coaches
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Breaking ground for the 5 new Primary classrooms that will be lifted into place soon.
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Trial and error with the loose parts today...
“How fast can this go?”
“When will it fall?”
“Why does it keep falling off there?”
So many pondering questions...
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We made b b balloon balls filled with lovely squishy cloud dough that will keep our fingers busy while we sit.
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M8 - Tsunami Evacuation Story
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Tsunami Evacuation
By Mia Jones Year 6, M8
It all started on the 5th of March at night. “Meow, meow”. My cat brought a cricket into my room… “Ahhh!” I felt over my bed, it was vibrating. Suddenly it stopped. I got back up and ran back into bed, expecting it to be a dream.
“BEEP BEEP BEEP!” Six am. I woke up and ran to the TV and turned it onto channel three. “Breaking news, an earthquake has happened overnight”.
Two hours later I was at school sharing my writing… “BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!” Everybody rushed to the cloak bay, grabbed their shoes and bags and began walking. The whole entire school was gone. Classes were walking down footpaths, across roads and over bridges to Moewai park. Parents rushed to get there and some families evacuated to higher ground.
Half an hour later I was at home in my room happily playing on my ipad with my friends and we lived safely ever after.
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This week we have started a years 1&2 Choir here at Mercury Bay Area School.
Mr. Roberts is working with some of our youngest students to perform short songs each week on Thursdays in the Activities room.
The use of live piano and guitar gives a real energy and authenticity to the learning and the engagement thus far has excellent.
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So good to see our teachers participating and playing 4 square with students at lunchtime.
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Restorative Practices Tip of the Week
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Celebrating effort as well as achievement
Often we focus on success being who has won, scored the most points, got the highest marks, or been awarded a certificate. But celebrating effort, determination, and perseverance can lead to positive outcomes for all children. It's great for kids to want to win and do well in school, sport, music, hobbies, and in life but we're not always going to be the best at everything and therefore be acknowledged for our effort. Take time to catch your child/ children giving their best effort at something and reward them for this with praise, a special family event or dinner, or anything that you think is appropriate.
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A weekly parenting tip or quote provided by the Rangimarie wellbeing team
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For parents and whanau who would like more information on this topic please click the link Rainbow Youth Resources
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YEAR 7 AND 8 STUDENTS AND PARENTS
PLEASE REMEMBER WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH 11AM - IMMUNISATION IN SCHOOL INFORMATION
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Year 7 Immunisation (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis/Whooping Cough)
In Year 7 students are offered free vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough.
In New Zealand, babies and young children are given vaccines to protect them against these diseases. As children get older this protection, wears off so Year 7 students need to boost their protection against these three diseases.
There will be an information presentation for Year 7 students on Weds 17th March at 11 am.
Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend. Students will bring home an Information/Consent Form afterwards, this form needs to be completed and returned to school as soon as possible.
For further information you can contact your School Nurse, Practice Nurse or Public Health Nurse Lily Heathmore 0212417800
Year 8 HPV Immunisation Programme
In year 8 students are offered a free vaccination to protect them from HPV (human papillomavirus) which helps protect from cancers caused by this virus.
There will be an information presentation for Year 8 students on weds 17th March at Approx. 11.20am.
Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend. This immunisation is offered every year as part of the school based immunisation programme.
Students will bring home an Information/Consent Form afterwards, this form needs to be completed and returned to school as soon as possible.
For further information you can contact your School Nurse, Practice Nurse or Public Health Nurse Lily Heathmore 0212417800
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Mercury Bay Swimming Club Champs
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It has been decided that the Mercury Bay Swimming Club Champs will be held next week, Wednesday, 17 March @ 5:00pm.
Due to Covid, and with smaller number of members swimming on race nights, the committee agreed that we will allow all club members to join the club champs. This will be hosted more like a carnival.
Please see the club champs registration form here.
It is also important to note that some races have been removed from the list.
Please email MBASwimclub@gmail.com if you wish to enter 200 Back, 200 Breast, 200 Free or 50 Fly. These races may still run depending on the number of you interested.
A free sausage sizzle will be held on the night.
We look forward to seeing you there.
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Hockey for Y9-13, mixed male and female team.
If you are interested in playing hockey this year, please register before the 1st April by contacting Rachel Smith on 021 753 219
We will make 1 team with a maximum of 15 players.
The commitment will be:
Training after school on Tuesday’s from 3:30-5:30pm. During Term 2 and 3.
There will be an extra 2 training/ trials in Term 1, 6th and 13th April.
Games are played in Ngatea on Thursday evenings. Own transport or car pooling to get there.
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Mercury Bay Football Club has organised a fantastic opportunity.
We are going to have two open days which are available for everyone. It is a chance for everyone to come along and see what football is all about. These sessions are free.
Wednesday March 24th & Wednesday March 31st
Moewai Sports Park
3:15-4:15pm - Minis + 8th Grade age levels (basically 5-8 yrs)
4:30-5:30pm - 10th + 12th Grade age levels (basically 9-13 yrs)
The focus is on fun and energy plus a new trick/skill that players can leave with and practice at home.
The sessions will be led by Mr Shane Comber. Shane has coached for 20 years from Grassroots level to National League. His coaching bio makes amazing reading from being Director of Football Star Soccer Academy to coaching Melville United Premier Women's and Hamilton Wanderers Men.
Any enquiries please email Mark - nzmark22@gmail.com
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Football Registration 2021
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Parks Week - Photo Competition
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TCDC are hosting a district wide competition to celebrate parks week 2021.
Send in your best photo of activities in your local park or reserve in the beautiful Thames-Coromandel by 14 of March to sue.costello@tcdc.govt.nz
This competition is open from today 3rd March so get sending in those photos now 🙂
There will be six prizes in total. Three for junior section (16 years and below) and three for open section (17 years and above).
Prizes will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Winners will receive vouchers for Stirling Sports.
Contact Sue Costello on sue.costello@tcdc.govt.nz for more information or visit https://tcdc.govt.nz/.../Parks-Playgrounds.../Parks-Week/
Note: Competition is district wide.
It is one entry per person. When sending in your photos please supply date of birth and reserve/park location (where the photo was taken). Also please provide best contact number and good luck to everyone.
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Secondary School First XV Coach Vacancy
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Mercury Bay Secondary School Rugby
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
We are looking for a First XV Coach for 2021 Season.
You will be part of a coaching team and will be well supported.
Please email the Secretary at mbasrugbyclub@gmail.com
with your application.
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Mercury Bay Day Camp 19th – 22nd April 2021
Get Ready…...Camper Registrations ARE OPEN! Thursday 4th March 2021.
Registrations for Teen Leaders and Adult Helpers are open online at
www.daycamp.co.nz
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Wanting to get your Drivers Licence?
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Chasing Mercury Bay Art Workshops
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