‘Living The Holy Cross WAY’ 

Throughout the week I have been reflecting on what this statement means to me and decided it is not so much a statement as an invitation to live my life in a way that brings the Holy Cross WAY to life- for myself and all those with whom I come into contact.  We are all invited to do this. 

The three letters in WAY tell the Holy Cross story, they represent three gospel values that we decided are important to our school.

 INVITATION: Let’s act  intentionally to make these Values come to life each day and throughout the week ahead.   

As I  have been working in my office this week, I have looked out of my window and seen many lovely sights, what have I seen?

• Sister Margaret walking past each day, keeping active and stopping for a chat. She wants you to know she is keeping us all in her thoughts and prayers.

• The lovely Marjorie, who is 94, who also walks past each day. Yesterday she said to me, “What a wonderful world we live in; people have been so kind”. 

• Kylie who lives across the road, waving out her window, writing little bear messages for those going past.  She has been leaving little treats on the doorsteps of her elderly neighbours. She has also been keeping a close eye on the school. 

• Mary, can be seen, checking in on her neighbours. When the weather is fine they sit outside their units and have a cuppa together- from a distance! 

• Sister Judith and Sister Clare dropping off food, reading materials and goodies to  the Sisters in their community.

• Families walking past making the most of their time together. I’ve heard lovely conversations about the world around them e.g., the birds they see, why the pohutukawa trees have been shaped in a certain way, discussions odd and even numbers on letter boxes… 

There are many, many examples of kindness that surround us, let’s watch and listen with our ears, our eyes and our hearts and let’s respond by intentionally finding ways to show kindness to all those we meet each day. 

Thank you all so much for responding to our survey to find out how Home Learning is going in your households as well as ways we might strengthen our programmes and support those needing help. 

We have heard from every family which is fantastic, so a big shout out to you all!

Learning Resources 

Many of your children have received learning resources provided by the Ministry of Education. We put forward the names of all learners, so if you have not yet received them, don’t worry they will arrive some time soon. 

Responding to your Feedback and Strengthening our Home learning:

 It has been so affirming to read the feedback you provided regarding our Home learning programme.  

Something all children are valuing, is being able to connect with their teachers and other adults from  school as well as their classmates. 

 Other feedback includes

• Appreciation of the effort put in to get students into their ‘google classroom’ 
• Acknowledgement of the value of the learning opportunities being provided- device and non device- as well as the wonderful efforts of staff to engage the students with the learning.
• The importance of  coordinating, and sometimes limiting,  the number of Zoom meetings to support families who have children in different classes. 
• Requests from some families for extra support- we are working to provide this.  
• Please contact your child’s teacher, or one of the leadership team, if you have any questions, concerns or ideas.

Strengthening our Home learning Programme

Yesterday the teachers worked on strengthening and developing what we have in place to support Home Learning, based on the feedback you provided as well as the things we are learning and reflecting on.

Home learning in Rooms 7,11 and 12

An exciting, inviting new look for home learning is being worked on for our junior students. We include a  ‘sneak preview’ so that you can see how it will look. The format has changed but the basic structure remains the same. Students will still be able to connect with their class teacher as well as see and hear some of the other lovely teachers and support staff. 

 

WHY?

 

• To provide easier access to learning for all students
• To provide less words but more visual support to explain each learning opportunity
• To build independence in each learner
• To share some of the wonderful learning activities being provided by staff
• To provide consistency across all classes
• To provide flexibility so that families can view teaching examples and explanations at a time that works for them.

 

WHAT WE ASK OF YOU. 

 

• We ask that you attend an adult zoom meeting at 12.00pm this Friday 1st May to explain the new format (we will also share a short video that you will be able to refer back to).

 

• Once you understand how it all works, your role as a parent or caregiver will be to step back and see how your child engages with the learning opportunities. 

 

Home Learning In Rooms 1,2 3 5 and 6

Most of the students in these Rooms are able to access google classroom with a reasonable amount of independence so at this stage the format remains much the same.  What we have done however is review our headings to make the intention of each section clearer. There will now three headings with an explanation of each:

 

Daily Plans, Weekly Learning and Ongoing learning Pathways

Our thanks to our staff for the amazing effort they continue to put in to ensure learning activities are meaningful , inviting and manageable for their students ( and those supporting them!)

At all levels we are committed to working collaboratively to share and develop expertise.  We have a wonderfully talented staff and working in this way is a powerful example of how a community can work.  

 

Thank you for the efforts you have made to keep your children at home. 

A reminder that at Level 3 our school grounds remain closed to all except staff and any students registered to attend at this level.  

We continue to work to ensure we have in place health and safety requirements for level 3. We are also beginning to consider what might be required at other levels. .

Please continue to support your child to understand all safety practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is especially important as we prepare for more students returning to school, hopefully in the near future.