Dear parents, caregivers and children,

After the latest announcement on Friday, unfortunately the decision had to be made to cancel the touch season this year! I myself would like to thank you all for your registrations, offers to coach/manage and most importantly, your patience! I know this will be yet another blow for the children but just remind them touch will be back next year! (And give them a big hug from me!)

If you happened to have paid your child’s fees, below is a message on how the refund procedure will work!

Take care everyone,

Warm regards

Mrs Wilson (Touch Coordinator)

Please see below the official message from Sharks Touch….

With the details of the new traffic light system and how to get to the red light before xmas in Friday's announcement we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 HBC Sharks Junior Touch Module.

Thank you so very much for your support and for registering your children and sticking by us throughout the process. We have the most incredible supportive touch community and it really does highlight just how awesome it is to live here on the Hibiscus Coast.

If you have already paid Sharks Sports Club your childs fees please contact me by email: sharksjuniortouch@gmail.com and I will organise a refund promptly.

We will be back next year - Term 4

Wednesday 19th October 2022 - 14th December 2022

Orewa Beach School DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL - Please contact the school if this email was sent in error

18.10.21

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This afternoon our government has decided we will stay as we are for the next two weeks and should get a clearer understanding of what this means for schools moving forward on Wednesday.

Online learning

Please note that I am unable to read to your children at the moment as I’m needed onsite. I’ll really miss reading to the children.

Tui will now have zooms at 9:30am Monday to Thursday.

Maths Whizz, Epic and Sunshine Online are individualised for your children. We highly recommend at least trying to do these daily.

Finding a balance

We appreciate how hard online learning is and wish we could have our children here safe at school with us.

We have tried really hard to bring you a balance of learning for your child as we know how real the struggle is managing everything.

If there is anything further you need or if there are any concerns that you would like specific support with in regards to your child's learning PLEASE get in touch with your child’s teacher or us directly.

We also want you to appreciate that ALL children are in this waka together. Their mental health is as important as yours right now.

Staff Vaccinations

All our staff are fully aware of the mandate to have first vaccinations by the 15th of November and the need to be fully vaccinated by 1st January 2022. They are aware of the implications.

As I’m sure you are aware, this has been a personal and private decision for staff until it was mandated. Please respect our staffs privacy at this time and refrain from asking and discussing their vaccination status with them,

All staff, until they are fully vaccinated, will be undergoing weekly COVID testing when they return to work onsite. All our Level 3 staff were tested prior to returning to school today.

Teacher Requests for Next Year

We have already had a few queries about teachers for 2022.

Our staffing is still being finalised and impacted by a variety of causes at the moment. Please do not request teachers for 2022. Please note teachers can not guarantee where students will go as the final decision rests with the Senior Leadership team.

We are endeavouring to keep most of our Year 4 students next year with their current Year 3 teacher except for Mrs Oxborough who will be moving to a different area of the school.

Any contact if there are extenuating circumstances regarding placements, need to be sent directly to principal@orewabeach.school.nz

The final decision will rest with the school regarding class placements.

Please take care, please get in touch with your child’s teacher if you need any further support with online learning. We are here to help.

Senior Leadership Team

Orewa Beach School

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Well we have survived Term 3 - by the skin of our teeth! We really appreciate what a sacrifice it has been juggling everything with children’s home learning, a job to manage and then somehow thinking what’s for dinner!

We are really hoping to come back for Term 4 in Level 2. This will look a little different with children being dropped off at the gate in the morning and picked up in the afternoon unless it is your child’s first week at school. This is in place to keep your children safe.

We will get in touch with more specific details about how this will all work when we get to

Level 2.

Please take care over the next two weeks, please keep safe and our staff are really looking forward to seeing their students back hopefully really soon!

Warm regards,

Katherine Pascoe - Principal

Murray Barclay - Deputy Principal

Laureen Morgan - Associate Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Like you we have just heard that we will be moving to Alert Level 3 on Wednesday 22nd of September until this is reviewed in two weeks time.

For most of you our Alert Level 4 practices remain exactly the same. Your child’s teacher is still available and is zooming each day Monday - Thursday.

The Senior Leadership Team will be onsite with some of our part time teachers and Teacher Aides with our Alert Level 3 students. Information will be going out separately with details on procedures and protocols to those families.

I will continue to read to our students at 9:30am from school Monday - Thursday.

Please take care, please get in touch with your child’s teacher if there is anything we can help with.

Warm regards,

Senior Leadership Team

Orewa Beach School

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Another week at Level 4 nearly done and hopefully the last one at this level! Fingers crossed! We will await the announcement on Monday.

We are all set for school to open on Wednesday the 22nd for our students of essential workers once the announcement on Monday confirms we are moving to Alert Level 3.

Thank you to the parents and caregivers that contacted us promptly with children needing to come in at Alert Level 3. We have now finalised the “ Bubbles” and will be setting up the school safely for these students on Monday and Tuesday.

I completely understand that the news that the holidays will not be moved may be disappointing for some of you. As I’ve communicated previously this outcome was out of our control and what we will continue to focus on is supporting all of our learners and their families as best we can.

Please be aware our teachers are working hard, really hard. You may only see them half an hour online, the rest of the time they are following up with students they haven’t seen, preparing online learning boards, preparing hard packs for students, supporting agencies who support our children, marking work sent into them, responding to emails, the list goes on.

Thanks to all of you for your support, please be assured we are doing the best we can, we are trying to have a healthy balance for your children without too much pressure. We have received so much positive feedback.

Thank you.

Katherine Pascoe - Principal

Orewa Beach School

September 15 2021

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

You will have seen and heard in the media, talk of moving the school holidays forward and some statements about schools versus parents on this issue.

Our School has not been involved in any of these discussions and we don’t choose to be.

This sort of discussion could unfortunately create a divide where at the moment we all need to come together for our children, this is what matters most.

More than anything we need to work together right now.

There will be pro’s and con’s no matter what the Ministry decides about the holidays, we will all have different opinions. All of this is ok.

What we do know is that whatever is decided we are committed to the best possible outcomes for your children, our children, whatever is decided we will do with a great attitude!

“He waka eke noa”

Thanks as always for your support,

Katherine Pascoe - Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We hope you manage to switch off over the coming weekend and enjoy some quiet time!

We will be in touch with you after the announcement on Monday as soon as possible.

Please wait until you receive a letter from us with instructions on what, if anything needs to be done before you get in touch.

This way we can quickly get all the information we need and make plans as fast as we can, to make school as safe as we can, for the students that need to be there.

Warm regards,

Katherine Pascoe - Principal

Orewa Beach School

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We have had a few enquiries about Alert Level 3 at school.

On Monday the 13th of September we will get an update from the Prime Minister about Alert Levels for Auckland.

We will get information out to you as soon as we practically can after this announcement.

We usually manage to do this within half an hour of an update.

We are deliberately waiting until we know when we will be moving to Alert Level 3, and what that looks like for Auckland schools

The message below was sent last week.

Alert Level 3

What this will look like for Auckland Schools is still being decided between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.

With Delta being so much more contagious we need to look carefully at how this will operate to keep staff and students all safe, this is difficult at Alert Level 3 with young children.

It will be much safer to continue to work from home if you can or extend your bubble to look after children in homes (as requested by the Ministry)

Where this is not possible for essential workers' children, we will of course be open. We will await further instructions when we get to there and get information out to you as quickly as possible.

We know some of you will be anxious about what Alert Level 3 will look like especially if it involves your children coming to school (essential workers children).

At Alert level 3 we will have a health and safety plan in place, we will follow all Ministry practices and procedures as soon as they give them to us and we will action them.

The Ministry gives us 24-48 hours to get everything in place and ready at school after a decision is made before we open.

If you are an essential worker and are worried about your child attending school at Alert Level 3 you do have the opportunity to extend your bubble and include another adult to care for your children if you can.

Take care and stay safe,

Katherine Pascoe - Principal

Orewa Beach School