Ōtaki College Newsletter
Ōtaki College Newsletter
April 30
April 30
Embedded Files
From the Board Chair:
From the Board Chair:
‘Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia o tātou mahi’. 'Let the uniqueness of your child guide your work’
‘Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia o tātou mahi’. 'Let the uniqueness of your child guide your work’
Tēnei te mihi manaaki ki a koutou katoa e noho haumaru ana i o koutou kainga, koianei te wā hei whakaruruhau i o tātou whānau, hapū, Iwi, me te hāpori hoki.
Each of us deal with change and challenge in different ways, I’ve found it interesting to see how differently my four children have managed throughout the last five weeks, and with an unpredictable amount of time to go their biggest desire is to see friends and whānau.
As parents we all want our children to be happy and well grounded, this time has allowed us to reflect on what this means to us as a whānau. Te whare tapawha teaches us that balance is essential to wellbeing, te taha tinana (physical), te taha hinengaro (mental), te taha wairua (emotional), te taha whānau (family) are all equally important.
As parents we know our children better than anyone else, their unique traits, interests, strengths and weaknesses and now we have an opportunity to share our skills and knowledge with them and to engage in their interests, to learn from them and to learn together.
Our children will remember this time forever, so making this time positive and building on your capacity as a whānau will give them skills to manage the challenges ahead and ensure they have the capacity to adapt to change.
Enjoy the opportunity you have to learn alongside your children, our young people are bright, inquisitive and have so much to offer, we can learn just as much from them as they can from us, we all have skills and something to share that our children will never learn at school.
‘Ko ngā rangatahi ngā rangatira o āpopo’
Our young people are the leaders of the future
Manaakitia mai tōu whānau,
Dale Nakhla
From the Principal:
From the Principal:
“The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy” – Martin Luther King
“The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy” – Martin Luther King
Term Two
Term Two
Welcome back to Term Two and Alert Level 3. While not a lot has changed from Level 4, I do hope that this decrease in the Alert level signals to you that the hard work and some of the sacrifices we are all making is making a difference in our fight with Covid 19.
Under Level 3 Alert there have been no students who have identified as needing onsite supervision. As a result of this the Senior Leadership Team and some administration and grounds staff are the only ones currently at the College on a regular basis. Our teaching staff remain focused on providing online learning at home. The very positive responses we received to our survey indicate that this is going well. My sincere thanks to all whānau who responded to the survey - this was really helpful to us, particularly as we had a 90% response rate.
Thank you also for your responses to my text today. If you responded with issues that need to be addressed, we will be in contact shortly.
Should any family's circumstances change in regard to the accessing of online learning or the need for supervision at the College, please do not hesitate to contact me on afs@otakicollege.school.nz or 027 4328829.
Hard Copy Resources and Internet Support
Hard Copy Resources and Internet Support
Some students will be receiving hard copy year level work from the Ministry of Education. This is either because a caregiver has requested it or a teacher has requested it for a student who is not able to engage in online work.
For families who have let us know that they need internet connection support, these details have been given to the Ministry.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing
While online learning is important and we would encourage students to participate, foremost in our mind is the wellbeing of whānau so if you are experiencing any difficulties or require any support, please do not hesitate to make contact.
I encourage students to keep engaged in their learning, take breaks and enjoy some physical exercise. Remember to stay in your bubble, keep your distance from others not in your bubble and wash your hands frequently. We have to continue to stay safe and keep others safe.
On a lighter note, not everything has been hard work - Matua Sam is has acquired new skills over the lockdown period - check them out!
In Closing
In Closing
I want to congratulate you all on your efforts to keep engaged with your education but most of all for doing your part to help New Zealand beat Covid 19.
Take care.
Kia Kaha, Kia Maia, Kia Manawanui!
College Notices:
College Notices:
Important Dates to Diary
Important Dates to Diary
Full details remain available on the school website calendar. However, all dates are subject to postponement/cancellation in line with the Government's COVID-19 Lockdown rules.
Useful Links
Useful Links
Link to Class Sites for On-Line Learning
Government COVID-19 Website
Ministry of Education COVID-19 Updates
School TV Special Report: Wellbeing Checklist for Secondary
Community Notices:
Community Notices:
KCDC Welfare Support Number
KCDC Welfare Support Number
Kia ora,
Anyone needing urgent support can call the Kāpiti Coast Council call centre on 0800 486 486, and they’ll be directed through to the Council’s welfare support team who will be ready to help.
Coast residents struggling to get essentials like food and medication because of COVID-19 can now call a new Council welfare support number, says Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan.
“We recognise that there are people in our community that are on their own, have underlying health issues that make them vulnerable or don’t have family or friends nearby to help.
“The Council welfare support line is there to make sure our residents most in need have access to food, clothing, and other essential items to keep them healthy, safe and warm,” says Mayor Gurunathan.
“Our welfare support team is well connected with community support groups in Kāpiti who know our community well and are best placed to help those in need.”
The Mayor says the new number is only for those in our community who don’t have a support network and it’s important it’s used with care.
“We’re asking those that can lean on their family, friends and neighbours to get them essential supplies do so to ensure our resources can be directed to those that need our support the most.
The helpline will be staffed between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week.
Mayor Gurunathan says we’re all in this together and the best way to help those most in need is by sticking to the rules.
“We have one job to do Kāpiti so let’s do the right thing by our community and stay home and save lives.”
To learn about support available through Government agencies go to
https://covid19.govt.nz/ or call the free government helpline on 0800 779 997 (8am to 1am, seven days a week).
For health advice call Healthline free on 0800 611 116.
Kia ora,
Anyone needing urgent support can call the Kāpiti Coast Council call centre on 0800 486 486, and they’ll be directed through to the Council’s welfare support team who will be ready to help.
Coast residents struggling to get essentials like food and medication because of COVID-19 can now call a new Council welfare support number, says Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan.
“We recognise that there are people in our community that are on their own, have underlying health issues that make them vulnerable or don’t have family or friends nearby to help.
“The Council welfare support line is there to make sure our residents most in need have access to food, clothing, and other essential items to keep them healthy, safe and warm,” says Mayor Gurunathan.
“Our welfare support team is well connected with community support groups in Kāpiti who know our community well and are best placed to help those in need.”
The Mayor says the new number is only for those in our community who don’t have a support network and it’s important it’s used with care.
“We’re asking those that can lean on their family, friends and neighbours to get them essential supplies do so to ensure our resources can be directed to those that need our support the most.
The helpline will be staffed between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week.
Mayor Gurunathan says we’re all in this together and the best way to help those most in need is by sticking to the rules.
“We have one job to do Kāpiti so let’s do the right thing by our community and stay home and save lives.”
To learn about support available through Government agencies go to
https://covid19.govt.nz/ or call the free government helpline on 0800 779 997 (8am to 1am, seven days a week).
For health advice call Healthline free on 0800 611 116.
Public Health Nurse Service
Public Health Nurse Service
Learning at Home :
Learning at Home :
Internet Safety
Internet Safety
Keeping on line safe
We would encourage parents, caregivers and whānau to discuss internet safety with your children - of all ages. You should agree with your children what they can do online including sites they can visit and appropriate behaviours including:
reviewing and approving games and apps before they are downloaded
reviewing privacy settings of sites and applications
checking children’s profiles and what they are posting online
check the sites your child is accessing
reminding children that anything that is posted online will be permanently on the internet
taking the time to understand what sites they are visiting and who they are talking with and check in regularly
some social media sites have age restrictions to join, check these before letting your child use them or join them
monitoring a child’s use of the internet and consider having them use it in an open, common area of the house
making sure your children know to report any activity they don’t feel comfortable with to parents and caregivers straight away.
This is a link to useful safety tips put together by Manaiakalani and Te Reanga Ipurangi.
There is a unique opportunity during the lockdown of families going out together, albeit it close to home, but if your child is going out on their own it’s still important to check where they are going.
Netsafe continues to be available to provide you and your parent and caregiver community with support for online safety. They have information for parents and caregivers and have pulled together their top tips for online safety during the lockdown. To report an incident To Netsafe - https://www.netsafe.org.nz/reportanincident/
If you think a child in your care is the victim of online exploitation or abuse, report it to Police - if you or a child are in danger or a crime is being committed, call 111 or visit your nearest Police Station immediately.
If we all work together to make sure children are safe online, we can make the internet a great tool for people of all ages.
Ministry of Education Tips
Ministry of Education Tips
Information is available on the Ministry's Learning from home website. Instructions for the specific device a child uses can be accessed directly at switchonsafety.co.nz.
Distance learning information in multiple languages
Distance learning information in multiple languages
Distance learning information in multiple languages
Resources to help families support their children and young people with distance learning are now available on the Ministry website including this information in the following languages:
Health and Wellbeing At Home:
Health and Wellbeing At Home:
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