28 May, 2020
Teenaa koutou e te whaanau,
A few key reminders for you to reinforce at home e hoa maa.
- It is incredibly important that any students who are unwell remain at home. The advice we have at this time is clear – even if it’s a runny nose or a cough – students must stay at home.
- Aakonga must bring their own water bottle with them to kura. They can refill this from the water fountains but can not drink straight from the water fountain.
- Kai can be purchased from the canteen. Orders can be placed via the Whare Hokokai facebook page. This is the preferred option as it is faster and more convenient for aakonga and it also helps manage physical distancing. https://www.facebook.com/Tewharehokokai
- Food and drink must not be shared.
- Physical distancing is important – one metre is the recommended guidance at kura.
- Hoongi, hariru, pakia te ringa etc should be avoided. –
- Kei oo taatou ringa te oranga tonutanga o te iwi – washing and drying hands thoroughly is still our best form of protection.
Uniform
Aakonga must wear correct uniform from June 2. We are now fully stocked with school polo tops.
There has been a definite drop in temperature in the past two weeks so please ensure your tamaiti/tamariki have the correct jersey and/or jacket to keep warm.
Boys can wear their black dress pants from their number one uniform and must also wear black shoes. Wearing black dress pants with sandals, or socks and sandals, is not permitted. The school polo top can still be worn. Girls can wear black tights. As with the boys they must also wear flat soled, covered shoes – wearing sandals with tights is not permitted.
Aakonga will be able to wear these items until Labour Weekend (October 26).
Hoodies (including the kura hoody) are not a part of our day uniform. Jerseys and two jacket options are available from the tari. Incorrect uniform items will be taken from aakonga and they will have to collect these from the tari at the end of the day.
If you require uniform for your tamaiti this can still be purchased at the office. You will need to supply sizes. Uniform items like polo shirts will not be able to be tried on for size before purchase because of Covid-19 restrictions.
If there is a valid reason why you can not provide the correct uniform for your tamaiti at this time please ensure you communicate this clearly. A note must be provided and students can collect a uniform pass from the tari or their kaiaarahi. Passes are valid for 48 hours. Ultimately communication is key e hoa maa – we understand that the past two months have been challenging for all so please let us know if there are any valid reasons why your tamaiti does not have the correct uniform. We have limited supplies of second-hand items but we may be able to support in this way.
Haakinakina
Some sports practices will resume next week. These will be limited under Alert Level 2 conditions.
It is vitally important that all players, parents and coaches understand the responsibility we all have as we re-engage in our haakinakina.
Sporting codes are providing guidance and we are using this to develop our own tikanga to keep everyone safe and build our confidence. This information will be provided via the teachers in charge of sport and our Sports Coordinator, Matua Romana.
The key point is that it will only take one breach of these tikanga and this will jeopardize our ability to practice.
Attendance
Please notify the tari – (07) 850 6358 – if your child is ill or not attending. Make sure you explain clearly why your child is not at kura so we can mark our attendance accordingly. Remember, if your child is sick – has a cold or runny nose etc – they should not attend kura. Please keep them home.
Devices
If your tamaiti has received either a kura device or a device supplied by Ministry please return these to kura. Devices and chargers must be returned to the main reception area. Aakonga will be able to sign these off as the serial numbers were recorded when they were issued.
If you have any questions about any of the information in this letter do not hesitate to contact me.
Ngā manaakitanga e te iwi,
Duane Allen, Tumuaki
