Dear Parents,

As mentioned in my video, at this stage we only have Invercargill Campus ‘opening’ next week and we have very low student numbers attending. There are no students attending Timaru or Dunedin Campuses and so these campuses will remain closed and staff will continue to work from home. Staff that have been approved to work from home will continue to deliver the same high quality teaching programmes that they have been.

I thought it would be good for me to outline a few things that will be different from what we normally do on campus, so that parents and students are very clear about what it will ‘look like’. These criteria/conditions will remain in place while under Alert level 3 conditions. Please remember that any application for a student to attend school must be submitted via the smartsheet and then approved by the CA team. The Government guidelines around only students whose parents have no other option but to send their students to school still remain. We remain committed to providing ‘on site’ schooling for those that absolutely need it.

In order to ensure the safety of those students and our staff who do come to school, we will be operating with a strict enforcement of health and safety measures:

• Come into school ready for a 8:40 am start, and finish at 3.00pm. Wednesday will a normal 2:10pm finish
• Be in a supervised class of 5 students or less with social distancing observed. The desk and space assigned to the student will need to remain the same for the entire Alert level 3 period while in class. This is needed in case any tracing is needed at some stage.
• Continue with online learning - they will be doing the same work as students who are learning from home. They will therefore need their device and ear/headphones. No active teaching will be done by the supervising teacher.
• It is likely that the supervising teacher may not be the students ‘usual teacher’
• Be required to be in uniform. Please dress warmly as classroom doors and windows where possible will be open. As there is no Phys Ed, this clothing will not be required.
• Need to stay home if they are unwell at any stage.
• Need to bring enough food and drink for the day. The canteen will not be open during Alert Level 3. Water fountains will also not be operational.
• Stay within segregated areas during breaks. 

Thanks again for all you help and support in these unique times! Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any stage with questions or concerns.

“We are loving working on zoom here in the Invercargill Junior class, especially when we have our younger siblings join in on the fun!”

A day in the life of Saffron Taylor during lockdown

6:00am – wakeup, have a coffee and do a workout/run to stimulate my brain and wake me up.

7:00am – organise my day, work out what work I need to get done during the day, organise my desk, make my bed etc.

8:00am – eat breakfast with another coffee

8:40am-3:00pm – usual school day, getting to class on time and prepared for each lesson.

10:30am – take a break and go outside for a bit.

12:30am – lunch break for a healthy lunch to keep me awake and rejuvenated.

3:30pm – take a break and do some drawing, baking or go for a walk

5:00pm – get back into schoolwork for another hour or so.

6:45pm – take the rest of the evening off to rest my brain and maybe read a book for a couple of hours.

10:30pm – do some yoga and get to bed for a good nights sleep.

Doing school from home has been interesting. I find it a lot easier to focus as there are no distractions around to put me off whatever it is that I am doing. Earlier last week, I received a very pleasing mark that I think proves that working from home works for me. I have nobody in my year at our campus anyway so it doesn’t make much difference to my school work whether I’m at home or school. During morning teas and lunch times I often run down to a place called Frasers Gully for a change of scenery and some fresh air. I have just recently taken an interest in photography, so I’ve been playing round with camera stuff as well. I am enjoying the P.E periods from home because I have more activity choices than I usually do at school. I can run, walk or bike in several different tracks or areas, or if it’s raining, use the gym we have in our garage for weight lifting or doing HIIT workouts or whatever it is that I feel like doing. 

Tara Senior

As part of our senior PE programme the students have been challenged to come with some innovative trick shots at home. They are then asked to film their shot and share these. Already some students have come up with some awesome and very imaginative ideas.

If students visit the South Year 7-13 PE CANVAS Page there are lots of resources there, including videos that will give students some great ideas. The trick shot challenge is designed to keep students physically and mentally active, whilst also encouraging plenty of creativity.

Attached are a couple of very impressive videos created by Toby Irvine, Jekyl and Iarnon Boakes.

Also if students check the PE page there are also opportunities to do some online physical activity with Mrs Black and Mr Taylor.

"Positive attitude help us to think positive in adverse circumstances which help us to face the challenges"

Anurag Prakash Ray