Hybrid Learning

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Friday marked the first full day of school for all of our students. It was encouraging  to see so many students wearing their masks. We are providing another layer of protection and supporting a culture of care for students, staff and others through wearing our masks. Students are adjusting well to this new experience. However, masks do not need to be worn when students are outside at breaks and lunchtime. Any student who has an exemption should contact Ms Denzler melissa.denzler@wegc.school.nz‍

As we come to terms with life in the red setting, I want to assure you that school will continue to remain open. We have developed a continuity plan encompassing a variety of strategies to ensure that learning will continue. A hybrid approach to learning has been developed that will allow students to stay connected with their teachers and their peers whether they are isolating and learning from home or here at school. We also know how important it is for us to have a strong sense of connection and we are looking at creative ways to build community and maintain whanaungatanga in a digital environment.‍

Hybrid Teaching and learning framework ‍

A hybrid approach to teaching and learning combines face-to-face and online teaching into one. This enables teachers and students to be online or face to face simultaneously. 

Teachers through their lesson planning will engage with students who are at school and those who are isolating at home. Students working from home will spend some of the time working independently on tasks provided by the teacher. At other times they will be working online with students and/or the teachers who are here on site. 

Students will follow their usual timetable whether they are at home or at school. Teachers are currently setting up their Google Classrooms. All resources and assignments will be posted in the Google Classroom and you will be invited to be a guardian by your child’s Ako teacher. Guardian rights will give you a weekly summary of assignments in all learning areas. 

We have been working with students to share our expectations of working online. Here is a link to a slide show about our online Netiquette‍

As a parent some of the ways in which you can support your child to make the most of online learning include:

1. Asking  students if they have checked their emails -  This will be where students find notifications from teachers, Google Classroom and Education Perfect notifications. 

2. Ask students to share their daily timetable with you - We recommend that students follow their current routine as they would normally have on a school day - and also include regular breaks and study time in manageable chunks. It is important that students stay hydrated and eat food that will support their brain!​ Make sure they have scheduled variety as well - we are encouraging students to make space for exercise, creativity and device-free time.

3. Where possible, provide a quiet place to work - This should be a space at home that is comfortable, well lit and where they can work without distractions. We prefer that students work on a laptop or computer - phones are too small for long periods of time and not recommended as a learning tool. 

4. Make sure they have a support person - This is a new way of working for a large number of our community. The reality is that many of us, students and adults, need someone to hold us accountable to deadlines. As a parent you may wish to make sure students have a work plan, or see if they have buddied up with students in their class to check in with each other.

For students who can easily spend hours on games or social media, a support person will be essential to ensure good timetable habits and help with managing screen time.‍

Eating outside

To reduce the risk of transmission the Ministry of Education has provided us with some guidance around eating. As masks have to be removed to eat the advice from the MOE is that this should happen outside where there is increased airflow and reduced risk of viral transmission. This includes break times and lunch times. We realise this is not a solution for bad weather and we are making alternative arrangements for when the weather is not fine. ‍

Absences‍

Please notify us of absences before 8.45am by email: absence@wegc.school.nz or by phone 385 8514 ext 848

If your child is sick please notify the absence line indicating the reason.

If your child is isolating at home please notify the absence line and state the duration of the isolation period.

If your child has returned a positive COVID-19 test then please contact principal@wegc.school.nz and call the Main Office 385 8514 

This will enable us to identify which students will be learning at home. 

I know that this may be an unsettling time for some students. If your child needs support or would just like someone to talk things over with please make contact with our Guidance Leader Joy Maehe and the Hauora team: hauora@wegc.school.nz. 

Ngā mihi nui

Gael Ashworth

Principal