Proverbs 16:3
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
As you are aware due to COVID-19 our school site is now closed and as a result we have moved to remote/online learning as from Thursday, 26 March 2020. Please note that the school holidays have now been brought forward and commenced on Monday, 30 March 2020 and will conclude on Tuesday,
14 April 2020. Students at Middleton Grange School will be taught by remote/online learning until further notice and Term 2 will start from Wednesday, 15 April 2020.
Our staff have worked incredibly hard to prepare for this situation, and you can be assured that your child’s learning is a priority for us, as is their waiora and safety. However, it is important to be aware that as this is an unprecedented event and despite our most thorough planning, there are likely to be some initial teething problems and challenges for us as we work together with you and your child/ren to ensure positive learning outcomes.
Please note below a list of important information that all parents/caregivers/whanau should know about this move to remote/online learning.
- Our priorities
Psalm 124:8
“Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Our priority as a Christian School community is first and foremost to honour and trust in God, especially during these very uncertain times. It is our prayer as a staff that we may support and serve you and your children during this time of lockdown so that we ALL can bring ‘glory to God’.
- The New Normal:
Please keep checking on your child/ren to ensure they have a healthy balance of schoolwork, physical activity, rest and recreation. You, as parents have a key role to play during this time of lockdown and can I encourage you to maintain your family devotions and positivity as this will have great benefit for your children.
- Microsoft 365 (Teams, OneNote) will be our consistent base for all online learning for Year 7-13
All learning activities, to do lists for the week, links to video conferencing and assignments will be either emailed or posted to your child’s Microsoft OneNote or Teams. This will be a consistent platform across the school and should be both your and your child’s first port of call for all their learning. Please ask them to show you this platform.
- The weekly structure for your child’s learning
At the start of each week, each of your child’s teachers will email or post all of the work and important time slots for the week. This will include:
- What activities they will be working on
- Any assignments that are due
- The dates and times of any face to face lessons, video conferences or livestreams
- How they can receive feedback for that week
- He Waka Eke Noa – We’re all in this together
Ephesians 4:16
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
As mentioned above this will be a big change for you and your family, and your support will go a long way to ensuring your child’s learning carries on successfully. Below is a list of practical measures you can do to help support your child during this time:
- Try to establish a clear routine, start time, breaks, etc for the day.
- Set up a consistent and comfortable learning space – ideally this will be a public family space, and if possible, a space where you are able to monitor your child’s learning.
- Try to encourage regular breaks, healthy nutrition and exercise to help break up screen and work times.
- Take an interest in what your child is learning this week, ask to see their OneNote or Teams and ask what work they are doing today, what assignments they have due and what support they might need.
- Most importantly of all, spend regular time in prayer and reading God’s word together.
- On-line behaviour/expectations
The school rules for interacting with teachers and students still apply, even though learning is occurring remotely – and we have high expectations for this. It is important for students to show high levels of respect in all their actions and to ensure they comply with the school’s cyber safety and digital use agreement. It is also very important that when engaging in video conferences or online classroom environments, both student’s attire and background environment is appropriate and fit for purpose.
- Needing help – Contacting Staff
If you have questions that can’t be answered by the school’s website or by asking your child to show them their OneNote or Teams, you are able to contact staff directly via email. However, please remember that our staff are in lockdown with their families too and are also having to manage their own personal circumstances. This means there may be a longer delay in them responding to your inquiry than usual.
- Needing help – School Guidance Staff are available to support students
Our counsellors are checking their emails daily – and will respond to you directly by email. Be assured, that all conversations will be kept confidential.
Guidance Team contacts are:
Mr Mike Coleman m.coleman@middleton.school.nz
Mrs Anne Aitken a.aitken@middleton.school.nz
- NCEA guidelines for Year 11 – 13 Students
- Check school emails and TeamsOneNote on a regular basis (at least once a day) for work that is being set in each class and try to keep up with this. This will reduce stress levels when the student returns to school.
- Where possible, students should continue with their internal assessments online to meet the original deadlines. Any changes to assessments or dates will be communicated to students by their individual teachers via Teams/OneNote or email.
- The use of OneNote is encouraged as this allows teachers to check in with students easily for feedback. As a school we MUST ensure the authenticity of any work that a student submits. OneNote gives a teacher the ability to check the revision history and ensure the work is in the student’s own words. A student may be required to have a short meeting with the classroom teacher on their return to ensure they have the understanding they are exhibiting in their written work.
- If your child is ill and unable to complete an assessment, please notify the school of the student’s illness and inability to complete the assessment. You should contact your child’s subject teacher about this. This must come from the parent’s email, not the students.
- If the student does not have the ability to work from home for technical reasons such as no access to a device or internet, they need to contact Mr Dean McKenzie, our Director of e-Learning as soon as possible d.mckenzie@middleton.school.nz.
- Students with special assessment conditions should continue with assessment where possible. If they are having any issues, please contact the classroom teacher in the first instance, or Mrs Kathy McAuley via email.
As you can appreciate this information may well change over time and we will send out any updates via email or our school website as we get them from NZQA.
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Blessings
Mike Vannoort
Principal
