School Newsletter – 4 August 2020

Dear Parents 

Thank you for the way that you, the learning community of Kohimarama School, responded to our broken mains water pipe last week. I realise that this was an unexpected interruption to schooling and your lives. 

As a school we did our best to remedy the problem but it became apparent that this was going to be difficult. Our contractors worked solidly on Thursday and we held out as long as possible before the decision had to be made to close on Friday as well. Thankfully the broken pipe was located in the senior playground at 1.5m deep. Given the location and in particular the obstacles around the playground, the contractor had to work manually without the large equipment that is normally used in these situations. This pipe has been fixed and the Ministry of Education advised. 

The school is 99 years old and as part of our discussion about future building development, infrastructure renewals are also being discussed.  Due to the age and layout of the school we are unable to isolate parts of the water system. This can only be shut off at the road for the whole school.

With no water for toilets, hand washing, drinking etc, this provided a health and safety issue for the school. Closure is not taken lightly by the school and both the Ministry of Education and Board of Trustees are involved in this decision. 

On Wednesday afternoon, teachers were able to set students up to continue learning remotely from home. COVID 19 helped to set up this continuity plan for learning. Thank you to students and teachers for being agile and able to quickly shift into another mode of learning. 

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Family Zone – cyber safety meeting

Thank you to those who came to our meeting on Cyber safety last week. We had a small number of parents attend and this was a little disappointing given the topical nature of device use by students in New Zealand schools.

The school views cyber safety as an important component of learning and of the use of devices at Kohimarama School. Family Zone is a tool that directly supports this. In partnership with families we want students to be safe wherever they are online. If you would like to receive the invitation to partner with school on FamilyZone, please email ITSuppport@kohimarama.school.nz

Cross Country

We look forward to seeing family and friends come along tomorrow to Cross Country down at Madills Farm. Times are down the bottom of the newsletter, please allow time on either side of your childs race to ensure you are there when they run. The weather is looking cloudy but fine for tomorrow, perfect for running.