A Note from Sherryll

It’s been an unsettling last few days, with the news that there are new cases of COVID-19 in the community. While we’re staying at Level 2, a shift up the alert levels is always on the cards, and so we need to remain ready to make the switch to virtual kindergarten quickly and smoothly should that be required.

The shift to lockdown in August was seamless, and our teaching teams, along with support from their Professional Leaders, did a wonderful job of keeping tamariki and whānau engaged. We’re old-hands at this now, and I know we will continue to take things in our stride and continue to work as a collaborative team that we are.

We continue to do everything we can at Head Office to help ease the load, and are very aware of how much mahi this COVID environment creates, and how long this has been going on. Even at our current Level 2, it’s hard work. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to help keep tamaraki, whānau and communities safe. It never goes unnoticed and we are always very grateful of your ongoing commitment.

While we’re sitting at Level 2 now, we all know how quickly things can change, so this is definitely one of the times you’ll want to make sure you take your laptop, along other necessary items and documentation, home at the end of each day.

With the festive season just around the corner, attention is already being turned to Christmas functions and whānau events. The need for social distancing means these may need to look a bit different this year, depending on what Alert Level we are under at the time. Our Education Team are currently working on providing advice and guidance to you including how we apply the vaccination mandate to performers, Father Christmas, and any other visitors etc, who you may wish to visit the kindergarten to participate in festive season celebrations. We’ll have more for you on this over the next couple of weeks as we continue to seek clarification from the Ministry of Education on a number of matters.

It’s a busy time right now, and lots to think about on top of day-to-day kindergarten life – please take care of yourself and everyone else in your team and don’t forget how important wellbeing is. It continues to be a big focus at Head Office as we do all we can to support you as we head towards the end of the 2021 Kindergarten Year.

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