The Prime Minister has confirmed the move to Alert Level 3 on Wednesday 22 September, 2021. Once again, thank you for the work you are all doing within your bubble with supporting learning and keeping our community safe by testing if you or anyone in your bubble has cold or flu like symptoms and taking the opportunity to get a vaccination.
LEARNING In Alert Level 3 Online Learning From Home continues in its current form, as the College remains closed with the exception of for Year 9 and 10 students of essential workers.
Year 9 & 10 Children Of Essential Workers We will have supervised classrooms available from Wednesday onwards where students will be doing online learning only. Students attending must be in school uniform, bring a packed lunch, a water bottle/drink, online learning device, and a face mask. No school buses operate under Level 3. The supervised classes are from 8:30am - 3:00pm and students can enter the College through Gate 1 by the staffroom/bikebay.
As outlined, the opportunity for good learning continues and will be ongoing until the end of term.
On our return to school in Term 4, we will still have our internal school practice exams and we will give you details for those. These practice exams are important for students to prepare for the external exams to be held later in term 4. They allow teachers to gather evidence on assessments. This evidence may be needed to make decisions later.
The External Exams start on 22 November, 2021.
Weekly Report Cards will still be issued on Saturdays. You will have received another Learning-From-Home Information for Parents which will give you a summary of the class work coming up for approximately the last two weeks of term. Remember that each teacher provides the learning for the week every Monday to your tamariki and mokopuna’s Google Classroom. Support your son or daughter by discussing the work they are receiving.
Make sure you engage in your Google Classroom work to your best level as teachers are using every opportunity to gather evidence for assessment as aspects of Senior Assessment. If you engage and take control of even small aspects of your learning it has positive outcomes.
Congratulations to students in the Learning-from-homeClass(es) of the Week: 9W Science, 10C English, PE101, 9P Social Studies, Year 9 Samoan, Health101, 9PFA Drama, Service Academy 303 and Te Reo Maori ‘Team fried bread”! Well done and the profiles are on the website HERE
CARING & HAUORA Dr Hinemoa Elder and neuroscience specialist Nathan Wallis talk about how best to support your whānau in times such as these.You can watch this HERE The ‘Tips from Waitak students for Waitak students’ is now on our website HERE. Check it out. Also check out our instagram page HERE for all the activities that are going on.
Once again I refer you to Our College Counsellors who are available via email: [email protected] and I include the Youthline number 0800 376 633 for your reference, or text 1737 for any guidance needs that may occur.
Flexibility is the key to how you and we all operate at this time. So please use your Online Learning Planner to manage your workload as you go through each week and manage breaks for physical walks and activities away from learning. Take regular breaks.
YEAR 10 - CHOOSING SUBJECTS FOR YEAR 11 - 2022 While focussing mostly on the present situation we would like Year 10 students to complete choosing 2022 subjects this week. A reminder that this is done online via the school portal. An email has been sent to parents explaining how choices can be made. The same information was also shared with students via Google Classroom.
Our Celebration Events such as Sports Awards, Arts and Culture Awards, Mana Maori Awards, Pasifika Awards and Senior Prizegiving will still be held in some form and will be confirmed as we go through Alert Levels. The Senior Dinner has been shifted to 18 November, 2021.
FOODBANK ACCESS With so many of our community in self isolation it is important to know some of our local agencies who can provide support for contactless drive in food pick up at this time. Some that we use as a College are:
Enrichment for excellence programmes for the gifted and talented. The aim of our Shine enrichment for excellence programme, is to ensure our gifted and talented students, who already stand out really shine and achieve their academic and personal potential.
Our Key Objectives
High achievement
Innovation
Nurturing
Excellence
Success
Our Approach
Enrichment classes 9A, 9S, 10A and 10S are streamed core classes for our more able academic students providing a differentiated and challenging curriculum enhanced by varied enrichment activities. These range from small workshops to trips, guest speakers or exploring new skills
Cross-curricular topics to enrich and give deeper learning. Study in greater depth and wider context, with recognition of the faster pace at which more able students acquire knowledge
Explicit teaching of thinking skills and transferable learning strategies; improving performance by understanding how we learn and strategies to become more effective performers
Individual planning for achievement and development. Developing abilities to focus, set goals and exceed them
Special provision for students identified as having talent in a specific area; subject areas, arts, culture, sports, leadership.
Waitākere College
42 Rathgar Rd
