Back to school, but with a difference

“Wednesday 15 April sees the start of the revised term two for the year, and though schools and playgrounds remain closed under Alert Level 4, the school-work is set continue,” says Craig Campbell-Smart, Taranaki Civil Defence Group Controller.

“Many of our region’s educators have done a fantastic job to get online learning activities out to their students over the last few weeks, and this has been a huge benefit to many bubbles to help maintain routine and continuity.”

“From tomorrow this work will be supplemented by a range of central resources to support learning and help schools and parents to deliver the curriculum remotely.”

Working closely with schools, the Ministry of Education has developed a package of resources to help deliver learning at home. These include online learning channels, helping identify and support students to access devices, internet connectivity or hard copy learning materials, and even two specialist television channels.

“If you have any issues or concerns around your child’s learning, get in touch with your school. If you have difficulty contacting your child’s school or the teacher doesn’t contact you, please get in touch with your nearest office of the Ministry of Education.”

“It’s important to be patient though, as moving our nation’s education provision to a remote model is a huge task, and there are varied requirements of remote learning.

Ministry of Education information on Term 2 is available here: https://www.education.govt.nz/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-3/(external link)

Here's what we all need to do during Alert Level 4:

• Stay at home as much as you can.
• If you do venture beyond home, stay in your neighbourhood and stay in your bubble.
• Keep a 2-metre distance from people who are not part of your bubble.
• Only drive to get essential supplies, such as groceries or visiting the pharmacy.
• Help our emergency services by only doing safe activities.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap.