Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu: Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar. It is never too late to learn a new skill, to try new things.
Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste and Kumusta. Greetings to everyone at Te Aratai College and our wider Te Aratai community.
This article contains sections on:
- Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day: Monday 26 Sept
- NCEA: senior days remaining before exams
- Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
- Covid – mask wearing
- Covid – positive cases
- Covid – household contacts
- Covid – high-risk members of the community
Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day
New Zealand will mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with a one-off public holiday on Monday 26 September 2022. This means that all state and state-integrated schools and kura will be closed on this day.
NCEA: senior days remaining before exams
Mr Osborne led a recent assembly with our senior students on NCEA both our progress in internal assessments and preparing for the exams. At that time it was 31 school days until the external exams start. It is now 26 days, not an impossibly small number, but certainly a motivating one.
And that is what is happening with nearly every senior student I talk with. They know how many assessments they have to go and what they need to do for their pass, their merit or their excellence. However that is nearly every senior student I talk with. There are also some who urgently need to be thinking this way and we endeavour to gently steer their thoughts in this.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
This week, 12-18 September 2022 is a week to celebrate te reo Māori, its history, and support its survival as an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. This year is extra special as today marks the 50th anniversary of the Māori Language Petition, the event that led to te Wiki o te Reo Māori and many of the other kaupapa recognised today.
Is te reo Māori growing in our school? Yes, it most certainly is. One of the many joys of teaching at LCŌ is that we have students and staff who are expert in te reo Māori and some who are fluent. This is something that should celebrated and supported, and we do, but is it enough in itself? Of course not. We all have a responsibility under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, our country’s founding document, to support the growth of the reo, of the language.
It is about sharing something that is uniquely precious to us as a bi-cultural nation, the taonga-the precious treasure that it is.
I have written this because one of the joys of Te Wiki o te reo Māori is that it celebrates any steps, even baby-steps like mine through to our experts. Pai tū, pai hinga! Give it a go!
Covid – mask wearing
Masks are no longer strongly recommended in school settings.
- Masks continue to be one of a number of tools that can be used to minimise spread of infectious illnesses in the community.
- The school will continue to support students and staff who choose to keep wearing as this may be very sensible for these individual’s circumstances.
- The school will retain our existing stock of masks in case they are needed in the future or to issue them to our school community as needed.
- More information on masks is on the Ministry of Health website: https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/covid-19-use-face-masks-community#worn
Covid – positive cases
People with COVID-19 must continue to self-isolate for seven days.
Covid – household contacts
- Household contacts, including those who have not had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, do not need to isolate for seven days.
- Household contacts are recommended to test daily for five days from when the case in their household tests positive and wear a mask when they are out. If they subsequently test positive, they will be considered a ‘case’ and be required to complete seven days of isolation.
- Household contacts who have COVID-19 symptoms should stay home regardless of the result of their rapid antigen test (RAT).
- More information on masks is on the Ministry of Health website: COVID-19: Information for household and close contacts – Ministry of Health
Covid – high-risk members of the community
The Ministry of Health reminds us of the continuing protections which include:
- free vaccinations
- free boosters for eligible people
- free P2/N95 masks for eligible people
- free RATs (rapid antigen tests)
- free antiviral medication for eligible people, including widening eligibility criteria to all New Zealanders 65 and over, all Māori and Pacific peoples aged 50 and over and those with three high-risk medication conditions.
- New criteria can be found at: COVID-19 medicines – Ministry of Health. Further information for those at higher risk – Ministry of Health
Schools can be complicated places.
There are many staff available to assist if whānau have a particular question. Contacting me can also be arranged through the office or my direct email is en@linwoodcollege.school.nz
My door is open.
Ngā mihi nui
Richard Edmundson
Tumuaki-Principal
