Kia Ora Whanau

I hope you are all safe and well in your bubble. A huge thank you for all the support you have given us at home in ensuring our students are on task as much as possible.

This afternoon we received confirmation that New Zealand regions south of Auckland’s regional boundary will shift into Alert Level 3 at 11:59pm Tuesday 31 August and will stay in Alert Level 3 for a period of one week, with review on Monday 6 September.

For all of us in Auckland, we will stay in Alert Level 4 for a further two weeks until Monday 13 September, while Northland will remain in Alert Level 4 until at least 11:59pm this Thursday 2 September.

While we are focused on delivering excellent learning programmes online for now, we are also conscious that we need to be thinking about the best possible outcomes for all students, given that Term 3 is a crucial term, particularly for our Seniors. Already NCEA exams have been shifted to 2 weeks later in Term 4. Unfortunately many sports events have already been cancelled and we will have to look at our own list of school events to see whether they can proceed or not. 

It is very important that we continue to work together so our rangatahi stay engaged, focused and most importantly connected to each other over this period.

Hopefully now every one of our students has a device and is set up to work from home. The ability for us to deliver devices was granted through an exemption from the Ministry of Health – ‘School staff can go on-site to prepare hard-pack materials and/or digital devices, for distribution by courier or through staff distribution, to the homes of children and ākonga (in accordance with the COVID-19 Health Response Order)’. 

We certainly were not in a position to make this decision ourselves, however we were very happy to be able to deliver devices to our students and we appreciate that it has been welcomed by many families. Protocols such as wearing of masks and keeping a distance were adhered to. 

Please note Mr. Fihaki and Mr Ryan have created a ‘Wesley College Lockdown Challenge’ to engage our students during these trying times. To make this challenge successful please mention this and encourage your children to participate. If your daring enough you may wish to join in!

Auckland Zoo and Auckland Museum also have some amazing online exhibits to enjoy.

I understand parents and students may feel uncomfortable or anxious about the eventual return to the classroom given the nature of the Delta variant. It’s important to remember that throughout this pandemic the Government has taken a health-led, precautionary approach, so that if we move down Alert Levels it will only be if it is safe to do so and the settings will support good health and safe practice.

I encourage you to stay in touch with your child’s learning coach, subject teachers or Dean. We are all here to help. Our Counsellors, Youth Worker and Pastoral Care team are easy to access should you need them. Remember that children will need a balance of school work and down time, plus some exercise and fun as well.

Stay in touch and stay safe. 

Ngā mihi nui
Dr Brian Evans
ONZM
BA, Dip Tch, MEd, PhD
Principal