Notices

School closed Monday 13th & Tuesday 14th Feb.

Updated message from the principal.

Kia Ora Koutou Whanau, we have been closely monitoring this event and the likely impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. Following on from the state of emergency declared by Auckland Emergency Management at 2:20pm today, the Kelston Principals (KBHS, KGC, KPS, SLRP) have met and have informed our boards, that based on the current advice from Auckland Emergency Management and Met Service we have made the decision to close our respective schools over Monday February 13 and Tuesday February 14. We will review things on the evening of Tuesday Feb 14 and inform you of any further developments and decisions at that time.

This decision is made with the safety of staff and students in mind and not taken lightly. Families should continue to monitor and follow all advice from Auckland Emergency Management and regular updates will be sent from the school and updates will be on the school website, Facebook page and via email/text. Again, stay safe, stay connected and take care of one another.

Nga mihi nui

Bert Iosia

SUNDAY 12TH FEB 2023 

Message from the principal.

Malo lava le soifua maua ma le lagi e mama Kerehana whanau and loved ones. I hope this message finds you all safe and well at this time as we prepare for the impact of cyclone Gabrielle. 

This communication is to keep you informed, that our Board and school are actively monitoring this event and all advice from Auckland Emergency Management. As Auckland is still in a state of emergency, Auckland Emergency Management are the lead agency and therefore all advice/direction will come from them and will be communicated to you as soon as we are updated ourselves.

Kelston Intermediate school has procedures to deal with severe weather events and the likely impact not only on the school but also the surrounding areas which may affect the ability for students and staff to get to and from school. Please be assured whanau, that the safety of students and staff is at the forefront of all our decisions. The school will make a decision later today on the response tomorrow which may include a school closure and this notification would go through normal communications channels which will include our Facebook page, our school website and through our email ( and if possible our text) comms with whanau. 

Stay safe, stay connected and take care. God bless.

COVID-19 Update - Monday 12th September

Following the announcement made by Hon Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week, two key things were announced, firstly the one-off PUBLIC HOLIDAY on Monday September 26 to mark the memorial of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Secondly the new COVID-19 protection strategy and what it means for Kelston Intermediate.

New long-term strategy for COVID-19

You’ll be aware that New Zealand will move to a new, long-term approach to COVID-19. These changes have been made based on public health advice and reflect high levels of immunity and declining case numbers across New Zealand.

This new approach will only result in minor changes to the way we operate.

The very positive news is that household contacts of a person with COVID-19 do not need to isolate, but instead are asked to complete a RAT test each day, for five days. Therefore, ākonga who are household contacts but test negative and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, should continue to attend. It is the best place for them to be so they can be engaged in their learning, and connected with their teachers, classmates and friends.

Information on how to get RAT kits can be found here: Request a RAT– Ministry of Health  

Mask wearing is no longer required or strongly recommended in schools. Students and staff can wear masks if they choose, but we do not need to encourage it.

All the other recommended public health measures will stay in place as we know they reduce the spread of infectious illnesses including COVID-19.

Practices for us to hold onto:

1. These include ensuring our indoor spaces are well-ventilated,

2.  maintaining good hand hygiene, 

3. encouraging everyone to cough or sneeze into elbows and, most importantly, 

4. staying home and getting tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Community survey for Master Building Project
for Kelston Intermediate, St Leonard's Primary and Oaklynn special school

Please whanau, note that this survey has nothing to do with the KVP survey done earlier this year. This is for building aspirations at Kelston Intermediate School in the immediate future. Your voice with this 5 minute survey would be most appreciated.  Kelston Intermediate community survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/kelstonintcommunity (Please complete by Friday July 8)

Upcoming Events Update - Wednesday 15th June

A friendly reminder of the following upcoming events please families:

1.      Transition day: Friday June 17. Notices have gone home about our Y8 boys going to Kelston boys’ high school with Mrs Gates and her team and the Y8 girls going to Kelston girls’ college with Mrs Maiava for the day. Our Y7s have been asked to work from home to accommodate the 400 Y6 students coming for our transition day. Thank you families, for your support and understanding, we will share the progress of our day on our Facebook page.

2.      Matariki breakfast: Wednesday June 22 at 6am in our school hall. Today is the cut of day for informing us of numbers attending this event. If students are attending on their own they will still need a signed slip from home because of the early morning start. We look forward to sharing this time with you and celebrating the impending Matariki Day and learning about this event with our students.

3.      Teachers only day: Thursday June 23. No school on this day.

4.      Matariki day: Friday June 24. No school on this day.

5.      Pyjama Day: Friday July 1. Gold coin donation to wear pyjamas to school in support of Ronald McDonald House.

6.      Student led conferences: Tuesday July 5 (1-8pm) and Wednesday July 6 (3:15-5pm) please book online for your session with your child’s teacher.

7.      School Disco: Thursday July 7, Tickets $5. Venue the school hall. Current Kelston Intermediate students only, wearing appropriate mufti. Time 5-8pm (PICK up and collect students from the hall). All proceeds to UNICEF and the Tongan relief effort. (NB Sausage sizzle and water for sale that night to fundraise for Nga Kakano Waitangi trip).

End of Lockdown Exercise - Friday 11th March

Malo Lava le Soifua Kerehana whanau,

Today on Friday March 11 at 9:30am we practised our emergency procedures under the guidance of Harrison Tew ® , who specialise in emergency management planning for schools and educational facilities. The procedures we follow allow us to respond safely and quickly to a range of situations. We are pleased to inform you that our practise today went very well with our students responding safely and calmly. During the year we will continue to practise our emergency procedure exercises to ensure all staff and students remain familiar with them.

Should you become aware of a lockdown or an evacuation at the school, can I please ask that you do not attend the school or phone, as we will not be able to respond.  Your presence or contact may make it more difficult for us or the emergency services to manage a situation.

Any information pertaining to an emergency occurring at the school will be updated on our website as regularly as possible.We believe that it is important that we conduct regular practices for lockdowns and evacuations so that we can all be well prepared and familiar with our procedures should an emergency occur.

We thank you for your support.

Nga mihi nui

Bert Iosia

Principal

Kelston Intermediate.

Ph: 0221290213

biosia@kelstonint.school.nz

Principal's Message - Monday 7th March 2022

Message to our Kerehana Whanau

Kia Ora Koutou, Talofa Lava and the warmest of greetings to you all. I hope and pray that this finds you and your loved ones safe and well, and if you are isolating with a positive case at home, keep your head up, you're doing the right thing and you got this. For many schools and whanau around the country but especially around Tamaki Makaurau, positive cases in our community have been on the rise, but as always the health and well-being of our tamariki and their household remains our top priority. 

The rise in cases has impacted students and staff here at KIS, and no one has done anything wrong, it is just present in our community.  So we must continue to be kind and caring to families who have a member with COVID-19, and encourage them to not be shy, but reach out for help identify symptoms, get tested and to follow the isolation process. 

At school, we need to keep up our COVID-19 protection practices. This includes regular mask use, santising often, having good ventilation in class and regular outdoor breaks and opportunities for learning through the day.

I know for many of our whanau you want to know what is our online solution for our families isolating at home currently. The challenge with answering this is being able to identify families isolating because of a positive case in their home and then those who have taken to isolation as a precautionary step to stay safe. The reason why this is important, is that our school has not locked down and it will be extremely difficult for my teachers' onsite to navigate online teaching and classroom teaching at the same time. So the following is our online solution at this time.

For our students who have tested positive and are isolating at home, I have kept a list where the details are private and has only been shared with the Ministry of Education COVID response team. I will today be passing on the names of these students confidentially to Mrs. Martin and Ms. Luafalealo and they will be added to a Google classroom named  the "isolation station". Here students in isolation will have the choice to join up, if they do they will have a short Google meet with Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Laing or Ms. Luafalealo every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11am. These are optional meets for these students and will be more of a hauora check in. Their tasks will be independent tasks that will require some support from whanau at home but it will not be too labour intensive.

For our whanau isolating as a precautionary step but do not have a positive case at home, I respect your decision, but there will not be an online programme for your child because we are just stretched at the moment. Our doors are opened for good reason whanau, as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education have deemed our COVID protection practices as safe and very good for instruction to happen onsite.  So we encourage you whanau to consider sending your kids back, talk to whanau who have sent their kids back, message your child's teacher or better yet email or call me, I am very happy to korero with you about this. 

As well as being an educator I am also a parent who have had the same issues as some of you about whether or not it is safe to send my kids back to school. My children are both on the autism spectrum and distance learning hasn't worked for them, I was seeing a regression in some of their gains they had been making prior to lockdown last year. So we looked at getting them vaccinated, we made enquiries with the school and when we were assured their kura was doing everything they can to make it a safe space, we then chose to send them back. But we listen for updates from the school, and we watch for symptoms.

My reassurance to whanau that are undecided about school, is that our separate syndicate bubbles, play spaces and robust practices around mask use, santising and regular breaks and good ventilation is working. We miss your children and we hope you take up our invitation to come back, we can do so much more when they are onsite. Thank you for your consideration, stay safe and stay connected.

Bert Iosia

Principal's Message - Friday 18th February 2022

Principal's Message - Sunday 13th February 2022

Principal's Message - Sunday 23rd January 2022

Kia Ora Koutou and Talofa lava Kelston Intermediate Families

As you would have heard the whole of NZ will move to Red under the Covid Traffic Light System tonight at 11:59pm. This means that any visitor or parent wanting access to our school for enrolments or the purchasing of uniforms and stationery during Red must wear a mask and report straight to the office to scan in and sanitise. You can gain access to school by calling the office on (09) 818 5544 between 8:30am-3:30pm and Thursday till 5pm. If we are fully vaccinated and have been for the past 4 months, then we are being encouraged to book in for our booster shot as that adds a strong layer of protection. Talk to whānau, talk to medical professions and see if this is right for you and your whānau. 

Let’s make sure that we all play our part in keeping ourselves safe so that we beat Omicron and that our children can return to school safely. We plan to be back at school on Wednesday 2nd February and we want all our students to return on that day. Mrs Laing will be sharing our Covid Safety Plan later this week which will outline how we will safely return to school. 

If there are any questions or concerns, feel free to email me or call me on 0221290213. We are awaiting further information from the Ministry about our next steps but I am happy to talk to what I know and inform you as much as I can. 

Stay safe, stay connected. God bless.

Bert Iosia

Principal's Message - Friday 5th November 2021

Kia Ora Koutou Whānau,

I hope this finds you and your whanau and loved ones safe and well.  At the moment the government is considering whether Years 1-8 can return to school tentatively on the 15th of November.  

We do not know as yet whether this will happen and what it will look like, I am staying connected and hope to have some direction early next week..

However, I have put it past the Board that it is important to gather your voice and find out how many of you would send your children back if it was decided schools would open on the 15th. This forum can also be used to gauge your thoughts around this possibility and how you are feeling about it.

Please remember you can contact me directly either by email biosia@kelstonint.school.nz or phone 0221290213 if you wish to korero or have a worry or concern. I appreciate you will have many things you will be reflecting on so please know our door is always opened, thank you for your time and consideration with this survey

Survey link https://forms.gle/cKS9j811XLCtvfNx5

Online Learning Update - Wednesday 3rd November 2021

Kia ora koutou whānau, 

We hope that you have been well during the lockdown over the past ten weeks.  It has been great to see students return to online learning in Term 4. From Thursday 4th November we will only be having one session per day from 9am-10:30am. 

As always, our main priority is to ensure the hauora of all our tamariki and their whānau are at the forefront. Over the past 10 weeks of online learning, kaiako have kept a daily record of student online attendance and engagement.   After a weekly analysis of our online learning data across the kura, we noticed a decline of student attendance in the second session from 12pm - 1pm.  This may be the result of many different reasons, however, we feel due to the prolonged lockdown Online Fatigue is potentially a key factor.  Therefore,  we have decided that we will move back to one session per day from 9am-10:30am daily from Thursday 4 November.  This is a positive change for the betterment of our tamariki and our kaiako.  We thank you for your continued support towards encouraging your tamariki to be online daily, as we will continue to provide engaging learning opportunities socially, culturally and academically for them.

Furthermore, as we tentatively plan for a safe return to school on the indicative date of the 15th November provided by the government, over the next week kaiako will be asking families to indicate whether or not your child will be returning to school.   If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

Principal's Message - Tuesday 12th October 2021

Kia Ora Koutou Kerehana Whanau,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and well, I am sure we have all heard the announcement yesterday by our Prime Minister and may be feeling relief, anxiety and have questions about how these new decisions will be implemented. I had received last night some initial guidance and expect there to be more fuller information tomorrow. 

As it stands we know that 

• We will not all be back at school on the 18th October, however at home/distance learning will resume, we will detail what this will look like later this week

• We will be required to keep a record of the COVID vaccination status of all students in much the same we we already keep other vaccination information 

• All staff will be required to be vaccinated before January 1 2022

• All staff will be required to provide a negative COVID test prior to returning to work. 

At present I don't have the details about 'how' we are going to implement the new directives and the leadership team will be working on this over the next few days and updating our guidelines. I hope to be able to get this information to you as soon as possible, including if how we will open for any students of essential workers during level 3. 

Mandatory vaccination has been a huge call for the education sector, hopefully this will provide some assurances to staff, students and families as we plan to re open schools during term 4.   

For now, the very best thing you can do is get yourself vaccinated. I was reminded today that vaccinations offer protection against transmission, as well as being shown to reduce the likelihood of the more serious versions of the virus. If you have questions about vaccines - read the COVID vaccine site or check with your GP or your child's medical team https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines

We are proud of how our Kerehana community has responded to this outbreak, but the mahi isn’t yet done. Please continue to follow all the alert level requirements including staying safe by staying at home and getting tested for COVID-19 if you are feeling unwell, and for your own sake and for the health of your whānau, I encourage us all to please get vaccinated.

I will be back in touch later this week with more information . 

Nga mihi nui

Bert Iosia

Principal's Message - Friday 24th September 2021

Kia Ora Koutou whanau, I hope you are all well and safe in your respective bubbles especially as we have transitioned to level 3. I invite you all to join us for our community hui on Monday September 27 at 7pm. 

As I am new to Kelston Intermediate and our community, I would like to hear from families in terms of what you love and value as important at our kura and what we could perhaps be doing better. So I would appreciate it if families could please take the time to click the following link and complete this survey https://forms.gle/Va2pasyo5KcLQT3e7 for me. Your feedback and input would be invaluable. Have a good end to the week, stay safe, stay connected and take care. God bless

Bert Iosia

Principal's Message - Tuesday 21st September 2021

Kia Ora Koutou Kerehana Whanau,

Thank you families, for those of you who were able to join us last night for our first community engagement online, we had over 90 families join us and despite the technological difficulties (namely myself!) I found our time rich and empowering. Especially listening to our whanau talk about amazing strategies, plans and routines to make life at Alert level 4 manageable and safe.

So on the heels of that engagement we will hold one more community hui next week Monday September 27 at 7pm and all are welcomed back to join us. Message me any key things you would like us to discuss or share ideas around. biosia@kelstonint.school.nz or message me on 0221290213.

The big news was yesterday's announcement by our Prime Minister and what that means for our school. The Governments advice is that Under level 3 Schools and Centre’s should remain closed but can open for children whose parents need to return to work and there is no one else to look after them. Today following on from our teachers who have been contacting all our families over the past week I will be contacting and confirming with those families who will need our support although ultimately the best thing for our community is stay safe by staying home at level 3.

All our usual safety precautions for Alert Level 3 will be in place which include following all the recommendations from the public health experts.

This means we will; 

1. be masked onsite, and we scan the QR code or sign in.

2. regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces

3. encourage everyone to frequently wash their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes.

4. keep everyone physically distanced from others as much as possible (one metre inside and two metres outside).

5. also keep school bubbles to no more than 10 students. These bubbles will not mix with other bubbles.

Online learning times will change and will have a structured look to it starting Wednesday September 22. This is designed to have a focused learning in the morning, minimizing screen time through the day and continuing to stay connected in a safe environment.

1. 9am to 10:30am

2. 12pm to 1pm

I wish to acknowledge our community and teachers for the great work you have and continue to do to keep your whanau and households connected and safe over this challenging period of time. We got this Kelston, stay in it, stay safe and God bless.

Nga mihi nui

Bert Iosia

COVID-19 Update - Saturday 21st August 2021

Kia Ora Koutou Kerehana Whanau,

I hope this message finds you, your whanau and loved ones all safe and well in their respective bubbles. I know we will be following the Alert level 4 guidelines and we will be observing social distancing protocols with masks and santising when we need to venture out. You would have heard the Prime Minister’s announcement that we are now in the position of all of Aotearoa being in lockdown at Level 4 until Tuesday 24th at 11.59 pm at least. We will know more early next week about any extension to that. 

Most of you have been able to touch base with your child’s teacher and it has been great to hear about how you are all doing. It is a surreal time, but what is reassuring is that we have been here before and we have been successful with our team of 5 million approach, which has worked well, particularly here in Kelston. In light of a number of noted West Auckland places of interest, we are aware that some of our whanau have had close or secondary connections, so keep an eye out if yourself or a member of your household exhibits signs or symptoms and please call Healthline 0800 358 5453 or take yourself and your household to a testing station.

The Ministry of Education has spoken about the distribution of devices and hard packs to families. I strongly urge our staff and our community to continue to observe the Alert level 4 protocols and stay home and stay safe. I trust that what our teachers provide online and through their communication by phone or email with families, is sufficient at this time. Please whānau, don't pressure yourselves to try and provide a full school day for your child or children. Just do what you can and enjoy your time together and the chance to re-energise and reset. 

When the government moves Auckland to Alert level 3, please trust that Kelston Intermediate has a robust plan and strategy for an efficient roll out and distribution of devices and hard packs through a pick up and collect system on-site. This process will follow strict level 3 health and safety protocols.

The following links from the Ministry can also help our tamariki and whanau at this time with distance learning.

1. https://learningfromhome.govt.nz/resources

2. https://learningfromhome.govt.nz/pacific-communities

3. https://parents.education.govt.nz/essential-information/covid-19-information-for-parents-and-whanau/

4. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/home-learning-tv 

I also wanted you to know of other supports that are available to you or anyone you know who needs some support or advice. These options may be useful. 

Support services that remain open:

• Women’s Refuge 0800REFUGE or 0800 733 843

• Shine 0508 744 633

• Alcohol and Drug Helpline 0800 787 797

• Oranga Tamariki call centre 0508FAMILY

• CADS 0800 367 222

• Narcotics Anonymous 0800 628 632

• Alcoholics Anonymous 0800 229 6757

• Lifeline 0800 543 354 or free text 4357

• Youthline 0800 376 633 or free text 234

• Samaritans 0800 726 666

• Outline (LGBT) 0800 688 5463

• Depression Helpline 0800 111 757

• Suicide Prevention Helpline 0508 828 865

• The Fono West (Social Services) 09 837 1780

• Counselling Free Call or Text 1737

• Healthline for COVID-19 health advice: 0800 358 5453. 

For families struggling with food and groceries, we have some possible connections (supply and demand pending) that we can put you in touch with if you please contact your teachers, one such organisation is Vision West in Glen Eden who are doing food parcels for families and they can be found online under 'visionwest.org.nz/foodbank' 

 We will explore other avenues to stay connected while observing social distancing so stay tuned, but until then please stay safe, be kind and take care.

Nga mihi nui

Bert Iosia (Tumuaki Kelston Intermediate)

Roadworks on Vanguard Rd - Tuesday 8 June 2021

As you would have noticed there are currently roadworks happening on Vanguard Rd. They have finished the speed hump at the top of the road and are now working on a pedestrian crossing outside our school. These roadworks could take around a week to complete. Due to this, there will be significant delays on Vanguard Rd. We are suggesting that you pick up / drop off your child on St Leonards Rd to reduce the traffic congestion outside our school.

We apologise for the inconvenience.

COVID-19 UPDATE - Saturday 6 March 2021

Kiaora ano ngā whānau katoa.

Just a quick update to confirm that school will open again on Monday the 8th March for the return of all Students.

Please continue to practice safe hygiene procedures and ensure our tamariki stay home if they are sick.

 If for any reason your child/ren are unable to come to school please contact the school office to explain their absence... we will be following up on all unexplained absences on a daily basis whānau to ensure our tamariki are where they are supposed to be.

Thank-you all again for your work and support with our tamariki over the past week.

Returning devices:

As we are heading back into Level 2, and school will be open for all students this week, all school chromebooks must be returned by students on Monday 8th March so that they can be used in classrooms again. 

Before you return the Chromebook:

• Check you have the correct device that was issued to you

• Check you have a correct charger (USB-C connection) - it may not be the same brand as your Chromebook but it must be the one that was given to you. 

• If you still have the plastic bag put everything back in that or another clean bag. 

When you arrive at school:

• bring the Chromebook and charger straight to the HALL. Do not take the device back to your classroom or anywhere else. It must be handed in to Miss Lord and checked and cleaned first. 

• The hall will be open from 8am on Monday for returns. At 8.45am we will stop for Morning Hui so if you haven’t handed in your device by this time keep the device with you and stay in the hall until after Morning Hui to hand it in. Do not take it back to your classroom. 

The sooner we get all chromebooks back, the sooner our classroom programmes can get back to normal. 

Malo 'Aupita

Phil Gordon

COVID-19 UPDATE - Wednesday 17 February 2021

Kia ora ano Whānau

Just a quick notice to let you know our kura will be open as usual tomorrow with some considerations specific to Alert Level 2. We will send out communication highlighting these considerations tomorrow.

Generally speaking it is business as usual with a refocus on good hygiene practices and being "on to it" around our school with physical distancing where possible.

We look forward to seeing our tamariki tomorrow, our school lunch programme also kicks into gear tomorrow as well.

Ngā mihi mahana whānau

Phil Gordon

COVID-19 UPDATE - Monday 31 August 2020

Tēnā koutou ngā whānau katoa o Te Kura Takawaenga o Kerehana.

Talofa, Kiaorana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa atu, Bula vinaka, Ni Hao, Asalam alaykom, Namaste and warm greeting to you all.

Ngā mihi mahana kia Koutou

Welcome Back Whānau

Kiaora Koutou

It is so good to see our tamariki back today and looking fit and healthy ready to be at school again making the most of what has been a pretty tricky year for us all. 

Just a few reminders again whānau for what life is like at school during Alert Level 2.5 as this is a little different from what we initially planned. 

1. Masks and gloves are not compulsory, but students are welcomed to wear them if they wish.

2. Positive social distancing will be maintained at all times possible.

3. Our Tuck-shop is open under strict health guidelines.

4. Our playground is closed and there will be no contact sports during this alert level.

5. Our front gate is open from 7.45am-9am then locked during the day and will be opened at 2.55pm -3.10pm for students to depart school at the end of the day.

6. Staff will be off school premises by 4pm during this alert level. 

7. Our TOPs programme and culture groups will continue to run as usual.

8. There are no full school assemblies at this current Alert Level. 

Thank-you all for your continued support and aroha during these times.

Ngā Mihi Maioha

Phil Gordon

Devices distribution update - Tuesday 14 August 2020

With over 150 devices given out over the last 2 days we have a limited amount of devices still available. We have decided to  open the office tomorrow from 9am to 12pm so we can distribute the last of our devices and get as many tamariki online as possible. It's been awesome to see our tamariki every morning at 9am on their Google Meets and catch up on classroom mahi or doing group and individual Meets. 

Kia noho haumaru

COVID-19 UPDATE - Wednesday 12 August 2020

Kiaora Koutou

As we move into Alert level three at midday today we have a few messages for all our whānau for the next three days.

1. Online learning will be available for all students via Google Classroom this week, teachers are currently ensuring this available as we speak.

2. We are currently organising for devices to be delivered to homes next week if we are to continue our Level Three Alert status over an extended period of time. 

3. If you have any queries regarding learning programmes or work expectations please always contact your child's teacher in the first instance as they will be your best source of information. 

4. Please whānau let's ensure we do what we need to do to eliminate the community transfer of COVID 19 so we can get our tamariki back to school as soon as possible. 

Stay safe whānau, look after yourselves and we will keep you up to date on a regular basis. 

Ngā mihi mahana

Phil Gordon

Year 6 & 7 Transition Day at Kelston Intermediate 

Friday 7th August, Term Three 2020:

Talofa Lava, Malo Lelei, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Namaste, Kiaorana, Ni Sa Bula, Ni Hao, Assalaam Alaikum, Ku Musta Ka, Tena Koutou Katoa and warm greetings.

Dear Parent/Caregiver/Whānau,

Friday the 7th of August, this term is our Kelston schools Transition Day. We are looking forward to having over 400 year 6 students from our primary schools at our kura and have planned several student-centered activities for all students who will be part of Kelston Intermediate for the day. 

In past years we have had all of our Year 7 students present with us at school however this year this is not possible due to the increase of numbers from our contributing schools.

In 2020 we are selecting a small group of Year 7 students to stay at school to work with our Year 6 students for the day. For most of our Year 7 students however, we have created online learning programmes or learning packs for our students working from home on this day, all the learning opportunities prepared for our Year 7 students are within their learning capabilities and can be completed with little or no support from adults as they are to maintain current learning from their classroom programme. 

Kelston Intermediate School acknowledges that this may cause some disruption to whanau but our staff are confident that the learning programme provided will allow all our students to continue their learning programme while still at home, which means this is not a “day off” school as the work set will be collected, checked and marked by classroom teachers as usual. 

Please note that our Year 8 students will be participating in a Transition Programme of their own at Kelston Boys High School and Kelston Girls College and will not be on site at Kelston Intermediate for this day.

We appreciate your support for our Te Matauranga o Kerehana Kahui Ako Transition day as this greatly impacts on all Kelston Schools in our community.  

Phillip Gordon

Principal of Kelston Intermediate

COVID-19 Information

KELSTON INTERMEDIATE RESPONSE UPDATE -  Tuesday 2 June 2020

Tēnā koutou ngā whānau katoa o Te Kura Takawaenga o Kerehana,

Talofa, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa atu, Bula vinaka, Ni Hao, Asalam alaykom, Namaste and warm greeting to you all.

I hope you have been keeping well and are finding our slow transition back to our new normal a smooth one. We have a couple of important dates and organisational changes for the rest of this term that is important for us all to be aware off 

1. Our distance on-line learning from home programme finished last Friday the 29th of May. We now have most of our students back at school and are unable to maintain this programme based on the pure workload required. We will still be using our devices etc... to maintain our on-line learning at school and will be undertaking significant school-wide Professional Learning to ensure we continue to develop our teaching and learning practices in this area. 

2. Positive social distancing rules will still be promoted during this time whenever possible. Certain games etc... involving contact will not be played and systems around the cleaning of equipment will be implemented. 

3. Our New Normal timetable will continue to be implemented, this timetable was sent home last week and just a reminder that our tuck-shop has also re-opened from today with specific hygiene practices in place. 

4. ALSO whānau we will be participating in Staff Professional Learning every Friday between 1-3pm for the rest of this term. This means that school will finish early on a Friday at 12.30pm starting this week. While this is not ideal it is essential that we are able to participate in this Professional Learning programme to ensure we continue to evolve and develop our teaching and learning systems so that our students get the very best educational outcomes possible during their time with us. 

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader!"

Ngā mihi mahana kia koutou

KELSTON INTERMEDIATE RESPONSE UPDATE -  Tuesday 26 May 2020

Talofa lava me ngā mihi mahana kia koutou, Warm greetings to you all!

I hope that you have all been safe and well during the COVID-19 lockdown. Just a few things to mention:

• There is no school on Monday 1st June as it is Queens Birthday.

• Starting from Tuesday 2nd June, we will be welcoming all students back into school. Though our restrictions have loosened for level 2, we feel that getting things back to our new normal is key for our students' progress going forward.

• All online learning will cease at the end of our school day this Friday, if your child was issued a device from the Ministry of Education, those devices need to be returned to school, so your child can continue using their own device for learning while at kura.

• When we first moved to level 2, we had to alter our school timetable to be able to follow government guidelines specific to safe social distancing etc.... However, as of next week, we will be looking at fine tuning our school timetable again so we can have some of our normal programmes return such as Tech and Kiwican and include some of the positive new normal changes we have made recently.

• The office is open for uniforms and enrolments, however we will still have a policy of only 2 people at a time in the office. All visitors are to report to the office, this includes whanau members that are dropping off lunch, shoes, homework etc.

• Newsletters will start up going out as of Thursday 4th June.

We will be sending out another panui at the end of this week regarding the starting and end of our school day at what this will look like from next week.

There will be changes to how we function from day to day but we endeavour to keep you all well informed of what these are, if you ever have any questions or queries regarding the operation of our kura please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Ngā mihi haneanea kia koutou, Fa’afetai lava

Phil Gordon. 

KELSTON INTERMEDIATE RESPONSE UPDATE -  Wednesday 13 May 2020

What to expect at Kelston Intermediate under Level 2

• Teacher only days - Thursday 14th & Friday 15th May

• School will start on Monday 18th May, under level 2 conditions. Gates will only be open from 8:30am-9am in the mornings and 2:55pm-3:15pm in the afternoons.

• Only staff and students will be allowed in the main gates, all visitors must press the intercom on the gate to speak with reception.

• There will be no thoroughfare through the school. Our students are not to go through St Leonards Primary, even if they have siblings that go there, and vice versa. Students from Kelston Intermediate must enter and exit through our gates only, and St Leonards students can only enter and exit through their main gates.

• Any late students or parents wanting to drop off lunch etc, must press the intercom at the front gate.

• If your child will not be attending school next Monday, please email the school on office@kelstonint.school.nz, or call 8185544, to inform the school.

KELSTON INTERMEDIATE RESPONSE UPDATE -  Monday 4 May 2020

Tēnā koutou ngā whānau katoa o Te Kura Takawaenga o Kerehana.

 Talofa, Kiaorana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa atu, Bula vinaka, Ni Hao, Asalam alaykom, Namaste and warm greetings to you all.

I hope you are all well and managing to stay safe maintaining your "bubble" during these times of restriction and social distancing. 

As we move closer to progressing towards level two we are starting to consider the practical implications for students to return to school in a safe positive manner while trying to ensure the rules and restrictions around level two are maintained. 

To this point we will endeavor to ensure we communicate clearly the processes and criteria around....

• Students return to school, 

• The continuation of on-line learning where necessary 

• The following stages we will follow to have students and staff back to school as normal in a full time capacity as we move to level one then eventually back to our "New Normal" 

At this stage we are still implementing our on-line learning programmes, we have also delivered over 120 learning packs to some of our students, which were made up and delivered by our staff, thanks to the hard work of Mrs Schwenke, Mrs Laing and our delivery personnel. 

Please remember whānau that we are only excepting students back to school during level three if whānau are essential workers and have no-one to care for them during the day. We have a limited work bubble within our school at the moment and we want to ensure we put as few people at risk as possible during this time.

Students will not be accepted to school unless we have received an email at office@kelstonint.school.nz from caregivers/parents explaining the need for their child to return to school during level three, we have asked in previous written updates and through videos for this to happen, only when you have received an email back from us confirming your child can attend are they are able to come back to school. Our School hours are 8.45am-3pm. Our gates will not be open before 8.45am and locked at 3.10pm because of the restrictions we have for staff to be on site during the day. 

Finally please see our Kelston Intermediate COVID 19 response plan for the various alert levels that we may transition through. This is a discussion document for us at the moment with the intent of it becoming our official management plan for this pandemic before we move to level two. 

I thank-you all for your support and commitment to ensuring our tamariki are safe and well during this time. I think it would be fair to say that we are all feeling the "pinch" around our continued isolation..... but if we stay focused on what we need to do as a community/country we will achieve what very few other nations have....A COVID 19 free environment.

Ngā mihi maioha koutou me kia haumaru, kia noho.

Phil Gordon

FAASILASILAGA TA'UA mai le Susuga I le Alii Pule ma le Pulega 

Ua laga se leo, fa'ia foi se faamatalaga, ona o tulaga ogagoa o loo I ai pea le lalolagi, ona o le faama'i mata'utia e pei ona silafia, ua manatu ai e tuuina atu ai lenei faasilasila ta'ua mai le pulega o la tatou Aoga.E muamua ona momoli pea lapalapa o malo I le Atua silisiliese I Lana pule faasoa, ua maua ai pea le soifua lelei ma le ola maloloina, ua mafai ai ona faatinoina o tatou tiute ma faiva I lenei vaitau faigata o la tatou folauga.

A'o aga'iga'i malie atu lo tatou atunuu I lona LAASAGA LONA LUA(LEVEL TWO) o le puipuiga o lenei faama'i, ma ua tatou tulalata atu ai ise taimi e toe faaauauina ai polokalame, aua fanau I totonu o le tatou aoga, o lea ua faatulagaina ai ni TA'IALA MO LE PUIPUIGA O LO LATOU SAOGALEMU I LENEI TAIMI, INA IA AUA LAVA NE'I AAFIA LO LATOU SOIFUA MU'AMU'A MAI AAFIAGA MATA'UTIA O LE COVID-19, pe afai o le a toe aumaia mo le faaauaina lava o fuafuaga masani a le Aoga, e pei o masani ai:

O nisi nei o fuafuaga o lea ua faatulagaina I lenei taimi, aua lo latou ola a'oa'oina, ina ia aua lava nei liaina I ala le ola taumafai I lenei tausaga:

1. O se Taimi faatulagaina e toe aumaia ai I totonu o le Aoga

2. Polokalame e faaaogaina ai Fesootaiga Faatekonolosi

3. Polokalame fuafuaina mo le toe faatinoina atoatoa o le Polokalame I totonu o le Aoga

A'o iai la I le tulaga o I ai nei, o lea ua saunia ai ni polokalame I luga o le Initaneti, faatasi ai ma le tufaina atu o le 120 tusi aoga mo nisi o fanau ua saunia ma tapenaina e nisi o Faiaoga. E faafetaia ai le auaunaga a nisi o tamaitai, e pei o Mrs Schwenke, Mrs Laing, aemaise I latou ua galulue faatasi mo lenei galuega ta'ua. Ia manatua foi, e na o fanau lava ua leai lava se tasi e vaaia I le aiga, o le a mafai ona  tuuina mai, a'o tatou I ai pea I le LAASAGA LONA TOLU(LEVEL THREE)

E faamalulu atu foi, e le o gafatia I lenei taimi e la tatou aoga ni vaega se tele mo le puipuiga o le fanau mai aafiaga o le faama'i, o le ala lea, e le mafai ai ona maua uma ni avanoa e aumaia ma tuuina mai ai I le faleaoga I lenei taimi.

O le a le mafai foi ona taliaina le tuuina mai o lou alo I le aoga, seivagana ua tauaaoina se tusi aloa'ia, poo se imeli e lafoina mai I le Ofisa, I le tuatusi, 

office@kelstonint.school.nz,

mai le caregiver poo matua, e faamatala auiliili mai ai ose mafuaaga tatau e manaomia ai le aumaia o lou alo I le aoga I lenei taimi o le LEVEL THREE. 

O le a tali atu foi le pulega I se tusi po o se imeli, e faailoa atu ai nisi o mafuaaga e mafai ai ona teena se talosaga faapea, pe afai e tatau ai.

O taimi faatulagaina o le Aoga ua I ai nei : 8:45AM – 3PM. E le mafai ona tatalaina le faitotoa I se taimi oi luma atu o le 8:45AM, ma o le lokaina foi I le 3:10PM, aua lava puipuiga o fanau, aemaise o le Aufaigaluega.

E I ai le faamoemoe, o le a tatou fesoota'i pea I taualumaga uma, aua lava le puipuiga o le COVID-19 mo la tatou Aoga, ina ia saogalemu I tatou uma faapea foi nai a tatou fanau

Momoli atu foi le faamalo ma le faafetai I la outou lagolago mai I sa matou auaunaga faatauvaa, aua se manuia o tatou fanau, faapea foi aiga ma lo tatou Atunuu atoa. E ui lava ua tatou tau fai lagonaina uma lava le tulaga faigata ua I ai nei, ae afai tatou te tutu faatasi ma galulue faatasi, o le a le pine ona tatou taunuu atu lea I se isi tulaga manuia, mo le folauga ua I ai I lenei tausaga.

Faamanuia tele le Atua ia te outou uma, o matua ma aiga, aemaise nai a tatou alo ma fanau

Faafetai:

Phil Gordon

KELSTON INTERMEDIATE RESPONSE UPDATE -  Thursday 23 April 2020

KELSTON INTERMEDIATE RESPONSE UPDATE - Wednesday 8 April 2020

Kia ora Koutou

Dear Parents/Caregivers›

As we head into our Easter Holiday break and second week of our school holidays (which sort of seems a bit unusual at this time) we look forward to officially starting term two next Wednesday the 15th of April through distance learning in an on-line space.

• We will be updating you regularly in regard to what you can expect from us regarding our on-line learning programmes.

• We will be communicating with our whanau and community on a regular basis through:

 Kaiako using our on-line learning platforms, Google classroom and Google Meet,

 Facebook Posts,

 Our School Loop app

 Our website

The following information was received by schools today regarding the anticipated systems and infrastructure to be developed during this time to try and ensure all tamariki can be engaged and catered for in this current environment.

Detailed package of supports for schools and kura

This afternoon, the Minister announced details of the package of supports and resources for supporting state and state integrated schools and kura to deliver learning at a distance when Term 2 begins on 15 April. You can see the Minister’s press release and Q&As on the Beehive website.

It’s important to state up front that the Government is still working to a timeframe of a four-week lockdown, lifting on 22 April, but we’re planning for every scenario so that we have a resilient system and are taking this opportunity to invest in closing the digital divide.

That means, in education, developing robust distance learning infrastructure so that learners and ākonga don’t miss out in any scenario, such as alert levels moving up and down or schools, kura and ECEs or kōhanga and puna reo having to stay closed for longer.

This week we have begun the dispatch of devices and hard copy resources. The first devices and modems are being dispatched this week, and the first tranche of hard copy deliveries will make their way to homes on Thursday and will continue on Tuesday next week.

NB: If you have been identified as not having a device or the ability to engage in on-line learning at home you will be eligible to receive this support and resources from the Ministry.

Before we went into lock down we surveyed our student body regarding their ability to work in an on-line space from home, we looked at this information again earlier this week and passed on information to the Ministry to ensure we can assist with whanau who have no devices or internet access at home.

Starting this week, the Ministry is rolling out an extensive, four-channel package to provide at least one distance-learning option for all families by 15 April.

The Ministry are also looking to support nga kura katoa in the following ways….

• increasing the number of students and ākonga who have access to connectivity and devices by an estimated 2000 this week (limited by the number of modems available)

• supporting where they can with hard copy materials for different year levels

• a range of NCEA subject-specific hard-copy resources for delivery to years 11-13 students and ākonga

• more online resources for schools and kura, parents, ākonga and whānau available through the Learning from Home and Ki te Ao Mārama websites

• PLD to support teachers and kaiako, tumuaki and leaders to work remotely with their students, ākonga and whānau

• TV channels in English and te reo Māori offering learning programmes for learners from early learning to year 10

• Extending access to the Virtual Learning Network.

We are also fast-tracking ways to connect Learning Support Coordinators with families and whānau remotely.

NB/ Please note whanau you are NOT expected to replace your child’s teacher. Our staff are experts in the practice of teaching and learning, and the supports articulated in this panui are intended to supplement and enable the learning programmes we are delivering to our tamariki, students and ākonga.

Home learning television

(From The Ministry of Education via our Minister of Education: Chris Hipkins)

We want to ensure that every learner and ākonga has at least one channel for accessing educational content from 15 April – either through this package or through their school or kura.

So, we have been working with teachers and leaders, alongside staff from ERO and Te Kura to develop Home Learning TV | Papa Kāinga TV, on TVNZ, which will run from 9am to 3pm on school days on TVNZ2+1 and Sky channel 502. Some lessons will also be available on TVNZ On Demand.

There will be content for parents and whānau with preschool children and tamariki, and lessons for those aged 5 to 15 years of age will cover a broad curriculum that includes movement, music, physical education, wellbeing, numeracy, literacy and science through an integrated approach to curriculum. There’s already a lot of good education video content available, and the Ministry will be working with experts and educators to refine and further develop it.

Thank you to those of you who have agreed to release your teachers and kaiako to deliver these lessons – we know that for most of them live television will be unlike anything they have done before, and we’re very grateful for their willingness to be part of this initiative to broadcast learning into the homes of children and young people across the country.

We have also been working with Māori Television to make distance learning accessible for all ākonga and whānau. The programmes on Māori Television are for reo Māori learners of all ages, with a focus on those who are aged 0-18, covering ākonga in kōhungahunga (early learning), kura tuatahi (primary) and wharekura (secondary).

Programming will be tailored to specific age groups of reo Māori learners throughout the day from 9am to 3pm. It will be aligned to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and contain age appropriate content that tamariki can do on their own, with their siblings or together as a whānau. Content will focus on building skills in speaking te reo Māori and ensure that te reo Māori is being spoken and heard in the home.

We will be putting information about the programme scheduling on the Learning from Home website early next week this will help teachers be able to connect with learners who are accessing these programmes.

Hard packs

We have had a lot of requests for learning material hard packs for learners and there are limits on what we can provide immediately. The first tranche of deliveries will make their way to homes on Thursday and will continue on Tuesday next week. You will receive a confirmation email of who has been sent a pack. Content of the packs is on the Learning from Home Website, this is to help teachers interact with students with their learning activities.

Access to devices and connectivity

In our email to schools and kura last week, we indicated how we will prioritise the rollout of devices and hard copy materials. We will reach students and ākonga and households in waves, with an initial focus on connecting students and ākonga in senior secondary school working towards NCEA – to minimise disruption for those working towards a qualification – and on those with greatest need due to disadvantage. The first devices and modems are being dispatched this week.

Where we are unable to immediately connect a household with the internet or get a device to a student, we will be working with schools and kura to provide hard-copy learning materials direct to homes where possible. The first of these will leave the warehouse this week.

Extending access to the Virtual Learning Network Community (VLNC)

We are funding more places for students to receive direct teaching from experienced e-teachers though the VLNC during term 2.

This means that students, and especially those from rural, remote or small schools can take part in classes or programmes that their own schools are not able to offer.

The Learning from Home website will provide links to enable schools to enrol students in either primary or secondary provision.

The VLNC will also offer support to teachers who are setting up their own online learning classes.

Stay safe whanau

Please keep a look out for our regular updates and help pass on the message to our whanau, through a non-physical way, that may not have access to the internet etc….

Ngā mihi maioha

Phil Gordon

Principal

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