Lockdown bubbles sound more fun than they are!



Here we are on our second day of NZ wide lockdown - it is amazing how fast our world has changed and I am pleased to say that so far people seem to be adapting ok.

We were thrilled in the Harry house that Lummox no.1 was able to work remotely and made it home to join our bubble on Wednesday afternoon. We already had no.2 and no.3 here, so his return made us feel complete. I feel very lucky to have a house that allows us a wee bit of space and outside areas that we can access. I am aware that five adults in the same house and three brothers all under the same roof may be peaceful currently but has potential for emotions to run high and for frustration to come to the fore. Fingers crossed it stays mostly peaceful.

Lockdown bubbles - this is what I think of. Not what it actually looks like however!
Our new pup Rosco has joined me on my daily fresh air break through the greenways and round to the school grounds - just to keep a remote eye on security. We've seen other dog owners making use of the greenway spaces that we have close to our homes and everyone I have seen has been mindful of physical distancing and keeping their dogs under control and away from others.

I know there has been some concern in the community that some people are driving to tracks and parks for their walks and flouting the lockdown rules. I'm hopeful that these have been isolated cases and that people are getting the message - to save lives we have to follow the rules - we are not on holiday - we are in lockdown!

It has been a really busy few days for my school team and myself. We swung into action as soon as the announcement was made on Monday afternoon. My incredible leadership team met with me on Monday and by the time we went home that night we had a clear plan of action that included how we would put together home learning packs and provide professional learning for all teachers to ensure that they would be able to deliver online and distance learning content to students during the lockdown.

The response from our parent community was really helpful, positive and supportive of the measures we put in place. I felt like I was in constant catch up mode as the advice, guidance and information from the Ministry of Education was updating in dribs and drabs - I guess they were in constant catch up mode too. I feel like I have been putting people in information overload in a world that is already in information overload.

The staff team at Goldfields have been amazing and I am very grateful to work with such a dedicated and caring group of people. This has been stressful and there are high expectations on their shoulders for the ongoing delivery of learning to students. Working out how we would approach this and trialling the approaches has been challenging - and I know there have been successes and failures, trials and tribulations - but it is happening.

Being able to connect online helps us make connections to the children and maintain those important relationships in our school community. We don't want parents to feel that they have to provide 9am-3pm vigorous school based learning programmes. We are urging our parents to focus on happy, occupied children and we hope we can support that.

My bit to stay connected with my school community is to provide a daily story for children - I've ransacked the house for my old faves and have uploaded some cheesy vids of me reading the books. I am releasing one a day to provide some entertainment. I'm planning to add some silly songs to the mix over the next week. If you have young children at home then click the link under the images below to link to the stories I have released so far. Videos will be released onto the Goldfields School Facebook page each day.
https://youtu.be/CGWuIQT70Lw
https://youtu.be/ekeUlg911jA



The CODC response has been clear too. As an elected member I am here to help and support if you need it along with my colleagues and I will share any information that comes my way through the Cromwell Community Board Facebook page.

Stay safe, stay inside, stay in your bubble!



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