The Kelston Electorate Office has forwarded us a useful list of family service providers, food banks and organisations who are able to offer support to families who need assistance. Download the list below.

Avondale College has received the following information regarding changes to NCEA for 2021. Please note, these changes are only for NCEA, NZ Scholarship and University Entrance. Students who are enrolled in the Cambridge programme should continue to study for their upcoming exams. The Cambridge exams are still scheduled to go ahead at the normal time. Changes to NCEA for 2021 Because being in COVID-19 lockdown has affected learning and assessment, changes have been made to NCEA, NZ Scholarship and University Entrance. These changes help give students a fair opportunity to gain the qualification they are aiming for. These changes will take effect if your school is in Alert Level 3 or 4 for a total of 20 or more school days this year. What does this mean for students? The more credits you achieve the more you are entitled to. • For every 5 credits you achieve through internal or external assessment, you are entitled to 1 extra credit. These extra credits are called Learning Recognition Credits (LRCs) o Up to 10 of your LRC’s earned this year can be used towards the 80 you need for NCEA Level 1. o Up to 8 LRC’s earned this year can be used towards the 60 you need at Level 2 and Level 3. Endorsements are still achievable. To get a certificate endorsement you will need 46 credits at Merit or Excellence level, instead of the usual 50. To get a course endorsement you will need 12 credits at Achieved or Merit or Excellence level in a course, rather than 14. You still need to achieve at least 3 credits in externals and 3 in internals. Your LRCs don’t come with Merit or Excellence, so they can’t count towards an endorsement. University Entrance has been adjusted. • For 2021 the UE requirements have been adjusted from 14 down to 12 credits in three UE-approved subjects. You still need to have NCEA Level 3 and the usual literacy and numeracy standards. You’ve got more time to study. • Most portfolio due dates and exams for NCEA and Scholarship have been moved later, to give more time for students to learn and prepare. What do I need to do? Keep working to make sure that you achieve as many standards as you can. Your teachers will help you to track your progress. You don’t need to do anything else to get your LRCs. NZQA will do the calculations before you get your results. Make sure that you know when your portfolios are due, and double check the new exam timetable. If you need any more information, talk to your Dean or Deputy Principal Mrs Lynne van Etten vtn@avcol.school.nz , or ring NZQA on 0800 697 296.

The deadline for out-of-zone enrolment applications for next year closes this week, on Wednesday 1 September. The high number of applications already received for 2022 indicates that a ballot for out-of-zone places will be required, and this will take place one week later. If you, or someone you know, has a child in Year 8 who is intending to enrol at Avondale College next year, it is vital that their application is received by the 1 September deadline so that they can be included in the out-of-zone ballot. Given the high number of applications, any out-of-zone enrolments (even those with siblings currently attending Avondale College) that are received after the deadline are unlikely to be successful. Further information and enrolment forms are available from our website: https://www.avcol.school.nz/enrolments or you can download by clicking the links below: Year 9 Out of Zone Enrolment Pack Year 9 In Zone Enrolment Pack As our school is not open under Alert Level 4 conditions, completed forms, and supporting documents must be emailed to: enrol@avcol.school.nz by the due date. For more information, contact Kusum: enrol@avcol.school.nz

We have received the following advice re our upcoming Board of Trustees elections. We’re aware that many schools are currently holding board elections and that Alert Level 4 may impact timeframes and processes. These include the 2021 student representative elections for schools with students in Year 9 and above and by-elections for staff or parent representative vacancies. What you need to know (and do) now: PAUSE all election processes and await further advice if you have yet to start an election, please hold off commencing this we’re looking at providing all schools that have already commenced an election process with an extension to the election timeframe. Please note that there are implications around timing and that this will likely extend the process into or beyond the next school holidays. A decision will be made once any changes to Alert Levels is announced and we know when all students and staff are likely to be able to return to school. Reminder: please do not go into school to process nominations or to issue voting papers schools cannot hold the voting process electronically or use e-voting. If you have a question or concern about any election process at your school, please contact the New Zealand School Trustees Association for support on electionsadvice@nzsta.org.nz.

Having just received their third 'Best Combo' award at a national jazz competition, the Avondale College musicians Toby Barrett, Lucas Kewell, Delores Lesatele and Tyler Diprose have rightfully secured their reputation as the best school jazz combo in New Zealand! The latest award came from the Auckland Jazz Competition, which was held at the Point Chevalier RSA over the three weekends in August, attracting 43 jazz bands from all over Auckland and further afield. With the addition of drummer Finn Hughes, the quartet became a quintet for this performance, and together the group not only won the Best Combo award, but also two of the competition's four 'Most Outstanding Soloist' awards (Toby on Saxophone and Finn on Drums), along with a coveted Platinum Award after being given a near-perfect score of 99.5% by the judges! Judge John Callesen said overall it was an exceptional performance by the group. "Attention to all things musical was impeccable. Arrangements were creative, level of musicianship, improvisation and vocal artistry was stunning!" "You guys took my breath away!" Watch the Avondale College Quintet play in the final of the Auckland Jazz Competition 2021

Dear Students, Parents and Caregivers Thank you for the incredible way that you have stepped up over the past week. In particular I thank our students for supporting each other through the challenges of the last few days, and for staying positive. Thank you to parents and caregivers for supporting your children to get tested, to cope with the stress of the week, and for helping students to get started with Distance Learning. I am writing to provide clarity around a couple of things that have generated questions and concerns over the past few days. Dates of ‘close contact’ at Avondale College At the time of writing there have been two confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with Avondale College. Across the two cases, the dates of concern in regards to ‘close contact’ are 12, 13, 16 and 17 August. Testing at Avondale Racecourse Thank you to all of our families who have gone to great efforts over the past few days to get tested. The testing centre at Avondale Racecourse has been set up and is being managed by Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS). Whilst it provides a service to our College, we are not able to allocate staff to support ARPHS at the facility, as we are also self-isolating at home. Any concerns about testing centres or the testing process should be directed through Healthline. Testing dates for Avondale College Please refer to the letter that we published for ARPHS on 20 August. All students and staff should have had at least one test by now. Our final test date is Sunday 29 August. Anyone who has any symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately get tested. Self-isolating Please refer to the letter that we published for ARPHS on 20 August. “Household members of close contacts must stay at home until the student or staff member has returned a negative day 5 test result, from a test taken [Friday] or on Saturday, Sunday or Monday (20-23 Aug).” The advice regarding self-isolating at home is: “Self-isolation means staying at home and taking common sense precautions to avoid close contact with those you live with.” This will be different for different family situations, and may depend on the age of the child concerned. If you have particular concerns about your family situation please call Healthline 0800 358 5453 (a free, 24/7 service with interpreters available). I realise that some of the information that families have been given by call centre staff has not been consistent with the above information, or with the letter published on 20 August. Please be assured that the information we are publishing to our community has been approved by medical staff at ARPHS who are working closely on the Avondale College situation. Student wellbeing and Distance Learning If you have particular concerns for your child’s wellbeing please contact their Home Room teacher, Dean or one of our Guidance team in the first instance. Questions or concerns about Distance Learning should be directed to the class teacher or Director of the department concerned. All staff contact details are on our website. Thank you for your ongoing support, and best wishes to all of your family. Regards, Lyndy Watkinson PRINCIPAL

22 August 2021 Dear Staff, Students, Parents and Caregivers I hope that you are all keeping safe and well at your homes over this worrying time. The school has received many messages of support and best wishes over the last few days from all around the world. As you are likely to have seen in the media, Auckland’s testing centres and laboratories are at full capacity. Auckland Regional Public Health have made the decision to keep the testing centre at Avondale Racecourse open for at least the next few days. We are all aware that tomorrow is going to be a busy day for testing, as many of us are due for our ‘Day 5 test’. I have been told this morning, that the racecourse testing station will only be available to Avondale College ‘close contacts’, that is staff and students of our school. Family members should only get tested if they are symptomatic. Staff and students getting tested at the Avondale Racecourse testing station must take the ARPHS letter from Friday 20 with them. This letter has been emailed to families, for them to either print or show on their phone. The intention is that only ‘close contacts’ from our College should be using that testing centre, and its location is not listed publicly. Take care, be safe. Lyndy Watkinson PRINCIPAL AVONDALE COLLEGE

Dear Parents and Caregivers Avondale College will be closed for school-based instruction until at least September 1 August. While the College is closed, our staff will be working to continue with an adapted teaching and learning programme remotely. Here are some things that you can do to help us with this. Communication with the College Our teachers will be communicating with your child during this period using email and a learning management system such as Microsoft Teams. They will communicate clearly with your child what they expect them to complete next week and beyond. It is important for you and your child to remember that teachers will be communicating with more than 100 other families, as well as caring for their own family at home. Any personal communications should be meaningful and short. You may also need to remind your child to be patient when waiting for support or feedback. If you have any concerns about your child’s learning please contact the teacher or the Director of the department. You will find a full list of our teachers and their email addresses on our website, on the ‘Our Team’ page. If your concern is more general you are welcome to contact your child’s year level Dean or the relevant Deputy Principal. Their email addresses are also on our website, on the Our Team page. Structure and routine Our staff are ready to communicate regularly with your child and will be setting work for them to complete. Our expectation is that students will spend most of their school day engaged in their learning; however, we understand that families may be busy at times getting tested over the coming week so this might not be realistic for all students every day. You might like to set a timetable which roughly follows that of our school day – approximately fifty minutes of study followed by a short break where your child gets up and moves around. Try to create a quiet and comfortable learning space. Your child may have a regular place for doing homework under normal circumstances, but this space may not be suitable for working in for an extended period of time. A space/location for extended learning should be a public/family space, not in a bedroom. It should be a place that can be quiet at times and have a strong wireless internet signal, if possible. Above all, it should be a space where you or another adult is present and monitoring your children's learning. If your child shares an electronic device with another child or adult, consider setting up a timetable for that device so that all get a fair share of access to the advice, resources and content they need. Communication with your child We encourage you to start and finish each day with a simple check-in. These check-ins need to be a regular part of each day and start straight away. Not all students thrive in a remote learning environment; some struggle with too much independence or lack of structure and the check-ins help keep them on track. In the morning, ask: · what are you learning today? · what are your learning targets or goals? · how will you be spending your time? · what resources do you require? · what support do you need? In the afternoon, ask: · what did you learn today? · acknowledge one thing that was difficult. Devise a strategy together to deal with the same problem if it comes up again · consider three things that went well today. Why were they good? · are you ok? Do you need to ask your teacher for something? Do you need help with something to make tomorrow more successful? These specific questions matter because they allow your child to process the instructions they have received from their teachers and help them organise themselves and set priorities. Older students may not want to have these check-ins with parents or caregivers (this is normal!), but they should anyway. Wellbeing Learning from home for an extended period of time will be a new experience for some of our students. To help them maintain a healthy outlook please consider the following: · Encourage regular exercise in the home or backyard. · Encourage your children to keep in touch with family members and friends via telephone, email or social media (where appropriate). Please try to monitor unproductive social media time. · Encourage your child to follow current events beyond COVID-19. · Encourage them to read books/novels that might not be prescribed by their teachers but might be a challenge for them. · Encourage them to plan for healthy eating and to prepare meals for you and your family. If you have any queries or concerns regarding student wellbeing, please contact your child’s Dean or a member of the Guidance team. These contacts are also on our website, on the Our Team page. Digital Citizenship Finally, it is important that during this period of remote learning that we maintain safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies. This includes appropriate use of digital platforms, privacy and information protection, respectful communication and how to deal with online issues. Please remind your child that they have signed the College’s Data Use Agreement and that its conditions still apply. If you need any further information or advice on keeping your child safe online, or if you or your child need to report inappropriate use of any digital platform or social media, please visit www.netsafe.org.nz. Thank you for your ongoing support of Avondale College. We wish you and your family all the very best, at this challenging time, and very much hope that we will be welcoming students back to school in the near future. Yours sincerely Lyndy Watkinson PRINCIPAL

20 August 2021 Dear Parent, Caregiver, Staff Member An update for Avondale College – day 5 tests This letter is to update you with some important information about testing for Avondale College staff and students. It is important that everyone who was at the school is in self-isolation and is tested at least twice, around now and on day 12, towards the end of the isolation period. Some people have also managed to be tested ‘immediately’ as requested, but they will need another test on Monday 23 August and on day 12 as below. For those who have not been able to get tested because of long queues and wait times at testing centres, they will need to get tested today or over the weekend, and this will be counted as their day 5 test. We realise that testing has been difficult and we thank you for your patience and understanding. When this test result comes back negative, then the members of your household no longer need to stay at home. Even if students or staff members have received a negative day 5 test result, they need to have another test on day 12, and stay in self – isolation until the date below. This is the latest advice for the Avondale College community. There is a testing centre at Avondale Race Course, 22 Ash Road, for Avondale College students, whanau and staff. This is open from 8.30 – 4.30 on Saturday 21st August 2021. The new testing centre is for the school community only, so will help to alleviate some of the frustration experienced when trying to get a test. Please give the following code to the testing staff when you visit: SURV- TM18SC1. Find your nearest testing centre here. Information for household members of close contacts Household members of close contacts must stay at home until the student or staff member has returned a negative day 5 test result, from a test taken today or on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Household members need to wait for the result before they can return to normal life, however. COVID-19 information is available in 26 languages on the Auckland Regional Public Health website under Factsheets & Translations. Or use this link https://www.arphs.health.nz/public-health-topics/covid-19/covid-19-information- for-our-communities/ Avondale College COVID-19 test (5-day test) - If already had a test: Test on 23 August COVID-19 test (5-day test) - If have not had a test: Today or any time this weekend COVID-19 test (12-day test) 29 August End of isolation 31 August Everyone in the school community is also asked to watch for symptoms of COVID-19. These can include one or more of the following: sneezing and runny nose a new or worsening cough sore throat a fever of at least 38°C shortness of breath temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste diarrhoea headache muscle pain or body aches nausea and vomiting. Please get tested and call Healthline: 0800 358 5453 (a free, 24/7 service with interpreters available) if you have any symptoms. More information for close contacts is at www.arphs.health.nz or www.covid19.govt.nz. Thank you for your support. Yours sincerely Medical Officer of Health Auckland Regional Public Health Service

19 August 2021 Dear Parent, Caregiver, Staff Member, An update for Avondale College – testing site at Avondale Racecourse Further to our letter yesterday about the staff member confirmed as having COVID-19, we would like to update you with some important information. While all staff and students must stay in self-isolation at home for 14 days, it is important that everyone at the school is tested. Anyone with symptoms (listed below) should get a test immediately. All close contacts will also need to have further tests on Monday 23 August and Sunday 29 August. There is a testing centre at Avondale Race Course, 22 Ash Road, for Avondale College students, whanau and staff. This is open from 9am – 4.30 tomorrow (Friday 20th August) and from 8.30 – 4.30 on Saturday 21st August 2021. The new testing centre is for the school community only, so will help to alleviate some of the frustration experienced when trying to get a test. Please give the following code to the testing staff when you visit: SURV- TM18SC1. The information on other testing centres is here. Family members now also need to stay home until Sunday 22nd August, until the student or staff in their household has had a negative test result. This is now required because of updated information from the Ministry of Health. Students and staff do need to complete the 14-day self-isolation, and have negative test results, before they can leave their homes, even if New Zealand’s national alert level changes from the current Level 4. Everyone in the school community is also asked to watch for symptoms of COVID-19. These can include one or more of the following: sneezing and runny nose a new or worsening cough sore throat a fever of at least 38°C shortness of breath temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste diarrhoea headache muscle pain or body aches nausea and vomiting. Please get tested and call Healthline: 0800 358 5453 (a free, 24/7 service with interpreters available) if you have any symptoms. Medical Officers of Health can require people who may have been exposed to a notifiable disease, such as COVID-19 to isolate, get tested or seek medical attention. These powers are outlined under Section 70 of the Health Act, so are called Section 70 orders. These orders are for purpose of preventing spread of COVID-19. More information for close contacts is at www.arphs.health.nz or www.covid19.govt.nz. Thank you for your support. Yours sincerely Medical Officer of Health Auckland Regional Public Health Service

Our Gospel Choir has come away with the top award - a Tui - at the North Island's Big Sing Cadenza festival held in Rotorua this week! The 25-member choir, led by Seumanu Simon Matafai and teacher of Music, Mrs Fredda Sorenson, was selected to participate in the upper North Island festival following their success at the Auckland Big Sing, where they won the award for the best performance of a Pasifika piece and were runner up for a choral art piece. The Cadenza festival saw 12 top choirs from the upper North Island take part in two days of competition and group workshops, where they combined to rehearse massed choir pieces. Along with the rest of the country, our Gospel Choir made arrangements to return home to Auckland as quickly as possible when the nationwide Level 4 lockdown was announced and the awards finale was cancelled. It was a calm and happy choir that found out en route to Auckland that they had been awarded a Tui Award for excellence – essentially putting them in the top three schools for the competition. This was a superb result for a hard working and talented group of students. Adjudicator Timothy Wayne-Wright complimented the group on their "beautiful, powerful sound;" saying, "What a wonderful group! I loved listening to you and was very impressed with your power and tuning." New Zealand Choral Federation's Events Manager Emma Billings said NZCF was delighted with the engagement and enthusiasm of the students and staff involved in the festival. "We’re sad that we didn’t get to hold the Gala Concert or social events, but hope that the opportunity to perform together over the two days will provide positive memories for you and your students in these difficult times."

18 August 2021 Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students As you will be aware, today we learned that one of our staff members has contracted Covid-19 and that all staff and students of our College are considered to be close contacts. Avondale College will remain closed until at least 31 August. We understand that it's a very worrying time but are thankful that our school community is characterised by atawhai and care for one another. We know that the virus is the problem, not the people. The way forward is for us to continue to work as a community, both to follow the public health guidelines for Alert Level 4 and also to support each other. Please follow carefully the instructions in the letter from ARPH (see website) about self-isolating and getting tested. I am aware that there were considerable delays for tests today, and I thank you for your patience in this regard. If you require additional health advice please call Healthline: 0800 358 5453 (a free, 24/7 service with interpreters available). You can also visit www.arphs.health.nz or www.covid19.govt.nz. With today’s news, our focus has very much moved to the health and wellbeing of our communities, and school study has become secondary to this. School exams will not proceed next week, and students who are able to study should focus on homework, assessments and learning activities that they have been set in recent weeks. I anticipate that teachers will be in a position to provide Distance Learning next week. Our Guidance Department staff and School Nurses are available, and their contact details are on our website and on the Student Hub. Any general concerns or questions about student wellbeing or school work should be directed to relevant Home Room teachers or Deans. Further information will be shared with our community as soon as we receive it. My thoughts and best wishes are with the staff member concerned, and I thank them for acting responsibly and following all health advice. They are currently in good health. Stay home and stay safe. Best wishes Lyndy Watkinson Principal