In common with schools all over New Zealand, Cromwell College has been working hard to lead their students through the best pathway to complete the year.
This navigation is particularly important for the senior students, whose external exams will now be put back two weeks, so that courses can be completed, and assessments achieved.
It has been a busy time for staff, with regular zoom meetings with students and colleagues, on-line learning organised and information from Health and Education authorities absorbed and communicated.
Staff have taken time to touch base with all their students on a well-being level, too, and staff and senior leaders have offered fun activities and challenges.
The prefects have presented an on-line assembly.
Names of students who have not engaged with their whanau or subject teachers have been handed on to pastoral caregivers.
When our region dropped from Level 4 to Level 3, the College organised pods for Years 7 to 10 students whose parents were essential workers.
Assistant Principal Tony Streeter says,
“Staff have been keen to offer their services in this capacity, supervising the students who were getting on with their own work under safety precautions, while the behaviour of the students was exemplary.”
Calendars of sporting events and other planned activities will now have to be revisited.
There have been some changes to NCEA (Yr 11-13) assessments.
The external exams will now start on 22 November, rather than 8 November.
It is important that senior students maximise their work quality, as, if the external exams need to be cancelled due to further lockdowns, their work throughout the year will be used to decide their final results.
On a positive note, there is evidence that wearing masks has advantages for young people, improving self-regulation, making them better able to focus on the speaker, less distracted by others, and feel part of a community effort.
Principal Mason Stretch is keen for all students to return on Thursday with school resuming in a calm, safe and ‘business as usual’ manner.
