Welcome to 2022! We hope your daughter has a fun-filled and rewarding year at Westlake Girls High School. Here are a few things that might be useful to know.
Online Learning Test Morning
On Thursday 24 February, our school is holding an “Online Test Morning”, where students will work from home to ensure they are able to access Google classrooms should we need to instigate remote learning at any stage.
For the first three periods of the day, your daughter will need to log into her Google Classroom at the time she would normally be attending her class. Teachers will test a range of activities which could include a short Google Meet. Students will be directed by their teachers once they log into Google Classrooms.
It’s a Day 9 on her Timetable, there will be no Form Time, and the Periods are:
9.10 – 10.10am: Period 1
10.10 – 11.05am: Period 2
11.05 – 11.30am: Break time
11.30 – 12.25pm: Period 3
After Period 3, your daughter has the afternoon available to continue completing her set work. In the afternoon, a PPTA Paid Union Meeting is being held, so teachers will be unavailable.
If she’s unable to connect to the school system via her laptop, please email [email protected] and someone will assist you.
If your daughter is aged under 14 years and would be home without adult or older sibling supervision, the school’s Library will be available all day. If your daughter needs to be onsite in the Library, please email Rachel Bickerstaffe at [email protected]
Non-essential visitors
While Auckland is at Alert Level Red, we are not permitted to allow non-essential visitors onsite at school. This includes parents or caregivers dropping off items at the school office. We know this is inconvenient, but if you need to come in to school (ie get out of your car) for any reason, please email [email protected] to make an appointment.
Second-Hand Uniform Shop
The Second-Hand Uniform Shop will be open every Friday lunchtime during February, but please remember that under Red it’s only open to students. Your daughter will find the shop (and our helpful and friendly volunteers) in classroom B8.
Mask wearing
Please note that while the school has a small supply of masks available for emergencies, students should bring a mask and a spare to school with them each day.
Contacting us:
The easiest way to contact us is by emailing [email protected] for general enquiries. Or you can phone 489 4169. Please do not email [email protected] as this is for outgoing mail and is not regularly monitored. We’d hate you to think we were ignoring you.
Absences:
Parents or caregivers should contact the school in the morning by emailing [email protected] AND your daughter’s Form Teacher, remembering to give the reason for the absence. You can find a list of staff contacts on our website.
Reporting a Covid case:
If your daughter should receive a positive Covid result, please email [email protected] to notify us. If your daughter is self-isolating under Ministry of Health guidelines, please email [email protected] as per usual.
Lateness:
Students must bring an explanatory note and give it to the Attendance Officer upon arrival in the main reception at the Gernhoefer Admin Centre. Alternatively email the Attendance Officer and your daughter’s Form Teacher.
Sickness:
If your daughter becomes sick at school, it’s important she doesn’t just call you for collection, but follows school procedures. First, she needs to go to the School Health Centre and then you will be notified if she needs to be sent home. It’s important your daughter sees a Nurse at the Health Centre before she calls you for collection.
Exiting during the day:
Parents should email [email protected] with details of why the student needs to leave school. The student must collect a form from the Attendance Officer at reception before signing out.
ID, prefect and class photos
We are still taking student ID photos on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 February. Unfortunately we have had to postpone our prefect and class photos which were due to take place this month. These will now be taken later in the year.
Daily Notices
A great way to know what’s going on at the school is through our Daily Notices which are read out in classrooms every morning. You’ll find them on the App, and also on our website either under “Notices” or at the bottom of the homepage under “Quick Links“.
Swimming Sports and Athletics Day
Sadly we have needed to postpone our Swimming Sports competition which was due to be held this month. We’re now looking at Term 2, and will provide more details as they come to hand.
Our 2022 Athletics Day is going ahead in a different format to previous years. Traditionally it is a full-school event, however under Alert Level Red gathering restrictions are in place. We will be holding it on Wednesday 23 February. Please see the Sports section of this newsletter for more details.
Important Dates
| Wednesday 23 February | Athletics Day – competitors only (Juniors morning, Seniors afternoon) |
| Monday 21 February | ID photos |
| Tuesday 22 February | ID photos |
| Friday 4 March | Year 9 Tabloid Sports Day |
| Friday 1 April | Senior and Junior Interim Reports available via the Parent Portal |
Unfortunately we are unable to hold our New Parents Information Evening, NCEA Information Evening, and our Parent Teacher interviews in Term 1.