Back to school in Dannevirke under level 2

The reception committee - teacher Anna Murphy, Dani Simmons and Caitlin Murphy.

Schools have adapted pretty well to the return of students last week if Dannevirke South School is one to go by.

After a week "things are going very smoothly", according to principal Stephen Snell.

He says staff have worked very hard to make the children safe with careful monitoring of arrivals and departures, a detailed electronic check-in for visitors, high levels of sanitising after each session during the day, continual emphasis on washing hands, physical distancing when having food and staff monitoring.

From the start of the week teachers have met and guided the children to class to alleviate any of their worries and their pupils have quickly adapted to the routines.

Stephen Snell credits the great work of parents in training their children on procedures as much as the pre-planning.

No student is admitted before 8.30am and they are met through one gate by staff and senior students. Staff have volunteered to park their cars some distance from the school so there will be more space for parents to drop off their children – a procedure receiving several calls of gratitude.

During the day classes run fairly normally. One class of 6 and 7-year-olds had been doing a mix of role plays, construction activities, art and a library visit all by 11am. They sat in spaced locations for morning tea before going out to play.

There are still 30 students at home doing online learning and a dedicated group of staff has been given the task of monitoring them and providing learning.

Stephen Snell says staff have been fabulous during the lockdown, creating new ways of learning using the technology. This has been very well received by many students, especially the senior girls who enjoyed the freedom to plan their day around the options provided.

Head girl Caitlin Murphy said she learnt a lot over the lockdown and really enjoyed it.

School Council member Dani Simmons echoed her sentiments, saying her schoolmates liked to plan their own days but were nevertheless pleased to be back to meet each other again and there did not seem to be much difference in what they had learnt.

Not all students expressed enthusiasm for the lockdown and the online learning, several 10-year old-boys saying they were really pleased to be back at school with their teacher and mates.

Teacher Donna Mason said there was not much pressure put on students to work too hard as it was more important the students were calm and happy over lockdown.

With no assemblies, major group activities and sports term two is different but the school was up and running in the first week, according to principal Snell.