Manaia View school principal Leane Otene. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Manaia View school principal Leane Otene. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland principals are on board with the Ministry of Education's decision to let the school holidays remain unchanged, saying it's best for the students and staff.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said school holidays in Auckland would be held at the same time as the rest of the country, starting fromSaturday, October 2.
Tai Tokerau principals were previously uncertain whether the proposed holiday changes were for the entire country or just Auckland.
New Zealand Principal's Federation executive and Manaia View School principal Leanne Otene said the staff were dealing with getting the students back into their routine, and changes in school holidays would have done more harm.
"We are looking at wellbeing, seeing where the needs are, and some of our tamariki have come back quite anxious.
"We are still facing the impact of level 4 and level 3 lockdown, and we'd like to think that we have moved a great deal in the two weeks before the holidays.
"Then when we have the holidays, there might be no lockdowns, our families can go away, relax, enjoy the break, visit relatives, and they can return to school in term 4."
Otene said the other concern for the schools was term 4, which was long anyway and to extend it by another two weeks would have been very tough on teachers and students alike.
"Teachers are exhausted, they worked really hard during the lockdown and to go on a holiday now and come back to 12 weeks of term 4 would not have been fair.
"Tai Tokerau principals fully support our Auckland colleagues. We know they are working extremely hard and they are very much under the plump. They need to have a break and not now, but when they move down a level.
"Tamariki as well as the teachers need time to recuperate from being stuck at home. They need to get out, relax and enjoy their breaks and they cannot do that under level 3 or 4.
"What we are hoping is for Auckland to move down alert levels over the coming weeks and enough to be able to give the kids some freedom, where they'll be able to get out from there four walls or outside of their backyards, and be able to move about more freely.
"Had they gone into holidays now, kids would have been stuck at home, not being able to go out to parks, beaches, or visit families. Then they'll feel that they've gone straight from a lockdown back into full-time school. This is too stressful for everyone."
Tai Tokerau Principals' Association president and Hora Hora Primary School principal Pat Newman said he was relieved and applauded the ministry's decision.
Hora Hora Primary School principal Pat Newman. Photo / Michael Cunningham
"Students are under a lot of pressure and they need to have some time to relax. Our kids have been under immense pressure, not just sitting in the class but all the social, mental, and physical problems because of lockdown have been weighing them down.
"We are still dealing with the aftermath of Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown, dealing with the increases in violence in some of the families, lack of food, and that sort of things. We are dealing with a lot of consequences with the kids.
