Schools won't re-open as soon as lockdown lifts
Education Minister Chris Hipkins is warning parents it would be wrong for them to assume that all schools will reopen as soon as the lockdown ends. "That's not going to happen," he told the Epidemic Response Committee this morning. Hipkins said parents would need to prepare to have their kids at home for longer than the four-week lockdown period. "It's going to be a progressive reopening of the system, rather than a big bang all at once." The same went for tertiary institutions and early childhood centres as well. Although Hipkins said that at level 3 there would be more flexibility, it would take a while for most schools to reopen. New Zealand is just past the halfway point in the four-week lockdown period – however the Government has always maintained that the lockdown can be extended. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has so far provided no confirmation as to whether level 4 would be extended. Hipkins said the key measure as to when schools would reopen would be based on health advice.
The Government was working on a number of different packages and initiatives in this area for when New Zealand goes back down to level three. Hipkins thanked the entire educational community for "keeping the system running" over the lockdown. "It's been incredibly difficult," he said. He also thanked parents who have their kids at home – "I want to take my hat off to them". Hipkins also had a message for those parents who are helping with their children's learning over lockdown: "Be reasonable of your expectations of yourself". He also warned parents to be "reasonable" when it comes to their expectations of their young children's productivity. So far, 20,000 work book packages have been delivered to kids so far – that number will jump to 60,000 next week, Hipkins said.
And the Government is gearing up to be in a position where it can deliver half a million workbooks across the country, he said. These were primarily for those students who don't have access to internet or the appropriate devices. If costs continue to be a barrier for learning, the Government would look into that, Hipkins said. "We will make sure it [cost] is not a barrier." Asked if the Government was planning on providing a support package for schools heavily impacted by the drop in international students, Hipkins said: "We will have to do some modelling on that". He pointed out that the wage subsidy scheme was available to those in the tertiary education sector.
But he said the Government will not subsidise international students.
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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49.5% Yes
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48.6% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Why make picking up reserved library books harder? What do you think? Challenge: Write the last stanza for the first poem attached below.
Once books are reserved in Auckland Libraries books, when they are available no longer go alphabetically by customer but instead go into a Holds pickup shelf number based presumably somehow on when each book needs to be picked up by.
I had two books reserved that arrived on two different days in the Blockhouse Bay Library and hence each book has a different shelf number. Hard to find unless you knew the shelf number in the notification email. Even if you knew the shelf number I found myself three books by the same author on the two shelf numbers.
More recently yesterday a book I reserved was on a different shelf number than was specified in my notification email (see image below).
Sadly it is clear from library staff that a numerical system for reserves is here to stay.
I suggest that so that all books for each person has the same shelf number, the shelf number becomes the last digit of a person's library card (0-9).
Within each shelf number a book is found under the day the reserve arrives in the library (01 to 31, hopefully the same date the email is sent).
Since a customer appears to have 10 days to pick up a book, ten days of the month would appear to be required at any time (for each digit 0-9).
Once there are 10 days used the next day's reserves could go back at the beginning of the shelf number after any remaining books not collected (hopefully none) are removed (along with the old day number and the new day number (01 to 31) inserted) after the last day available and future days' books remaining moved forward to make room.
Each day number (01-31) would appear once for each shelf number (0-9) before the first book on that day- perhaps cover an old withdrawn book with paper with each day number on the spine?
When a reserved book arrives in the library the last digit of the library card could be placed on a piece of paper in the book to be removed when it is put on the shelf, to be recycled the next day.
What do you think?
See the image below and page 3 below for a letter appearing in the Western Leader on 9 September:
www.neighbourly.co.nz...
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