TPCS Online starts Tuesday 14 April!

Dear Parents, our circumstances have changed drastically in a matter of a few short weeks. I realise that it must be a challenging time for everyone and for some of us possibly more so than others.

It is not the first time my family and I have faced challenging circumstances. My wife and I still vividly remember Hurricane Ivan in 2004, a category 4 to 5 storm that slammed into the island we were living at the time, completely destroying our workplace and our home. We packed up what remained of our physical possessions, about half a ute-load, and we were forced to evacuate from the island because we were “non-essential” and the government was trying to relieve pressure on the little resources and infrastructure that were left.

Amidst all of the loss, we realised that the most valuable gift God had given us was our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We had to trust God’s faithfulness and the promises in God’s Word despite circumstances that were quite desperate from a human perspective. The following verses got new meaning during this challenging time, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33). God gave us the strength to take Him at His Word and sure enough: a year later, we had a new home, God had miraculously given us back everything we had lost and we had our jobs back.

I want to encourage you: the Bloms are able to testify of God’s provision not because of who we are but because of who God is: loving, faithful, merciful, gracious and unchanging. No matter what you are facing, you can trust in God.

Term 2 and beyond

The staff and I have spent many, many hours the past two and a half weeks getting ready to continue the Tyndale Park Christian School teaching and learning programme online from Tuesday 14 April 2020. Your child(ren)’s classroom teacher would have been in touch via email or a telephone call by the time this letter had been published. If you read this and you have not heard from us, it means we do not have your current contact details. Please email us at admin@tyndalepark.school.nz with your current contact details.

There are a few points I want to emphasise:

· The online version of Tyndale Park Christian School is just as much school as the usual brick-and-mortar, face-to-face version that you and your child(ren) are used to.

o    We need to prepare ourselves mentally and physically to participate in the online delivery of education for a while.

o    All online assignments and appointments are compulsory, not optional. They will be part of your child(ren)’s assessment this term and you have to expect lower than expected progress and results if students choose not to engage with the assignments they will be given from next Tuesday.

o    Students need to keep appointments with their teachers to be marked present every day.

o    Teachers will be available for questions and advice during normal school hours, except for a morning tea and lunch break. We will heavily depend on videoconferencing for this purpose. You will be able to make an appointment with your child(ren)’s classroom teacher by emailing them or contacting them in the way they explained to you the past two weeks. A list of teachers’ email addresses will be shared in the newsletter.

o    It is recommended that every family works out a schedule that is followed every week day, just as you will do when school is in session as usual. If you need advice about scheduling, please contact your child(ren)’s classroom teacher.

· Please recognise that teachers’ workload will be unchanged during this time. The two things that have changed are where they are teaching from and what tools they are using. Online teaching has challenges:

o    Technology may sometimes decide not to work. Please be patient with yourselves if this does happen. Almost always the best thing to do is to restart a device or switch it off and on, and then try using the tool again, whether that is your Internet router, computer, laptop, tablet or phone.

o    Please be patient with teachers as they try to be as efficient as possible in teaching new concepts using new tools and answering each student’s questions.

o    The “volume” of school work will either be overwhelming or underwhelming. If it seems overwhelming, it is because students are using new tools to show their learning and it is not possible to “hide” from work by “acting” as if they are on task. You are encouraged to contact your child(ren)’s teacher if this continues to be a challenge for your child(ren). If the amount of work seems underwhelming, it is because we are acting on common sense advice to try not to add to families’ stress in these challenging times. If your child(ren) is able to complete work very quickly, there are many ways to provide other less formal learning opportunities that will still encourage students to take huge strides academically. Please contact the child(ren)’s classroom teacher for advice.

· The school’s operational costs will be slightly lower because we are not using the school buildings and resources at this time, but it will be mostly the same because the Tyndale Park Christian School Trust still needs to pay its staff, by far the biggest part of the school’s budget. So, it is important that you commit to paying your child(ren)’s tuition fees. We recognise that New Zealand’s economic situation will be dire for some families but we are praying daily that the Lord will provide in the needs of every family who is part of our school. If you are unable to pay tuition fees, please contact me immediately (principal@tyndalepark.school.nz) so that we can discuss your options moving forward. Please commit to praying and working with us to ensure that we will be able to offer a quality Christian education for many more years to come.

As always, it is an absolute honour and privilege to partner with you in your child(ren)’s education. We are committed to continue to assist parents by providing a Christ-centred education that encourages academic excellence and Christian service to the glory of God.

Barend Blom

Principal

Photo credits: Online by Nick Morrison on Unsplash