Care For Students A Quiet Triumph

With many schools in and around Christchurch re-opening after last month’s earthquake, NZSTA President Lorraine Kerr says it is time to publicly thank boards, principals and school staff in Christchurch and around New Zealand for the way they have taken care of students in the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes.

“It is one of the quiet triumphs of the February earthquake that although there were thousands of students in schools around Christchurch when the quake struck, with around 9,000 of them in schools that were probably damaged beyond repair, there were no lives lost, and no serious injuries on any school premises” she said.

“It is really wonderful to know that the planning and preparation schools around the country have done for just such an event as this has paid off so well in keeping our children safe.

“As boards of trustees and as parents, we are profoundly grateful to the principals and staff who took such good care of our children until they were able to rejoin their families. We know many of our people were concerned for the safety of their own families and friends, but they made sure ours were safe and accounted for first. This is no more than we expect from our school staff, but it is very much worth acknowledging.

“To all those principals, teachers, and other school personnel who took such great care of our children during those frightening hours, we say thank you. We truly appreciate your courage, your compassion, and your dedication at such a frightening time.

The past few weeks have been a particularly difficult time for boards of trustees and staff in schools around the country, and it is also worth acknowledging the outstanding efforts that other schools are making to accommodate students displaced by the earthquake.

“We have always known that in spite of any tensions that surface from time to time, there is a huge amount of goodwill and a shared interest in doing the right thing by our students, and the way other schools are pitching in to make sure that happens is proof of that”.

“NZSTA representatives have been active in supporting boards of trustees in Christchurch as they work through the consequences of the earthquake for their schools, and we know that for some boards this task is quite overwhelming. The Ministry of Education has recognised this by extending the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offered to principals and staff after the September quake to include school trustees as well”, Lorraine says.

Overall the Ministry has responded swiftly and has been keeping the sector well informed about what is happening to get schools safely back to “business as usual”.
There have also been some amazing examples of schools using innovative ways to keep in touch with their school community and provide support and learning materials for students, using school websites and social media like facebook pages, school blogs and twitter.

In response to a number of requests from NZSTA member boards asking if there is a way for their school fundraising efforts to be distributed direct to Canterbury schools affected by the earthquake, NZSTA has set up the NZSTA Canterbury Earthquake Schools Relief Fund. Details of the fund and how to donate to it can be found on the NZSTA website. www.nzsta.org.nz

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