It is not uncommon for New Zealand schools to occasionally have to deal with the repercussions of a flood or earthquake, but Newlands School in Wellington unfortunately experienced both within a few days.
School Office Administrator, Megan Chisholm describes how, even amidst the chaos, they were able to easily communicate the school’s open status with their community using School-links.
“There was so much uncertainty in the community,” says Megan. “There were mixed messages coming from local authorities, other organisations, the media and the grapevine, so some people thought that all schools were closed that day.”
Although it was a chaotic week, the school was commended on its ability to communicate effectively with families throughout.
“It just went so smoothly because wherever we were we knew we could get a message out quickly. We used School-links to communicate the facts and stomp on the rumours. Parents knew exactly what we were doing. Whereas I know with some other schools there was a lot of confusion about what was going on.”
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