Find out about BLENNZ – read our vision, history and see who is on our Board of Trustees. Get to know our staff and our partner agencies. We have documentation including our charter, annual reports and our school Term dates.
Referrals to BLENNZ can come from a number of sources. Referrals can be made by parents, whānau, families, teachers, ophthalmologists, health professionals, the Blind Foundation or Ministry of Education and must have parent/caregiver consent.
Technology provides vital tools that support learning, and helps fulfil the expectation that all learners have full access to the curriculum. There is a variety of options available that includes both mainstream and assistive technologies.
COVID-19 Information
Here you can find information about COVID-19 including PDFs and Word documents provided by external organisations. COVID-19 information available for download can be found here.
Alert Level 4 Lockdown
Thank you all for following the rules of lock down.
Doing so keeps us all safe.
We have now seen how quickly the DELTA variant spreads, so the better we are at staying in our bubbles the quicker we will be able to get this under control again.
Please keep checking the Ministry of Health locations of interest page and get tested if you were at that location at the specified time, or if you have symptoms which could be COVID-19.
Wellbeing at Level 4
This is a stressful time, and can be more so if you have a child at home who has additional health needs. We hope you and your whānau are doing OK at the moment – but it is also OK if you aren’t.
As the Mental Health Foundation of NZ says, “it’s all right to feel a range of emotions right now. Going into a Level 4 lockdown is a big deal and it brings all sorts of different feelings to the surface, including frustration, worry and even gratitude. However you are feeling, know that you’re not alone – we’re all going through this together.”
Distance Learning
The adjustment to distance learning can throw up some challenges.
The first priority is checking in with you and your child. Wellbeing is the priority, then learning can follow.
Teams are making contact with their respective whānau and ākonga, they will start with those that they have the most contact with, where we may be the specialist teacher.
If you have concerns about your child’s access to learning please make contact with BLENNZ.
Latest Blog Stories
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August 28, 2021Linewize are holding a series of free webinars for families about home learning. This is an opportunity for parents and whanau to get support around navigating the online learning environment.... Read more -
May 7, 2021BLENNZ is excited to be an official partner of the LEGO Foundation and the LEGO® Braille Bricks toolkit. The LEGO® Braille Bricks concept is a play-based methodology that teaches braille... Read more
Vacancies
We are often looking to employ new staff to join the team at BLENNZ. If you think this sounds like you, visit our vacancies page for more information about positions we currently have advertised around the country.
BLENNZ 2021 School Term Dates
Term 1
- Starts Wednesday 3 February
- Ends Friday 16 April
Term 2
- Starts Monday 3 May
- Ends Friday 9 July
Term 3
- Starts Monday 26 July
- Ends Friday 1 October
Term 4
- Starts Monday 18 October,
- Ends Wednesday 15 December
BLENNZ YouTube Channel
This is where we showcase some of what is happening at BLENNZ. We have a number of videos related to student learning that cover a range of ages and curriculum areas. We also have clips from parents and educators sharing their experiences. It is also a great ‘go to’ space for information about resources and technology.
Websites to visit
Kāpō Māori
PVI
Blind Citizens NZ
Blind Low Vision NZ
Deafblind Association
Inclusive Education
Albinism Trust
Parent to Parent
Ministry of Health NZ
