From the Chair

Hello everyone,

As you are already aware SeniorNet Kapiti is unable to re-open the Learning Centre with current restrictions in place. However, we will reopen in Term 1, 2022 following Govt guidelines and the Traffic Light system.

We have started planning the Term 1 timetable already! We are very excited to be able to offer ‘face to face’ classes at the Learning Centre in Term 1 to help you with your digital learning. Be sure to take advantage of the 50% discount… more about this below.

Also on our Calendar is a ‘welcome back’ to members which we’re in the process of planning, it will be a morning or afternoon tea. We will send out an invitation closer to the time once details are finalised.

A huge thank you to all our Members for supporting SeniorNet during these difficult times. We strive to offer consistent, quality content and services to ensure digital inclusion within our membership and community.

Technology is giving us all the opportunity to meet with friends and family and also to learn from home. Please take the time to join a Zoom session or look at SeniorHangouts (more below) and pick up some tips and tricks that will be of interest and could help you or a friend.

Please also remember that if you get into difficulty with your technology, SeniorNet can help. Call our COVID Helpdesk on (04) 299 0754, leave your name, number and a brief description of the problem and one of our capable tutors will call you back to assist.

Sue Connor
Chair, SeniorNet Kapiti Inc.

Kapiti SeniorNet Learning Centre
(200 Matai Rd) remains closed while we are in COVID-19 (Delta) Level 2. We will reopen as soon possible in the new Traffic Light System

In the meantime, why not try a SeniorHangouts session – they’re free to all SeniorNet members. You can see the latest offerings at this page (click here) on the SeniorNet Manawatu website. It’s just one click to start a session – no Zoom required!

Membership & 2022 Course/Workshop Fees

We are very grateful to all those of you who have remained loyal to SeniorNet Kapiti this year. Our Membership is holding at 338 Members which is relatively consistent with previous years at this time.

In recognition of the fact that we have not been able to offer our normal number and range of Courses and Workshops during 2021, the Committee has agreed that all Course and Workshop Fees will be reduced by 50% for the entire calendar year 2022 (with a minimum charge of $5). We hope this encourages you to return to our face-to-face sessions once we are permitted to reopen The Learning Centre.

More Support From Pelorus Trust ❤ ❤ ❤

We recently applied to Pelorus Trust for a grant to assist us to upgrade the PCs in The Learning Centre so we can support Windows 11 next year.

We are thrilled to advise that we have received a Grant of $5,000 which will be put towards this upgrade. Upgrading 7 machines to All-In-1’s (yes, far fewer cables!) will cost more than this but we are now able to get started with planning and some initial purchases.

We have a couple more funding applications in the pipeline which we hope will allow us to fully fund this important upgrade.

In case Pelorus Trust sounds familiar to you, they are…. they were the organisation who primarily funded the AED in 2019 and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support.

Likely Changes Due to Covid-19 When We Re-open

With the proposed changes to a Traffic Light system, recently announced by the Government, we can all expect things to be a little different when the Learning Centre is able to re-open. Reading between the lines we can expect some or all of the following changes (depending on the colour of the light!);

We cannot reopen until our landlord (KCDC) agrees in writing.
Tutors will be required to be fully vaccinated in order to run face to face classes
Only fully vaccinated members will be able to enter the Learning Centre to attend face to face classes or other functions – Vaccine passports (now they are available) will be used for validation
For privacy reasons, no vaccination information will be retained by SeniorNet Kapiti – validation is all that will be required
SeniorNet will assist all our members to get the vaccination certificate App working on their smartphones or to print a paper certificate
Masks will have to be worn in the Learning Centre based on the Traffic Light level at the time – the Lead Tutor is not required to wear a mask when teaching
Tutors will be discouraged from handling members devices (laptops, smartphones etc)

Weekly Online “Members’ Meeting”

Something on your mind or have you made a discovery that you’re dying to share with the world … well, your fellow SeniorNet Kapiti members anyway?

Do you have the odd techy question that’s been niggling away at you or an issue that you can’t resolve? Or maybe there’s something you have read or heard that you would like to know more about? Our regular (online) Wednesday Members’ Meetings are designed to help with answers.

These Zoom meetings provide a relaxed and friendly opportunity for an informal chat and a chance to catch up with others. A number of our tutors will always be on hand to share their thoughts and insights on the topics of the day. This is a great way to stay connected while we are still unable to get together at the Learning Centre.

Meetings run from 10.00 am to 12.00 and you can join and leave the meeting whenever you please. And, best of all, you get to choose and enjoy your own delicious morning tea! Meeting invites and Zoom links are sent out the day before.

SeniorHangouts is Running – every day

SeniorHangouts, the online learning platform run by SeniorNet, is still operating (with fancy new branding too!)

All current members of SeniorNet Learning Centres in New Zealand are welcome to participate (free) and you don’t even need Zoom to join.

If you are interested in what’s coming up next week (and every week), we’ve found this excellent site (thanks to SeniorNet Manawatu) which is updated Sunday evening once the weekly timetable is published. It also includes direct links to the upcoming sessions – just click and go!

To watch old sessions, go to the SeniorHangouts website, where you can watch previously held sessions in the extensive library on a wide variety of topics that may interest you.

Christmas Function Cancelled 😢

We were hoping to hold our Christmas Function as normal this year but not surprisingly, COVID-19 has put the kaibosh on things (again!).

We still want to hold some form of celebration with our members but the Committee has decided to defer it until we can all get together at The Learning Centre. That is now looking like early 2022 when we restart classes….

Watch this spot!

Please Support our Sponsors

Please don’t forget to support our National sponsors – they’re important to SeniorNet and help us at the local level in many ways, including offering discounts to our members.

Always show your membership card and ask if there’s a discount for SeniorNet members – you might be rather surprised!

The best example is Noel Leeming where the SeniorNet discount extends well beyond computers to everything in their store but please be insistent that they scan your barcode before they give you a price!

Suzuki has recently reconfirmed their offer to our members of free on-road costs on new vehicles so it always pays to ask.

There are more details about the individual sponsorships on the Federation’s website here