14 February 2021

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25 th August 2020

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Kia ora koutou Whanau and caregivers

 

It was a big relief to hear we are moving back to Alert Level 2 at the beginning of next week (Monday 31st August). We look forward to welcoming all our students and staff back onsite at that time!

 

Thank you once more to our parents and caregivers for the support and resilience you have shown through Alert Level 3.

 

Strong vigilance, good hygiene practices, coupled with the hard work our health authorities are doing to identify and support any confirmed cases and their close contacts remain important for all of us.

 

Just a reminder that while everyone is onsite at Alert Level 2 next week, we must adhere to key health measures including:

 

· Good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette

· Staying away if sick

· Keeping the appropriate physical distance from others (in class this means no touching each other and keeping out of breathing distance)

· Cleaning and disinfecting our high touch surfaces daily

· Displaying QR code posters at our entrances and encouraging all of our community to download the NZ COVID Tracer App and use it if they come onsite

· Keeping a visitor register for anyone who cannot use the app and for other visitors who come onsite for a period of time.

 

We know all these things will help to keep our community as safe as possible. Because of these measures, your child does not need to wear a face covering while at school. We will of course support them should they choose to do so.

 

For those of you who might be finding things more difficult than usual, a reminder that there is a large range of support available for businesses and the community. We encourage you to go to covid19.govt.nz for more information, or get in touch and we will help you to find the information and support you need.

 

Ngā mihi

 

All of New Zealand excluding Auckland

You may wish to use the letter template below to send to your community.

 

Kia ora koutou

 

Following the announcement from the Prime Minister we will remain at Alert Level 2.

 

Just a reminder that while everyone is onsite at Alert Level 2, we must adhere to key health measures including:

· Good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette

· Staying away if sick

· Keeping the appropriate physical distance from others

· Cleaning and disinfecting our high touch surfaces daily

· Displaying QR code posters at our entrances and encouraging all of our community to download the NZ COVID Tracer App and use it if they come onsite

· Keeping a visitor register for anyone who cannot use the app and for other visitors who come onsite for a period of time.

 

We know all these things will help to keep our community as safe as possible. Because of these measures, your child does not need to wear a face covering while at school. We will of course support them should they choose to do so.

 

For those of you who might be finding things more difficult than usual, a reminder that there is a large range of support available for businesses and the community. We encourage you to go to the covid19.govt.nz for more information, or get in touch and we will help you to find the information and support you need.

 

Ngā mihi

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Ronnie Govender

Principal

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Requirements at Alert Level 2

• Children at higher risk of  severe illness

Children are encouraged to take additional precautions when leaving home. Parents, caregivers and students will need to work with the school to develop a plan to manage a safe return to school. Distance learning will continue to be available to those who choose to remain at home.

• Staff at higher risk of severe illness

Staff are able to work onsite if they can do it in a safe way. Staff and employers should discuss and agree whether additional control measures can be put in place, whether these workers can work from home, or if not, what leave and pay arrangements will apply.
Staff to work with their GP or specialist if they need help understanding their own level of risk and how best to stay healthy.

• Washing and drying hands

Hand sanitiser at entry to classrooms and in shared spaces.  Soap, water and the ability to dry hands must be provided in bathrooms. If hand sanitiser is in short supply, washing and drying hands with soap is still the most effective hygiene measure.

• Physical distancing

Children, young people and staff should be far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on or touching each other, coupled with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces. There does not need to be a specific measurement but where practicable and reasonable 1 metre can be used as a guide, particularly between adults.
Physical distancing of 2 metres is recommended for parents and caregivers, from people they don’t know (to align with public health measures outside the school grounds).

• Cleaning

Disinfect and clean all surfaces daily

• Limits to gatherings

Schools, like workplaces, are not considered to be gatherings.
If however a school brings others onsite eg hire out school hall, use of buildings by community groups, or events like school productions and school balls, then rules for gatherings and other public health measures would apply.

• Physical and cultural activities / playgrounds

Physical education classes and break time activities can include access to sports equipment including playgrounds but hygiene practice should be observed before and after playing with equipment. There will also need to be regular cleaning of shared equipment such as balls, sticks etc.
Physical distance is not possible in some sporting activities. In these situations extra emphasis on handwashing and drying (or cleansing with hand sanitiser) before and after activities and regular cleaning of equipment is very important.

• Contact tracing

Contact tracing remains a priority through your visitor register, timetable and attendance register. You are required to display QR code posters for the NZ COVID Tracer App.

• Visitors

To support contact tracing, record all visitors who are onsite for a period of time, including parents and caregivers, in your visitor register (as is usual practice but also to assist if contact tracing is necessary).
For drop offs and pick ups, if the parent or caregiver uses the app you don’t need to capture them in your visitor register.
For parents and caregivers who cannot use the App, you may wish to continue to record their details in a simple register when they do pick ups and drop offs.
Volunteers can be used at Alert Level 2 in class as long as they are meeting all the public health requirements and are recorded in your timetable and/or visitor register (make sure you have up to date contact information for them).
Please keep your visitor register for at least two months.

• Teaching across groups

Teachers are able to teach more than one group/class of students.

• Food preparation

If you prepare food on site you must check the MPI guidance on food safety and ensure your school and any suppliers meet all health and safety requirements before you recommence the supply of food to your students.

• Libraries

Libraries can be operated as the virus does not survive for long on paper and cardboard (less than 24 hours), so books and other paper and cardboard can be put aside overnight and used the next day by other students. Books with plastic sleeves should be wiped down with a disinfectant wipe before re-issuing the next day.

• External students onsite

Other schools’ students can come onsite during the week and for school-run out of hours’ programmes. External providers can come onsite including for example other teachers and team coaches/managers.
For hosting External students onsite (e.g. music programmes, technology schools), you will need to treat the running of these programmes with strong caution, particularly if there are a number of different schools participating or large numbers of students (and parents and caregivers) involved.
It is recommended that you develop a specific health and safety plan for managing the programme. Minimising congestion should be a key priority for that plan, including in the classrooms or spaces being used for delivery.
If parents and caregivers come into the classrooms or other teaching spaces to observe, you need to apply the current rules for gatherings at this alert level.

• Shared supplies

Shared supplies and equipment are able to be used if students and staff are undertaking regular hand washing and staying away if sick.

• Music, instruments, singing etc.

Practices, rehearsals and performances can go ahead – physical distancing of 1 metre is recommended where practicable including singing and using wind instruments.

• Drinking fountains

Consider whether appropriate to use, particularly are students capable of using them safely? Encourage using water bottles where possible.

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