Level 3 Information

Kia ora koutou
 
Firstly, a huge thanks to parents for assisting our efforts to provide distance learning and making sure your children are happy and enjoying family life under Level 4 conditions.

By now everyone will be aware the Nelson region will move into Alert Level 3 from 11:59pm Tuesday 31st August 2021. I would like to outline what this means for Richmond School.

Under Alert Level 3 conditions, directed by the Ministry of Education, ONLY children of essentialworkers who do not have someone at home to look after them can come to school. We have 42 children attending under Level 3 conditions.

We have been checking and will continue to be check some since we think that some parents have thought it was an option to send them along to school if they wanted to or they misunderstood that a return to school is only for children of essential workers.

The children at school will be in a small bubble of 10 or less, and they will be completing their distance learning work on-site. They will not be doing a normal school based programme.

If you have misunderstood this and aren’t an essential worker please let me know (principal@richmondprimary.school.nz) and I will take your child(ren) off the list of children attending school under Level 3 conditions. Only a few teachers will be at school so it is unlikely your child will be will their usual teacher supervising them and it is unlikely they will be in their usual classroom. All teachers will be still working with their own class students on-line each day (most of whom will be at home).

Students who do come to school are likely to be anxious about coming to school under Level 3, so you might like to reassure them that school is a safe place and that we have put lots of measures in place to ensure their safety. If you notice that your child is anxious or worried please reassure them and please let their teacher know about their concerns.

Our key defence against COVID remains – really good hand hygiene, physical (social) distancing whenever possible, and rapid track and tracing. 

Children and teachers do not need to wear face masks within the school environment (government guideline).
 
We will continue to emphasise the importance of:

• 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 on-site.
• Keeping a visitors register for anyone who cannot use the app and for other essential visitors.

Please read the following carefully and discuss relevant points with your child/children.

• If your child is sick they must stay home until they are well.                                                                                   ​If they become sick at school with cold or flu like symptoms, you will be phoned and we will expect ​your child to be collected from school promptly.

• Where will your children enter and leave the school? Parents aren’t to enter the school grounds.

​Children must be ‘dropped-off and picked-up’ from one central point. This will be the gate on ​Cambridge St by the present office (near the hall and Room 18). The teachers (at least one per ​syndicate) will be there waiting for children.

• We do not want parents to visit the office unless necessary.​

​Parents need to use the COVID-19 contact tracing app or you will need to sign in and out on the ​register provided at the office. You will need to maintain physical distancing. We would prefer to ​phone or email the office instead. If you need to speak to an individual teacher then please phone ​or email them.

• All children coming to school will need to bring along their own personal drink bottle every day.Outside water fountains are closed.

• Students should remain far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on or

​touching each other. Where practicable, the 2 metre rule will be applied as a healthy guide, particularly between adults.

• Hygiene practices will apply in the classrooms. Students and staff will sanitise upon

​entry/re-entry of classroom, and before and after eating. This will be supervised by staff.

• Devices and commonly touched surfaces will be regularly sanitised by staff.

• Where possible, doors will be wedged open for hands free entry and exit. Windows will be opened ​provided the classroom is adequately warm.

• Adventure playgrounds, our library and our hall are all closed.

• Assemblies are cancelled.

• The children at school will be in a ‘bubble’ of 10 or less with designated teachers. They will be in the ​same bubble at all times – in the specific classroom, have lunch in their bubble and be in their ​bubble at playtimes and lunchtimes with only certain sports equipment.

Many thanks for reading all of this and I am sure you are equally as keen to make sure our students and staff are ‘safe’ in our schooling environment. Wellbeing has been, and continues to be, a significantfocus. For children to engage in learning in our school environment they must first feel safe. This will remain a priority.

Thank you for your continued support and playing your part in providing a safe home and learning environment.
 
Ngā mihi

——————

Tim Brenton

PRINCIPAL

By admin School News