Don’t forget to support our Book Fair this week 16th to 20th November. In the staff room 8.30am until 9am and 2.45pm until 3.15pm Mon to Thursday and Friday morning. The school will benefit from any sales made. Heaps of great titles so come and do some Christmas shopping!
This year’s Middle & Senior syndicates athletics day is to be held on Wednesday 11th November.
The age your child will be entered in is the age they are on 25th November. This is an interschool requirement.
Parents are welcome to come and support this event which will be held on the back and front fields at school.
During the morning sessions, sprint heat races are held to identify our fastest runners for the finals. These final races are then held after lunch.
We start the day with house colour chants and this is approximately at 9.15am. We then go straight into the rotations shown on Facebook and the email sent out.
Return to quad for lunch. Other events to hold jump/run off to get top athletes if necessary.
1.30 Sprint finals
Following finals Middle syndicate relays – front sprint track
Seniors syndicate relays – back field tracks
We are expecting it to be a lovely sunny day J, so don’t forget sunscreen and sunhat.
We are now at Level 1 but we’d still like parents to either sign in to school with either the tracer app or sign the form – thanks!
The PTC are very sorry to have to cancel the School Disco which was planned for Friday 18th September. This had already been postponed and now with the ongoing uncertainty with where we will be on the COVID-19 Levels and an announcement not due until 14th September, it is just not possible to make any solid plans. Hopefully we can plan another fun event for the children in the not too distant future and hope that our disco can return in 2021!
The School Disco has been postponed until Friday 18th September (providing we are back at Level 1).
Daffodil Day has also been postponed until we are back at Level 1.
We have sent the following newsletter out to all parents today regarding the Level 2 procedures starting tomorrow 18/8/20:
Kia ora koutou By now everyone will be aware the Nelson region is in Alert Level 2 (and likely to remain in place until Wednesday 26th August). I would like to outline what this means for Richmond School from tomorrow.
Under Alert Level 2 conditions, schools facilities are open. The expectation, directed by the Ministry of Education, is that with the exception of some students who are sick or in isolation due to public health advice, all students will attend school. Students may be anxious about this move up in alert levels, 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 coverings because the risk of infection within the school environment is low. 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 measure carefully and discuss relevant points with your child/children. These will be reinforced by class teachers:
· 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.
· All visitors to our school need to ‘sign in’ when entering the school.
We prefer and encourage ‘drop-offs and pick-ups’ to be at the same gates as when we were previously at Level 2. For our students who might need more support, parents will have the option to drop-off and pick-up by their classrooms (please do not enter the classrooms nor corridors).
Parents must sign in using the QR code tracing app or sign a hardcopy contact tracing register that will be on a table at one of the 4 entry gates. Staff members will be stationed at gates to assist with this. The QR code is displayed on every entrance gate, on the hall foyer door and at the main office. Please don’t enter the grounds prior to the 8:30am bell and before 2:55pm in the afternoon.
We most definitely encourage parents to log-in to the COVID-19 contact tracing app. I did so over the weekend. It doesn’t take long and it is easy to use.
The following gates are the entry/exit gates, by:
– Room 3
– Room 11
– Room 18/RTLB specialist room
– Staff carpark (we prefer parents/children do not use this).
At the entry/exit gates there will be a staff member and at the Room 18/RTLB building gate there will be some/all of the Junior school teachers. Other staff members may be present too.
If you need to visit the office during Alert Level 2 you will need to sign in and out on the register
provided at the office. You will need to maintain physical distancing. You may prefer to phone or email the office instead.
If you need to speak to an individual teacher then please phone or email them.
· Although all the outside water fountains will be cleaned daily, we encourage all children to bring along their own personal drink bottle every day.
· Students should remain far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on or
touching each other. There is not a specific measurement for distance, but where practicable
1 metre will be applied as a healthy guide, particularly between adults.
· Hygiene practices occur in every classroom. 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.
· Adventure playgrounds, libraries, and sports equipment can be used (with hygiene practices actioned before and after use).
· Planned trips to Natureland and the Middle syndicate swimming sessions at the Aquatic Centre will continue (unless the organisations choose not to have us).
· Assemblies are cancelled for now. Kapahaka and choirs will continue provided numbers are less than 100 and suitable distancing is maintained.
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. I realise that it isn’t ideal in terms of limiting parent access to the school and hope this is very much a temporary measure. Wellbeing has been, and continues to be, a significant focus. 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 for playing your part in our efforts to provide a safe learning environment.
Ngā mihi
Tim Brenton
PRINCIPAL