Calendar Order forms were sent home yesterday. This is an annual fundraiser for the PTC. You can order calendars, notebooks, diaries and cards with your child’s design on them. Great for Christmas gifts! Unfortunately this year we are unable to offer artwork viewings at Level 2. Please be assured that they are all fabulous but if you really do need to see them, please be in touch with your child’s teacher.
Please send your order form back to school with either cash payment or confirmation of internet payment by FRIDAY 1ST OCTOBER (last day of this term)!
If we go down to Level 1, the new date for the PTC Disco will be Friday 5th November.
Juniors 6pm until 7pm. Seniors/Middles 7.15pm until 8.30pm.
If you have already purchased tickets for the postponed disco please hang on to these and use them. More tickets will go on sale at the start of Term 4. $2 each or $7 including entry and a disco bag. Fingers crossed this one can go ahead!
As parents are not permitted on school grounds during Level 2, we unfortunately are unable to run our Wednesday sausage lunches. We will let you know when they start again in Level 1. If you have already paid, we are looking after your order. Thanks!
We are looking forward to seeing all children back at school tomorrow Thursday 9th September. Here is some detailed information about how school will operate under Alert level 2:
What health measures are requiredunder Alert Level 2 conditions at schools?
Public Health officials have advised that schools are safe to be open at Alert Level 2, if appropriate public health control measures are put in place. Specific public health control measures to be taken in schools include:
• Parents are asked to keep any sick children at home. If a sick child comes to school, schools will send them home.
• Where possible, children, young people and staff should be far enough away from each other, so that they are not breathing on, or touching each other. This must be accompanied with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces. There does not need to be a specific measurement but where practicable 1 metre can be used as a guide, particularly between adults.
• Where possible, a maximum of 50 people in an enclosed space/building and 100 maximum at an outdoor gathering.
• Hand sanitiser at entry to classrooms and in shared spaces.
• Soap, water and the ability to dry hands must be provided in toilet/bathroom areas.
• Where practicable ensure that children and young people regularly wash and dry hands, cough and sneeze into their elbow, and try to avoid touching their face.
• Physical education classes and break time activities can include access to sports equipment including playgrounds but hygiene practice should be observed after playing with equipment.
• Disinfect and clean all surfaces daily.
• Contact tracing registers must be in place, if parents are permitted to be on-site.
• Face masks are not required but primary school children but children and staff can choose to wear them.
Specific measures Alert Level 2 measure at Richmond School:
1. Children will be able to enter and leave the school grounds using 3 main entrances (manned by Senior management) –
• Junior pupilsto enter via the gate by the Junior quad hardcourt/RTLB building/Room 18(Cambridge Street). The teachers of the Junior classes will also be at the gate to greet the children.
• Middle and Senior syndicate pupils by the gate next to the Room 10 and 11 building by the old boiler house (Cambridge Street).
• Seniors by the large gate by the PE shed next to Room 3 (Church Street).
• The other gates will be closed and not accessible at these times.
2. We are asking parents not to enter the grounds (as per Alert Level 3) because with a school of this size it is very difficult to comply with ‘contact tracing’ register requirements. If you need to speak to the office we prefer you email, text of phone them or wait at the office door to be seen by our wonderful office staff (please sign the visitors register on the table outside the door or scan the QR code on the door or the gate).There will be a desk set up outside the door for couriers to deliver items.
3. We won’t be permitting ‘parent helpers’ in classrooms.
4. As per Alert Level 3 conditions entry will be on a bell sounding at 8:30am. Please don’t send your children to school prior to this if possible.
5. On a table outside/inside each classroom there will be hand sanitiser pump bottles for children to sanitize their hands prior to entering their classroom. These will be available throughout the day and in other places like the library and computer suite.
6. The children will be frequently reminded of standard hygiene practices (i.e. hand washing and coughing/sneezing).
7. Children will remain with their class teacher for the majority of the day (other than their weekly information literacy lessons in the library, Reading Recovery lessons or those involved in the extension or GATE programmes). Teacher-aides will be working in classrooms with individuals or small groups.
8. We expect the vast majority of children will return on Thursday (in 2020 95% returned when we moved from level 3 to level 2). This means Alert Level 2 adult ‘social distancing’ regulations aren’talways possible nor practicable for middle and senior classes with 29-32 children. However, we will continue with the procedures we have in place for those on-site at present. For example, sitting at their own seat or spot on the carpet area, using their own stationery, using a certain device (and if shared it will be cleaned prior to another person touching it).
9. We would like children to bring their own water bottleseveryday and take them home each night to clean and refill.
10. Play-times and lunch-times will be at the usual time. We will not be rotating classes through staggered play-times and lunch-times. However, there will be set areas and adventure playgrounds where children from certain syndicates can play. Adventure playgrounds and fields will be open.
11. Children will eat their morning tea and lunch in their rooms (or just outside their rooms) prior to going out to play. They will clean their hands prior to eating. They will use the hand sanitizer after morning tea, after lunch and after they have been outside for fitness/P.E.
12. The bike/scooter enclosure will be available for use.
13. There will beSubway orders on Fridays and this can be undertaken in a contact-less way. There won’t be any PTC barbecue sausages on Wednesdays until we drop to Level 1.
14. The hall won’t be available for community users under Alert Level 2 conditions.
15. We can’t hold assemblies, Year 6 speech competitions, kapahaka, choirsetcin the hall until we drop to level 1.
16. Book Week in Week 10 will continue (at present) but if we are in Level 2 still, then we won’t be holding our annual dress-up parade. This week is Week 7, Term 3.
17. Outside sport coaches won’t be entering the school to coach teams and classes under Level 2 conditions.
18. Adventure Playgrounds and fields are open for the children to use during the day.
