Notice to Parents 28/4/22 – Orange Level
Kia ora parents and whānau
I trust your children have been enjoying the holidays and are refreshed ready for a busy term ahead. Our main topic (Rich topic) for Term 2 is ‘Te Moana’. More details in future newsletters.
You’ll be aware that recently the Minister of Education Chris Hipkins announced the move to Orange Traffic Light conditions at 11:59pm 13th April 2022.
The decision to move to Orange was made on public health advice and reflects that we are moving past the peak of cases and our health system is able to cope. Cases are declining due to high levels of vaccination and natural immunity after infection.
At Orange, face masks are no longer required at school. However, it is strongly recommended face masks continue to be worn by ākonga and staff in Years 4 and above when indoors.
Wearing a mask is a key health measure that slows the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings.
Visitors, parents and caregivers, are strongly encouraged to wear a mask when indoors. If COVID-19 is circulating widely in your community, we may decide that masks are required indoors again for a time.
As always, our school community should continue to maintain good hygiene and stay home if they are sick. Continue to use well-ventilated indoor spaces.
We will ask children (if they are Year 4+) to continue to bring a mask to school every day. There may be times that they’ll be asked to wear a mask – for example, when they are attending a syndicate assembly in the hall. If there are a high number of cases at school or in the community, we may ask that masks are worn in classrooms for a time.
We will continue to keep all the other health measures in place at school as we know these slow the spread of COVID-19. These include ensuring our indoor spaces are well-ventilated, maintaining good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette, appropriate physical distancing whenever we can and, most importantly, staying home if unwell.
More information for our parents:
· Parents are welcome to come into the school grounds and classrooms.
· There will be notices on the gates indicating if parents enter the buildings are strongly encouraged to wear facemasks and maintain social distances. We ask parents not to linger in classrooms before and after school, if possible.
· Parents coming into the school as parent helpers should wear facemasks in the rooms.
· Management and teachers will no longer ‘Meet and greet’ daily at the 3 main entry gates, before school and at the end of the day.
· We would have too many people at full school assemblies so only syndicate assemblies will take place – for now.
· Interviews to be conducted Week 10 Term 2 as planned.
· Our annual school cross-country day at Rabbit Island (and the junior one at school) will continue as planned – more details to follow.
· Choirs and kapahaka can be held. Maintaining social distancing whenever possible.