Coronavirus Update – Events
Level 2 Safety Plans to Continue - emailed 28 August 2020
Kia ora koutou,
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone for your support at our drop off and pick up times. The weather has definitely made this challenging! We are very short of outside waiting areas which has been difficult, so please continue to encourage your children to use our quick pick up and road crossing to meet you, particularly at the end of the day.
I wanted to give you an update on some of the points raised about next Monday's changes and what they mean for your children and whānau.
You are probably aware the Prime Minister has announced that face coverings will be required on public transport from next Monday, at Alert Level 2 and above. This does not apply to any child who is under 12 years of age and does not apply to school transport (i.e. our school bus, the Y7/8 Tech bus and any buses we hire). They have good systems in place to manage safety on school transport.
Public Health officials have advised that children under the age of 6 should not wear face coverings. Children do not need to wear face coverings at school. If your child wants to, that’s fine, we are supportive of their wellbeing.
Other public health control measures are in place including children and staff staying home if they are sick, contact tracing, and hygiene requirements. This includes using our protocols of good hand hygiene, cough and sneeze etiquette, and assessing people thropughout the day.
We’re continuing contact tracing by having QR code posters at our entrances, so please check in every time you come onsite. We also have a sign-in board at our two main entry points as well if you need to use that instead.
If you haven’t already downloaded the NZ COVID Tracer app the Ministry of Health’s website has information to help you do that. We’ll also keep a visitor register for anyone who doesn’t have the app and also for anyone who comes onsite for a period of time. This will help us with contact tracing in the unlikely case it is needed.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Ngā mihi
Juliet Dickinson
MOVE TO ALERT LEVEL 2
12th August 2020
Dear Parents / Caregivers,
As you are aware as of 12pm today our region has moved to Alert Level 2. We have been prepared for this and have strong systems in place. Your children are amazing, and moving through classes today they have shown that they can quickly recall all of the things they need to do to keep safe.
Below are a few updates for the remainder of this week. Any updates will be made via email and also our school website.
Who can be at school in Level 2?
The good news is… everyone who is well can and should attend school.
NB: if your child is sick in any way, please keep them at home, particularly if they have any cold or flu symptoms. We have a number of students ill with a stomach bug currently as well, so we request any students with these symptoms remain at home as well.
If students present with any signs of illness during school time, we will be contacting you to organise for them to be picked up.
Please notify the office if your child is going to be away. Phone: (07) 829 7860 email: admin@tekowhai.school.nz
Drop off and pick up
Drop off - We would again like to encourage you to drop your children off at either of our entry points before school. If you need to come on site, please either utilise the QR code (NZ COVID Tracer App) or sign in via the paper form that is available at either of the main gates.
Staff will still be at our entry points to support your children.
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).
Pick up - Pick up times will continue to be 3:00 pm for this week and your children will meet you either at the gate, or an agreed on location (i.e. at either gate, the main car park, or the hall car park). LC1 and LC2 learners will be outside their class waiting with teachers just before the bell.
This process will be under review as the week progresses.
Tuck Shop
Due to our Tuck Shop following Ministry of Health protocols around food preparation, our Friday lunch order process can go ahead this Friday 14th August.
We ask the following process be followed please:
Students are still welcome to place their order at the window, but we prefer caregivers to stay off site
Alternately write the order up on a piece of paper, including child's full name and LC, then put in an envelope that the child can deliver to the tuckshop window. Refer to the newsletter for the menu and pricing. If change is required, that will be sent to class with the lunch order so that the student can bring it home.
Unfortunately, we are unable to go ahead with the cookie fundraiser this week. We will resume this at a later date.
Hygiene practices
The following hygiene practices will continue.
Students wash their hands with soap and water on entry and exit to/from the classroom.
Hand sanitiser will be available to students both in and outside of the classroom.
Reminders have been given regarding best practice e.g. cough and sneeze into elbow do it into their elbows, we are encouraging them to refrain from touching their faces and to use a tissue when
Classroom surfaces will be cleaned regularly throughout the day.
Please note: At this stage there is no need for students or staff to wear masks. However, they can choose to do this if they wish.
Sports
In regard to weekend sports, code convenors will be in touch with you in regard to plans for practices and games and the safety measures in place. As we know, details can change quickly, so please keep an eye on your code’s agreed communication platforms.
Decisions around school and interschool sporting events (i.e. Sports Camp in Week 6, Football tournament and Lit Quiz) will be made as soon as we have information confirmed from organisers.
Mass Gatherings
At level 2, these are not able to go ahead for numbers over 100. Therefore for now, we will not be holding any full school assemblies.
Drink bottles
Please encourage your child to bring a named drink bottle (with water) to school.
Communicating with school
We encourage you to stay in contact with us. Please utilise email to contact staff and if you need to urgently make contact, please phone through to the school office. (07) 829 7860. We will continue to utilise the school website as a referral point for updates.
If there are any further announcements or changes that impact us, we will communicate this with you promptly.
Whilst this latest news is not ideal, we are prepared for this. We have done this before and we will do this again. This is a time for us all to pull together to get on top of this unpredictable virus.
Kind regards
Juliet Dickinson
Principal
Return to Level 2, emailed and Facebook 11th August 2020