COVID-19 Community Bulletin August 2020 #1

COVID-19 August 2020 Community Bulletin #1:

Home and School Communication

Term 3, Week 4, 12 August 2020

Dear Whānau,

Like you, our Board and staff had all hoped that we had seen the last of COVID-19 rising levels, but today we find ourselves at Level 2, once more. We are resilient, we will find a way of working together so that we are all safe, supported and can continue to lead our safer-normal lives. Past experience has shown that this can be a rapidly evolving situation. Therefore, we will provide updated information, as soon as possible via these bulletins. 

Health and education officials are working very closely together to keep schools safe and informed.  Something that was highlighted during the first round of lockdowns was the importance of effective communication between home and school. Today, two bulletins will be arriving in your Inbox. We ask that you read these and all following communication carefully, so that you understand what the school is doing and what you as parents need to do. All bulletins will also be posted onto our school website for future reference in the COVID-19 box on the front page of the website.

SCHOOL COMMUNICATION

Our families can keep themselves informed by using any of these methods. We highly recommend the top 3:

• Download our free app to receive alerts & notifications from us (via the Home page on our website)
• Read our website banner & COVID-19 bulletins
• Read emails when they are sent home– they will be labelled COVID-19
• Join our school’s closed Facebook page to keep connected with other families
• Email your child’s teacher throughout Levels 3 & 4, if & when necessary
• You can email me on principal@rewarewa.school.nz

We ask that when we try to contact you, you respond promptly.

LEVEL 2 at REWAREWA SCHOOL

We are taking immediate action to minimise the risk of viral transmission.  Today our teachers are promoting and discussing our Level 2 protocols with their students:

• Regular hand-washing for all students and staff, with soap available in toilet areas
• Coughing and sneezing etiquette
• Not touching face (mouth, nose, eyes)
• Wearing a face masks is optional at this stage, unless otherwise advised by Health officials
• Appropriate use of drink bottles and water fountains

AS FROM THURSDAY 13 AUGUST STUDENTS MUST NOT ARRIVE BEFORE 8.30 AM

STUDENTS & ADULTS MUST LEAVE SCHOOL GROUNDS BY 3.10 PM

(unless your child is attending ASC on Thursday 13^th or Friday 14^th August)

Our cleaning contractor is using hospital grade disinfectant to wipe door handles, toilets and other surfaces around school.

We ask that parents please undertake similar thoughtful actions such as:

• Not entering classrooms or the walkway area, Admin block or Staffroom – please call or email us if possible
• Signing the contact tracing register outside your child’s classroom if you enter the quad to collect them
• Any onsite visitors to our school between 9am – 3pm will be required to sanitise and sign a contact tracing register at the Office

COMMUNITY HEALTH DURING LEVEL 2

It is important for us to know if your child may be particularly vulnerable to the virus. If your child has an underlying medical condition which compromises their immunity, please tell us now. Likewise, if your child is in close contact with someone who may have compromised immunity or be at higher risk, please let either myself or Delwyn, our office manager know. This information will be kept private and confidential. We currently have some families and staff at higher risk and they are deciding to whether or not to self-isolate at this time.

If your child is unwell, you must keep them at home until they have no remaining symptoms.

We encourage you to check current information provided by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health when making decisions relating to COVID-19:

• https://covid19.govt.nz/
• https://education.govt.nz/
• https://health.govt.nz/

For health advice call 0800 358 5453 – specifically for COVID-19 related health questions.

THINKING AHEAD – WHAT IF WE MOVE TO LEVEL 3 or 4?

We ask you to think ahead now – if we move to Level 3 or 4, what does your family need to do in order to be able to access home learning for your child/ren? The 4 options that our parents can choose from include:

• Parents provide their own home learning programme for their child during Lockdown
• Parents use suggestions for offline learning with their child (will be found on our school website in the Covid-19 folder)
• Students access online learning – part or full-time – offered by our teachers
• Education programmes broadcast on TV nationwide for students to access

If you intend to access online learning, we suggest that you start thinking NOW about the personal devices which will be used. We are unsure whether the government will offer devices to schools for any future lockdowns. During the first lockdown priority was given to students at NCEA Level 2 upwards and those is low decile schools. We are a Decile 9 school and so this would not be an option, under the same circumstances. You will have received an online survey this morning from us, requesting information about devices available at home which can be used to access online learning.  Please complete this survey within 24 hours.

Please feel free to share any questions or concerns that you may have by phoning or emailing us. We recognise that this can be a time of increased anxiety for everyone and decisions must be based on the best information that is available at the time. We encourage you to make decisions that feel right for you and your whānau.

In the meantime, keep safe and look out for each other.

Warmest regards,

Jan Otene (Principal)    Mark Williams (Board Chair)