At 11.59pm, Monday 4 April 2022 the latest Government Covid-19 changes will come into force.
The main areas that directly affect our school are:
- Mask-wearing for Yr 5 – 6 students & teachers is still a requirement (our yr 4 students remain exempt, as they are part of a composite class)
- Gatherings of up to 200 can occur inside, but people must be 1 metre apart
- Sports groups can play together
- No requirement for QR scanning onsite or display of QR codes (since 25/03/22)
- People do not need to share their vaccination status
- Singing is still discouraged whilst in RED setting
The biggest change, however, is that there is an expectation of all schools to undertake a Risk Analysis that includes comprehensive consultation with staff, board and whanau. Our school Covid-19 Response Team (CRT) will lead this process during term 2. A new area of risk for us to manage will be that the vaccination status of people now entering/working onsite will be unknown.
In the meantime, we will continue to the end of term with the same high level of safety protocols that we already have in place to manage the risk of Covid spreading in our community. These include:
- All staff will wear masks when indoors working near children
- All Yr 5 – 6 students (apart from those who are exempt), will wear masks indoors
- Our Yr 4 students have the choice as to whether they wear masks as they are part of a composite Yr 3 – 4 class (refer to the Schools Framework regulations). We encourage mask wearing by all our students at this present time.
- Our three year level groups (Yr 1-2, Yr 3-4 & Yr 5-6) will continue to use different sections of the playground when outdoors during intervals and work in separate areas when indoors
- Parents and caregivers will not come into the playground or classroom areas this term. For exemptions such as new entrants starting, all adults must wear a mask and if it is necessary for them to be in the classroom area, this time will minimised.
- All visitors must report to the Admin area and sign in, from where they will be directed e.g. collecting a sick child from the medical room.
- No whole school assemblies/singing. However, small clubs, such as ukulele will continue outdoors.
- Karakia is undertaken in class groups outdoors if fine, in classrooms if wet
- Sanitiser is available at all key entry points to buildings and students & staff are encouraged to use this each time they enter/re-enter buildings
- Essential visitors only (e.g. specialist agencies & essential tradespeople) will come onsite with the principal’s prior approval
- Vaccination status for all staff is known, including for organisations that work with our students.
Our CRTeam will continue to make collective decisions on behalf of all board members, parents, staff and students. Prior to the Risk Analysis being finalised, we fully expect that some of our existing protocols may be amended or removed as the level of risk reduces. We will give our community timely warning of any changes being put in place. The first one we are really hoping to change is being able to have our parent community back onsite and able to enter classrooms – we miss you so much!!!
Jan Otene (Principal) Naomi Godfrey (Board Presiding Member)
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