Kia ora anō
Here are some need to know procedures for Monday. Please read carefully! Another newsletter will come out tomorrow with some excited updates. Please read the ‘sick students’ section today carefully as it requires some action from you this weekend.   

Morning Drop Off
We request that children are dropped at the gate in the mornings, if you need to walk through the gate please do not come beyond the the barriers on the court. The only exception here are caregivers of  Year 1/New entrant students. If you are a parent of a Year 1/new entrant student and are coming onto the property, you will need to ‘sign in’ outside the library on our sign in sheets, please tick whether you will be entering into the classroom. If you are entering the classroom, then we request that like dairies, one adult at a time (this includes the cloakroom). Please keep time to a minimum. Teachers and friends will be around to look after your children.
Distancing is very difficult in a classroom with children and adults all together so please help us here. This is not forever!!!!!!! Thank you for your understanding

FAQ-What if I need to talk to the teacher and I am a parent of a year 2-8?
Please email, message on Seesaw or call the office 3843073. If you need a face to face. Please book a time and sign in. Remember, phones are in every room so just call the office with urgent messages.

Pick up
We request that you wait on the street side of the basketball court. We have safety barriers in the middle of the court and plenty of space to wait. If you come onto the school grounds – enter through the gap in the barriers, then through the foyer to sign in! This would be only parents with year 1 students or those with pre-arranged meetings/reasons.

2.50pm – Junior finish (Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4), a bell will go and these students will leave, along with their older siblings from their classes. We ask that all of these students leave the school grounds before the 3pm bell.

3pm –  Rooms 5, 6, 7 will finish. Again, please don’t enter classrooms unless you have a pre- arranged meeting. In this case, wait until students have left the room to reduce contact and spacing issues.
Parents with year 1 students, same as drop offs, please limit to one at a time entering the class after school.
The playground is not to be used after school during level two. 

Sick students – PLEASE PLAN FOR THIS TODAY!
If students show symptoms of illness, they will sit outside the office while we call you to pick them up.  Please ensure they can be picked up quickly. The first aid room will not be used for pick up waiting room as we need this space germ / virus free for any injuries (cuts, bruises, stings etc). It may be cold outside the office  so please ensure students have their jerseys, school jackets and school beanies daily to be warm enough until they are collected. Hopefully you can come in a very short time, less than a usual break/morning tea time so there will not be enough time to get cold hopefully. If not, start discussions now as to how you can arrange a pick up by someone quickly. Early childhood, primary schools and high schools have all been given the same expectations here.

I personally have three children and I discussed the ‘what ifs?’ at home with my wife last week should we have to do the same with our children. We discussed who can drop what they are doing and collect the children, we have pre warned bosses/managers that all schools require this so they can also be ready. Relatives and friends were organised as back ups. Please do the same today, tomorrow or this weekend at the latest. This is a requirement of all educational facilities. If they are sick at night etc, don’t send them the next day if they ‘look okay’ as they will be required to return home. Treat all sickness in your children as ‘worse case scenario’. I understand you may worry about work but all workplaces should have the same expectations, and if they don’t, tell them or tell on them. 

Foyer
This area is ONE WAY ONLY, ARRIVAL ONLY until further notice. Please come through the foyer to register on arrival.  Students do not need to be signed in however minors accompanying adults  do need to be registered.
Like a supermarket, if waiting to sign in, please keep a two metre gap. Feel free to bring your own pen for signing in. ‘Sign out’ is not necessary. We will have hand sanitiser available.
Please leave via the outside of the building, not through the foyer as this can be a bottleneck area where social distancing will be lost if we keep the status quo.   

Office
Please call through before coming to the office. One in one out policy for adults again here. 

 Other procedures you as a parent need to be aware of

• Water fountains – these won’t be used in level two. Please bring a bottle to school.
• We have staggered lunch and morning tea to ensure students are ‘spaced out’ as Jacinda would say, while they eat. For us, this is the time they are usually quite close to each other.
• Hand sanitiser is an expectation every time a child or adult enters the classroom

Facemasks
Facemasks are great for those that are unwell, asian countries have worn them for years as a way of keeping their illness to themselves if they are unwell. If your child is unwell and you feel they need a facemask, see above ‘sick students’ as they cannot be at school.
We do not support wearing them for prevention as this takes much skill even for an adult and regular changing. It is not part of any recommendations from the Ministry of Health that we have had. 

Classes
We are making a seventh class to reduce class numbers (usually 6 classes). More information tomorrow.
All teachers are looking at different strategies in the classroom to ensure children have a comfortable amount of space to learn. We are changing set ups and sharing of equipment to ‘own gear’ including ICT. 

Homelearning
I have had questions about this. If you have a child who is vulnerable to sickness and would like to continue home learning, we will continue to offer this for two more weeks. At this point we will review this. Please note, the priority for assistance will be in the classroom (hard to do two things at once). They will do their best to help everyone. 

This is probably enough for now. The main thing is, ‘we are in this together’. Please actively do your part by preparing for how you will collect or care for your children if they are unwell and also, by following our guidelines. 

God bless you all and we can’t wait to see your children on Monday.

Dallas Wichman
Principal