Two weeks to go to junior end of school on 10 December.

It has been a very tumultuous year for all of us and we suspect 2022 is going to potentially require even more navigation. Our best wishes are with our seniors who are currently completing NZQA examinations through to 14 December.

Junior prizegiving

As NZQA examinations are extended through till the later date and are occurring in the gymnasium and also because we are yet to get clarity on school guidelines in terms of the traffic light system, our junior prizegivings will need to take place by year level without whānau in our Performing Arts Centre auditorium, as we did with our senior students. We will not be live streaming these prizegivings as it was an expensive undertaking at senior level involving an external provider in order to get good quality streaming. I know this is disappointing for parents but we look forward to returning to our usual format next year (we hope).

All Year 9 and 10 students need to arrive at school at the usual time of 8.30am in full summer uniform.

Year 10 prizegiving for all year 10 students will take place at 8.40am and students will be released at 9.30am. On arrival at school students are to go directly to the terraces outside the foyer to line up.

Year 9 prizegiving for all year 9 students will take place at 9.40am and students will be released at 10.30am. On arrival at school students are to go to their ako and then period one class.

Cases on return to school in 2022

We are essentially finishing our school year in a COVID free environment and will be returning in late January to potentially COVID in the community. We have received toolkits from the Ministry of Education with guidelines around identification of COVID cases in the school. Schools will not automatically be fully closed down and the schools are required to undertake the identification of close, casual and casual plus contacts. Mask wearing has a bearing on deciding close and casual status. Vaccination status has a bearing on the requirement of the family/household to self-isolate as well as the student and the length of isolation. For example the following applies for students identified as close or casual plus contacts

Close contacts unvaccinated or single dose only

• must self- isolate at home for 10 days post exposure, test immediately and on day 5 and 8 post exposure
• continue to isolate at home until negative day 8 test is negative or 10 days have passed from exposure
• unvaccinated household members must stay at home until close contact receives a negative day 5 test
• vaccinated household members can go about their daily activities

Close contacts vaccinated

• must self-isolate at home for 7 days post exposure, test immediately and on day 5 after last exposure
• continue to isolate at home until negative day 5 test is negative or 7 days have passed from exposure

Casual plus contacts unvaccinated or single dose only

• must stay at home for 7 days post exposure, test immediately and on day 5 after last exposure
• continue to isolate at home until negative day 5 test is negative or 7 days have passed from exposure

Casual plus contacts vaccinated

• must self-monitor symptoms for 10 days
• get a test if symptoms develop at any time during the 10 days and stay at home until a negative test

We have received a lot more detail than this but this gives you some indication of the disruptions school and families may face if cases are identified.

Ngā mihi

Christine O’Neill