What will happen if we were to have a case of Covid-19 in our school community?

Dear KingsWay Community,

With so much information and misinformation swirling around about COVID-19, I wanted to share with you what will happen if we were to have a case in our school community. We have been planning for this for a while now and are in a position to respond quickly. Today the teachers and support staff met to prepare for the eventuality of a school closure. If you have Middle or Senior school-aged children, please ensure that you prioritise the 5.30-6 pm trial test. Once online, your child needs to complete the online evaluation form.

• As soon as a reported case is confirmed in our immediate school community (e.g. a student, staff member, or member of their household), the Medical Officer of Health and Ministry of Education will inform me. We will work together to get quick and precise messaging out to you.
• If there were a case confirmed of someone in our school, the Medical Officer of Health would likely instruct the leadership to close KingsWay temporarily. This procedure will allow time to trace close contacts, conduct appropriate testing, and to clean the school carefully.
• If our school does need to close temporarily, we have a plan in place to support student’s learning.

We know COVID-19 feels scary and of course, people are concerned about the wellbeing of our children. Please be assured that with no case confirmed in our school, your children are safe here.

Good hygiene is a priority at our school, and we are reinforcing this regularly with all students and staff. We know that practising good hygiene is still the best thing we can all do to prevent illness.

We are getting the most up to date advice and guidance from the Ministry of Health and Education so that we can confidently make informed decisions about the safety and wellbeing of our school community.

Please remain vigilant with how you communicate with your children. I attach another link which advises parents of younger students on how to communicate with their children. Please CLICK HERE.

Today I received the following information from the Ministry of Education regarding the status of a referee at a recent basketball game showing symptoms of Covid-19. I have attached what I received (below). However, the information does not include precise dates or times. Once again, as this was not a close contact, and the person did not display symptoms at the time, there is minimal risk to our students.

Please keep on praying for a speedy resolution to this challenging situation.

Regards,

Graeme Budler
Executive Principal