Kia ora koutou

I wanted to give you more of an update on some changes taking place next week in relation to Alert level 2 and what they mean for your children and whānau.

By now you probably will be aware the Prime Minister has announced that face coverings will be required on public transport from next Monday, at Alert Level 2 and above. This does not apply to any child who is under 12 years of age and does not apply to school transport (we have good systems in place to manage safety on school transport).

Public Health officials have advised that children under the age of 6 should not wear face coverings.

Children and young people do not need to wear face coverings at school. Other public health control measures are in place including children and staff staying home if they are sick, contact tracing, and hygiene requirements.

If your child doesn’t need to wear a face covering but they want to, that’s fine.

Face coverings are another way we can help keep ourselves and others safe, along with good hand hygiene, cough and sneeze etiquette, appropriate physical distancing when out and about and staying home if we are sick.

We’re continuing contact tracing by having QR code posters at our entrances, so please check in every time you come onsite.

If you haven’t already downloaded the NZ COVID Tracer app the Ministry of Health’s website has information to help you do that. We’ll also keep a visitor register for anyone who doesn’t have the app and also for anyone who comes onsite for a period of time. This will help us with contact tracing in the unlikely case it is needed.

If you have any questions about face coverings or anything else, please get in touch.

We had all children attend a truck safety education programme this week supported by the NZ Trucking Association. This was an excellent learning opportunity for children to understand the importance of safety around large trucks especially when we have so many travel through the Lyttelton community.  A key safety message for children was around truck blind spots, how long it takes trucks to stop, turning, cyclists and pedestrian crossings. Children enjoyed climbing into the cab and looking noticing the blindspots for themselves!

We have also had Takaroa students visit the Te Wheke: Pathways Across Oceania exhibition at Te Puna O Waiwhetū where they experience learning about the art works and creating their own. Check out the article in this week's newsletter from Takaroa.

Hei konā mai

Brendan