Kia ora koutou, It is such great news that we will be moving back to Alert Level 2 on Thursday and schools will be open from Monday 18th May. We are all excited to connect again with our students and whānau.

Our priority is the health and safety of all who attend Te Kura o Paeraki | Mt Pleasant School and we have developed a comprehensive Health and Safety Plan that aligns with Ministry of Health guidelines and requirements. It covers all aspects of safety including such items as physical distancing, cleaning, personal hygiene, classroom and extra-curricular activities.

Attached to this newsletter are the detailed protocols in place. However, there are some significant changes that will need to be considered prior to your children returning on Monday 18th May. These are highlighted below.

Return to Learning…

As students return, we will be spending the time to re-connect and learn how it has been for all our students over the past weeks. We recognise and understand that not everyone has had the same experiences and some may feel worried or concerned about being back at school. Rest assured, we will take the time to support all our students and provide the comfort of being back together as a class and school together again.

One of the most important aspects of managing the safety of students is through good quality hygiene practices (Hand washing & Cough and sneeze etiquette). These measures are really important including:

• hand hygiene – that is, washing hands regularly with soap and water and drying well, or using hand sanitiser when soap and water aren’t available

• coughing or sneezing into tissues or your elbow and then performing hand hygiene

• cleaning surfaces regularly

We are also asking staff and students not to attend if they have flu-like symptoms. We will have a zero-tolerance on this as the safety and wellbeing of us all relies on each of us doing our part for the entire community. Symptoms to monitor for are any respiratory symptoms such as a cold, a head cold, blocked ears, cough, sneezing, chills and a fever. Anyone with those symptoms should stay home and contact Healthline for advice, which may include getting tested for COVID-19 as a precaution. If your child is away, please make contact with the Office by leaving a message on the answer phone, by emailing or by using our SchoolApp.

Some children may choose to wear face masks. It could be part of their cultural practice to do so and to support their hygiene needs. We will encourage and respect them in their choice, understanding they feel this is needed in keeping themselves and others safe.

For some whānau, they may choose not to send their children back to school at Alert Level 2. For whatever reason, this is ok. We will continue to provide DIstance Learning for all students not at school. How this looks may be slightly different to what we have been doing due to all teachers being back in the classroom. If you do not intend to send your child back on Monday 18th May, please fill out this survey form: Alert Level 2 - Not Returning to School. If we have not heard back from you, we will assume your children will be back with us on Monday. If you want to discuss this or have specific needs outside our current planning, please contact chris@mtpleasant.school.nz and we will work together to ensure your needs are met and you feel confident for your child to return in the near future.

What does your child need on their first day of school…?

When students arrive at school on Monday at their allocated time (see below), they will be greeted by the staff assigned at the gate (you can also tell them they have to give you a kiss as it is a protocol 😉). They are then free to move to their classroom and must stay there during the arrival period. They will have cubbies or hooks for their bags etc as normal. We also ask that they:

• wear school uniform

• bring their usual lunch (including utensils)

• bring a full water bottle

• where classes have ‘snacks’, we ask that these are in a named container

• bring their device (these will not be shared - but should be sanitised at the end of every day - especially if they are returning home)
  

What does Social Distancing Mean in an Educational Setting…?

There is no bubble concept at Alert Level 2 so there are no restrictions on groups of students mixing with others on site (although we will still refer to bubbles as it helps us in our planning). Physical distancing is a good precaution to prevent the spread of disease. Physical distancing in schools, means children, young people, and staff maintaining a physical distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other. You literally get some breathing space. As described by Dr Payinda in his NZ Herald article, “Covid is not measles or chickenpox, it doesn't hang in the air for hours waiting to infect passers-by. It travels on invisible drops of spit. You don't have to cross the street to avoid anyone. Just avoid getting in their 'moist breath' zone”.

So, in a school setting, if you can smell the person’s breath or feel that you are in that “moist breath” zone, move a little further away. There does not need to be a specific measurement but where practicable 1 metre should be used as a guide, particularly between adults. This will be used coupled with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.

Drop-off & Pick-up and Contact Tracing…

To help limit congestion and ‘pinch points’, we will be staggering the arrival and departure times. This will be done using an alphabetical system and we ask whānau to manage their arrival times within the allocated spots. This will allow families to arrive and leave together.

• We are encouraging a ‘Kiss and Go…’ strategy. Where possible, whānau should say their goodbyes at the car or gate

• We understand that in some circumstances, this may not work (for younger students or those who may have some reservations about returning to school). In this case, whānau may enter the school site but must abide by our protocols. You will be recorded by the staff member on gate duty as you enter (we do not need any more details as we hold contact details on our School Management System). We ask that once at the classroom door, you do your ‘Kiss and Go’. You must also distance yourself from other adults (the recommendation is 1m). We also ask that you have exited prior to the gate closing. You should also make contact with the staff member on the gate to sign-out

• Students are able to walk, scooter or bike to school. They should arrive at their allocated arrival time. We ask parents to discuss the social-distancing expectations at Alert Level 2 as they travel to and from school. Bikes and scooters will be placed by the PE Shed at the bottom of the field.

• We need to closely track access to the school and will, therefore, put in place measures to limit parent and community access to our site. This will include the locking of school gates during the school day and the requirement of all those who come onto our site to sign in as part of our contact tracing requirements. This is not something we could ever envisage needing, but this is a requirement for schools under Alert Level 2 from the Ministries of Education and Health.

• We are NOT saying you cannot come on to the site, but we ask if you have to enter our site, you follow our protocols closely. It is this area that we will have ‘pinch points’ and we need all whānau to ensure they understand the critical importance here.

• If you need to access the site during the school day, please call the Office (384 3994) and someone will come to meet you.

There is a lot to take in… so in summary:

• lock in your arrival times and your ‘saying goodbye’ routines. Talk as a family and make sure everyone knows how this will look...

• be on time for pick-ups (also if you have someone other than you doing drop-offs or pick-ups you will need to let them know our protocols)...

• bring food and water...

• if you have to be on the school site, follow our guidelines (sign-in with the duty teacher… keep your distance)…

• understand we have the protocols in place to maintain distance and keep the site clean and safe…

• we will love seeing all your children back at school and will support them as we get back to learning…

• be kind to each other…

• enjoy having your students back at school… we’ve got this!

If there is any further information you may need or want to talk regarding the return to school, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Ngā mihi nui

Chris Nord

chris@mtpleasant.school.nz

PH: (03) 384 3994

Cell: 021 384 393