A welcome back, and a template letter from the Ministry of education regarding the start of Term 3

Kia ora whānau

We are really looking forward to seeing you all again next week for the start of Term 3. I hope you had a good break, even though there have been some pretty wet days.The weather is not looking too flash for the beginning of the term either, so please make sure your children are prepared and come to school with a jacket and warm clothing. It may be appropriate for you to provide indoor slippers too - especially if the weather looks like it will be a long inside day. 

As we head into this new term, I just wanted to remind you that Rangiora Borough School is committed to limiting the spread of covid - we have fresh air purifiers around the school, we continue to ventilate classrooms, we continue to have hand sanitiser available, we continue to sanitise high use areas with a disinfectant regularly, we continue to encourage physical distancing, and we continue to encourage the wearing of masks. Please make sure you read the information regarding mask use in this publication provided by the Ministries of Education and Health.

And a reminder also to please remember to book your time for student led conferences in Week 2. Thanks to those of you who have already done this. The teaching staff are looking forward to this time to discuss the learning and achievement of all students for the first half of this year.

Just a reminder that Tuesday 2 August and Thursday 4 August are short days, with school finishing at 2:00pm, so that the time slots can start early to help cater for all whānau to make times that best suit. Check the article here for the information.

The following is a template letter provided by the Ministry of Education for us to share with our school community. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Keep smiling

Shane

Template letter: For schools and kura to communicate with parents and whānau

Masking up for the start of Term 3

In previous years we have found there is an increase in winter illnesses in schools at the start of Term 3 as students bring back infections after travelling and socialising during the holidays. This year cases of COVID-19 are increasing in most parts of the country, and we are also seeing high numbers of other winter illnesses.

For the start of Term 3, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health strongly recommend that all schools and kura amend their mask policy for the first four weeks of term to require mask wearing in all indoor settings (where it will not have a significant impact on teaching and learning – see below) for students in Years 4 and above.

This recommendation does not include any situation where mask wearing might not be practicable, such as while eating and drinking, playing certain musical instruments, indoor sport, where it will have a significant impact on teaching and learning (for example, students with particular learning needs), certain activities such as singing or drama performance on stage, and PE. In these situations, particular attention will be paid to ensuring there is good ventilation during the activity, and physical distancing where practicable.

Wearing masks can reduce new cases of the virus by as much as 53%. It works alongside other measures including vaccination, good ventilation, staying home when sick, and hand washing and other hygiene measures, to protect our students and staff.
Keep up healthy habits – Unite Against COVID-19

Please make sure that tamariki / ākonga come to school ready to wear masks. Students should bring masks from home if they have them. However, we always have a supply of masks at school for anyone to have - both adult and children sizes. An ongoing supply is provided to us by the Ministry of Education.

Thank you for your support in protecting our school community.

Noho ora mai