The most important Level 3 words: "if we can, we should keep our children at home"

Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste and Kumusta. Greetings to everyone at LCŌ and our wider LCŌ community as we prepare for level 3.

Level 3: "the vast majority at home"
Yesterday in her 4pm briefing the Prime Minister announced that we will move into Alert Level 3 on Tuesday 28 April (11.59pm Monday 27 April). The first two principles for Level 3 when we get there are:

1. Stay home. 
2. Work and learn from home if you can. 

Principle 1 means if we are not at work, school, exercising or getting essentials, then we must be at home, the same as at Level 4.  Principle 2 means the government wants the vast majority of people working from home, and children and young people learning from home. At-risk students and staff should also stay at home.

The key message for us is that if we can, we should keep our children at home. We should only physically send our children to school if we need to. If our child has a health condition that means they are at a greater risk of a severe illness we must keep them at home. If our child is sick please also ensure we keep them at home. 

Schools partially re-open Wednesday 29 April: Yr 11-13s remain at home

Tuesday 28 April is a teacher only day. Wednesday 29 April is the first day for Yr 7-10 students who are coming to school. School is not open for Yr 11-13s who are to continue learning from home.

Informing LCŌ whether your Yr 7-10 child attends school

Today you will receive a text that asks you whether your Yr 7-10 child/children will attend school or continue learning at home. These replies are obviously central to our planning. The government expects that the vast majority of students will remain at home for Level 3. 

Level 3 on-site learning is not normal schooling

Staff are working through the practicalities of Level 3 Yr 7-10 learning. It is very different from normal school. More information will be coming but already we know:

• physical distancing at school applies
• school bubbles of 10 people apply
• a school bubble means students stay in the same class with the same students for the school day
• different school start and ending times may occur for different school bubbles
• different interval and lunch breaks may occur for different school bubbles

Health and Safety

Full public health guidance has been sent to all schools for completion before schools open. Maintenance and cleaning staff may access the site from today in order for this to occur.  

Cleaning during Level 3 will remain at the increased level that it was in the final days last term before we went into level 4. The Ministry of Education has centrally sourced hand sanitiser which is to be distributed to schools. 

Next communication:

Information is already coming out from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. I suspect my next communication will be in the next couple of days. 

This communication is quite direct and to the point but that is the circumstances we are in. As always, the wellbeing and learning of everyone in our kura is at the heart of all our activity. We are doing what we do now in order that all of us - LCŌ, our community, our city, and Aotearoa-New Zealand - may be happy and flourish.

Go well.

Ngā mihi

Richard Edmundson

Tumuaki-Principal