We hope you have all had a good break and some family time over the holidays with the Easter holiday and ANZAC Day included. Included are some reminders of what the Covid Protection Framework Orange Traffic Light means for us at school.

We hope that the holiday break has also meant a  disruption in the number of Covid cases our families and staff are experiencing.  Numbers of cases across the country appear to be fluctuating and this will probably be our experience also for some time.  Please remember to keep us updated of any covid cases within your families and we will support those students who need to engage in online or distance learning. Just email the office or give us a call if you have any questions or queries.

For our school:   While face masks are no longer required at school, we will still be encouraging students and staff to continue wearing them, as they do offer the first line of protection for us all. Public  health advice is that masks continue to be strongly encouraged when indoors. Wearing a mask is a key health measure that slows the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings. For that reason we ask that visitors to the school, including parents and whānau, wear a mask whenever they are indoors on school grounds.

We would ask that parents still do not enter classroom spaces at this point in time, unless  there has been a prior arrangement made with the teacher.  Teacher will continue to be out and about, greeting students and whanau as needed.

We also ask that your child (if they are Year 4+) continues to bring a mask to school every day. there may be times when we ask then to wear a mask, too - for example, when we are having an assembly. If, as Term 2 resumes,  we are still experiencing high numbers of cases at school or in the community, we may ask that masks are worn in the classroom for a time.

At Orange, students aged 12 and above are still required to wear a mask on school or public transport, e.g. on the technology bus.

We will continue to keep other health measures in place at school that we also know slow the spread of COVID-19. These include ensuring our indoor spaces are well-ventilated, maintaining good hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette and, most importantly, staying home if we are sick.

We will be considering if and how we can hold assemblies and other activities during Term 2. It will be on a case by case basis and we will let you know as the term progresses.

ANZAC Day:   While we were unable to plan to be a part of and ANZAC Service this year due to Covid restrictions, changes just before the holidays meant that there could be some organised remembrances of this significant day in our history. There was a very short, silent commemoration at the Woodend Memorial on ANZAC morning  at 6.30am that was attended by some staff, students, families from the community, fire service personnel, air cadets, the Mayor and many others. There are some photos included that show the striking cutouts made especially for the day for the Lions Club by the  Menz Shed. While short, it was still a good opportunity to remember this significant contribution of those who fought in the wars.

We look froward to seeing  students back tomorrow morning.

Nga Mihi Nui

Adrienne Simpson

Tumuaki / Principal.