Week 5 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

COVID-19 Information

You’ll be aware now that we have had our first COVID case. Firstly, I’d like to say a big thanks to the whānau for keeping their child away from school and getting a test…that's how we can slow the spread, by identifying cases and isolating. Secondly, I’d also like to say that our thoughts are with the whānau and we hope that the road is smooth for them.

While this case is our first, it won’t be the last. This can be concerning so I’d like to go over two things to help alleviate that concern:

The measures in place at DPS. We have really tight systems at school…right from the moment children enter the grounds. They sanitise hands, they head to their class which is their bubble, bubbles don’t mix, staff are all fully vaccinated, staff and older students are all mask wearing and our classrooms have wonderful ventilation. I have a Co2 monitor and each classroom I test has ‘fresh air’ standards of air quality. This is important…the higher the Co2 the higher the chance of transmission. And speaking of transmission…evidence from both NZ and Australia shows that transmission inside schools is low…just 4% of cases pass it on inside the school. So what am I saying? School is as safe as any other place, and that face to face teaching can’t be beaten. If you can be here…you should be here!
The virus affects people in different ways, but in general it is mild in children. Now…I do not mean to downplay it, but the vast majority of children affected show little or mild symptoms. This video from Starship Hospital explains it well, and gives some great suggestions for parents to help care for children who do contract the virus.

One other element of protection is vaccination of children. Proportionally, children (anyone actually) who are unvaccinated have a higher chance of contracting the virus. The rollout of the paediatric vaccine for children only started mid-January and it is slow going in parts of the country, including the Wairarapa. The data is below…but nationally children in parts of NZ are already 90%+ vaccinated, whereas we are only at 45% in the Wairarapa. While it is not my place to do more than provide this information…I would urge you to chat to your child's doctor about the vaccine and any concerns that you might have.

And lastly…all the things we are doing, all the measures in place across the country, all the measures in place at school…the vaccines, the mask wearing, they are all making a difference. Earlier in the pandemic before these measures, before the high vaccination rates, 11% of cases ended up in hospital. If that is applied to current numbers we would have over 10,000 people in hospital, but we don’t…we have just 405, with 10 people in ICU. This article from The Spinoff put it all into perspective for me…what we are doing is to help the healthcare system, and to help the amazing people working inside that system. Hats off to the doctors, nurses, orderly’s, the admin people…anyone inside those systems needs a medal right now, and they need our help by sticking to these measures.

Sport at DPS

While it has been a shame that some of the inter school sporting comps have been cancelled, children are still getting sporting opportunities here at school. We are two weeks into our own tee-ball and mod-softball competitions and we’ve had a heap of children taking part! Teachers have been giving up their lunch breaks to give these opportunities…to make sure that our DPS Kids don’t miss out. Sport is a big part of our school culture, so a big thanks to the team for making this happen.

Staff Profiles

We are so lucky here at DPS to have such an awesome group of people working with our learners! As we get new staff, we will have a korero with some of our staff to help you learn more about us! Feel free to stop for a chat when you see us around school.

Brooke

Movin' march

Subway Lunches are available to be delivered to school every Friday. Order online or fill out an envelope at the office.