Kia ora e te Whānau,
COVID-19
Following our letter Tuesday, we have now received more guidance from the Ministries of Health and Education on new requirements for the current level of the NZ Traffic light framework for COVID management. As a school, we are doing everything we can to comply with these requirements. This communication is to help Parents/Whānau understand what the school has done and what is expected of Parents/Whānau and children at this time.
We understand that some will be feeling anxious about school opening. We would like to reassure you that our aim is to keep children, staff and Parents/Whānau as safe as possible while following the latest guidelines from the Ministries of Health and Education.
If you have concerns and need to contact us please call (03) 348 7492 or email the school admin@ilam.school.nz
We have begun detailed planning of our response to the current outbreak but it is a changing situation. We will continue to monitor and review our systems as information is provided. We will communicate any changes to the School’s plan as soon as possible. Please make sure your contact details are up to date.
Current health and education advice still recommend that the best place for children is at school, so Ilam School will continue to operate as normally as possible. Here is an article you may be interested in reading about the importance of our children being at school. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/460291/despite-omicron-keeping-schools-open-safely-should-be-goal
Thank you for your ongoing support while we plan and manage our response to Covid-19. We are really looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 1 February.
Belinda and the Ilam School Team
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The key public health approaches under the Red Setting of the Covid Protection Framework are included in the Ilam Update are:
Face masks
Parents/Whānau Onsite
Hygiene, Handwashing and Ventilation
Sickness
Events and activities
Face masks
Staff and children Years 4 - 6 must wear masks when inside at school when we are at Red. Public health advice is that an appropriate mask will fit snuggly and seal well around the face. This can include disposable masks (medical masks), single-use and cloth masks with three layers. We will have a small supply of masks for emergencies but we ask that you send your child to school wearing a mask.
We understand that wearing a mask all day can be difficult, we will support our children by spending time outside and offering a break when needed.
We would appreciate it if you could spend time talking to your child about how to correctly wear a mask. You might liken it to wearing a sun hat or sunscreen. This link shows how to correctly wear and take off a mask safely.
Staff will be wearing medical-grade masks, as recommended by the Ministry of Health and Government.
Parents/Whānau Onsite
We ask that Parents/Whānau not enter buildings other than the office at the Red Setting of the Covid Protection Framework. We understand that especially at the beginning of the year, you will want to support your child by settling them into the classroom. If you need to enter the cloak bay or classroom we ask that you do so only on Tuesday 1 February and Wednesday 2nd of February, after that we respectfully ask that you say your goodbyes outside in the playground and not enter buildings.
We intend to open all our doors so that if you need to come into the classroom on those days we can provide enough space between yourself and other adults. We also ask that no more than 5 adults (not including the teacher or administration team) are in the same space at the same time, that there is social distancing in place and you wear a mask.
If you come on to the school grounds at any stage, we ask that you wear a suitable face mask and sign in to our QRCode. This is extremely important for contact tracing. We also ask that you use social distancing and avoid clusters of parents/whānau in any one space during morning and afternoon drop off.
Hygiene, Handwashing and Ventilation
Hygiene and Handwashing
We will continue to ask children to sanitise their hands before they eat at morning tea and lunchtime and we will provide hand sanitiser stations for them. When possible the children will sit outside to eat in their class groups.
Ventilation
Doors and windows will be open to ensure good airflow and ventilation. We have requested CO2 monitors from the Ministry of Education for our spaces.
Sickness
Under the Covid Framework, Staff have been asked to observe children on arrival, checking for symptoms of illness. Staff will check for signs of cough/cold/fever or a runny nose. The School will contact the parents/whanau of children who appear unwell and arrange for parents or caregivers to come and collect them. We ask for and appreciate your support with this and understand that this can be disruptive, but it is important that our children and staff are not exposed to unwell children.
Staff have also been advised to stay at home and to get tested if they are unwell.
Assemblies and Events
During the Red Setting there will be no whole school or team assemblies.
There will also be no Mihi Whakatau until we seek advice from Ngai Tuahiwi, our local iwi.
We will still have Learning Conferences. These are planned for Week 4: 23 & 24 February. We will provide further information about this closer to the time including the required safety measures.
Year 5 and 6 Camp
Education Outside the Classroom Programmes can take place with careful planning at the Red setting. At this stage, we are undecided about the Year 5 and 6 camps. Camps are planned for:
Room 3 (Miss McMurtrie) - Wednesday 23rd March - Friday - 25th March
Room 4 (Mrs Ewen) and Room 19 (Ms Johnston) - Monday 28th March - Wednesday 30th of March
Room 2 (Mrs Kenworthy) and Room 20 (Mrs Gaut) - -Wednesday 30th of March - Friday 1st of April
If you have a child in the senior school please complete this form and we will take your response in our decision making.
Family Fun Night
Finally, we have made the tough decision not to hold our Family Fun Night this year. We thank the PTA for all their work on this event and hope at some stage in the future we can provide an opportunity for the community to come together.