Kia ora whānau,

We are very much looking forward to welcoming your children back to school from Wednesday 17 November. The survey feedback indicated that we have a very positive response to returning to School - 77%.

This update contains important information about how the School will be organised to ensure a safe and positive return for your children. There is no perfect solution and we want to reassure you we have considered a range of options and done our best to arrive at a solution that is most desirable for all involved. Our goal has been to keep the current learning and connections with teachers as seamless as possible, and to ensure as many families as possible attend School on the same days.

Taking into consideration the Ministry of Education guidelines and in order to mitigate the associated risks, we will be reducing the number of learners that we have onsite at any one time.

We can’t wait to see you, albeit from a distance, and to welcome your children back to School

Take care and go gently.

Ngā mihi nui.

Stonefields School Board & Leadership Team

As follows is some of the Ministry of Education’s Information on students returning to learning onsite:

For Years 0 to 8, attendance onsite will generally be a mix of part-time and full-time. While returning to learning kanohi ki te kanohi will be best for most children and young people, this must continue to be done in a way that is safe for children, students and staff.

There are already a very large number of mitigations in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools at Alert Level 3, but to further support the return of more students to onsite learning, Cabinet agreed to the following measures:

• Year 4 to 8 students and staff will now be required to wear face coverings when indoors, as an added layer of protection (unless they have a disability or health condition that makes this unsuitable).

• for those in Years 0 to 8, schools should keep children and staff in stable groups and wherever practicable keep physically distanced from other groups, when inside and outside (recognising incidental contact may be impossible to avoid)

• drop offs and pick-ups will make use of staggering start and finish times and/or other measures to reduce the risk of congestion such as different exits and entrances

• schools should undertake teaching outdoors as much as possible.

Other points of note are:

• For the larger modern learning environments, it is suggested that we do not have more than two groups of students in one room, and that they remain physically distanced from each other by a minimum of two metres (and maintain good ventilation).

Ventilation:

• The MOE has previously put out advice about the importance of ventilation and encouraging an air flow across spaces

• The easiest way to reduce transmission risks and achieve good ventilation is by opening windows, doors and vents

• Getting as much fresh air in the classroom as you can has been endorsed as the best way to ventilate New Zealand schools by the Ministry of Health and NIWA, and generally as the best approach for schools by the World Health Organization, Centre for Disease Control

Early next week you will receive a full summary of all the guidelines and health and safety measures we have in place. In the meantime please be reassured that;

• Learners will remain in the same bubble and allocated learning space

• Breaktimes, pick up will be staggered

• Learners will have specific toilets that they will use

• All surfaces in classrooms will be cleaned and sanitised each day

• Hand washing before eating will continue and hand sanitiser is readily available

• Eating outside as much as possible and space out when eating

• All staff and children year 4 up will be required to wear a mask

• All staff onsite next week meet the vaccine mandate requirements, and are required to provide a negative test, obtained within 5 days prior to returning to School.

• No parents/visitors come onsite. We will be welcoming learners in gates by Hub 1, Hub 4 and the main entrance. Any special circumstances please coordinate directly with your child’s Hub Teachers and please scan the QR code upon entry.

Our priority is to make the return to our School a positive experience. We appreciate that after 12 weeks away from School there will be some anxiety for some children. We will be weaving into the learning a focus on reconnecting with one another, wellbeing and ensuring there is lots of fun included as well.

For those choosing not to attend School physically on the two set days, you will still be allocated to a hub teacher. SchoolTalk will have learning design for your child and you to access but no online connections will occur with the teacher on the onsite days for your child’s hub. A reminder that the COVID site for whānau has lots of further learning experiences as well. Your child’s teacher will continue with distance learning and workshops on the days they are not teaching onsite.

Finally you will receive an email from your child/ren’s hub teacher/s at the beginning of next week to let you know who your child’s ‘bubble teacher’ will be for the next 4 weeks. This communication will share the specific information regarding where your child needs to go on the first day and what time pick up is etc.