28-01-22 RED Traffic Light:
Return to School at Red

Kia ora whānau


Kei aku nui, kei aku rahi, tēnā koutou katoa i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā.

Welcome back after what we hope has been a wonderful summer for your whānau/family.


We are feeling refreshed and ready to go for the 2022 year, and can’t wait to welcome our learners back onsite!


In regard to COVID-19 we have moved fully into the new traffic light framework for all our school activities and events. As you will no doubt be aware, Aotearoa/NZ is currently in the Red setting of the Covid Traffic Light system. We are very pleased to share that, at Red, School will be open for on-site learning for all of our learners, with public health measures in place to keep your children, our staff and our community safe.


We have all seen the very large numbers of cases overseas and we will very likely see much higher numbers of cases in Aotearoa/NZ than we have previously experienced over the last two years. While the Omicron variant is more transmissible than previous strains, most people who get COVID-19 will have a mild to moderate illness, and will fully recover in their own home. However, some of our community - those who are immune compromised, are ill or have other vulnerabilities - even when they are fully vaccinated, could be more affected by Omicron. So, we all need to continue to play our part to minimise the spread of the virus.


This update contains important information about how the School will be organised to ensure that the return to School is a safe and positive one for all, including:

  • Key health measures, in line with Ministry of Health guidelines -

      • Vaccinations

      • Mask wearing

      • Creating Village Zones to minimise intermingling & congestion

      • Staggered & Zoned Pick-up

      • Contact Tracing

      • Hygiene Measures & Cleaning

      • Ventilation

  • Managing cases at Stonefields School

      • Covid-19 Testing

      • Self-isolating at home

      • Learning from home

  • School Events & Activities

      • Family|Whānau / Teacher Connects

      • Pōwhiri

      • Meet the Whānau Event

      • Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 Camps


You will find detailed information on all of these points below. There is a lot of information to share; we wanted to ensure you to have all the details, given some changes to how the School will run during Red - we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read it!


We are strongly in favour of learning taking place face-to-face; significant effort has gone into ensuring we have measures in place to offer multiple layers of protection from Covid-19 and preparing the School and our staff for a successful return to school. We cannot wait to see your children, and to hear all about their summer adventures!


Noho ora mai,

The Stonefields School Board & Leadership Team

Key Health Measures

Vaccinations

  • All of our staff, on-site contractors and volunteers are fully vaccinated (double-dose), with many now getting their Booster shots as they become eligible. Booster shots have now been mandated for education staff, and all staff will receive their booster vaccine on or prior to 1st March 2022.

  • Parents and caregivers now have the opportunity to protect their tamariki/children aged 5 and up against COVID-19, by being vaccinated. The vaccine used is a children’s version of the Pfizer vaccine, with a lower dose than that used for adults. Children will need two doses of the vaccine and it is recommended to have the first and second dose at least eight weeks apart. There is some helpful information available to support you on the Unite Against COVID-19 website including How to book a vaccine for your five – 11 year old and some great videos on the Kids Health page that can support you to talk to your tamariki about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mask wearing

  • All ākonga (students) Years 4 and up must wear face masks indoors and when in close contact with others.

  • The Government is now requiring that a face covering be an actual mask; that means no more scarves, bandannas, or t-shirts pulled up over the face. Public health advice is that an appropriate face covering will fit snugly and seal well around facial contours. This can include single use, disposable masks (medical masks) and re-usable fabric masks with three layers.

  • Don’t worry if you don’t have these specific types of face coverings, as public health experts also say that any face covering is better than no face covering.

  • For those of you with children who might be reluctant to wear a face covering, there is some helpful advice from Michigan Health on supporting your child in wearing a mask. Here is also a useful video showing how you can make a mask more efficient.

  • Staff and teachers must wear face masks when teaching and supporting children in Years 4 and up. These must be medical-grade mask (for example a Type IIR/Level2 masks or above).

  • All parents/caregivers and visitors must wear a face mask when on site.

Creating ‘village zones’ to minimise intermingling and congestion

We will be implementing 'village zones' to ensure that we keep learners, as much as practicable, in their across hub village.

  • We have 4 villages: Year 0-2, years 3-4, Year 5-6 and Year 7-8.

  • The Year 0-2 learners in Hubs 5,1 and 2 will have their break times by the junior playground and concreted areas.

  • Three further zones have been created for the 3 remaining villages and will be rotated so that children in years 3 - 8 have opportunities to play on the court, field and other playground areas as rostered

  • 5 Staffrooms have been established to also ensure staff stay within their village groupings.

Drop-off & Pick-up

Morning Drop off: No parents will be onsite unless pre-arranged for special reasons. We encourage children to enter through the gate that they will leave from. We do however realise that for drop off it is much simpler for siblings to enter through the same gate; you can can choose

Afternoon Pick Up: No parents on site unless pre arranged for special reasons.
There will be 2 different pick up times 2.50pm and 3.00pm. Different pick up gates have been allocated to each hub to minimise congestion at the end of the day. We will exit the learners as follows -

  • 2.50pm:
    Hub 5 (New Entrants) Main Gate
    Hub 1 (Year 1, 2) Gate 1 (Next to hub 1)
    Hub 2 (Year 1, 2) Gate 2 - (Out the back of hub 2)
    Hub 7,8,9 Gate 8 and Gate 4 (Beside hub 4 and hub 8)

  • 3.00pm:
    Year 5-6 Gate 8, Gate 12/13 (Outside hub 12/13)
    Year 7-8 Gate 1 and Gate 4 or Bottom field Gate (Hub 16, 17)

Ventilation

  • We have used the Ministry of Education self-assessment tool to review all our ventilation in readiness for the start of the year. Providing good old fashioned fresh air remains the most important thing we can do in our learning spaces to minimise risk for ākonga (students) and kaiako (teachers). We will ensure that doors and windows are open to allow plenty of air flow, and provide opportunities for learning to take place outside where possible.
    We are fortunate to be such a modern, well-ventilated learning environment!

Hygiene measures & Cleaning

  • Good hygiene is a priority. This will be supervised and monitored by staff. Surfaces will be cleaned daily.

  • Sanitiser is available and will be used on entry and exit to learning hubs, admin etc. Children with sensitive skin are encouraged to bring their own safe product, moisturiser & or soap.

  • Handwashing will be supervised and take place before all eating and bathroom use and playing on the playground or using shared PE equipment.

  • Teachers will remind children to avoid touching their masks.

Stay home if unwell, and get tested!

Please keep your children at home if they are feeling unwell, and get them tested for Covid-19. If your child shows signs or symptoms of a cold or flu at school you will be contacted and asked to collect them.

Managing Cases at Stonefields School

Contact Tracing

We have a good contact tracing system in place so that if there is a confirmed case who has been at school while infectious, we can quickly identify who was a close contact of that person. We will then quickly advise those contacts of what they need to do.


Please make sure your contact details we have on file are up to date, so we can get in touch with you if needed.


Only if the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education advises to do so, would we consider closing a physical onsite school and moving to distance learning for everyone. At Red we will keep everyone learning onsite for as long as we can.

Self-isolating at home because of COVID-19

  • Many people will be able to manage self-isolation with help from friends and whānau, but there is help available if you need it – both with health support and access to food and other essentials:

• What to expect when self-isolating at home

• Getting extra support if you have COVID-19 or are self-isolating

• COVID-19 positive – managing your symptoms


If you know anyone in your community affected by COVID-19 and who may need help, such as food and other financial assistance, Work and Income has a range of support available for individuals, families, employers and self-employed people affected by COVID-19.

Learning from Home


Further support and 1-on-1 connections will be available to learners who are:

  • self-isolating at home due to Covid-19

  • required to stay home while awaiting Covid-19 test result

  • those advised to remain home by a medical professional due to a higher risk of severe illness (ie underlying medical conditions). Children with complex medical needs should seek advice from their health professional about whether it is appropriate to come to school.


For those choosing not to attend School on-site (who do not fall into one of the above categories), SchoolTalk will have learning design for your child and you to access, but no online connections will occur with their hub teacher. A reminder that the COVID site for whānau has lots of further learning experiences as well.

School Events & Activities

Large hui and gatherings, especially when indoors, continue to be one of the riskier activities we can undertake. We have therefore reviewed all our events and activities for the upcoming term to ensure we meet the health guidance for Red.

  • Family|Whānau / Teacher Connects (Wednesday 2nd February - please remember to book your time slot by 1pm Tuesday)

• These are a valuable opportunity for you to connect with your child/children’s hub teacher(s), and the preference is to have these face-to-face. We are able to do this whilst upholding Ministry guidelines by holding conversations outside, where practicable, or in well- ventilated areas and maintaining physical distancing.Parents/Caregivers will be required to scan-in when entering the School, and to wear a face mask.

  • Pōwhiri (Thursday 3 February at 12 noon)

• we have had to adapt our plans for our pōwhiri; instead of our regular whole school pōwhiri, we will be holding a virtual pōwhiri. Our new five year olds in Hubs 5, 1 and 2 will be welcomed on the courts, while all other learners will watch the live feed and be welcomed in their hubs. The link for the pōwhiri will be shared with you via email on Wednesday morning; you can either tune in live at 12 noon, or watch it at a later time.

  • Meet the Whānau Event/Family Picnic (Thursday 17 February)

• This is a chance to meet the whole hub team and get to know other families in your child’s hub. This event will now be held online during week 3 - we will share further details with you soon.

  • Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 Camps (March 2022, various dates)

• We are continuing to plan for our camps to go ahead, following all Ministry of Health and Education guidelines. We will continue to assess the situation to ensure camp can go ahead safely, and adapt where necessary. Those with children in year 5-8 will receive further communication regarding camp, and be kept you up-to-date with information as it comes to hand.


Before & After School Care (Kelly Club)

Before & After School care can continue at Red.

Kelly club will reside in two areas the hall and hub and will operate in across year level villages to align with the School approach to minimise intermingling.

Getting Ready to Return to School

The Ministry of Education has some helpful information on their Parents and Whānau website to support your tamariki to get back to school. There is also a very important reminder about how you can take care of yourself.


While this might all feel a little overwhelming at times, we know that all these measures will help our children return to school, reconnect with whānau and friends and do what they enjoy. We will continue to watch and assess the situation closely, and make changes where necessary.


We are also here to help - please get in touch if you have any concerns or need help in any way!