Dear Parents and Caregivers
It was a big relief to hear we are moving back to Alert Level 2 at the beginning of next week. We look forward to welcoming all our students and staff back onsite at that time!
Thank you once more to our parents and caregivers for the support and resilience you have shown through Alert Level 3. Strong vigilance, good hygiene practices, coupled with the hard work our health authorities are doing to identify and support any confirmed cases and their close contacts, remain important for all of us. Please take the time to read all the following information to help you prepare for your child’s return on Monday.
As we prepare to return to school on Monday at Level 2, I can appreciate that some of you again may have some concerns about your children’s safety at this time.
The Ministry has clearly stated that all children are expected to attend school at Level Two, unless they have serious medical conditions and their absence is supported by medical professionals.
It is extremely important that children are in school from Monday, after their second break away in term time this year, so our dedicated staff can attend to all their educational and social needs moving forward. The Ministry has provided schools with clear expectations of what systems and procedures we need to have in place during this period to keep our children safe. I would personally like to reassure you that our school is taking these guidelines extremely seriously and we are ready for all children to attend. If your child has a doctors certificate exempting them from attendance (i.e. they will be marked as a justified absence) then please forward this to principal@cpds.school.nz
From next week, our teachers will be taking considerable time to settle children in, while also having a major focus on reinforcing key messages such as ‘staying out of others moist breath’, not touching each other, as well as coughing into their elbow. Teachers will also be overseeing regular hand washing/sanitising during the day. This will be an extremely high priority for our staff, as they are committed to keeping all our children safe at school, as well as (like your own family) needing to keep themselves and their own families safe during this time. In addition to this the school will also:-
- Have regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.
- Have easily accessible hand sanitisers at entry of the school, in all our classrooms and shared spaces. N.B If your child needs special hand sanitiser due to allergies, we ask you to please provide them with their own personal supply.
- Have visual and regular verbal reminders for children to follow strict hygiene processes.
- Need all children who are NOT WELL to STAY at home. Parents will be asked to pick up ASAP any children who fall ill during the day (and are asked to phone Healthline or their GP and get tested if they have flu-like symptoms).
- Not hold assemblies until further notice.
- Like last time anyone is allowed to wear a mask if they wish, including students and or staff, however, this has not been made compulsory at this stage.
- We have the Government QR code up at both entrances for parents who are using this to track their movements, and we encourage you to use these.
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We will again enforce the use of the School App COVID-19 ‘signing in’ procedure for parents who wish to enter the school grounds. To enter you will need to display the day and time of entry on your device to the appropriate staff member at the gate.
We are aware that not all people are using the QR code and therefore we have made this decision to ensure we can track all those who enter our school grounds for the safety of our staff and students. We will have our leadership team on the gates to assist with this. For those who need to upload this facility on their School App, please refer to the end of this post.
We will also be reintroducing a staggered pick up time as well, during level 2, with children being able to be picked up from 2.45pm from the classroom by their parent/caregiver. If you do not pick up your child(ren) they will be released as normal at 3pm. All playgrounds are closed from 2.45pm onwards.
Other important information
- The drink fountains will not be accessible so please ensure your child has a drink bottle
- All doors except for privacy are to be hooked back, so please ensure your child has their school fleece etc. Rooms will still be kept at a recommended temperature between 18 and 20 degrees celsius.
- Parents are expected to maintain 2m metre social distancing outside, while on our school grounds. As adults we are responsible for maintaining our own social distancing, around other adults and other people’s children.
- The office will only be open to parents for essential business that can not be conducted via email or phone. Please observe the social distancing markers on the ground if you need to come to the office.
- Parent meetings will be conducted by zoom rather than face to face.
Health and Safety is always a top priority at CPDS, and just as parents do everything to protect their children at home, so will we while they are in school.
It would also be a good time to start to prepare your children for their return. Remind them about sensible and safe distancing. Talk to your children about making sure they give others ‘breathing space’. Remind them not to be so close they can breathe on or touch other children. Some other suggestions include:
- Explain to your child that if our own hands are not clean we can make ourselves sick. Make regular hand washing fun – use a favourite song or game. Show them a video about handwashing.
- Remind your child to always wash their hands before eating, playing outside, playing with others, after sporting activities, after playing on hard surfaces including outdoor play areas.
- Explain to your child that they should not share their lunch or any other food and drink.
- Let your child know that they will see more cleaning of their school and their classroom.
- Explain to your child that some children may choose to wear face masks. It might be part of their cultural practice to do so or to support their hygiene needs. Encourage them to respect other people’s choices.
Kind regards
Janine
Click on the three lines at the top left corner to access COVID-19 Check-in
