Friday 20 March 2020

Kia ora koutou

With so much information and misinformation swirling around about COVID-19, I wanted to share with you what will happen if we were to have a case in our school community. We have been planning for this and are in a position to respond quickly.

• As soon as a case is confirmed in our immediate school community (eg. a student, staff member, or member of their household), the Medical Officer of Health and Ministry of Education will inform me about this, and we will work together to get quick and clear messaging out to you.
• If there was a case confirmed of someone in our school, we will likely be asked to close temporarily by the Medical Officer of Health. This will allow time for close contacts to be traced, appropriate testing to be undertaken, and a careful clean of the school to be undertaken.
   
• If our school does need to close temporarily, we have a plan in place to support student’s learning.

We know COVID-19 feels scary and of course people are concerned for the wellbeing of our children. Please be assured that with no case confirmed in our school, your children are safe here.

We have paused all of our school trips, assemblies, and as of today, our weekly visits to Wainuiomata Intermediate for year 7-8 Technology, to reduce physical closeness and increased health risks.  

Good hygiene is a priority at our school, and we are reinforcing this regularly with all students and staff. We know that practicing good hygiene is still the best thing we can all do to prevent illness.

We are getting the most up to date advice and guidance so that we can confidently make informed decisions about the safety and wellbeing of our school community.   

The messaging remains clear – that if you are feeling unwell please stay home, and the same goes for your school children and other young people.  Please do stay away from school if you or your child has any symptoms of sickness. 

A diagram has been developed by Dr Siouxsie Wiles to assist you when considering symptoms. What it tells us is:

• A dry cough and a high temperature are common to both flu and COVID-19
• Sneezing is not a symptom of COVID-19, however if someone has COVID-19, then sneezing can spread droplets containing the virus
• If you or your child have any of these symptoms, we hope you will stay away from school to reduce the possibilities of others becoming unwell. 

 

Take care of yourselves and each-other

Noho ora mai rā

Bec Power

Principal