Term Update - 12 May 2020
Dear Parents/Caregivers
Reopening at Level 2
It was great to hear the Prime Minister's announce that schools can return on Monday 18 May! I know that students and staff have missed the interactions that occur when onsite.
We were also reminded that Covid-19 is a tricky virus and it will keep exploiting any opportunity to creep into our communities. As a school, the College continues to err on the side of caution.
To this end, over the last two weeks our cleaning team has been working hard to clean the College from “top to bottom”. As well as cleaning we have also chosen to employ a company to sanitize the entire school, using a process called “fogging”; this is used in Hospitals etc. In terms of cleaning, we feel comfortable we are ready for day one.
There will be some new procedures and processes for students to follow, such as use of hand sanitizer when entering classes. Other procedures will be outlined to students on day one and we will be regularly reminding them!
Another issue at Level 2 is that some staff may be unable to return, or required to stay home due to illness, on top of this; our access to qualified relievers is limited at this time.
In light of these issues, and lessons learned from business that reopened under Level 3, we want to ensure we have our processes and procedures correct. We will not really know this until they are tested with students on site.
To successfully implement these new procedures we will open on Monday 18 May and Tuesday 19 May for Years 9, 10 and 13. Years 11 and 12 will return on Wednesday 20 May - making this the first day the full school will be in attendance. We appreciate this has the potential to be disruptive but we want to “get it right”. It should also be noted that the Teacher Only Day scheduled for Friday 29 May will not be going ahead - it will be school as normal that day.
Timetable
Students will return to week one of their timetable. At this stage, no assemblies will take place so students should attend form class.
Buses
The Ministry has advised us that buses will be operating. We ask that you speak with your child if they are a bus student about the need to maintain physical distancing when waiting for the bus, especially at the end of the school day.
Devices / Ministry of Education Materials
If you have a device issued by the College, or the Ministry, these are due back at school when your child returns. These can be returned to the school office.
Likewise, if your child has not used the hard materials that the Ministry of Education sent home it would be great to get those returned to us as well.
Student Illness
If you child is in anyway sick we ask that they stay home, as per Ministry of Health guidelines. If they present unwell during the day we will be in touch to arrange for your child to be picked up.
Children Not Returning On Medical Grounds
If your child is unable to return on medical grounds, please email the Principal (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with their name and form class so the attendance office can code appropriately.
Extra-Curricular Activities
We will aim to get our extensive extra curricula program fully underway as soon as possible. At this stage, we are waiting for further information from the Ministry, Sport New Zealand and local sports organisations.
Lastly, I would like to thank parents/caregivers, staff, and students for their patience and ongoing support of the College during the lockdown. I hope that from next week we can start returning to normal.
Yours sincerely,
Gary Yeatman
Principal