Back to School 

Wasn’t it great to hear the Prime Minister’s decision on Monday about the changes to Alert level 2 this Thursday.  Below are a few key points for you to consider as our school staff works together to be ready for our children on Monday the 18th May.

Monday 18th May

All students are invited to return to school on Monday. Public health advice is unequivocol- it will be safe to restart schooling for everyone. We accept the public health advice and we will be working to support it.

School starts at 8.30am and we have been advised that all buses will be running as usual for our students.

Our Home-based learning program will finish this week as our staff plan for face to face teaching. Your child’s Seesaw Learning Journal will continue to be a part of this but not in the same way as over the past few weeks.  Please finish and bring all the hard copies of learning activities with you on Monday for marking. We will also be sharing our Seesaw Learning Journals with each other and celebrating all the hard work your children have been doing.

Health and Safety

The Prime Minister advised that Alert Level 2 schools are safe environments for children, young people, and staff and that additional public health control measures are in place to prevent the spread of disease and to support contact tracing.

The key Public Health approach is to minimise the risk that someone gets infected in the first place, and secondly to ensure we can identify and contact anyone who has been in close contact with a person if someone in a school is infected.

The following are some of the measures Rangitaiki School are putting in place to ensure our students and staff are kept safe:

• Physical Distancing .In schools, physical distancing means “children, young people, and staff maintaining enough distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other.” Unlike the measles or chickenpox virus, it doesn’t hang in the air for hours, it travels on invisible drops of spit.
• Drop off and Pick up: We ask that common sense is applied here in regards to social distancing guidelines and consideration to other parents.  If you do need to come into the school we have a sign-in sheet for contact tracing and hand sanitizer for everyone.
• Handwashing and Sanitizing: Students will be expected to wash/sanitize their hands as they enter the classroom ( throughout the day) as well as before they eat any food. Hand sanitizer will be available in each classroom. All high use surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized 3 times a day by the classroom teacher.  Children and staff will be reminded to maintain important hygiene practices and regular cleaning. Coughing into their elbows. Handwashing and drying hands.
• Water bottles: Each child needs to bring their own water bottle to school. The water fountains will not be available.
• Playgrounds: Playgrounds will be open for all students.
• Cleaning: Our school cleaner will follow strict guidelines for cleaning.
• PPE: PPE gear is not required at school.
• Playgroup: There will be no playgroup for the remainder of the term. Hopefully, we can start it up again in Term 3.
•  School Trips: We have no school trips planned for Term 2 until we are sure it is safe to do so.
• Wellbeing: Staff will be working to support our students and their return to school after 7 weeks away from school. If your child is anxious, please remind them that their teacher and friends are looking forward to seeing them.
• Uniform: As the weather is starting to get cooler we ask that children come to school in the winter uniform. Please talk to Lorriane if you need to purchase some. They may wish to wear gumboots and bring some slippers or socks to wear in the classroom.

Under Alert Level 2, we advise any students and staff to stay at home if they are sick, and we will send anyone home immediately if they show any symptoms.

Bits and Pieces

The tunnel house is all planted up and looks amazing thanks to Beatrix.  The outdoor area will be paved very soon and we will look forward to using it.

Spelling homework will start coming home on the 25th of May.

Our Inquiry topic this term is “Our Community” We will look at farming, who is in our community and the jobs they do, sustainability in our school, what a community is, how we are part of one and what we can do to help our community.  If you have any good ideas for quest speakers we would love to interview them at school. Perhaps you know some local stories or legends from this area you could share with us.

Board Meeting

Wednesday the 20th 6.30pm in the Staffroom. All welcome.

Thankyou

Thank you for all the work you have been doing at home with teaching your children and maintaining a safe and happy place for all Rangitaiki children.