Monday 2 May
With the move at the end of last term to the Orange Framework whānau/family are welcome back onsite. We do encourage you to still wear a mask if you are entering a building, and to sign in and the office.
Thursday 24 March
Changes to the Traffic Light System
Kia ora e te whānau,
Yesterday there were some changes announced to the traffic light system. These changes take affect at 11:59pm of Friday the 25th of March.
We are still at RED.
For us at Te Kura o Mārama - Clearview this means the following;
- On Monday next week, parents, caregivers and visitors are welcome on site in outdoor settings without a mask, and without signing in/scanning our QR code
- You still need to wear a mask indoors (entering any building)
- We still require you take all inquires to our office
- We still require you to not enter class room spaces
This is the changes of setting as per Ministry of Health website:
At Red;
- There will be no limits for outdoor activities, such as gatherings and events, and food and drink businesses. My Vaccine Passes must be used until 11:59pm on 4 April.
- There will be a 200-person limit for indoor gatherings and events — My Vaccine Passes must be used until 11:59pm on 4 April.
- If My Vaccine Passes are not used, the gathering limits remain unchanged.
- You do not need to wear a face mask outdoors.
- Other face mask rules remain unchanged — face masks are still required in most indoor settings.
- There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.
At Orange;
- There will be no limit for outdoor gatherings.
- There will be no limit for indoor gatherings.
- You do not need to wear a face mask outdoors.
- Other face mask rules remain unchanged.
- There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.
At Green;
- There will be no restrictions.
- We encourage you to keep up good health behaviours.
- There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.
The next review of the traffic light settings is on 4 April. It will review what colour each area of New Zealand sits in.
Thank you for your continuing support as we work through these changes.
Covid Flowchart Updated: Thursday 24 March
You may well have seen the headlines in the media about the numbers of cases being seen in schools. Please don’t be alarmed by this. It is only natural as cases in our community increase, they will appear in our school. We have really good systems in place to respond to this and to keep any spread of the virus – should it appear – to a minimum.
You may have seen Dr Jin Russell in the media noting research from New South Wales about their recent Omicron outbreak showing that spread within the school setting is very low (less than 4% of cases at school infected someone else when at school). We have seen that in New Zealand too.
This is why we remain open at Red. It’s great for a child’s wellbeing and learning to be at school with their friends and school staff, and we have very good systems in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Your job remains the same, too: please continue to keep a really close watch of your whānau for anyone with symptoms. If unwell, please stay at home and get advice about getting a COVID-19 test.
With Phase 3 of the Omicron response, the key change is that it is only confirmed cases and their household contacts who need to self-isolate. Everyone else, including those who may have had close contact with the case but aren’t in the household, must continue to monitor really closely for any symptoms of COVID-19.
Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are now being used to diagnose COVID-19 as well as PCR tests. This means that you will get an almost immediate test result back if a RAT is used.
If anyone in your family is confirmed as having COVID-19, you will be asked to notify your close contacts yourself. Please get in touch with us as soon as you can if your child has tested positive for COVID-19.
Transmission of COVID-19 is still most likely to happen in your home – so please keep doing all those good things to keep your whānau safe. Wash your hands, get lots of fresh air, cover any coughs and sneezes, clean surfaces regularly, and seek advice if anyone is not feeling well. And please wear a mask when you are out and about. There is information online to help your family prepare to isolate if you need to.
The most important advice we can give to keep your whānau safe is to act as if you have COVID-19. More than a third of people who have COVID-19 will not have any symptoms if they have had three doses of the vaccine. Please think about who you visit and what health measures you can put in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Getting threedoses of the vaccine will really help you to do that. Research has shown that compared with being unvaccinated, three doses of the vaccine will mean you are 67% less likely to be infected with Omicron and 97% less likely to get Delta. If you can’t get COVID you can’t pass it on.
Finally, we know how hard the impacts on COVID-19 have been for many families. If you know of a family in our community who is struggling, please encourage them to reach out for support for example to access food, medicine, or access financial support: Help is available – COVID-19 Health Hub.
If you have any concerns about sending your child to school, please do get in touch. We are here to help.
Thank you.
Tuesday 1 February
COVID Red Light Setting
Kia ora e te whanau,
As you will be aware, all of New Zealand is now under the "Red" setting of the Covid Protection Framework (CPF) /Traffic Light System. The following information will help us navigate school life under the various settings of the CPF.
As we near the beginning of the new school year we are also preparing for a year where we are likely to have cases of Covid-19 in the school community. Schools throughout New Zealand are also moving into the new traffic light system, which has a number of differences to the previous level system used up until the end of the last school year.
Below is a brief overview of the main aspects that will relate to parents and caregivers coming onto school grounds. These guidelines were given to schools at the end of 2021, and will be updated as we receive new guidance from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. At this stage schools are not expected to close at either Orange or Red traffic lights, however this may change as new variants of Covid-19 enter the community or we are affected by staffing issues as a result of illness.
We are aware that the spread of Covid-19 into our community could be causing increased anxiety, however be aware that we are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that we have everything in place before students return to school tomorrow.
Please read the following carefully.
Coming Onto School Site to Drop Off/Pick Up Students
At both Orange and Red traffic lights all parents and caregivers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated are allowed into school grounds to drop off or collect their children. However, we would encourage you to drop your children off at the gate to reduce the number of people on school grounds. We understand parents needing to support their children - especially our new and younger students at the beginning of the school day initially. Please avoid entering learning spaces if possible.
The start of the year is a great time to establish routines with your child/ren around where you will meet your child at the end of the school day.
Please avoid entering the office - consider a phone call or email to our office team.
Scanning In / Contact Tracing
If you do need to enter our grounds, you will find information stations around the current setting within the Covid Protection Framework and a QR Code for contact tracing. These stations will be located on our gates (to avoid congestion) Please make sure you scan in. If you would rather sign in manually, you will need to visit the office.
Wearing Masks on School Grounds
At Orange all parents, caregivers, whānau, and other visitors are asked to wear face coverings on site.
At Red masks are required to be worn when entering school grounds. If you are unable to wear a mask please make other arrangements where possible for your child if they are needing support to get to their classroom.
At Red all students Year 4 and above are required to wear a mask. Given that the Matatea Team consists of Year 3 and 4 children, we have been advised that it's optional, but strongly encouraged for Year 4's.
Please note that the mask requirement for children only applies indoors. We will offer our children frequent “mask breaks” outside as we adjust to this new routine. You may like to watch this short clip with your child on mask use.
If you feel your child is unable to wear a mask due to health, sensory or other reasons, your GP may be able to provide an exemption. Please reach out to me if you need support navigating this - we are here to help.
This week school leaders were advised by the Ministry of Education that mask use in schools is a key strategy in reducing the likelihood of a C19 outbreak in school communities. We thank you for your support with mask use.
Attending School Events
This includes events such as school assemblies, mihi whakatau, and prize givings.
At Orange, we may be able to hold events, and parents and caregivers are able to attend if they are fully vaccinated and able to show their vaccine pass. This will depend on visitor numbers as dictated by the Covid Protection Framework.
At Red no events involving the community will be held.
If a Covid-19 Case Has Been Confirmed Within the School
The Ministry of Education has developed a framework for schools to follow in the case of a student or staff member testing positive to Covid-19.
A covid case is only confirmed once we have been notified by the Ministry of Health. If you are aware that your child has tested positive to Covid, please let us know so that we can follow this up with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.
Once a case is confirmed the school will identify close contacts and casual contacts. Families of the students in the learning space of the identified case will then be notified via letter and email. The letter will contain information on what the next steps will be.
If a large number of students are required to be isolated at home due to being close contacts then the school will work to provide online learning for students to work on at home.
Other Resources
Please follow this link to the Ministry of Health's Household Readiness Checklist.
You may also be interested in this resource with information around the Ministry of Health's Immunisation Programme for 5 to 11 year olds.
If you have any further Covid-19 related questions please feel free to email me Rob Rush robr@clearview.school.nz
