Kia ora e te whānau
Years 11-13 Students may return to school Tuesday 26 October 2021
Minister Hipkins has today confirmed that all our students in Years 11 to 13 are able to return onsite from next Tuesday 26 October 2021. This is very good news as we know how important face-to-face support and engagement will be for our senior students so that they can complete their studies and continue to the next level.
Although more students will be onsite, our region remains at Alert Level 3 and we know there are active cases in our region. Therefore, we will be following all the public health measures that are required so that we can keep everyone onsite (and their whānau) as safe as possible. Higher vaccine rates, including those aged 12-19 are one reason why we are able to bring our senior students onsite now. Public Health has also advised that they consider that with the other public health measures that are being put in place, including the requirement to wear face coverings for Years 9-13, the risk of infection is low at school. The greater risk for transmission will come from travel to and from school, including from any bad behaviours that might creep in off-site such as students congregating outside the school on their way to and from home, and by any ignoring of the health measures we all need to follow in our region.
We are still at Alert Level 3
Public health experts at the Ministry of Health have reviewed our existing health requirements needed to operate at Alert Level 3 (for those small numbers of students we already have on-site). These include:
- staff and children who are unwell must stay at home, and get tested for COVID-19
- children at higher risk of severe illness remain home, where possible
- staff who are not fully vaccinated and at higher risk of severe illness should remain home
- mandatory mask wearing for staff and students in Years 9-13
- only essential visitors will be permitted onsite – visitors are asked to wear a face-covering when onsite
- good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette
- classrooms to be well ventilated
- high touch surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected each day
- physical distancing will be adhered to wherever practicable, particularly between adults
- physical distancing of two metres will be in place from people we don’t know
- QR code posters for the COVID app will be displayed
- a contact tracing register in place for everyone coming onsite including students and staff, through the attendance register, timetable and visitor register.
Additional Information for Years 11-13 at Alert Level 3
To support the return of our senior students, the additional measures that have been agreed by Cabinet to apply at Alert Level 3, based on public health advice are:
- face coverings are required on school transport for people aged 12 and over
- time outdoors for students and staff will be maximised, including breaks, lunchtime, before and after school (unless the weather does not allow), and rooms will be aired during breaks
- exercising and singing will take place outdoors
- groups meeting indoors, including assemblies or staff meetings, will be avoided, and
- exams will go ahead, but physical distancing will be maximised within the space available, with a minimum of 1.5 metres between desks.
Online Learning at Home for our Years 0-10 Students
The Online Learning programme remains the same for all Years 0-6 students who continue to learn from home.
Our Years 7-10 students will also continue to learn from home – but their online learning timetable will change. Teachers will update the timetables in their Google Classrooms and will ensure that their students know about these changes.
Accessing Vaccination Records
You can access your COVID-19 vaccination record by registering for My Covid Record which is now available.
Vaccinations for Eligible Children (12 years old and over)
If you do want to support your eligible children (12 years and over) to get vaccinated – please book in using the Book My Vaccine link online. Type in the postal address 3225 and Raglan Medical Centre should come up as a site for you to access OR call 0800 28 29 26 to make your appointment at Raglan Medical Centre. Raglan Area School is not a vaccination site for students during school opening hours.
Take Care
You can be confident that the overall approach to educating our students is designed to keep children, teachers and our community as safe as possible. But it’s important everybody continues to play their part. Please follow all the Alert Level 3 requirements – stay at home if you are unwell, get tested if you have any symptoms, even mild ones, maintain your bubble, and keep track of where you have been. And finally, please do support everyone you know who is eligible to get vaccinated.
Stay safe, stay well, stay connected.
Ngā mihi – Whaea Louisa
Louisa Barham (Tumuaki / Principal)
Recent Comments