Covid 2022 Updates
PLEASE ALSO DOWNLOAD THE SEE SAW APP WHERE REGULAR SCHOOL WIDE MESSAGES WILL BE SENT OUT.
Friday 26th February
Phase 3 Red - Changes
What has changed at Phase 3?
Not very much.
Current health measures stay in place to try to reduce transmission of Covid 19.
The definition of a close contact has changed to household members only. This means your child will only be deemed a close contact if they live in a household with someone who has a positive covid test.
Will I be told if a child at school or in my child’s class has been diagnosed with Covid 19?
No.
As other school children are no longer deemed close contacts you will not be informed of a case in your child’s class. Under privacy laws we cannot disclose any information to you on positive covid cases at school.
Can I come onto the site to drop off and pick up my children now?
No.
We are retaining the staggered drop off and pick up’s and restricting access to the site. This is to reduce the number of people our staff come into contact with on a daily basis. This will help to reduce the possibility your child’s teacher or teacher aide will be away sick.
Does my child still need to wear a mask in Year 4-6
Yes.
Nothing has changed so far under the health order.
How will we know the school has positive cases if I can’t be told?
Assume that we will begin to have positive cases soon.
We may put a general note out in the newsletter letting you know we have Covid in the school community in the same way we would do if we had an outbreak of chicken pox, measles or similar.
Be vigilant with your own children. If they seem unwell, keep them home as a precaution and get a Covid test if you suspect that may be the cause.
Should I let the school know?
Yes
Use the normal channels to let us know your child is away sick. If you child has a positive test for Covid we would like to know so that we can track the progress of the infection in the same way we would other disease outbreaks in the school. Know that we will protect your privacy.
Phase 3 Red - Changes
What has changed at Phase 3?
Not very much.
Current health measures stay in place to try to reduce transmission of Covid 19.
The definition of a close contact has changed to household members only. This means your child will only be deemed a close contact if they live in a household with someone who has a positive covid test.
Will I be told if a child at school or in my child’s class has been diagnosed with Covid 19?
No.
As other school children are no longer deemed close contacts you will not be informed of a case in your child’s class. Under privacy laws we cannot disclose any information to you on positive covid cases at school.
Can I come onto the site to drop off and pick up my children now?
No.
We are retaining the staggered drop off and pick up’s and restricting access to the site. This is to reduce the number of people our staff come into contact with on a daily basis. This will help to reduce the possibility your child’s teacher or teacher aide will be away sick.
Does my child still need to wear a mask in Year 4-6
Yes.
Nothing has changed so far under the health order.
How will we know the school has positive cases if I can’t be told?
Assume that we will begin to have positive cases soon.
We may put a general note out in the newsletter letting you know we have Covid in the school community in the same way we would do if we had an outbreak of chicken pox, measles or similar.
Be vigilant with your own children. If they seem unwell, keep them home as a precaution and get a Covid test if you suspect that may be the cause.
Should I let the school know?
Yes
Use the normal channels to let us know your child is away sick. If you child has a positive test for Covid we would like to know so that we can track the progress of the infection in the same way we would other disease outbreaks in the school. Know that we will protect your privacy.
Past updates
Thursday 25th February
Q and A
Common questions - Covid 19 – updated
Will we be told if someone has Covid at school?
You will be contacted if your child is deemed a close contact (at the current phase 2 setting). We are guided by a dedicated team at the Ministry of Education who help us determine who is classified as a close contact.
How will I be contacted?
You will be messaged via See Saw. If it is feasible to ring parents, we will do that too (it may be too hard to do if there are several classes impacted)
Will you tell us if there is a case at school?
We will only tell you if your child is deemed a close contact.
We will give a more general message in the weekly newsletter that there has been a case identified somewhere in the school. We are required to always protect the privacy of any children and their families so ensuring people aren’t identifiable as a positive case is very important.
Will my child be vaccinated by staff at school?
No.
Will the school only allow fully vaccinated children to attend?
No.
Do I need a mask exemption for my child in Year 4-6 classes?
No, but you do need to contact me to discuss how we can manage your child’s health needs best in the class.
What if my child is becoming headachy during the day in a mask?
The teachers have some empathy for this as they are in the same situation. Teachers are managing this well in their classes and trying to get outside as much as they can during the day. If your child is just sitting at their seat and not in close contact with others there will be times in the day, they can have a short break from mask wearing to feel more comfortable.
What if my child is not a close contact but I am still concerned?
You are still the primary decision maker in relation to your child’s health. If you feel the need to keep them at home, do what you think is best. You know your family situation better than we do. Please just keep us in the loop.
If I choose for my child to stay at home even though they aren’t close contacts, can we have online lessons instead?
No, If most children in the class are still at school then the teacher is not able to also run online classes.
What is likely to change when we move to Red Phase 3?
We don’t fully know until it is announced but it is likely the definition of a close contact will change to household members only. We will clearly communicate this to you once we have the full guidance.
Thursday 25th February
Reminder: Booster vaccine requirements for staff and volunteers
As detailed in previous bulletins, everyone who is covered by the mandatory vaccination requirements must have their booster by Tuesday 1 March or 183 days after their second shot (whichever is later).
As previously advised, this means that:
Kia ora koutou,
Given the increased risk of close contacts in the school currently we have introduced the following changes from today. We are aiming to operate in 4 'bubbles' with staggered break times.
10.15 am - 10.35 am and 12.00pm - 12.40 pm
Year 1 and 2 Playing on the playground side of the hall only up to room5/6.
Year 3 Playing on the swimming pool side of the hall (outside their classrooms) ****************************************************************************************
10.40 am -11.00 am and 12.45pm - 1.25pm
Year 4 Playing on the swimming pool side of the hall (outside rooms 1,2,3,4 and the courts area.
Year 5 and 6 Playing outside their rooms and the field.
***************************************************************************************
All duties will be done by the bubble staff in their area. Teacher aides will be allocated to stay in 2 rooms maximum Staff rooms have been split to separate teachers during breaks
A common question we have been asked is.
Q. What if me or another child in my family is deemed a close contact? Can my child still come to school ?
Yes, Close contacts are people who have been in contact with a person with Covid.
If your child has not been in contact with someone with Covid (ie are a secondary contact) they can still come to school.
However, you as parents know what is best for your own children and if you decide to keep them home we will support your decision.
Q and A
Common questions - Covid 19 – updated
Will we be told if someone has Covid at school?
You will be contacted if your child is deemed a close contact (at the current phase 2 setting). We are guided by a dedicated team at the Ministry of Education who help us determine who is classified as a close contact.
How will I be contacted?
You will be messaged via See Saw. If it is feasible to ring parents, we will do that too (it may be too hard to do if there are several classes impacted)
Will you tell us if there is a case at school?
We will only tell you if your child is deemed a close contact.
We will give a more general message in the weekly newsletter that there has been a case identified somewhere in the school. We are required to always protect the privacy of any children and their families so ensuring people aren’t identifiable as a positive case is very important.
Will my child be vaccinated by staff at school?
No.
Will the school only allow fully vaccinated children to attend?
No.
Do I need a mask exemption for my child in Year 4-6 classes?
No, but you do need to contact me to discuss how we can manage your child’s health needs best in the class.
What if my child is becoming headachy during the day in a mask?
The teachers have some empathy for this as they are in the same situation. Teachers are managing this well in their classes and trying to get outside as much as they can during the day. If your child is just sitting at their seat and not in close contact with others there will be times in the day, they can have a short break from mask wearing to feel more comfortable.
What if my child is not a close contact but I am still concerned?
You are still the primary decision maker in relation to your child’s health. If you feel the need to keep them at home, do what you think is best. You know your family situation better than we do. Please just keep us in the loop.
If I choose for my child to stay at home even though they aren’t close contacts, can we have online lessons instead?
No, If most children in the class are still at school then the teacher is not able to also run online classes.
What is likely to change when we move to Red Phase 3?
We don’t fully know until it is announced but it is likely the definition of a close contact will change to household members only. We will clearly communicate this to you once we have the full guidance.
Thursday 25th February
Reminder: Booster vaccine requirements for staff and volunteers
As detailed in previous bulletins, everyone who is covered by the mandatory vaccination requirements must have their booster by Tuesday 1 March or 183 days after their second shot (whichever is later).
As previously advised, this means that:
- workers who received their second vaccination on or before 30 August 2021 will need to have had their booster by Tuesday 1 March 2022 to continue working onsite
- workers who received their second vaccination from 31 August 2021 onwards will need to receive their booster shot within 183 days of their second shot
- the booster requirements apply to everyone under the coverage of original vaccination requirements who is over the age of 18, that is, people working or volunteering at or for early learning services, schools and kura who may have contact with children or students or will be present on site at a time when children and students are also present. This includes teachers, teacher aides, support staff, relief and casual staff, caretakers and cleaners, volunteers, and contractors. Information about how the vaccination mandate applies to each role can be found here, including examples that help show how the booster requirements apply in practice
- if a worker has not received their booster by Tuesday 1 March or within 183 days after their second vaccination dose, they will not be able to have contact with children or students or be present at a time that children or students are also present
Kia ora koutou,
Given the increased risk of close contacts in the school currently we have introduced the following changes from today. We are aiming to operate in 4 'bubbles' with staggered break times.
10.15 am - 10.35 am and 12.00pm - 12.40 pm
Year 1 and 2 Playing on the playground side of the hall only up to room5/6.
Year 3 Playing on the swimming pool side of the hall (outside their classrooms) ****************************************************************************************
10.40 am -11.00 am and 12.45pm - 1.25pm
Year 4 Playing on the swimming pool side of the hall (outside rooms 1,2,3,4 and the courts area.
Year 5 and 6 Playing outside their rooms and the field.
***************************************************************************************
All duties will be done by the bubble staff in their area. Teacher aides will be allocated to stay in 2 rooms maximum Staff rooms have been split to separate teachers during breaks
A common question we have been asked is.
Q. What if me or another child in my family is deemed a close contact? Can my child still come to school ?
Yes, Close contacts are people who have been in contact with a person with Covid.
If your child has not been in contact with someone with Covid (ie are a secondary contact) they can still come to school.
However, you as parents know what is best for your own children and if you decide to keep them home we will support your decision.
Saturday 12th February 2022
After a confirmed case at St Patricks, Silverstream yesterday we have the following clarifications on close contacts and when a class may be sent home. In all cases we will directly follow the advice of the Ministry of Education.
The latest advice is: Only a CLOSE CONTACT of a CONFIRMED POSITIVE CASE needs to self isolate. If your child lives with someone with Covid or has spent time in close contact with someone with Covid they are a close contact.
If your child is one step removed and hasn't personally spent any time with the person with Covid they are good to come to school. I think it is important that we are all on the same page. I know in Lower Hutt some schools sent out messages to have students picked up and other schools didn't when the St. Pats cases went public.Our first case at school is likely to come in the next 2 weeks so we need to be calm and clear.
Scenario:
If a child in your child's class has Covid: The teacher, the teacher aides in the class and all the students will go home as close contacts to self isolate. You will be contacted via this platform (See Saw) immediately and gradually phoned (we may have 28 or so parents to ring so See Saw messaging will get to you before a phone call). If the teacher is not sick they will switch to online teaching of that class from the next day. The class next door won't be sent home and the school won't close. If a child's parent has Covid the child will stay home but the class still opens unless the child who has been in that class is confirmed with Covid. As we know things change quickly and we will at all times follow the MoE advice and SeeSaw message you should we have any cases in the coming days/weeks. We are not medical experts, we're a bunch of teachers doing our best to keep school normal for your children and for ourselves. We are completely reliant each day on the advice we are given by the MoE.
However, we do have a plan, we are organised and we are ready for the coming weeks.
Don't listen to gossip about cases, if you haven't had a message from me on See Saw then the gossip is unlikely to be true.
If you are worried about anything at all please let your child's teacher know or email me directly [email protected]
After a confirmed case at St Patricks, Silverstream yesterday we have the following clarifications on close contacts and when a class may be sent home. In all cases we will directly follow the advice of the Ministry of Education.
The latest advice is: Only a CLOSE CONTACT of a CONFIRMED POSITIVE CASE needs to self isolate. If your child lives with someone with Covid or has spent time in close contact with someone with Covid they are a close contact.
If your child is one step removed and hasn't personally spent any time with the person with Covid they are good to come to school. I think it is important that we are all on the same page. I know in Lower Hutt some schools sent out messages to have students picked up and other schools didn't when the St. Pats cases went public.Our first case at school is likely to come in the next 2 weeks so we need to be calm and clear.
Scenario:
If a child in your child's class has Covid: The teacher, the teacher aides in the class and all the students will go home as close contacts to self isolate. You will be contacted via this platform (See Saw) immediately and gradually phoned (we may have 28 or so parents to ring so See Saw messaging will get to you before a phone call). If the teacher is not sick they will switch to online teaching of that class from the next day. The class next door won't be sent home and the school won't close. If a child's parent has Covid the child will stay home but the class still opens unless the child who has been in that class is confirmed with Covid. As we know things change quickly and we will at all times follow the MoE advice and SeeSaw message you should we have any cases in the coming days/weeks. We are not medical experts, we're a bunch of teachers doing our best to keep school normal for your children and for ourselves. We are completely reliant each day on the advice we are given by the MoE.
However, we do have a plan, we are organised and we are ready for the coming weeks.
Don't listen to gossip about cases, if you haven't had a message from me on See Saw then the gossip is unlikely to be true.
If you are worried about anything at all please let your child's teacher know or email me directly [email protected]
Wednesday 26th January 2022
Kei aku nui, kei aku rahi, tēnā koutou katoa i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā.
Welcome back after what we hope has been a wonderful summer for your whānau. Our team at Silverstream School is feeling refreshed and ready to go for the 2022 year and can’t wait to welcome everyone back onsite.
Regarding COVID-19 we have moved fully into the new traffic light framework for all our school activities and events this year. You will be familiar with all the health measures we will have in place, and it is good to know that at Red setting, we are able to support everyone learning onsite and not having to teach and learn online.
Events and activities
Large hui and gatherings especially when indoors continue to be one of the riskier activities we can undertake. We have therefore reviewed all our events and activities for the upcoming term to ensure we meet the health guidance for Red. We are unfortunately not able to run assemblies, meet the teacher afternoons or kapa haka at red level.
Coming onto the site
Given the number of vulnerable children on site we are asking you to drop your children once again off at the gates and not come onto the site unless it is urgent you do so.
All stationery can be given to children to bring in or dropped at the office for us to take over to the classes. I am sure you can appreciate it is important we protect our teachers from infection for as long as possible to ensure they are well enough to teach the whole year. In a class of 30 children, teachers are likely to have contact with 70 plus parents and caregivers. Once we have teachers with the virus, we will very quickly be struggling to staff classes and your children will unavoidably have a string of relievers which is not good for their education or wellbeing. You can protect your child’s teacher to stay ay=t school by only meeting them face to face when there is absolutely no alternative.
We certainly do understand if your child is new to Silverstream School either as a brand new 5-year-old or has moved from out of the area there may be a couple of days of settling in required. In that case we will of course support you being in the classroom, but you will need to wear a mask indoors at all times.
Meet the teacher opportunities – this term
We know it is important you are able to meet your child’s teacher for the 2022 year and as such we have arranged two appointment times to join your child’s teacher on Zoom next week.
Monday 31st January 3.30 pm
OR
Wednesday 2nd February 5.30 pm
A link to the zoom catch up’s will be sent out to you via SeeSaw by your child’s teacher. There you can see them, ask general questions and meet other parents online.
If you have a specific question or request for your child’s teacher you can contact them to arrange your own 1:1 Zoom catch up. Every teachers email address is [email protected]. You can also message them directly using the SeeSaw app.
Ventilation
We have used the Ministry of Education self-assessment tool to review all our ventilation in readiness for the start of the year. Providing good old fashioned fresh air remains the most important thing we can do in our learning spaces to minimise risk for children and teachers. We have also been advised we will be receiving a CO2 monitor in the coming weeks to further support our ventilation plan.
Omicron and testing
We have all seen the very large numbers of cases overseas and we will very likely see much larger numbers of cases in Aotearoa, New Zealand than we have previously experienced in the last two years. While Omicron is more transmissible than previous strains, most people who get COVID-19 will have a mild to moderate illness and will fully recover in their own home. However, some of our community and children who are immune compromised, are ill or have other vulnerabilities, even when they are fully vaccinated, could be more affected by Omicron. So, we all need to continue to play our part to minimise the spread of the virus.
Regarding testing, the health system currently has capacity to process 40,000 PCR tests a day. PCR testing is the most accurate test for COVID-19 and will continue to be used while New Zealand is in the stamp-it-out phase.
Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will begin to be used more widely over time. They are not as accurate as PCR tests and this means that some people who do have COVID-19 will get a negative test result back. We have been advised there are currently 4.6 million RATs in the country and 10s of millions ordered.
Face coverings
Staff and children in Years 4 – 13 must wear face coverings when inside at school when we are at Red.
Public health advice is that an appropriate face covering will fit snugly and seal well around facial contours. This can include single use, disposable masks (medical masks) and re-usable fabric masks with three layers. We will have a limited supply of masks in classrooms for children who forget to bring them or lose them.
The Unite Against COVID-19 website also has information on how to make a face covering.
For those of you with children who might be reluctant to wear a face covering, there is some helpful advice from Michigan Health, including using simple, specific explanations about why they need to wear a face covering, adults being the role models, providing small rewards for wearing them, bringing face coverings into play such as drawing face coverings on characters in colouring books, or letting them choose/make the mask.
We are running a fun reward scheme in Term 1 for all classes who have 100% mask wearing in Year 4 -6 classes in weeks 2 and 3 of this term.
Vaccination for five- to 11-year-olds
Vaccination including a booster shot, remains an important tool to help prevent the most serious harm from the COVID-19 virus. If children and young adults who have been vaccinated do develop COVID-19, they are far less likely to get seriously ill and less likely to transmit the virus to others.
The free five- to 11-year-old vaccination programme is now underway and more than 100,000 children in New Zealand have had their first dose.
There is some helpful information available to support you on the Unite Against COVID-19 website including How to book a vaccine for your five – 11 year old and some great videos on the Kids Health page that can support you to talk to your children about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Managing cases in our school
We have a good contact tracing system in place so that if there is a confirmed case who has been at school while infectious, we can quickly identify who was a close contact of that person. We will then quickly advise those contacts of what they need to do. PLEASE MAKE SURE you have downloaded the See Saw app for parents here https://web.seesaw.me/parents as this is where the most up to date notices will be posted to you this year as well as our website page at https://www.silverstream.school.nz/covid-updates.html
Only if the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education advises to do so, would we consider closing a physical onsite school and moving to distance learning for everyone. At Red we will keep everyone learning onsite for as long as we can.
Please make sure your contact details we have on file are up to date, so we can get in touch with you if needed.
Preparing for COVID-19
You can also prepare for COVID-19, making sure you and your household have a plan and know what to do. This will mean your whānau and community can help each other if needed. Find out more here:
· Be prepared for COVID-19
· Download the COVID-19 Readiness Checklist [PDF, 121 KB]
· What to expect when self-isolating at home
Self-isolating at home because of COVID-19
Many people will be able to manage self-isolation with help from friends and whānau, but there is help available if you need it – both with health support and access to food and other essentials.
Work and Income support
The beginning of the year can be a tough time for parents who are faced with many costs and it is important you are aware of what assistance you may be able to get from Work and Income. These are available to people on a low income as well as those on a benefit.
Check what you might get here
· School costs
· Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy
· Other Childcare Assistance
· School and Year Start-up Payment (for people getting Orphan’s Benefit or Unsupported Child’s Benefit)
· Help with living costs (including food and rent/mortgage)
Use the links above or call 0800 559 009 to find out more, or to apply.
MoneyTalks can assist with free budgeting and debt help
You can also contact your local community provider. Please find more information here.
Getting ready to return to school
The Ministry of Education has some helpful information on their Parents and Whānau website to support your tamariki to get back to school. There is also a very important reminder about how you can take care of yourself.
While this might all feel a little overwhelming at times, we know that all these measures will help our children return to school, reconnect with whānau and friends and do what they enjoy.
We are also here to help. Please get in touch if you have any concerns or need help in any way.
Nga mihi nui, See you soon!
Lorraine Taylor, Principal
[email protected]
Kei aku nui, kei aku rahi, tēnā koutou katoa i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā.
Welcome back after what we hope has been a wonderful summer for your whānau. Our team at Silverstream School is feeling refreshed and ready to go for the 2022 year and can’t wait to welcome everyone back onsite.
Regarding COVID-19 we have moved fully into the new traffic light framework for all our school activities and events this year. You will be familiar with all the health measures we will have in place, and it is good to know that at Red setting, we are able to support everyone learning onsite and not having to teach and learn online.
Events and activities
Large hui and gatherings especially when indoors continue to be one of the riskier activities we can undertake. We have therefore reviewed all our events and activities for the upcoming term to ensure we meet the health guidance for Red. We are unfortunately not able to run assemblies, meet the teacher afternoons or kapa haka at red level.
Coming onto the site
Given the number of vulnerable children on site we are asking you to drop your children once again off at the gates and not come onto the site unless it is urgent you do so.
All stationery can be given to children to bring in or dropped at the office for us to take over to the classes. I am sure you can appreciate it is important we protect our teachers from infection for as long as possible to ensure they are well enough to teach the whole year. In a class of 30 children, teachers are likely to have contact with 70 plus parents and caregivers. Once we have teachers with the virus, we will very quickly be struggling to staff classes and your children will unavoidably have a string of relievers which is not good for their education or wellbeing. You can protect your child’s teacher to stay ay=t school by only meeting them face to face when there is absolutely no alternative.
We certainly do understand if your child is new to Silverstream School either as a brand new 5-year-old or has moved from out of the area there may be a couple of days of settling in required. In that case we will of course support you being in the classroom, but you will need to wear a mask indoors at all times.
Meet the teacher opportunities – this term
We know it is important you are able to meet your child’s teacher for the 2022 year and as such we have arranged two appointment times to join your child’s teacher on Zoom next week.
Monday 31st January 3.30 pm
OR
Wednesday 2nd February 5.30 pm
A link to the zoom catch up’s will be sent out to you via SeeSaw by your child’s teacher. There you can see them, ask general questions and meet other parents online.
If you have a specific question or request for your child’s teacher you can contact them to arrange your own 1:1 Zoom catch up. Every teachers email address is [email protected]. You can also message them directly using the SeeSaw app.
Ventilation
We have used the Ministry of Education self-assessment tool to review all our ventilation in readiness for the start of the year. Providing good old fashioned fresh air remains the most important thing we can do in our learning spaces to minimise risk for children and teachers. We have also been advised we will be receiving a CO2 monitor in the coming weeks to further support our ventilation plan.
Omicron and testing
We have all seen the very large numbers of cases overseas and we will very likely see much larger numbers of cases in Aotearoa, New Zealand than we have previously experienced in the last two years. While Omicron is more transmissible than previous strains, most people who get COVID-19 will have a mild to moderate illness and will fully recover in their own home. However, some of our community and children who are immune compromised, are ill or have other vulnerabilities, even when they are fully vaccinated, could be more affected by Omicron. So, we all need to continue to play our part to minimise the spread of the virus.
Regarding testing, the health system currently has capacity to process 40,000 PCR tests a day. PCR testing is the most accurate test for COVID-19 and will continue to be used while New Zealand is in the stamp-it-out phase.
Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will begin to be used more widely over time. They are not as accurate as PCR tests and this means that some people who do have COVID-19 will get a negative test result back. We have been advised there are currently 4.6 million RATs in the country and 10s of millions ordered.
Face coverings
Staff and children in Years 4 – 13 must wear face coverings when inside at school when we are at Red.
Public health advice is that an appropriate face covering will fit snugly and seal well around facial contours. This can include single use, disposable masks (medical masks) and re-usable fabric masks with three layers. We will have a limited supply of masks in classrooms for children who forget to bring them or lose them.
The Unite Against COVID-19 website also has information on how to make a face covering.
For those of you with children who might be reluctant to wear a face covering, there is some helpful advice from Michigan Health, including using simple, specific explanations about why they need to wear a face covering, adults being the role models, providing small rewards for wearing them, bringing face coverings into play such as drawing face coverings on characters in colouring books, or letting them choose/make the mask.
We are running a fun reward scheme in Term 1 for all classes who have 100% mask wearing in Year 4 -6 classes in weeks 2 and 3 of this term.
Vaccination for five- to 11-year-olds
Vaccination including a booster shot, remains an important tool to help prevent the most serious harm from the COVID-19 virus. If children and young adults who have been vaccinated do develop COVID-19, they are far less likely to get seriously ill and less likely to transmit the virus to others.
The free five- to 11-year-old vaccination programme is now underway and more than 100,000 children in New Zealand have had their first dose.
There is some helpful information available to support you on the Unite Against COVID-19 website including How to book a vaccine for your five – 11 year old and some great videos on the Kids Health page that can support you to talk to your children about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Managing cases in our school
We have a good contact tracing system in place so that if there is a confirmed case who has been at school while infectious, we can quickly identify who was a close contact of that person. We will then quickly advise those contacts of what they need to do. PLEASE MAKE SURE you have downloaded the See Saw app for parents here https://web.seesaw.me/parents as this is where the most up to date notices will be posted to you this year as well as our website page at https://www.silverstream.school.nz/covid-updates.html
Only if the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education advises to do so, would we consider closing a physical onsite school and moving to distance learning for everyone. At Red we will keep everyone learning onsite for as long as we can.
Please make sure your contact details we have on file are up to date, so we can get in touch with you if needed.
Preparing for COVID-19
You can also prepare for COVID-19, making sure you and your household have a plan and know what to do. This will mean your whānau and community can help each other if needed. Find out more here:
· Be prepared for COVID-19
· Download the COVID-19 Readiness Checklist [PDF, 121 KB]
· What to expect when self-isolating at home
Self-isolating at home because of COVID-19
Many people will be able to manage self-isolation with help from friends and whānau, but there is help available if you need it – both with health support and access to food and other essentials.
- What to expect when self-isolating at home | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)
- Getting extra support if you have COVID-19 or are self-isolating | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)
- COVID-19 positive – managing your symptoms | Health Navigator NZ
Work and Income support
The beginning of the year can be a tough time for parents who are faced with many costs and it is important you are aware of what assistance you may be able to get from Work and Income. These are available to people on a low income as well as those on a benefit.
Check what you might get here
· School costs
· Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy
· Other Childcare Assistance
· School and Year Start-up Payment (for people getting Orphan’s Benefit or Unsupported Child’s Benefit)
· Help with living costs (including food and rent/mortgage)
Use the links above or call 0800 559 009 to find out more, or to apply.
MoneyTalks can assist with free budgeting and debt help
You can also contact your local community provider. Please find more information here.
Getting ready to return to school
The Ministry of Education has some helpful information on their Parents and Whānau website to support your tamariki to get back to school. There is also a very important reminder about how you can take care of yourself.
While this might all feel a little overwhelming at times, we know that all these measures will help our children return to school, reconnect with whānau and friends and do what they enjoy.
We are also here to help. Please get in touch if you have any concerns or need help in any way.
Nga mihi nui, See you soon!
Lorraine Taylor, Principal
[email protected]
Monday 24th January 2022
Tena koutou katoa, nga mihi nui ki a koutou,
Welcome back to the 2022 school year!
We are excited to be back soon and looking forward to seeing you all.
School is open for all students from Tuesday 1st February (except those brand new 5 year olds starting school for the first time who commence on Tuesday 8th February 2022
Attached are our term dates for this year. Note we have a couple of Teacher only Days (ToD's), one this term and one in Term 2.
Covid Red Level updates
As you can imagine, like many of you in your own businesses we are still working out what Red means for us. We have had limited information from the Ministry of Education to date but are likely to get an update tomorrow or Wednesday.
https://www.education.govt.nz/covid-19/advice-for-schoolskura/covid-19-protection-framework-advice-for-schools-and-kura/red/
What we do know is masks are required for all Year 4, 5 and 6 students and staff whilst inside school buildings.
Masks are also required by visitors entering the site. Please start preparing your Year 4-6 children for having to wear a mask at school. Ensure they have a couple in their bags each day and understand why they have to wear them. Their teachers will be wearing them too so hopefully it may begin to feel 'normal' after a couple of weeks of school.
We have several students with very high health needs and so will go back to operating a drop at the gate policy for parents.
Please help us limit the spread of this virus by staying outside the school gate to drop off and collect your children only entering the site when you have no other choice.
We want to make school a safe and fun place for your children over the coming weeks and try to keep as much normality as we can. It is going to be stressful at times for all of us adults, but we will get through this year together and make the best of a situation none of us dreamed would happen in our lifetimes.
More information to come as it becomes available to us. Please keep checking this See Saw app for further information
Best wishes,
See you next week
Lorraine Taylor
Principal