Kia ora koutou Parents and Caregivers
With so much information and misinformation swirling around about COVID-19, I wanted to share with you what will happen if we were to have a case in our school community. We have been planning for this and are in a position to respond quickly.
- As soon as a case is confirmed in our immediate school community (eg. a student, staff member, or member of their household), the Medical Officer of Health and Ministry of Education will inform me about this, and we will work together to get quick and clear messaging out to you.
- If there was a case confirmed of someone in our school, we will likely be asked to close temporarily by the Medical Officer of Health. This will allow time for close contacts to be traced, appropriate testing to be undertaken, and a careful clean of the school to be undertaken.
- If our school does need to close temporarily, we have a plan in place to support student’s learning.
We know COVID-19 feels scary and of course, people are concerned for the wellbeing of our children.
Please be assured that with no case confirmed in our school, your children are safe here.
Good hygiene is a priority at our school, and we are reinforcing this regularly with all students and staff. We know that practising good hygiene is still the best thing we can all do to prevent illness.
I have included a diagram below that has been developed by Dr Siouxsie Wiles that may assist you when considering symptoms. What it tells us is:
- A dry cough and a high temperature are common to both flu and COVID-19
- Sneezing is not a symptom of COVID-19, however, if someone has COVID-19, then sneezing can spread droplets containing the virus.
We are getting the most up-to-date advice and guidance so that we can confidently make informed decisions about the safety and wellbeing of our school community.
At the time of writing, we do not have a confirmed case in our school community but do have students and staff that are absent from school as a precautionary measure if they are feeling unwell. Thank you for continuing to pray for God’s protection over us all – that we will keep in good health and be able to work together to look after each other and to serve our community.
The following sites have the most up-to-date, reliable and accessible information.
- COVID-19 website www.covid19.govt.nz
- The Ministry of Education; http://www.education.govt.nz/
- Ministry of Health and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment websites are also very helpful places to seek more detailed COVID-19 information.
Ngā mihi
Rosalind Burnett, Deputy Principal
Image source: https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/18-03-2020/siouxsie-wiles-how-testing-for-covid-19-works/