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Saturday 28 August 2021
Kia Ora Sacred Heart Cathedral School Whānau
I hope that you are all safe, healthy and settled into bubble life. Please make sure you have a little down time this weekend.
I am so impressed at how resilient our learners are and how well everyone is participating in online learning. It truly is delightful how engaged tamariki are in their class zoom meets!
I am sure that you are all looking forward to getting back to our ‘normal’ life in the next wee while!
Yesterday our government announced that from Tuesday 31 August at 11:59pm Wellington will move down to alert Level 3.
As we move towards level 3 of the COVID-19 response plan, our Prime Minister said in regard to schools:
…We expect all New Zealanders to work and learn from home in level 3 where possible…most schools will be closed but if there is no options then schools will have bubbles.
LEVEL 3 - HOW THIS WILL LOOK AT SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL SCHOOL
From Wednesday 1 September Sacred Heart Cathedral School will be open for whānau who need to send their tamariki to school because there is no one working from home. I am currently working through the challenges of being operational under the level 3 guidelines for social distancing and safety – you will see below how tricky this is going to be.
At level 3 of the COVID-19 response plan, schools are to provide supervision only to those learners whose whānau- people who live in their bubble- are required to attend their physical workplace.
Due to the COVID-19 level 3 restrictions most learners will still be at home.
It is important for you to understand that there will be no instructional or guided learning for those learners who are attending school in level 3.
Learners on our school site will be required to continue with online learning provided by their classroom teacher.
The table below outlines what this will look like operationally at our school when we follow COVID-19: level 3 requirements. This is what we know at present, but this is likely to change on Monday or Tuesday once MOH and MOE have released more information.
STAY SAFE, STAY HOME AND SAVE LIVES
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NZ GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS |
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE OPERATIONALLY AT SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL SCHOOL |
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Groups of no more than 10 - this includes adults. This could change depending on further information. |
· Bubbles of up to 8 learners and two adults. · Bubbles will be made up of sibling groups, and so will be mixed year levels. · Bubble staff may not be your child’s classroom teacher. · These bubbles will stay together while at school and will not mix with any other school bubbles. · Bubbles will only have access to one classroom. · Bubbles will have their breaks together while socially distanced. · School starting and finishing times will be staggered for each bubble (if we have more than 1) to minimise contact with other bubbles. |
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Learning |
· There will be no instructional learning lessons. · All learners will continue their online learning programme |
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Physical distancing inside classrooms - 1 metre |
· Supervising adults will try their best to ensure no learners breach the 1 metre distancing rule while being supervised for learning within the classroom setting. |
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Physical distancing outside classrooms - 2 metres |
· There is only one entry and exit point for school drop off at 8.40am and pick up at 2.40pm (unless otherwise advised due to more than 1 bubble) which will be the Guildford Terrace office gate. · Please come to office door and knock or ring the school phone (we will have the doors locked). Please also remember to scan. · Staggered bubble break times - to ensure that bubbles don’t mix and maintain a 2-metre distance (again if we have more than 1 bubble). |
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School surfaces and cleaning |
· Extra cleaning measures will be in place to ensure that all surfaces in each bubble classroom and toilet area will be disinfected up to 3 times per day. · No school play/PE equipment will be used at school and the playground will be off limits. · Play equipment is to be brought by learners from home and needs to be sanitized and brought into school in a plastic bag each day. |
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Self-care and hygiene practices |
· Hand sanitiser used upon entry and exit to and from classrooms and school grounds. · Learners will wash their hands before and after food breaks. · Each bubble will be allocated a toilet. This will reduce the risk of cross contaminating bubbles within our school. |
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Travel restrictions |
· Travel is restricted to essential workers, including going to work and to school. This is to limit contact between bubbles. |
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Reporting illness |
· If any learner is unwell, they are required to stay home until they have fully recovered. · If a learner becomes sick at school, whānau will be required to collect them immediately once contacted by the school. |
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PPE is not required This is likely to change depending on further information. |
Face masks, gloves and other PPE are not required at school (this may change) according to the Ministry of Health. |
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Contact tracing registers |
Registers will be set up to allow for contact tracing. Please scan if you come onto school grounds |
Please note that this is a very unnatural way for our school to operate as we are all about connection and engagement and to be honest it is very restrictive; but this is for the health and safety of all our learners, whānau, our staff and their bubbles and our community.
Please complete the Google Form if you are intending on sending your child to school at Alert Level 3. This needs to be completed by Monday 30 August by 2 pm so that we can form and confirm sustainable bubbles of learners and staff to supervise our school bubbles.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BQQIgJTQrWri2qKflyZ9yaUy1Dt9YPsJezBbSAOE_cM/edit
If your tamariki will be attending school, I will then contact you directly to get further information from you so that we can complete our contacts register and plan to create sustainable bubbles.
We really appreciate that this is a very stressful time for everyone- especially around the continued uncertainty of what life looks like for us all moving forward.
Even though we have been here before we are working in uncertain territory - so things are likely to change quickly as we get new information and instruction from our government.
Please keep an eye out for app alerts and emails so that you have the most up to date information.
Feel free to contact me directly should you have any questions.
Take care, stay safe and see you soon.
Nga Mihi Nui
Bernadette Murfitt
Principal Sacred Heart Cathedral School
0274609259
Bernadette.murfitt@sacred-heart.school.nz
On a lighter note Ezra from Dance in Schools has contacted me.
He is running a free dance workshop. Should be loads of fun and a great way to get rid of surplus energy.
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