School Newsletter – 1 March 2022

Term 1, Week 5

A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents

As you will be aware a small number of Kohimarama School families have had positive tests returned for COVID 19. For students whose households have tested positive they are now following the mandatory isolation and testing regime as outlined by the government. We wish these families who are unwell a speedy recovery.

Thank you to our families for emailing updates of your circumstances with respect to COVID. This helps us to keep our records and tracking up to date as it pertains to students being away from school. The information we would hope to receive includes; the day that the student started to feel unwell, the date of a positive test (if applicable), the projected date of the student returning to school. 

Refer to the COVID 19 website for details on self isolation periods:

https://covid19.govt.nz/isolation-and-care/what-happens-if-you-test-positive-for-covid-19/#self-isolation Start counting your 10 days from day 0. Day 0 is the day that your symptoms started or the day that you got tested if you do not have any symptoms.

In the Red Traffic setting, Phase Three school remains open for all students.  We are following our COVID plan and this means constantly evaluating the risks of the spread of COVID amongst the school community. 

We are focused on operating the full measure of mitigating factors like ventilation, masks, hand washing, sanitising and as much outdoor activity as possible. 

I have been testing the CO2 levels across the school and find our ventilation is very good with cross breezes evident everywhere. Our CO2 readings remain in the green throughout the day.

Last Friday morning, I spoke to the whole school via our Livestream, and reminded everyone about the above measures in place and in particular sanitising each time they enter and leave an area. Wearing masks at all times inside.

While the cases in the wider community grow, we are heartened that the the research form the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance study which shows that of children infected by COVID in New South Wales between October 18 and December 17 – including when Omicron first spread – produced “reassuring data” that suggests the majority of cases in children were contracted at home, Paediatrician, Dr. Jin Russell says children are much more likely to catch COVID-19 at home than in the classroom.

Nevertheless I continue to consider the changing environment and monitor the recommendations from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. During this pandemic, our priority is to ensure students at Kohimarama School are safe at school, while maintaining as normal a learning programme as possible.

Reminder:

Being at school is a safe place to be because of the health measures we have in place, including:

• Wearing of masks by all staff and students from Year 4 upwards
• Good hygiene practices including hand washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette
• Ventilation of our classrooms
• Thorough cleaning each day across the school.
• Hand Sanitising
• Physical distancing
• Vaccinations of all of the staff in line with the Health Order(s) 
• Separation of teams during the day
• Having students and staff remain away from school when unwell

The last bullet point is very important. When we ensure that illness is not entering the school we keep our environment safe for everyone. If students feel at all unwell, please keep them home. We are doing the same with our staff. 

You may wish to discuss with your child that some of our students have become sick with cold, flu-like symptoms but that they are at home being looked after by their families. They are safe because we have protocols in place to keep them well when they are at school.

Practising social distancing at our entry and exit points is an important part of our COVID protocols.  We thank all our families for dropping students off at the gate and supporting the school so we can manage this safely for everyone. The majority of our students have now settled into school and can manage themselves on site. It is fantastic to see our five year olds happily entering the school, greeting their teachers and sorting themselves for the day. Thank you parents for preparing them so well for their schooling. An amazing job, well done.  

Thinking of our Kohimarama Way, especially focusing on our values, we can work together as a community to minimise the risk for everyone. We all want to keep life as normal as possible while maintaining robust protections and controls. Thank you for your part in helping us achieve this.
Our school Counsellor is onsite every Tuesday. She is available to meet with your child, should they be feeling any anxiety around COVID in the school and the community.  The counsellor is also available to support students across a number of areas. To contact the counsellor please email her at counsellor@kohimarama.school.nz or please make contact through Meegan Hill or Debbie Ellery to get an appointment.

News

Roll Return

Twice a year, all schools in New Zealand are required to furnish to the Ministry of Education a return detailing all students enrolled at their schools. This return determines our funding and staffing for the remainder of the school year. If your child is absent or late for any reason Today (Tuesday 1st March) the office will require a letter or email from a parent/guardian justifying the student’s absence from school. This correspondence is to be provided to the school office, at office@kohimarama.school.nz, no later than Friday 4^th March by 11am. Thank you.

Works around School

Following the closure of the footpath on Kohimarama Road last week, we have received notification that the works around the school will be ongoing until around 18 March.

We unfortunately have no further details of the implications of this, but will endeavor to inform you of any disruption as we receive notification.

The contractor has advised they will support the school as required for the safe travel of our community at this time.

House Captains

Introducing Selwyn House Captain Maddy H

Hi I am Maddy H, I am very glad to be a Selwyn House Captain. You might remember me from last year from being a Selwyn House Captain for 2021. Something quite interesting about Selwyn is that it used to be the winning house many many years ago but now not so much. The sports I quite enjoy watching are Rugby, Basketball, Soccer and Netball though the main sports I’m involved in are Netball and both Summer and Winter touch. In Year 6 my touch team won the Touch Tournament, I have also earned some medals from my now 5th year of Netball. My main goals of being a House Captain this year are to try and get most of my peers to get involved in sports whether it’s Team Sports or even whole school sports. Also encouraging everyone to cheer each other on even if they from the other house but of-course House Members are key. I also believe commitment, participation and resilience are they key parts of sportsmanship. A few things you might wanna know about me are I love doing sports and or running surround and finding any chance I get to cheer people on or encourage my peers. I sure hope to see most of you around sometime. Also something to remember -make sure to Wear your House T-shirt and pack a wrapper free lunch!!

Introducing Patteson House Captain Hunter D

My name is Hunter, and I am super excited to be a Patteson House Captain for 2022. You might already know me from being last year’s House Captain and it was really cool to win the House Shield at the end of last year. I hope for Patteson to do just as well this year. I love almost anything to do with sports and this passion had also led me to be very competitive. Some of my favorite sports are soccer, running, touch rugby, surfing, hockey, and cycling. One of my proudest moments and best sporting achievements was when I trained really hard and won the cross country last year. I believe commitment, perseverance, and participation are all great skills to learn when it comes to sports or just any challenge in life. I love cheering people on and encouraging other people when they are overcoming a big challenge and I hope to do that as a House Captain this year. I would be more than happy to take any suggestions into consideration. .I hope to see you around school sometime and also, don’t forget your house t-shirt and wrapper free lunch!

Sport Results

Community Notices