Latest COVID update contains the following information following a positive test of a worker at Kmart Botany who is related to the Papatoetoe cluster.
Please contact your child’s Whānau Leader if he/she will be away from school tomorrow following the advice received below:
“If you were at Kmart Botany between 4pm and 10pm on Friday February 19 and Saturday February 20 you are considered a casual plus contact.
If you are a casual plus contact, you are advised to immediately isolate at home and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on isolation timeframes and testing requirements.”
Face coverings are not required at school or on any school transport. But they must be worn on all public transport, including by any school children aged 12 and over.
At any alert level, children, young people or teachers and other staff who want to wear face coverings at schools or early learning services may do so. They are entitled to make this decision and should not be criticised for doing so.
I am sure our community will join me in pausing a moment at 12.51 to remember and reflect on this traumatic event.
We reach out to the survivors, emergency response workers and families of those who died or were injured and who still carry the physical and mental scars. And we also acknowledge the amazing resilience and determination of a community which has rebuilt a shattered city.
I am aware that rumours started to circulate in the community that one of our students may have contracted COVID 19. These rumours are false, however a student did go home yesterday (Friday) after lunch as he was feeling sick and as a precaution went for a test which returned negative today.
School resumes as normal on Monday and I reinforce the well known safety tips which will keep us all safe:
– stay home if you are unwell
– sneeze or cough into your elbow (should you be at school……?)
– wash your hands
– minimise contact with other people and do not share personal items
The Ministry of Health has reminded us that face masks may be worn at school but are not required.
Video resources are available from The Revolution Tour, thanks to funding from the Ministry of Social Development, it has developed 6 short talks that support young people’s mental health.
Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also offers exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Unfortunately for many Year 6 students, 2020 was marred with school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic and the overall impact of this is still unknown.
For many students regular orientation activities at the end of 2020 were less than ideal. Therefore, many students may be feeling a little bit more anxious than usual about their expectations of starting Year 7. Grasping new skills and establishing new study practices can quickly become daunting and overwhelming.
During this time of transition, parents and carers need to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. This is an important milestone in your child’s life. There will be feelings of exhilaration, but also the fear of the unknown. Therefore it will be important for parents and carers to be vigilant in monitoring their child’s mood and mental health during this time. They could easily become overly anxious or even depressed.
In this Special Report, there are a number of strategies offered that can make this transition period smoother and start things off on the right foot! We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
