Kia ora koutou, kumusta, talofa lava

It's so good to be back at school with a bit of normality returning to our school life. As we are at the Orange Covid Protection Framework level our Year 4-8 students and their teachers are not required to wear masks. Anyone who wishes to do so are more than welcome to and if conditions in the community change we may reinstate the wearing of masks again to protect each other.

In the holidays we constructed a Gaga Dodgeball pit. This was made possible with a very generous donation from the Piper family. We are very grateful for their generosity as this has enabled our students to play this fun game in a purpose made arena. Another wonderful addition to the school in the holidays was the installation of artificial grass outside the classrooms with our picnic tables. This area has been hard to maintain and has been muddy for a long time due to the fact the grass wouldn't grow well and it is a high use area. The artificial grass will be easy to maintain and looks amazing.

Our students have been really excited to come back to these significant developments and they have enhanced our school environment.

Mā te Atua koe e manaaki, e tiaki

May God bless you and protect you

David O’Neill

Principal/Tumuaki

Ava-Room 1

Michaella-Room 1

Liyoni- Room 1

This week students have been continuing their training for our school cross country that we are holding at school next Thursday 12 May at 1.30pm. Parents/caregivers and whanau are invited to join us to watch the running races. We will begin with our year 7 and 8 students and conclude with our 5 year olds.

Students need to wear sports clothes to school on the day.

They will require:

Running shoes

Shorts and t-shirt

Warm clothing for before and after their race

Asthma medication if appropriate

Drink bottle

If the weather does not permit the event to go ahead we will send out an alert via our school app.

Our First Holy Communion Programme for 2022 is set to start on the 14th of June. Children can be part of this programme from year 4 upwards in preparation for this special sacrament. Our programme this year consists of 3 parent and 3 child sessions. The First Holy Communion date is 28th of August.

If you have a child who is interested in being part of this programme or have any questions, please email me on churdle@cathedralparish.nz. The closing date for registrations is the 5th of June.

On Monday 25th April Pope Francis spoke with a group of students from Northern Ireland. He said, “If we truly believe in Jesus, we must do what Jesus does: encounter others, encounter our neighbours, in order to share with them the saving truth of the Gospel". He went on to say that:

“Building a culture of encounter is not simply about seeing, but looking; it is not about hearing, but listening; it is not about just meeting or passing people by, but stopping to engage with them about the things that really matter.”

We need to ask ourselves how we can become promoters of this culture of encounter in our communities.

If your child displays some of the symptoms please keep them at home and test for Covid-19. If your child tests positive please send me an email to let me know. office@stmaryschch.school.nz

What does it mean if I am a Household Contact?

If you are considered a Household Contact you must follow these steps (whether you are vaccinated against COVID-19 or not):

• Self-isolate from the day that the first person in your household receives their positive test result, until they complete their 7 days of self-isolation and are released.
• When the first case in your house gets to days 3 and 7 of their isolation, you need to get tested using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).
• If symptoms develop at any stage, you need to get tested using a RAT.
• Avoid or minimise contact with the person with COVID-19 as much as possible during your isolation period.
• You can end your self-isolation on the same day as the first ‘case’ in the household, provided you have no new or worsening symptoms and your tests were negative.
• Your isolation does not restart if additional members of your household are identified as cases during the first case’s isolation period.
• After the initial isolation period ends there is a 10-day window during which no Household Contacts of the original case can be re-classified as Household Contacts. You only need to begin isolation again during these 10 days if you test positive yourself.
• 10 days after the original isolation period ends the usual rules apply. If a new household member (not the original case) tests positive, they and all other Household Contacts (who have not yet become cases themselves) must isolate for 7 days.

A recovered case is exempt from becoming a Household Contact for 90 days after their recovery.The factsheet below provides helpful information on COVID-19 and precautions you can take to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. The fact sheet should be read together with the advice on self-isolation or staying at home (viewable at Advice for people with COVID-19) and any specific advice that may be given to you by your doctor, Healthline (0800 358 5453) or public health official.

Symptoms of Covid-19

- A new or worsening cough
- Sneezing and runny nose
- A fever

- Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste

- Sore throat

- Shortness of breath
Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.

For more information, go to https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/

Please click here to read this letter from Bishop Paul regarding the attendance dues increase for 2022.