Notice
Kohia Terrace School 15th November 2021
Further Information About Returning to School
(please note we will not be sending out a newsletter tomorrow)
Thank you so much to all the people who have completed the form confirming your attendance as we welcome students back to school this week. It has made our planning so much easier.
We are all set for Wednesday, with teachers in school tomorrow to set up rooms. As a result teachers will not be available for student contact tomorrow. We have set independent learning programmes for them.
The following outlines in more detail our safety measures and has additional information around masks, who can be on site and why and what will happen if there is a confirmed case of COVID in our school community.
Ensuring safety for all
The first level of protection for all staff and students on site is for anyone who is unwell to stay at home. We all need to to remain vigilant for symptoms that may be due to COVID-19. No children should attend if they have symptoms.
Common symptoms: new or worsening cough, sneezing and runny nose, fever, loss of smell or altered sense of taste, sore throat, shortness of breath.
Less common symptoms of COVID-19 include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain or confusion/irritability. These almost always occur with one or more of the common symptoms.
Healthline advises that any child or staff member with symptoms that might be due to COVID should call healthline for advice, and stay home (and away from school) until:
1) They have a negative COVID test AND
2) They have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
Healthline also suggests that if the COVID test is negative, but the person continues to have symptoms, they need to contact their own healthcare provider (i.e. GP) for assessment and advice.
Prior to their return to school after having symptoms, students are required to send proof of the negative COVID test to Florin (florin@kts.school.nz). You can send a screenshot of the test result, which will have been texted to you by the Auckland Regional Public Health service.
Staff will be ensuring all children are well each morning and monitoring for any of the symptoms above. If we have any doubts, we will be ringing for students to be collected.
If your child suffers from hay fever we ask that you please let the class teacher know and preferably administer antihistamines before coming to school.
Masks
The school is committed to ensuring the highest possible safety measures to ensure the safety of all and to try and reduce the risk of a COVID case in our school. The wearing of a mask is an added layer of protection.
The wearing of a mask is mandatory for staff and for ALL Year 4–8 students as required by the government. Exemption cards are available only for those who have a disability or health condition that makes wearing a face covering unsuitable.
For our Year 0–3 students, we highly recommend the wearing of a mask whilst in the classroom.
Students will not be required to wear a mask when outside. They will be eating and playing with their class bubble in different areas of the school, avoiding contact with other students.
Our teachers will support students with reminders on how to use their masks. It will be helpful if parents talk about masks with children and practice using masks before their first day at school.
This article discusses mask use in children, and includes a link to a video of a technique to make adult-sized disposable masks fit children better:
Here is a video you may wish to show your children, talking through mask use and other hygiene practices:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGB-hxst7fo
Health and Safety Inside
Hygiene practices
Daily checks on students’ health (visual and through questions)
Hand sanitiser will be outside each room for each student to use every time they enter and leave
Safe health practice will be discussed each morning until it is embedded, e.g. coughing into elbow, tissues in the bin and then hand wash
Students will be designated different bathrooms around the school
Cleaning
Tables / surfaces will be wiped in the middle of the day
Cleaners will do a bleach clean every afternoon including all door handles
If a device must be used, students should wipe down after use with a disinfectant wipe.
Health and Safety Outside
Designated spaces are allocated for class bubbles to use during outdoor learning and playtimes; this will significantly reduce the risk of mixing bubbles.
Our Year 0 and 1 students will also have different break times to the other year groups.
All playground equipment is open but hands will be sanitised before and after use
Drinking fountains are open for bottle filling only – students need to have a drink bottle
Lunch is eaten in students’ allocated areas – outside unless it is wet in which case they will eat in the classroom
Parents on Site
We ask that parents do not come on site unless absolutely necessary. We encourage children to walk home or meet you at a predetermined place. Road patrol supervision will be up and running.
If parents must come on site you are required to:
Scan in
Wear a mask
Maintain physical distancing
Do not enter classrooms
Notification of a positive COVID case
If a person with confirmed or probable COVID has attended school when they could have been infectious (which may be for 2 days prior to them developing symptoms), we must notify the Public Health Unit and the Ministry of Education. They will provide advice on
school closure if required
who needs to self-isolate and test
communications with our school community
Contact Us
Email: office@kts.school.nz
Website: https://www.kts.school.nz/
Location: 3 Kohia Terrace, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
Phone: 09 630 4525