Principal's Update
Monday 31st January 2022
Red Level School Specific Notice
Kia ora,
As we prepare for the start of our school year under the Red level of the traffic light system, expectations are for more community cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and for further disruptions to school life. We have therefore created a list below that outlines what we need you to do to keep our students and staff safe.
Drop off/Pick up
Please drop off/pick up your child at the school gates
If you are waiting outside the gates to pick up your child, please wear a mask and socially distance from other parents/caregivers
Remember we have three gates that your child can use; front gate, bus gate, and hall gate
Staff will be located near all three gates at the end of the day to ensure traffic safety
A lot of our Room 6 students can walk into school by themselves, but if your child needs to be walked in by a parent/caregiver (especially if it is their first day), please remember to write your name down in the log book in the Room 6 cloak bay
If your child becomes anxious and you need to walk them into school, please sign in at the school office.
This does not apply to the parents of children in Room 6 as you will have written your name down in the Room 6 log book
School Bus
The school bus will be operating as normal
The seats in close proximity to the driver will be unavailable
Please follow any guidelines the bus driver sets
All students are required to wear face masks on our school bus
Please make a plan for getting your child to and from school if the bus service is unable to run
The Ministry is expecting school bus services to be disrupted due to the need for drivers to self isolate. We are expecting that this will happen at very short notice
Hygiene
All students and staff in Rooms 1, 2, and 3 are required to wear masks inside
Room 4 students (both year 3 and 4) are not required to wear masks
Parents/caregivers need to provide their child/ren with a mask to wear
Students and staff are not required to wear masks outside
Hand hygiene is incredibly important
We require the students to sanitise their hands on arrival at school and before leaving, as well as before and after breaks
Surfaces will be disinfected daily
Students to cough/sneeze into their elbow
Students need to bring their own filled water bottle daily; drinking fountains closed
Respect the ‘moist breathing bubble’ of others
Information for Parents/Caregivers
The school site is for essential visitors only
Essential visitors will sign in and out at our school office
Please use the contact tracer app and Matapu School’s unique QR code when accessing our school site
Please utilise the ‘drop off’ car parks if available
If your child is sick, please keep them at home
If your child is sick, please contact your GP or phone Healthline 0800 611 116
If your child arrives at school sick, they will be isolated in the sick bay and their parents/caregivers will be contacted to pick them up immediately
All essential information will be emailed to caregivers, with an APP Alert, please ensure you have downloaded the school app
Please let us know (email the school office: admin@matapu.school.nz) if you will NOT be sending your child/ren to school tomorrow due to Covid-19.
A lot of information has come out over the past couple of weeks and it can be hard to keep up with the different requirements. Please feel free to email your child’s class teacher for further information if required.
We are thoroughly looking forward to welcoming all of our students back tomorrow morning. Even under the red alert level, we know they’ll have a great time catching up with their mates and settling into the school year. They will need to bring all of their stationery and their togs.
Thank you for your support.
Ngå mihi nui
James Willson
Matapu School
Email: admin@matapu.school.nz
Website: matapu.school.nz
Location: 495 Hastings Road, Matapu
Phone: (06) 272 6764