Newsletter
St Joseph's Catholic School Onehunga - 26 January 2022
Welcome
Kei aku nui, kei aku rahi, tēnā koutou katoa i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā.
Welcome back after what we hope has been a wonderful summer for your whānau.
Our team is feeling refreshed and ready to go for the 2022 year and can’t wait to welcome everyone back onsite on Thursday 3 February.
In regard to COVID-19 we have moved fully into the new traffic light framework for all our school and kura activities and events this year. You will be familiar with all the health measures we will have in place (http://www.sjs.school.nz/covid-safety-plan/) and it is good to know that at Red setting, we are able to support everyone learning onsite.
Learning during Red Level
We have health measures in place to mitigate the spread of the virus and procedures in place for when we do get a case.
If your child has complex medical needs we strongly encourage you to seek advice from your health professional about whether it is appropriate to come to school. Please let Carolyn Massey (Principal) know if your child is advised to stay home and we will work together to support learning at home if this is the case cmassey@sjs.school.nz.
If your child is required to self isolate due to them or a family member being infected a learning pack will be supplied at the time.
HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES
St Joseph’s Catholic School follows the health guidelines [MoH] with clear procedures to enable us to operate safely and reduce the spread of Covid-19. These include, staying home if unwell, wearing masks, good ventilation, regular hand washing and physical distancing.
Face Coverings
Staff and children in Years 4 – 13 must wear face coverings when inside at school when we are at Red.
Public health advice is that an appropriate face covering will fit snugly and seal well around facial contours. This can include single use, disposable masks (medical masks) and re-usable fabric masks with three layers.
The Unite Against COVID-19 website also has information on how to make a face covering.
For those of you with children who might be reluctant to wear a face covering, there is some helpful advice from Michigan Health, including using simple, specific explanations about why they need to wear a face covering, adults being the role models, providing small rewards for wearing them, bringing face coverings into play such as drawing face coverings on characters in colouring books, or letting them choose/make the mask
Parents onsite
Large hui and gatherings especially when indoors continue to be one of the riskier activities we can undertake. We have therefore reviewed all our events and activities for the upcoming term to ensure we meet the health guidance for Red.
We understand that for students starting school for the first time parents being part of this transition into school is important. Parents you are welcome to come with your child, we ask that you follow COVID protocols;
- scan in
- wear a mask
- practice social distancing
- Stay home if unwell
We respectfully ask you to only start onsite for approximately 10-15 minutes and limit your interactions.
More information will be issued prior to February the 3rd.
Vaccination for five- to 11-year-olds
Vaccination including a booster shot, remains an important tool to help prevent the most serious harm from the COVID-19 virus. If children and young adults who have been vaccinated do develop COVID-19, they are far less likely to get seriously ill and less likely to transmit the virus to others.
The free five- to 11-year-old vaccination programme is now underway and more than 100,000 children in New Zealand have had their first dose.
There is some helpful information available to support you on the Unite Against COVID-19 website including How to book a vaccine for your five – 11 year old and some great videos on the Kids Health page that can support you to talk to your tamariki about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Uniform
The uniform is stocked at The Warehouse Royal Oak.
HATS MUST BE WORN IN TERM 1.
- A navy blue 'bucket' hat
- A navy blue cap
(both of these are available at the Warehouse)
School Lunches
St Joseph's Catholic School is part of the Government's free, healthy, daily school lunch again in 2022.
These lunches are nutritious and healthy. We ask that you as parents support this fantastic Government initiative by encouraging your child to partake in it.Please only supply your child with a healthy morning tea and water.
We are a junk food free school!!!
Contact Us
Email: admin@sjs.school.nz
Website: http://www.sjs.school.nz/
Location: 125 Church Street, Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: 09 636 8102
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJSOnehunga