Community Notice
COMMUNITY NOTICE
Thursday, 2 June 2022
Kia ora koutou,
As we near the midpoint of Term 2, we are experiencing the impact of the winter season and related illnesses. We have been monitoring approximately 20% absence schoolwide daily for the last two weeks. This has been affecting our students and staff. To manage this, occasionally students have had and will continue to have a different classroom teacher, and/or students may have other children in their classroom or be in a different class. Finding relief staff when multiple staff are away continues to be challenging. If/ when staff numbers get very low we may need to ask families who are able to, to keep their children home (learning at home with families), and only families who are unable to keep children at home, to send them to school.
With New Zealanders mostly sheltered from exposure to flu in the last two years, health experts are concerned about our lower immunity to flu. This winter there is the very real possibility of getting the flu and COVID-19 within a short space of time.
If you are normally someone who does not bother with the flu vaccine, we strongly encourage you to get your flu vaccination this year and get your whānau up to date with any other vaccinations (for example, measles, whooping cough).
There is further information about the symptoms and danger signs for flu on the Ministry of Health website.
Flu symptoms – Ministry of Health
As always, we want to keep our ākonga and kaiako as safe as possible from the harms from illness and to have as many ākonga learning on site as we can. All those good actions we already have in place to reduce the risk of harm from COVID-19 will also help to prevent seasonal illnesses including:
· staying away if unwell and seeking advice about getting tested
· regularly washing hands
· using well-ventilated spaces
· wearing masks when indoors
· cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces regularly
· covering coughs and sneezes
· having a highly vaccinated community (and not just for COVID-19).
You can do the same at home and hopefully together, we will keep our community healthy this winter.
As always, if you have any questions about our health and safety plans please get in touch.
God bless,
Veronica Sawers
Principal
principal@stbrendans.school.nz
Information about Influenza
Symptoms
The symptoms of influenza can be the same or similar to the symptoms of COVID-19. Influenza symptoms are: fever (a temperature of 38°C or higher), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, stomach upset, vomiting or diarrhoea. If you do catch flu, while you are unwell, it’s important that you stay away from work or school. Look after yourself and your family – rest and fluids are especially important. It is also important to seek medical advice early if you are concerned, and especially if there are any danger signs, even if you have been seen before.
Danger Signs
Seek urgent medical advice if you have a high fever that does not come down, especially if you are pregnant; have chills or severe shaking; have difficulty breathing or chest pain; have purple or bluish discolouration of your lips, skin, fingers or toes; have seizures or convulsions and/or have signs of other serious conditions, such as meningococcal disease (which may include severe headache, sleepiness, vomiting, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, and sometimes a rash). Look out for signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, and not passing urine regularly. If a person you are caring for is less responsive than normal, unusually quiet, or confused, you should call a doctor urgently.
Location: 56 Palmer Crescent Heretaunga Upper Hutt 5019
Phone: (04) 939 1909