The management of a widespread COVID-19 outbreak across New Zealand is very much part of our thinking and planning as we start the 2022 school year. As we have done over the past two years, the wellbeing of our students, staff and community will always be at the heart of any decisions that we make.
We are now operating under the COVID-19 Protection Framework at Red. The health measures are quite similar to those that we used in school last term, so will be familiar to many in our community. Our updated Safety Plan at CPF Red is on our website. Click here to view.
The most important things that we can do to protect ourselves during a COVID-19 outbreak are:
Get vaccinated. Please ask your child to log their vaccine details on our Student Register. They may also be asked to show their Vaccine Pass to some of our staff, eg Sports Department, Music Department.
Follow public health guidelines
Stay home if unwell and get tested
Wear a surgical mask, follow good hygiene practice, prioritise ventilation, use hand sanitiser
Maintain physical distancing, especially from people that you don’t usually come into contact with.
The Ministry of Education are committed to maintaining face-to-face teaching and learning through 2022. However, it’s possible that some or all students may be unable to learn onsite and we will work with those students to maintain distance learning. More information about the Ministry of Education’s COVID-19 planning for schools is on their website.
An important part of students being able to maximise their learning both at school and at home, is each student having a laptop so that they can connect to their classes Microsoft Teams pages. Please read the information about BYOD in the newsletter. Click here to view.
Events and activities
Large hui, events 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. At the moment we are not holding assemblies or large meetings. We ask that visitors only come on site if absolutely necessary, and as far as possible parents should make an appointment with the relevant person before coming to school.
Physical Education, Performing Arts and Sport
Most Physical Education, Dance and Sport activities are currently operating under Sport New Zealand guidelines. Our Music Department is also working to published guidelines, which are stringent, particularly for singing and wind instruments. The various guidelines allow for carefully managed activities to take place in school, however participation in all College Sport activities and most Performing Arts events requires students to present a My Vaccine Pass. Students will probably not be able to commit to a team or performing arts group if they do not have a Vaccine Pass.
Unfortunately, spectators and audiences are not permitted at school events at CPF Red.
Face coverings
All staff and students must wear face coverings when at school when we are at Red. Staff are mandated to wear surgical masks. Students must wear a proper mask, which could include a surgical mask, a single use, disposable masks, or re-usable fabric masks, ideally with three layers. Masks are available for students at our College Shop.
If your child has an exemption from wearing a mask please communicate this to their Dean or our School Nurse.
Managing cases in our school
We have good contact tracing systems in place so that if there is a confirmed case who has been at school while infectious, we can quickly identify who was a close contact of that person. We will then quickly advise those contacts of what they need to do.
It is extremely unlikely that school would close fully due to COVID-19, although if case numbers amongst staff or students are high we may consider rostering students home for some days. Only if the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education advises to do so, would we consider completely closing school for face-to-face learning, and moving to distance learning for everyone. At Red we will keep everyone learning onsite for as long as we can.
Contact details
Please make sure the family contact details we have on file for you are up to date, so we can get in touch with you if needed.
If you have any questions, concerns or need help in any way please contact your child’s Home Room Teacher, Class Teachers, Dean or Deputy Principal as appropriate. All of our staff contact details are on our website.
Lyndy Watkinson
Principal
