Covid Protection Guidelines: RED LEVEL

1. From 1 January 2022, only fully vaccinated staff, support people and volunteers can have contact with children and students. This applies at all settings of the CPF – Red, Orange, and Green.
2. An on-site register of their vaccination status must be maintained.
3. This applies to

●        All teachers and principals

●        All home-based educators

●        All support staff in schools

■     teacher-aides

■     administration staff

■     maintenance staff

■     contractors,

■     parent or other volunteers.

2. All learners have the right to access education

Schools and kura are prohibited from restricting access to education based on vaccination status. Proof of vaccination or a My Vaccine Pass will not be required of students for curriculum related activities.

According to Ministry guidelines Face masks are required to be worn at Red:

●        By all Ākonga & staff Year 4-13 when indoors or in close contact with others, unless exempted

●        By all staff in the admin block and staffrooms when in shared spaces, but not required when seated to eat or drink.

●        In school transport face masks are required for all Year 4 and up students.

●        Teachers are encouraged to take the learning outside of the classroom where practical to reduce time spent wearing masks indoors and to give students a break from mask wearing if/as required.

Where will facemasks not be required?

●        Facemasks are optional for students and staff when on the playground, or busy with outdoor curriculum-related activities.

●        Staff or students, for years 1 – 3 (optional). (Ref: Face coverings guidance)

●        When seated to eat or drink.

●        Where staff or students are working alone in a space, or with others but seated 2+m apart.

Please note –

●     The school will do its utmost to break the wearing of masks into small periods.

●     On advice from the MoE we cannot enforce this for our students but do encourage the wearing of facemasks by those students eligible to do so.

●     If your preference is for your child/children to not wear a mask please advise the school office via email, phone call or signed note.

Use basic hygiene measures, including cleaning of surfaces, washing your hands, coughing, or sneezing into your elbow and avoid touching your face.

●        Must complete regular cleaning and disinfecting of commonly touched surfaces. This includes items like door handles and phones.

●        Wash your hands with soap and water often (for at least 20 seconds) and dry thoroughly. Use an alcohol-based sanitiser and rub hands together if soap and water is unavailable.

●        Use hand sanitiser at entrances to indoor spaces when available

●        Maintain good hygiene

Well ventilated classrooms support positive engagement and minimise the transmission of illnesses.

●        Where appropriate, open windows, doors and vents to promote cross flow of air and avoid stagnant air.

●        Different ventilation and temperature control may be necessary depending on the layout and design of the property.

●        Heat pumps may continue to be used to cool a space, but it is asked that they are used with windows and doors open to help move fresh air through a space.

●        Ventilating schools – Education in New Zealand

●        QR code posters (NZ COVID Tracer App) and have a contact tracing system (timetable, attendance register and visitor register) are required.

●        All visitors should scan in using the NZ COVID Tracer app or use the physical visitor register/s at the school offices.

●        Registers to be kept for at least two months.

●        Up to date lists for sports teams, cultural and other groups, including contact details for coaches and managers, and for other volunteers who may regularly be onsite.

●        Record the days when relief teachers and other staff were in class in addition to the timetabled teacher.

●        Keep recording daily student attendance in your student management system.

●        Students leaving school grounds during the school day must be signed out at the school office.

When there is a confirmed case in the community, public health officials will undertake a case investigation, and work closely with the confirmed case to identify any close contacts, including any connection to a school or early learning service.

●     Guidance for schools connected to a confirmed case

Sickness at School

●     Staff are to observe children on arrival, checking for symptoms.

●     If a child appears unwell with Covid-19 cold or flu symptoms they will need to go home:

○     The teachers will ask the child to collect their bag and go with the teacher to the Admin block (Masks on).

○     The student will be seated at a designated spot easily visible to admin staff (most likely outside).

○     A call will be made immediately to caregivers̠ ̯who will be asked to collect the student asap and take them home.

○     Discussion to be held if siblings should also go home with ill student.

Sickbay

●     For anything non-Covid related, staff will follow normal procedures to support the student in the sickbay, e.g., plaster, administering prescribed medication, etc.

●     Students will be asked to enter the sickbay area alone (and not along with a large peer support group as is often the case)

●     It is not practical to keep students from different Teams separated in the confined space of the sickbay and admin area.

●     If a child’s health is in danger̠ normal protocols take precedence over Covid and the child will be taken to the sick bay and or emergency services called. Child’s safety always comes first.

●        Avoid having large groups meeting indoors, including assemblies, prizegivings and performances.

●        Physical distancing of 1 metre when indoors should be observed wherever practicable.

●        Students are encouraged to remain in their designated playground areas for Y1-2, Y3-6 & Y7-8.

●        Students will go to their learning spaces upon arrival to school, and then may access their designated outdoor spaces before school.

●     Students are encouraged to eat their lunch and spend their break times outside where practicable.

○     If wet weather, students may use their whanau classrooms during break time, but are encouraged to maintain appropriate social distancing

○     Students will have access to playground equipment.

12. When students arrive onto the school grounds in the morning at Red

●        Students do not need to wear their masks when entering the school grounds and going to classrooms in the morning.

●        When students are waiting to enter classrooms, they must wear their masks.

●        Masks can be removed once the students are outside again.

13. Dismissing students in the afternoons at Red:

Try to avoid unnecessary congestion of students crossing the school:

●     3.05 p.m. – Primary students released, except on Wednesdays at 2.20pm

●     3:15 p.m. – Year 7 – 13 students released, except on Wednesdays at 2.20pm

●        Remote/distance learning for those required to self-isolate or waiting for a test result will be available.

●        Support will also be provided for children with complex medical needs, especially if not fully vaccinated, and who are learning from home following advice from a health professional.

●        Refer to MGS Covid-19 Response Management Plan for further details.

●     Travel and transport is allowed.

●     Regional boundary restrictions will not apply.

●     When travelling into a different setting area, the guidance for that area will need to be followed.

●        School transport operates with no restrictions on capacity.

●        Face masks are required for all Year 4 and up students making use of the school bus services.

●     Pick up/Drop Off areas:

○     Arthur Street

○     Suva Street

○     Acacia Avenue

●     All drop off and pick up areas are open to parents, caregivers, and whānau. If waiting outside of your vehicle, please wear a face covering and keep a 2m distance from others.

●     Please do not park illegally and be patient and respectful of others.

●     Please use the same pick up and drop off areas so that staff and students know where the students should go in the afternoons.

●     Maintain physical distance (2m is a guide for distance particularly between adults) from other members of the public at all times. Please be respectful of this as it is the ‘most likely’ chance of Covid-19 spreading within our community.

●     Please say goodbye to your children at the drop-off area when dropping students off before school.

●     Please wait in your parking space for your children to come out to you after school. Staff will be monitoring the pick-up areas in the afternoons.

●     It is preferred that students are not onsite before 7:30 a.m. and have been collected by 4:00pm at the latest.

It is of utmost importance that our whānau and caregivers keep in touch with staff about the well-being and learning of their child/ren at all times. However, under Red, coming onsite should be limited to important or urgent matters only.

Please consider the following if you need to get in touch:

●     Urgent face-to-face appointments can be made with staff by either phoning the school office or emailing the staff member to organise a time.

●     General teaching and learning inquiries: please email your child’s teacher and they will endeavour to respond within 24 hours during the weekdays.

●     Staff will return messages received by phone at a convenient time.

●     TEAMS or Zoom meetings are available and will be organised at a time convenient to both parties.

Any parent or caregiver coming onsite is required to first report to the school office/s to scan or sign in. Please do not enter your child’s classroom.

●     The MGS safe hygiene practices are to be followed at all times.

●     Any visitors who are unwell or who have respiratory symptoms should not enter the school premises.

●     Minimising the risk to our visitors, students and staff, and contact tracing remains our primary focus during such visits.

●     Visiting adults are to maintain safe physical distance from each other and all other students at all times.

It should be noted that staff may be on duty, in meetings, busy with preparation for class, supporting students or teaching and will therefore not be available or respond immediately to phone calls, e-mails, etc.

Non-essential visitors should NOT come onto the school site.

●       Will include access to sports equipment, but children should wash hands/sanitise before and after playing with equipment, and equipment will be washed or sprayed after each break time or physical education session where practicable.

●       Exercising must be held outdoors.

●       Designated playgrounds can be used. Students should wash hands/use sanitiser after each break time.

Curriculum related activities can continue with public health measures in place.

●       Large activities with students should not go ahead unless held outdoors.

●       Advised by MOE not to hold assemblies (COVID-19 update – 23 January).

●       Where other students are coming onsite for learning, 1m physical distancing should be applied where practicable.

●     Singing must be outside and two metres distant from each other. No singing should take place inside.

●     Wind instruments not to be shared and limited to home use, or outside only.

●       Will depend on what type of activity it is and should be carefully planned:

●       No external students are allowed on site for non-curriculum related inter-school activities.

●       For curriculum related activities, if they do go ahead, physical distancing of 1 metre should be observed wherever practical.

●       CEN Technology will proceed with health and safety measures put in place and agreed to by the CEN schools.

●       Should be limited and may only go ahead if a vaccination certificate is required.

○     Events may only go ahead if a vaccination certificate is required.

○     If bringing others on site, including parents and caregivers, any general rules for events applicable at the time, will apply.

○     These rules will also apply if you are hiring out your facilities.

○     Further advice will be available for sporting events on the Sports NZ website

●     Can go ahead but will need careful planning, which will include risk management in planning, during and after the activity.

●     Targeted local lockdowns, if initiated, may restrict movement across boundaries.

●     Refer to the EOTC guidelines for full details.  EONZ EOTC Safety Guidelines attached

●       Need to minimise as much as possible, staff working across groups/classes of students.

●       Unless they are fully immunised and wearing face coverings, staff such as itinerant music teachers and relief teachers will not be able to work across different schools at Phases 2 and 3.

●       As with all staff, they should closely monitor for symptoms, stay home if unwell, get tested if symptomatic, use the COVID-19 tracer app.

Support services and agencies who may need to be on site include the Ministry of Education, Education Review Office, NZQA, Police, Fire, Mobile Dental units, or any other support services and agencies that access your site.

At Red, Minimise attendance on site for non-essential services as much as possible.

●        Learning support services continue.

●        Health services, such as school-based Health Services and Public Health Nurses continue.

●        Those on site must be captured in a visitor register or other system, to support contact tracing and must meet any other health requirements applicable at the time.

●        At Red, there are no non-essential visitors on site.

●        All visitors, including parents, caregivers and whanau, if they do come onsite should wear face coverings when on school grounds.

●     At all settings within the CPF, shared supplies and equipment are able to be used if students and staff are undertaking regular hand washing and staying away if sick.

●     At all settings within the CPF, it is okay to use drinking fountains.

●     Follow usual safety precautions (regular cleaning, don’t touch mouth to metal, wash hands regularly).

●     Must check the MPI guidance on food safety and ensure school and any suppliers meet all health and safety requirements.

●     MPI guidance on food safety tips for event organisers – New Zealand Food Safety

Under the government’s mandate and the board’s Health and Safety responsibilities, staff do need to support students with the wearing of masks and this will arise from formal, informal and impromptu situations. We will endeavour to remove such students whose parents request it from any formal discussions/programmes, but it will be very challenging to remove them for any informal or impromptu discussions with their peers who are wearing them. We also need to acknowledge that with the vast majority of students wearing masks, they will be having conversations amongst themselves that staff will not be aware of. We acknowledge the differences in our school community and will endeavour to consider and manage these as best we can as we navigate this challenging time.

The school will liaise with the MOE and/or MOH to risk assess and identify close, casual plus and casual contacts: