18 Feb 2021
Kia ora koutou
It is great to be back at school and see children settled into new classes and enjoying each others company. Now that we have a few weeks under our belts, the school is running smoothly with the focus on teaching and learning, under the safety processes we have been able to develop. The pool has been well used with water temperatures between 23 and 27 degrees. Our weather has allowed a highly active start with the children enjoying our expansive grounds. Staff have adapted. Children have adapted. Well done everyone.
Contents
- Staff preparation for learning if/when we have school community covid cases
- Covid Protection Framework scenarios – to help parents understand what may happen if we have a case
Staff preparation for learning if/when we have school community covid cases
The teachers are fully underway with normal teaching and learning like we do in any given year. This is an important time to establish routines, relationships and expectations. It is about getting to know our new classmates and possibly a new teacher. We are very fortunate to be able to have this time at school to build these relationships and prepare for a possibly challenging year ahead. The Ministry of Education has provided a resource ‘Hybrid Learning 2022’ to guide our thinking on how to deliver curriculum effectively, if we have students/whanau/teaching staff isolating at home, but able to work. We may have children at school and some at home from a class or classes? Until the time comes it is very hard to predict.
The following blurb gives an explanation of the situations that may require Hybrid Learning…
Hybrid Learning 2022 (MOE resource)
We can expect to have changeable teaching and learning circumstances during the 2022 school year with Omicron in the community and the move to traffic light settings rather than lockdowns.
This means we can expect to have periods of student and staff absences due to the need to isolate (if they have been a contact of a case, or are positive but asymptomatic) or because they are unwell. When students or staff need to isolate but are well, they should still expect to be able to learn and teach. This will require an approach to learning that includes online, remote, face-to-face and onsite learning so learners can transition between settings with minimal interruption to their learning. Learning that is delivered in these multiple modes is commonly known as ‘hybrid learning’. Hybrid learning is an educational approach in which schools provide remote and onsite learning at the same time, using a range of technologies and approaches, including paper-based learning.
As a staff we have worked through this resource, our beliefs on curriculum delivery and what works best in our context and challenged our thinking on what will work best for our school. The teachers have started using some of the home-based learning activities in class time to get students used to what will be offered if they are at home. The junior and senior syndicates have already prepared the type of learning format for some students at home / some students at school if we have school covid cases. Or all at home.
Juniors R2, R3, R4
In the junior syndicate, we have thought carefully about how we can run home learning that links to our daily program.
At school, we have a weekly shared text with follow up literacy activities. With this in mind we have made the decision to base home learning around a shared text, with a follow up literacy based activity each day to go with the text.
There will also be a daily maths activity that runs alongside. Our syndicate has also tried out some TVNZ On-demand home learning lessons in class so that children are familiar with these if individual whanau want to use those resources.
Seniors R5, R6, R7
The senior syndicate is going to run an online program that will echo the planning we already have in place for Term 1.
We will have a RURU focus alongside reading, writing and maths activities.
We have been working on reading responses in class that we will use – as well as maths activities and games that the children will be familiar with. We have also been using writing prompts in class, which are easy to ‘flip’ into online learning. Alongside our usual core curriculum areas, we aim to also cover elements of our digital citizenship programme.
Communication will come through email and Seesaw, so please make sure your details are up-to-date
If you details have changed please follow the links below
Online Forms / Update Contact Details
Covid Protection Framework scenarios – to help parents understand what may happen if we have a case
The principal or leadership team will be working with the Ministry of Education and Health following a tool kit that is regularly updated and changed to reflect the given situation. Below is the simplest explanation of scenarios that may play out. If we are informed we have a positive case within our school community then we will use these scenarios to decide if students are close or casual cases. Once the Ministry of Health as worked with us the school will put out letters to parents informing you of actions/requirements.
Note that a Medical Officer of Health may decide to manage cases, contacts and the associated public health risk differently to the process outlined in this guidance. It is important the Ministry of Education Single Point of Contact work closely with both public health and with the affected school or kura to ensure the approach is aligned.
Phases Two and Three
While in Phases Two and Three, specific risk assessment by public health may be required in some high risk settings.
Actions for schools / kura
The school or kura should act when there is a case in the school community. These three scenarios speak to how the school / kura may learn of this case and how they should respond.
| Scenarios | Response |
| Scenario 11
When a child, young person, or staff member has had contact with someone who is a Close Contact of a confirmed case
|
· No action is required by the school at this stage
· These people are considered secondary contacts (they have no direct contact with the case) · Only Close Contact(s) need to self-isolate (they will be instructed to do so by health authorities) · If the Close Contact subsequently tests positive, a case investigation will be undertaken, and their Close Contacts will be advised to isolate. |
| Scenario 12
When a child, young person, or staff member receives a positive result but was not at school or kura while infectious
|
· Provide information and resources to the parent community and enable opportunities to ask questions. Reassure that there is low risk for the school/service for the community (this assumes the confirmed case is not directly linked to the school/kura).
· The MoE Single Point of Contact will be notified by public health · Child/young person/staff member and family self-isolate and are tested |
| Scenario 13
When a child, young person or staff member tests positive and has been at school or kura when considered to be infectious
|
· When a case has been confirmed at school / kura, consider moving to distance learning for affected classes while the situation is clarified
· The process outlined under roles and responsibilities will be followed. · The school/kura will clean and disinfect according to health specifications. For cleaning information, please see www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-specific-audiences/covid-19-general-cleaning-and-disinfection-advice/covid-19-cleaning-frequently-asked-questions. · The school/kura will assess if other programmes can continue to operate (eg, after school care)
|
| Scenario | Response |
| Scenario 1
Case attended choir practice indoors OR case was sneezing/coughing forcefully indoors
Close range contact within 1.5m of case
|
· Everyone in the same room as the choir practice or as sneezing/coughing case, in general: CLOSE CONTACT
o It doesn’t matter how long somebody was in close range with the identified case o It doesn’t matter if the case was wearing a face covering or not
See table for details: Direct contact with respiratory secretions or saliva (indoors or outdoors) OR Face to face contact with a case who is forcefully expelling air/secretions FOR ANY DURATION OF TIME |
| Scenario 2
A case had lunch with their friends indoors at lunchtime for more than 15 minutes
Close range contact within 1.5m of case
|
· As they’ll be eating, they won’t be wearing a face covering.
· The friends they had lunch with: CLOSE CONTACT
See table for details: Indoor face to face contact for more than 15 minutes
|
| Scenario 3
Friends hanging out together in a classroom for more than 15 minutes
Close range contact within 1.5m of case |
· If the case was wearing a face covering and time was less than 2 hours: friends would be CASUAL CONTACTS
· If the case was wearing a face covering and time was more than 2 hours: friends would be CLOSE CONTACTS · If the case wasn’t wearing a face covering: friends would be CLOSE CONTACTS
See table for details: Indoor face to face contact for more than 15 minutes |
| Scenario 4
A teacher-student interaction, or a parent-teacher conversation indoors for more than 15 minutes
Close range contact within 1.5m of case |
· If the case was wearing a face covering and time was less than 2 hours: contacts would be CASUAL CONTACTS
· If the case was wearing a face covering and time was more than 2 hours: contacts would be CLOSE CONTACTS · If the case wasn’t wearing a face covering: contacts would be CLOSE CONTACTS
See table for details: Indoor face to face contact for more than 15 minutes |
| Scenario 5
People in the same indoor classroom as a case (classmates or staff) who were sitting nearby (within 1.5m) for more than 1 hour
Close range contact within 1.5m of case
|
· If the case was wearing a face covering AND the contact was in the class for less than 2 hours: Classmates would be CASUAL CONTACTS
· If the case was wearing a face covering AND the contact was in the class for more than 2 hours: Classmates would be CLOSE CONTACTS · If the case wasn’t wearing a face covering: Classmates would be CLOSE CONTACTS
A precautionary approach is recommended. For example, if a class was 50 minutes in length, round up and categorise as if it was longer than 1 hour.
See table for details: Non-face to face contact for more than 1 hour in an indoor space |
| Scenario 6
A case spent time in the sick bay or the small staff room that wasn’t well-ventilated for more than 15 minutes OR took the school bus to school
Indoor contact more than 1.5m from case
|
· If the case was wearing a face covering AND the contact was in the room or bus for less than 2 hours: people in that room would be CASUAL CONTACT
· If the case was wearing a face covering AND the contact was in the room or bus for more than 2 hours: people in that room would be CLOSE CONTACTS · If the case wasn’t wearing a face covering: people in that room or bus would be CLOSE CONTACTS
Toilets fit into this size category, however in general toilets are not considered to be high-risk settings as most people do not spend more than 15 minutes there.
See table for details: Indoor contact in a small space without good airflow/ventilation for more than 15 minutes |
| Scenario 7
A case spent their free period (>1 hour) in the hall OR attended school/kura in an innovative learning environment
Indoor contact more than 1.5m from case
|
· If the case was wearing a face covering AND the contact was in the space for less than 2 hours: people in that space would be CASUAL CONTACTS
· If the case was wearing a face covering AND the contact was in the space for more than 2 hours: people in that space would be CLOSE CONTACTS · If the case wasn’t wearing a face covering: people in that space would be CLOSE CONTACTS
If an Innovative Learning Environment is a moderate sized space and is poorly ventilated, then they would be categorised according to this scenario.
See table for details: Indoor contact in a moderate sized space without good airflow/ventilation for more than 1 hour |
| Scenario 8
For any duration of time: A case was in the school auditorium (>300m²) OR in a smaller office space <300m² that has good air flow/ventilation OR passed someone in the corridor briefly OR spent time outside with friends OR played a non-contact sport OR played at an outdoor playground
Low-risk contact
|
· These scenarios are considered low-risk and any contacts are: CASUAL (no active management required)
· Any outdoor setting is considered low risk · Brief contact – like passing someone in a corridor – is considered low risk
See table for details: Indoor contact in: · A large space (> 300m2) OR · A smaller space (< 300m2) with good air flow/ventilation FOR ANY DURATION OF TIME / Brief indoor contact within 1.5 meters of a case / Contact in outdoor spaces |
| Scenario 9
For education outside of the classroom (EOTC) activities where the activity is outdoors (eg, walking to the swimming pool)
Low-risk contact
|
· Any outdoor setting is considered low risk and any contacts are: CASUAL (no active management required)
See table for details: Contact in outdoor spaces FOR ANY DURATION OF TIME
*For EOTC activities that occur indoors, please refer to scenarios 1-7 for categorisation depending on the size and ventilation of indoor location and nature of contact. |
Scenarios for household members of contacts
| Scenarios | Response |
| Scenario 10
What household members of Close Contacts should do
|
· For the most up to date information about what household members of Close Contacts should do, please see www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/contact-tracing-covid-19#actions |
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