Principal's message to the Community during Alert Level 3

2 May 2020 

Kia ora koutou,

Re: Mairehau High School Principal's Alert Level 3, update.

I wanted to give you an update on how we are doing under Alert Level 3. 

Online learning update:

Our online learning is working well. While it will undoubtedly have challenges for you at home balancing work and care for your children, we are getting a lot of great feedback. It is exciting to see the innovation that has been happening between home and school. Parent's can help by encouraging your child/ children to visit our school website. and to connect with teachers in "Google hangout."

The school has sent more devices home, and the Ministry of Education (MOE) has sent 22 devices to our students.

Online Wellbeing update:

Our Guidance Counsellor, Deans, and Form teachers are connecting with students to ask “How are you?” The team has a compiled a set of useful resources to support students and whānau during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The information is located on our school website “Wellbeing Resources” we call it ‘Ka Piki te Ora- Getting through, keeping well’.

School Preparations: 

In preparation for our return onsite, the deep clean of our school was completed. Only essential teaching and support staff will be allowed to enter our premises during Alert Level 3. Entry will be limited to performing essential tasks and time onsite minimised.  Staff who have to be onsite at the same time are assigned to bubbles of at most 10. The critical tasks include site preparation, lawns, gardens,  cleaning, maintenance, and the logistical management of health and safety requirements.

Last week, members of the Senior Leadership took turns to park at school (no entry into buildings), in their cars, in case any unexpected students or parents showed. I can report no one showed. The message to 'Stay home' has been communicated to our families, thank you to whānau.

Parent response:

During alert level 3, there will be no students or teachers at school.

"Thank you to all of our whānau and families for committing to keep your child/ children home. Your responsible choice will help to minimise the risk of COVID-19 to others and return our school and country to a sense of normality. Your efforts are appreciated."

 Public Health:

We have closely followed the Alert Level 3  public health measures. These measures will help to minimise the spread COVID-19. 

When we return, we will have hand sanitiser in classrooms and lots of reminders to students and staff to undertake good hygiene practices such as good cough and sneeze etiquette, and washing hands frequently. 

Just to remind you also that COVID-19 is not an illness that impacts heavily on children and young people.  An article by Dr Gary Payinda in the NZ Herald highlights this:

The young are less likely to get infected, less likely to get seriously ill, and less likely to spread the infection to others.

• When kids are affected, the illness is almost always mild. Luckily, unlike flu or many other infectious diseases, children with Covid are not super-spreaders.
• Covid's not measles or chickenpox; it doesn't hang in the air for hours waiting to infect passers-by. It travels on invisible drops of spit. You don't have to cross the street to avoid anyone. Just avoid getting in their 'moist breath' zone.
• Make hand hygiene a habit - more than being scared of runners passing by, touching groceries, or standing in queues at the supermarket, we should be afraid of our own hands.

You will also be interested to know there have been no confirmed instances of a person with COVID-19 who never developed symptoms spreading the virus. For more information on COVID-19, go to the Ministry of Health website.

Alert Level 3, key principles:

The overriding principles for Alert Level 3 by the Prime Minister are:

• Stay home. If you are not at work, school, exercising or getting essentials, then you must be at home, the same as  Level 4. 

• Work and learn from home if you can. We still want the vast majority of people working from home, and children and young people learning from home. At-risk students and staff should also stay at home, and they will be supported to do so. Early learning centres and schools will physically be open for up to Year 10 for families that need them.

Please get in touch if you have any questions, including about our health and safety management for children, staff and visitors coming onsite. I have attached a couple of relevant posters for your information.

 Ngā mihi

Harry Romana

Principal

COVID-19 Posters

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