From Monday 31 August Auckland is in Alert Level 2.5. Please see below our protocols for Alert Level 2.

Alert Level 2

Community Protocols

Monday 31 July 2020

Objective

The Level 2 Community protocols for Riverhead School have been developed to align the school with the directives from the Ministry of Health & Ministry of Education and ensure we prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff.

The MOH & MOE directives are to;

• Practise good hygiene and sanitisation

• Maintain social distancing

• Wear a mask if within 2 metre distance outside school grounds Ministry of Health

• Restrict schools to students and staff only

• Maintain visitor contact tracing protocols and Health and Safety procedures.

Staff and students will be inducted into our Level 2 Health and Safety protocols as soon as they return to school; Riverhead School Student Health Protocols. Parents are encouraged to discuss these protocols with their children before returning to school.

These protocols have been developed for Level 2. Any changes to the protocols, or alert levels will be communicated to parents & caregivers in the appropriate forums and time frames.

Entering & exiting the School

• School is a “child-only zone” and only students and staff may enter the school. Parents, care-givers and visiting adults are required to drop off and pick up students away from the school gates

• There is one entrance to the school grounds, which is through the double front entrance gates, by the office.

• The School gates will be secured until 8am each morning.

• There will be a child-only-zone marker at the top-entrance footpath. Only staff and students may go passed the marker

• A “kiss and drop zone” has been created at the school entrance, so parents can safely drop their children from the car and students can walk into school themselves

• Senior staff members will be positioned at the child-only-zone marker and on the main gate to welcome students into school and ensure the students safe entry into the school grounds

• Some teachers and Bump@r Ambassadors will be at the school entrance each morning to welcome students to school and assist the younger students and those who may be anxious, in getting to class

• In the afternoons, Year 0 - 1 students will be brought to the staff on duty at 2.15pm, to manage their departure from school. Please be mindful of enabling the parents of these students to have priority at the top of the entrance to our school.

• Staff allowed onsite includes contracted educational providers and outside educational agencies are able to work on-site.

• Support agencies will be allowed to work on site by following our hygiene protocols at Level 2. This includes; Marzipan Drama, SPELD, Music School, Kelly Sports, etc

Getting to and from school

• Children may bike or scooter to and from school

• Road patrols will not be operating. Parents & caregivers are encouraged to help children use the road crossing. Here are some tips; Riverhead School Crossing the Road Guidelines

• The Walking School bus will not be formally operating with parent support, but we can organise groups of children to work together to a collection point.

• Pick up will be away from our school, outside the “child-only zone” barrier. Please be mindful of social distancing outside the school area and communicate with your children for an agreed place to meet, away from the side of the road by the entrance. They will continue to surprise you on how independent they can be when given explicit instructions.

Keeping well

• If your child is unwell you must keep them at home. This includes; any signs of illness, including headaches, cold or flu symptoms, runny nose, excessive sneezing, sore throat, high temperature

• If your child or household has been exposed to a confirmed COVID case you must seek MOH guidance before sending them to school Ministry of Health

• If your child becomes unwell during school time, they will be placed in the Wellness Room and when contacted you are required to pick them up as soon as possible.

During School Time:

• On entry to school, students will step into a sanitising foot bath

• Masks may be worn by students if they choose to

• Shoes will be left on while in their learning spaces.

• Hand sanitiser is provided at the entry to each learning space and internal toilet area

• Children will be constantly reminded to wash their hands before break-times

• Children must leave all toys and personal play equipment at home.

• Playground equipment will be open for use during break time.

• Each child requires a ‘named’ drink bottle and lunchbox which we will be stored in their learning spaces. Children will be encouraged to drink from their drink bottles, not the drinking fountains.

• Any shared learning equipment will be sanitised daily.

• The school will be split into two staggered break times to support social distancing. There will be an additional brain-break for Kapia Iti, Kapia Nui & Ngahere

Cleaning & sanitisation:

• Play equipment will be provided and sanitised after each use.

• School devices will be cleaned each day.

• BYOD devices will be cleaned on arrival at school and at the end of the day.

• The staff will be regularly cleaning surfaces and common areas throughout the day

• Regular cleaning and sanitisation procedures have been increased by our external cleaning company

• Every learning space has a Health & Safety Kit, which includes;

  • Hand sanitizer at all entrances which are being used and toilet block doors;

  • Disinfectant spray and wipes;

What you need to do:

We are really looking forward to seeing all our students return to school and understand it will take some time for everyone to transition to the “new-normal” again.

You can assist your children with the following;

• Read the transition tips; Transition Tips

• Reassure your children that school will be a safe and happy place for them to be

• Share the Health and Safety Protocols with your children so they know what to do; Riverhead School Student Health Protocols

• Show your children his video so they know what to expect at school; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZvtoVrykb8

• Ensure your children bring a named drink bottle and lunch box every day

• Provide shoes and change of clothes that can get dirty on the field (if we are able to open this play area)and a bag to put them in, which will protect their school bag.

• If your child is in Kapia Iti, Kapia Nui, or Ngahere, they will need a small healthy brain break snack for during the day.

• Talk to your children about entering and exiting the school safely, including;

  • What they need to do when they get to the school gates

  • Where they are being picked up from/walking to

  • How to cross the road safely Riverhead School Crossing the Road Guidelines

It is critically important that you and everyone follows the School Healthy & Safety Protocols. This will ensure we keep our students and staff safe and help New Zealand to continue to fight the virus.

To download our school app, access your app provider and download "SchoolAppsNZ" then search Riverhead School

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