IMPORTANT INFORMATION Regarding Alert Level 3 School Reopening
By Mr Simon Coleman | Posted: Thursday April 23, 2020
This is a MUST READ for all families.
Kia ora Koutou,
We hope that the ‘Virtual School’ that we have been running over the last few weeks has been working for your child so far. We know there will have been plenty of challenges to deal with but we have been getting great feedback about the learning that is happening and thank you for all your support.
The following communication consists of very important information that needs to be read and understood by all parents/whānau. We hope it provides you with some idea about what the school’s processes and requirements are for reopening for a limited number of children to attend.
The message from the Government, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education was very clear:
If you are in a position to keep your child at home then you must keep them at home.
The announcement by the Government on 20 April states:
- Alert Level 4 will change to Level 3 on midnight, Monday 27 April.
- Schools will have a Teacher Only Day on Tuesday 28 April - there will be NO online learning on this day.
- Limited numbers of children will be able to attend from Wednesday 29 April.
The operation of Alert Level 3 is ONLY for Yr 7 to 10 students whose parents/caregiver must return to work and are unable to keep them at home. All of our students both at home or in school from next week will continue to have the online teaching and learning as we have done for the last two weeks.
For all our Yr 11 to 13 students, it is a priority with our teachers to maintain the level of engagement with all of their NCEA material and to ensure we are providing the best online learning and support for these students. As parents, should you have concerns around the learning for your son or daughter, please contact the teacher first and they can ensure the best person can make contact depending on the areas that need to be addressed.
Level 3 at Geraldine High School
- The purpose of schools reopening under Alert Level 3 is to help parents who need supervision of their children’s learning so that they can return to work.
- Teaching on-site will not be the ‘normal’ type of teaching programme due to social distancing and other requirements. The learning done at school will be exactly the same as what is currently being done at home now. Students who attend will be working individually on the online work that has been set by their teachers.
- Our school office will remain closed to the public and parents will not be allowed on-site unless a pre-arranged requirement is established. All students will be required to access Geraldine High School via the pathway next to our main gate.
- Children who are unwell, have compromised immunity, an underlying health condition, or have someone in their immediate family bubble who does, must stay at home.
- Learning spaces will need to be adapted for supervision, taking into account the need for 1m distancing at all times inside. There will be a maximum of 9 students per group who will remain together for the entire school day including all break times. Siblings will be in the same group.
- Breaks require 2m outside distancing and no equipment use.
Lastly, this week we have been able to re-enter the school site and start making preparations for use. This has involved cleaning, security, maintenance, safety checks, equipment checks and planning for the Level 3 protocols.
Should you have any queries around the Level 3 next steps, please email to the office on [email protected]
We really appreciate your support and understanding in this challenging time.
Nga mihi
Simon Coleman Principal
