We are in Alert Level 2
Oaklynn supports Uniting Against COVID 19 by sharing this link with you.
https://tracing.covid19.govt.nz/?r=link
“By signing up to this app, you're helping keep yourself and your family safer and supporting New Zealand to stop the spread of COVID-19. This will ensure we can all return to doing the things we enjoy as soon as possible.”
Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director General of Health
Monday 11th May 2020. Tēnā koutou parents, carers and whānau,
THANK YOU
Firstly I’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support and collaboration with us at Oaklynn over the last few weeks as we have all worked to support your young learner at home. I have been very heartened by our staff creativity, innovation and determination to get interesting and fun learning activities to your young learners - this will continue. Thank you Oaklynn team.
MISSING YOU ALL
We have all missed seeing our students - children and young adults over these last weeks. To let you know how much we missed you - Oaklynn staff and their families (from their bubbles) have put together this ‘Lock Down Boogie’ for you. Click here to view. Enjoy !!
ART PROJECT
OAKLYNN WHĀNAU - Learners and their families - Istvan (Arts Therapist/Base 7 teacher) came up with the idea for PARENTS, with their Oaklynn learner, to create an artwork about their whānau/bubble - then send a photo of it to us. We will then print your photos out to create a combined mural, a big whariki for us to display at school at the end of term, which will hopefully be a celebratory and uplifting time for us all!
We encourage any simple form of visual art:
- collage
- photo
- interesting significant object
- drawing
- painting
whatever you can manage at home. The idea being of healing the separation of the lockdown via a joint community art piece. Please - send in your photographed art to Istvan at istvan.csata@oaklynn.school.nz by Friday 5th of June.
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT LEARNING
We continue to find new and innovative ways to support learning at home:
- ‘Learning from Home’ hard copy packs you will have received
- Storypark entries
- Resources on the Oaklynn website (COVID-19 PAGE) www.oaklynn.school.nz/covid-19
- And now our new Oaklynn YouTube channel
RETURN TO SCHOOL
As you will have heard in the Prime Minister’s announcement this afternoon, schools will be open for
instruction on Monday 18th May. We look forward to receiving students back into school over the next
few weeks. To ensure that everyone feels safe and confident returning to school we are sharing with you detailed
information so that you can:
a) Make an informed decision about when your child/young learner returns;
b) Feel confident that ‘school is a good place to be’.
We are planning for a confident and safe return to school in Level 2.
But remember - LEVEL 2 IS NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL
Under Alert Level 2 the general principles are as follows:
- People are able to leave home but are asked to do so in a safe and conscientious way
- It is safe for all schools to open
- Safe and sensible practices for hygiene and contact tracing will be the norm
- Everyone understands what good practices for hygiene and contact tracing looks like
- All students and staff will be able to return, so long as they remain well
- There are still likely to be new cases which may be the result of household transmission or associated with cluster outbreaks that are contained. The disease remains in New Zealand, so we need to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to avoid transmission
At Oaklynn we will begin our return to school over the next two weeks (18th May onwards)
We will work with these principles in mind:
- -
- Slow build up of students and staff
- Staff who can work from home will continue to do so
- Ensure safety measures (distancing, hygiene, H and S induction) can be embedded with lower and slowly increasing numbers
- Work to build confidence in staff, students and families that we have a “new, safe normal” and school is a good place to be
- Will only have Oaklynn whānau on site - restrict visitors to school.
What does this mean for you?
- On the 18th May we will welcome ONLY those students whosefamilies indicated in the survey that their learner would return at Alert Level
- We imagine that with improved confidence around the safety of the current COVID 19 status of NZ, that some families may want to change their mind on the Level of return. You may now want your child to return sooner
- Please let us know if you want your child to return sooner and we will get back to you and then welcome those students on Monday 25th May; Please email us on feedback@oaklynn.school.nz
- The staggered return of groups allows for us to get the hygiene practices and protocols happening really well before numbers pick up.
What will school look like at Alert Level 2?
Programmes
Principles:
- Build confidence around physical distancing and what it looks like in our setting while indoors
- Continue with usual indoors programmes - adapting for distancing / hygiene considerations
- AVOID “moist breath” zone - (zone is if you can smell the person’s breath)
- Stay at school during the day.
Details:
- No community excursions, No use of vans
- Walk around the block OK
- Cooking OK as long as individual approach and hygiene measures can be managed
- Playdough - own portions - discard more frequently
- May reduce the use of shared equipment - have individual ‘sets’ of things
- Regular washing hands, including before and after use of shared equipment
- Interactive programmes - may be adapted or look a bit different for a while.
Physical environment
Principles:
- There is no minimum distance requirement for schools at Alert Level 2
- The school environment is controlled, you know who is at school, whom they have been in close contact with
- We are maintaining a physical distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other
- Avoid touching others, and for adults it is recommended that where practicable you keep a metre distance between you.
Details:
- Sign in registers for each area of the school
- with regular attendees listed for ease of use
- Others sign in as arrive
- Monitor for each area ensures registers adhered to
- Areas will be marked to indicate 1 metre distance - for easy visual reference
Hygiene Principles
Principles:
- Everyone understands what “safe and sensible practices for hygiene and contact tracing” look like
- Reduce the risk of someone getting infected in the first place
- Ensure we can identify and contact anyone who becomes infected
- Understand that Level 2 is not business as usual
- Enabling good hygiene practices – regular washing and drying of hands and good cough and sneeze etiquette remain fundamental to preventing spread of illness such as colds, flu and COVID-19
- Ensuring people with COVID-19 symptoms stay away from school
- Maintaining physical distancing where practicable - in schools at Alert Level 2 this means children, young people, and staff maintaining a physical distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other (there is no minimum distance requirement for schools at Alert Level 2)
- Keeping track of people that enter the school – through the attendance register, timetable and visitor register.
Details:
- ALL STAFF will attend ‘Return to Work Health and Safety’ Induction
- Use hand sanitiser on entering and leaving rooms, buildings, and in between activities
- Regularly washing hands
- Staff may use PPE (mask, apron, gloves) for personal cares
- Staff will not be wearing masks in the classroom - this does not support the teaching and learning relationship
- Hand washing before and after using shared equipment
- People who are sick are staying at home
- Monitoring for anyone presenting with signs of illness;
- Wellness monitor for each area of school
- Wellness check on entering school
- Check temperature of all
- Visual check for signs of symptoms
- Cleaning high-touch surfaces daily
- Maintain a physical distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other. If we have to get closer due to the nature of our learners there will be extra emphasis on handwashing and drying (or cleansing with hand sanitiser) before and after activities and regular cleaning of equipment.
There’s a lot of information to take in!
NEXT STEPS FOR YOU
If you have any questions or concerns please contact the DP for your class
Arahoe, Chaucer, Glenavon, New Lynn, St Leonards Rd
Pilar Romero pilar.romero@oaklynn.school.nz Phone 027 540 1230
Base classes and OakTEC
Kieron Hubrick kieron.hubrick@oaklynn.school.nz Phone: 027 540 1231
Avondale Intermediate, Greenbay School, Greenbay High School
Joan Cummings joan.cummings@oaklynn.school.nz Phone: 027 540 1232
Ngā mihi nui, Louise Doyle
Principal, Oaklynn School