Alert Level 1 NX Updates

Dear Whanau and Community

It certainly is positive news regarding the shifts from Level 2 down to Level 1 this morning. This means we are open for business as usual, tomorrow 8th of March. 

We trust students were actively involved in the online class  programme and they enjoyed learning from home. A huge thank you to our teachers for the time and effort in continuing to promote the curriculum through a digital medium.

An acknowledgment of our  essential working parents, who were again pro active in keeping our community safe. Your continued efforts in ensuring we are safe during these unpredictable times is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Over the coming weeks we start our comprehensive Outdoor Education programme for year 7 and 8 students. This programme is designed not only to challenge our students but also allows students and staff to foster positive relationships, creating cohesiveness for their years at our school (and beyond). It is a vital part of the Intermediate ethos, we certainly hope this progamme continues without any further disruption.

A huge thank you to parents who have donated their time to assist with these programmes, we simply could not continue the Camping and Challenge Programmes without your support. Thank you to Deputy Principals, Wendy Naidu and Christina England for their organisation of these events. 

As always the health and care of our students and staff is paramount and we will be adhering strictly to the Department of Health guidelines outlined below.

Department of Health Guidelines for Schools and their communities:
 
The basics still work
We have a large amount of control over how we can prevent the spread of COVID-19. Even with the new variants of the virus, the most important things we can do remain the same:
 
For our school we will:

• display QR code posters for the NZ COVID Tracer app
• keep our visitor register, attendance register and timetables up to date to help with contact tracing if needed
• be monitoring for illness and asking anyone who is unwell to remain at home, or to go home
• encourage people with relevant symptoms to seek medical advice through Healthline (0800 358 5453) or their GP and get tested for COVID if recommended to do so
• reinforce the importance of good hand washing and drying
• reinforce good cough and sneeze etiquette
• clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces regularly

Your whānau will also have good practices to follow to keep yourselves safe:

• check in using the NZ COVID Tracer app everywhere you go (the sooner you get notified that you were at a location of interest, the easier it will be to keep yourself and your whānau safe)
• switch on the Bluetooth function on the app (go to the dashboard in the app to do this)
• always stay home if you are unwell and seek advice from Healthline (0800 358 5453) or your GP
• get tested if recommended to do so. Testing is free to everyone in New Zealand!
• wash and dry hands thoroughly and frequently
• practise good cough and sneeze etiquette
• regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your home
• wear face coverings on public transport
• for those of you who think you might have been at a location of interest at the specified time, follow the instructions on the Ministry of Health website or if you are unsure what to do, contact Healthline (0800 358 5453) for advice about getting tested

Get your information from good sources

• The Ministry of Education provides us with specific advice for what needs to happen in schools and early learning services. Some of the rules are different for schools, early learning services and workplaces than the rules you need to follow when we are out and about with people you don’t know. The main one is we have different physical distancing requirements than the general public. That is because we have good systems in place to prevent spread of COVID.
• The Ministry of Education also has information for parents, caregivers and whānau.
• The Government’s Unite against COVID-19 website is the main website to go to get great advice.

We acknowledge there will be some anxiety around students returning to school during level 2. This is totally understandable, in saying that, we are excited about our students returning and assisting them back into their routines and normality of school life in a safe and nurturing environment. 

Nga Mihi

Jonathon Tredray
Principal
Northcross Intermediate School