Today, the Ministry of Education sent information for schools to share with their communities regarding the wearing of face masks and other public health measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. The Ministry strongly recommends that face masks be worn in all indoor settings at schools where practicable for the first four weeks of term 3. A limited supply of face masks is available for students who forget or lose their face masks during the day.
Students who already have an exemption need not reapply however others may request one by following the link below.
Even more significant this year is the acknowledgment of Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne. Images sent from the UK as the country celebrates this historic achievement bring many thoughts to mind.
No matter where we sit in the monarchy debate, we must appreciate the incredible dedication and loyal service the Queen has shown. It is amazing to think of the momentous events she has seen as head of state during this time.
It is fantastic to see the celebrations but sad that she could not participate in so many of the special events owing to her health which seems to be deteriorating.
New Zealand’s connection to the empire and commonwealth has helped define who we are as a nation. I hope that some of the values and achievements of Great Britain remain in some way or adapted to our context. When Aotearoa New Zealand histories becomes part of our new curriculum, the challenge for teachers will be to ensure the right balance is found between an appreciation of the positive impact being a member of the commonwealth had on New Zealand as well developing a deeper understanding of the contribution of Māori and other nationalities who have made Aotearoa their home.
This will be a challenging time for many but one that if discussed respectfully will be healthy and strengthen us on our journey towards becoming one nation.
We were very fortunate in the first wave of Covid-19 cases earlier in the year that our school could continue as per normal. However, a combination of winter colds and flu with Covid-19 cases and associated household contacts starting to increase within our community, we are beginning to see the impact of this at MHJC.
While our preference is to have all students onsite for face to face learning, it has become increasingly difficult to provide staff to cover classes owing to the shortage of relief teachers. Therefore, to relieve some pressure on our staff we have decided to roster home the following year levels:
Thursday 26th May – Y9 distance learning
Friday 27 May – normal school for all students
Monday 30 May – Y7 distance learning
Tuesday 31 May – Y8 distance learning
Wednesday 1 June – Y9 distance learning
Thursday 2 June – Y10 distance learning
Friday 3 June – normal school for all students
A decision will be made on Thursday 2 June as to whether we will continue to roster year levels the following week. Parents and students will be notified of the decision on Thursday evening. This system will continue until we feel that we can operate safely.
As before, during lockdown last year, students will be supported during this, hopefully short disruption. We already have well established routines including the use of digital platforms and work will be set by subject teachers and/or Whānau leaders.
Our apologies for this urgent notification however it is a decision which balances the learning needs of our students and the need to maintain a safe learning and working environment for everyone. Different days will be allocated to Year Levels to maximise their learning opportunities.
We appreciate all your support getting through these challenging times.
If your child cannot be supervised at home on the days specified above please complete the form herein. This will be updated every week if required.
I wish everyone a day free of worry, a day free from considering the horrors of war. It is hard to imagine what it must be like to experience a reality which includes the imminent prospect of death and destruction when we have not personally witnessed it. That is why we must, at least for a moment, pause and reflect on what it must have been like for so many of our forefathers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve peace and freedom for future generations.
It is also important to spare some time to consider those still affected by war. Refugees displaced by fighting, innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, and of course those who serve who continue to die or bear horrific wounds, seen and unseen.
Finally it falls on our shoulders to ensure that war does not become the only option to settle differences. It is sad to witness the conflict in Ukraine and wonder how the world can still stumble into conflict with the horrifying consequences and geopolitical scars that might take generations to heal. An absence of genuine dialogue, understanding and respect leads to misinformation, mistrust and misunderstanding. These are the conditions for conflict and those we strive to avoid.
We often recite the poem titled “Lest we forget”. These words could not be more appropriate today.
I share extracts from a bulletin I received from the MoE today:
You’ll be aware that this afternoon the Government announced that New Zealand is moving into Phase 3 of our response to Omicron from 11:59pm tonight Thursday 24 February.
In Phase 3, only household contacts of confirmed cases are required to self-isolate. The isolation period will be 10 days. All other contacts of COVID-positive people are not required to isolate, but they will need to monitor for symptoms. Rapid antigen tests will become the primary testing method.
This is a decision that has been made based on public health advice – the high vaccination rate across the country will do its job in protecting us from transmission during the next surge of cases. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to get your booster.
So your child may come to school provided:
they are not showing COVID symptoms and
they are not household contacts and
they have not tested positive for COVID-19.
While we have a rising number of cases among the student body, they are still relatively low and school is still a safe place for our students provided we all remain vigilant and follow the guidelines we have outlined so often:
please keep children at home if they are showing symptoms and get them tested ASAP – this was done by the cases reported to us which has helped to slow the spread of the virus;
keep supplying your child with a mask (and a spare one), this is one of the best ways to keep them safe;
seriously consider vaccinating your child against the virus if you have not done so.
Once again your patience, support and cooperation is really appreciated.
Today we were informed that two of our students have returned positive results for COVID-19. They were both away from school today however I wish to inform you as a courtesy of these, our first reported cases.
A letter has been sent to all parents/caregivers and I can state that at this stage we have not identified any close contacts.
School will be open as normal on Friday (tomorrow the school is closed for Student Led Conferences which are being done online this term).
As we move into phase 2 of the Omicron response plan a quick update may be helpful.
So far we have been fortunate not to have any positive cases at MHJC. This is likely to change given the rising numbers of cases in the wider community but I would like to thank the MHJC community for its tremendous efforts to help minimise the risk of the virus spreading.
Our students have been fantastic as have parents with clear and timely communication if members of their family have been identified as close contacts.
The best advice at this stage is that owing to our extensive use of masks indoors, well-ventilated classrooms, movement of students every hour and a thorough cleaning programme, the number of close contacts will be kept to a minimum.
You will be contacted if there is a positive case in a class however it is likely that if your child is in that class they will still be able to come to school.
Please continue to reinforce our safety measures with your children so we can maintain as safe an environment as possible.
