Dear Parents/Guardians,
Re: Alert Level 2 - Health and Safety Protocols, School Activities
I am sure you are aware of the announcement that we are moving back into Alert Level 2 as of 11.59pm this evening. I would like to draw your attention to the Public Health requirements for schools and ask that you share this information with your son to ensure he is familiar with it.
A reminder that all students are expected to attend school at Alert Level 2. However, anybody who is unwell should not. If your son is sick, in particular if he has a runny nose, is coughing or sneezing, please keep him home and notify us of his absence as per normal processes (354 5176 ext. 761).
Please note that the Year 13 Mountain Trip, Crest to Crest Challenge and Year 12 Camp will go ahead as planned. These activities will operate within specific Ministry of Education and ministry of Health guidelines for EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) activities at Alert Level 2. In particular, these guidelines emphasise the importance of regular sanitizing and/or hand washing.
Please remind your son that it is important to regularly wash and dry his hands, cough and sneeze into his elbow or a tissue and to try and avoid touching his face. Tissues should be disposed of immediately after use.
The Ministry of Education has explained physical distancing expectations in schools thus: “Students and staff should be far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on or touching each other, coupled with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces. There does not need to be a specific measurement but where practicable 1m should be used as a guide, particularly between adults.” Teaching spaces will be set up with the maximum possible distance between students. This will vary depending upon the size and shape of the room and the number of students in particular classes. Teachers will draw up a seating plan and students will be required to sit in a specific seat. This is to assist with contact tracing should that be required.
Full school assemblies will not take place while we are at Alert Level 2. However, separate junior and senior assemblies may take place with appropriate physical distancing measures.
As they will in public areas, young men will need to take responsibility for their physical distancing from each other at less structed times e.g. before and after school, moving between classes and at break times.
Physical education classes will take place but students are reminded that good hygiene practices, hand washing in particular, need to be followed.
Classroom surfaces such as desks and other high touch surfaces will be cleaned regularly following Public Health guidelines.
Students who have been advised by a doctor to wear a facemask or who wish to wear a facemask are welcome to do so.
Students must ensure that they have all of the correct equipment that they need each day so that there is no sharing of pens, pencils, PE uniform etc.
Drinking fountains can be used to fill water bottles but cannot be used to drink directly from.
Information from local sporting organisations about any impacts on Manawatū regional competitions will be shared as it comes to hand.
School buses will operate as normal. Ministry of Education guidelines require the seats adjacent to the bus driver to remain empty. As per usual, it is important that your son follows the directions of the driver at all times.
We want to keep visitors to the school to an absolute minimum. Consequently, our preference is for you to make contact by email or telephone – 3545176 or admin@pnbhs.school.nz for the Main Office, 3545176 ext. 799 or finance@pnbhs.school.nz for the Finance Office.
If you are picking your son up for an appointment, please arrange to meet him outside of the school gates. If you are required to pick your son up during the day because he becomes unwell please ring the main office when you arrive at school and he will be escorted to the front door by the office staff. If it is essential that you come into the school in person, please ensure that you sign in at the Main Office, preferably using the Covid Tracer app and the QR code displayed on the main doors. This is required for possible contact tracing purposes.
To reduce the number of visitors to school we encourage parents to utilise online banking for payments whenever possible. The details are:
Bank: Westpac
Account Name: Palmerston
North Boys’ High School
Account Number:
03-0726-0476403-00
Reference #1 (Student ID):
References #2 (Student
Name):
Please contact the Finance Office if you do not know your son’s Student ID number.
I hope you can appreciate that these protocols are part of the COVID-19 response rather than a reflection of how we would prefer to interact with our young men, parents and wider community.
Please do take the time to discuss the Health and Safety requirements with your son. His safety, and that of our staff members and wider community, remain our priority.
We appreciate that this return to Alert level 2 will heighten anxiety levels for many people. We need to ensure that we continue to work together and support each other for the benefit of us all.
Yours faithfully,
D M Bovey
RECTOR
