COVID-19 Questions & Answers

We hope that the following will answer any questions you may have. Please click on the arrow next to each question to see the answer.

Who do I advise if my child tests positive for Covid-19?
Please contact Sandy, the principal, on 021 899 429 as soon as possible after you have been informed of a positive test result.
What actions does the school take when there is a positive case?
We follow a response plan based on guidance from the Ministries of Education and Health.

  • We will advise the Ministry of Education.
  • The school community will be advised that we have a case (no names given) and groups may be identified as potential contacts
My child has tested positive for COVID-19. What does this mean?
This means that everyone in your household, including your child, needs to isolate. ALL household members will need to follow the guidance of the Ministry of Health. https://covid19.govt.nz/isolation-and-care/if-you-test-positive-for-covid-19/ Please DO NOT send your child or their siblings to school if someone in your household has Covid-19.
Do I need to provide anything before my child is able to return to school?
Yes please. You need to notify us that your child is symptom free and has completed the required isolation time. Please let us know before hand, when they will be returning to school.
A member of our household has tested positive for COVID-19. What does this mean?
This means that everyone in your household, including your child(ren) will need to isolate. ALL household members will need to follow the guidance of the Ministry of Health. https://covid19.govt.nz/isolation-and-care/if-you-test-positive-for-covid-19/ Please DO NOT send your child(ren) to school if someone in your household has COVID-19.
My child, or a member of our household, has been exposed to someone who now has COVID-19. What does this mean?
Anyone who knows they have been exposed to a positive case of COVID-19 needs to closely monitor for symptoms. Provided they are symptom-free, they are able to continue going to school and work. You may choose to be cautious and monitor your child from home. If you do this, please let us know and we will mark your child as “Learning from Home” The Learning from Home site can be found here. If anyone in your household develops symptoms, please get them tested.
My child lives in more than one household and one household has COVID in it. What does this mean?
If someone in one of the households your child is part of tests positive for COVID-19 EVERYONE in that household, at the time, must isolate for 10 days. If your child was in that household at the time, they need to remain in that household as part of that isolation group for 10 days. If your child was not in there at the time, they should remain in their other household, monitor for symptoms and NOT go back into the COVID household until everyone there has completed their isolation period. Your child can still attend school if they are symptom-free.
Should I send my child to school?
School is OPEN for everyone as long as they do not have COVID in their household and they are symptom-free. We encourage you to send your child(ren) to school every day if you can. Our children have missed a lot of teaching and learning over the past 2 years, and we really want to see them at school as much as possible. Our school health and safety plan for the Red Traffic Light level has many protections in place for everyone at school.
What is school doing to keep my child safe?
  • All staff, volunteers and contractors on site are vaccinated
  • We have good ventilation in place every day
  • Masks are being worn as much as possible in Years 5-8, and by many in Years 1-4 and New Entrants
  • We are not mixing teams in any way indoors.
  • When outside, children are encouraged to play with children in their own teams
  • We have good handwashing and sanitising practices in place
  • We have strong cleaning processes in place
  • All visitors who come onto the school site each day are asked to scan and sign in, to support contact tracing.
  • We are not taking our children out of the school on any trips or activities that will have them mixing with other people outside the school community.
My child is anxious or scared. What advice do you have?

Our staff are working hard to make school a safe and fun place of learning. We encourage you to focus on the ways that your child can help: mask-wearing, washing hands, sanitising, and staying at home if unwell.

This website has some useful tips for supporting children: https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/coping-worry-anxiety-about-covid-19

My child needs to isolate at home. What support will school provide around teaching and learning?
We have re-launched our “Learning at Home” website. Other support will depend on whether our home-group teachers are at school teaching the children who are at school, at home self-isolating – and probably able to support those children also self-isolating, or at home unwell. It will also depend on how many children are at school and how many are at home. We will endeavour to offer the best support we can, and encourage you to stay in touch with your child’s home-group teacher for current information and support. We will also have hard packs available that may be useful if digital learning is challenging to access.