Newsletter - Week 8 Term 1

Greenmeadows School 23 March 2022

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Tēnā koutou kātoa,

Today I am very grateful for our covered turf area, which has provided a dry outdoor space on a pretty miserable day. I know that our rural friends will be loving a bit of rain, but a wet day at school is not always a lot of fun at morning tea, nor lunchtime. Each of our syndicates have enjoyed some exclusive playing time under He Kapua today to let off some steam outside, even though it's been raining.

Being outside with each of the syndicates today it has really shone through how much the kids are still enjoying being at school, despite everything that is going on in the world around us right now. We now have over 50 children who had been COVID positive return to school from isolation, and judging by the smiles and giggles, they love being back!

Getting back to normal may take some time, even with the changes to Omicron rules announced this morning. My own children have had sports fixtures defaulted recently, and as winter sport approaches I ponder what my own football season is going to look like as we cope with players isolating. At GMS we have tried our hardest to keep as many "normal" sports options available as possible for your children in Term 2 and I've included details of how to become involved below.

Finally, one person that hasn't had any problems with the weather lately is Mr Johnson! There were many excited children in our playground at lunchtime yesterday as news filtered through that he had completed his TA challenge. We are all looking forward to Mr J's return next week when he will surely entertain us with tales from his journey on two wheels.

Ka kite anō,

Darren Holloway

Deputy Principal

WELCOME TO GMS

A very warm welcome to Estelle de Souza, the newest member of our Greenmeadows School community. Our roll is currently 444.

COVID-19 INFORMATION

We currently have 71 children isolating.

KOWHAI: 7 household contacts, 24 positive cases.

POHUTUKAWA: 7 household contacts, 7 positive cases.

TOTARA: 10 household contacts, 16 positive cases.

STAFF: 0 household contacts, 4 positive cases.

Over the past few weeks we have welcomed back 86 children from isolation, 51 of whom were positive cases. Great to have all those tamariki back!

As you can see, we are still having cases reported across our school community. All classroom spaces have recorded multiple cases so please remain vigilant in monitoring your own child for symptoms.

We are continuing to send children home during the day if they display symptoms at school and I would like to thank those parents who have supported us by collecting their children early. Sometimes the reason for sending the child home does not develop into anything, however, we have had a number of these children test postive the following day. At the moment, we'd rather play it safe, so thanks again for your support on this matter.

RETURNING TO SCHOOL

I have left the information below in the newsletter this week as there are a number of families who have tested positive at different times. As always, please get in touch with me or the office if you need clarification.

If your child has been lucky enough to complete their 7-day isolation period and remain negative, please keep monitoring them in the days ahead for symptoms. We have had a few children return from isolation, only to test positive a day or two later.

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TERM 2 SPORTS

Registrations are now open for Term 2 sports teams - full information and the link to register via Kindo can be found under the sports tab on our school website, www.gms.school.nz.

Registrations close on Sunday 3rd April, contact Nicki at nickis@gms.school.nz with any queries.

OSCAR Annual General Meeting

OSCAR are holding their Annual General Meeting on Monday 8th of April at 5.45pm in the OSCAR rooms. All welcome.

SCHOLASTIC LUCKY BOOK CLUB

Lucky Book Club orders close on Friday morning at 9am. All orders have to be done online, no cash payments accepted.

NAPIER LIBRARIES HOME DELIVERY SERVICES

Stuck at home isloating? This service may be of use to you!

If you live in the Napier area and are unable to visit either Napier or Taradale Libraries, we may be able to set you up with a contactless delivery of items to suit you or your children's interests.

You may be eligible for this free service if:

You are unable to visit the library due to limited mobility, disability or illness

You are unable to visit the library due to Covid-19 restrictions

Please phone our team on 06 8344180, or visit our website for more information.

CHILD ABSENCES

If your child is going to be absent from school, please let the school know before 9.00am on that morning.

The absent text service is NO longer available. Please do not text.

To report your child being away please use the school app. Find the absence button then use the email function.

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REMINDER ABOUT PICKING YOUR CHILDREN UP DURING THE SCHOOL DAY & THE REQUIREMENT OF FACIAL COVERINGS

If you need to pick up your child during the school day, please call the office and let the office staff know you are here and at which gate you are waiting.

Carolyn or Sara will ring through to the classroom and have your child sent out to meet you. The office staff will sign your child out on your behalf.

If you do need to come into the office to collect your child from the sickbay or for some other reason, please make sure you are wearing a mask and have scanned in. Many thanks.