Greenmeadows Intermediate School

Kia ora whānau,

Next Monday 13 September, the Prime Minister will provide an update on alert levels for Auckland. We will then find out whether we remain in Level 4 or whether Auckland can shift to Level 3.

As I have said before, it is important to keep in mind that not a lot will change during Alert Level 3 for the majority of students. Schools will still be closed for face-to-face learning, other than for the children of parents who need to go to work and have no alternative care options available. Screenmeadows will continue to be how we will deliver learning for all students and the teachers will all remain working from home in order to continue this.

The senior leadership team needs to put in place plans for supervising students who do need to attend bubble school during Alert Level 3 because their parents have no alternative care arrangements. Students in the bubble school will continue to learn through "Screenmeadows" and will be supervised by support staff while engaging in their online lessons and completing their assignments.

While the government would not allow a shift to Level 3 if it was unsafe for bubble schools to operate, this Delta variant is a little more tricky than previous strains of COVID 19 and the rules for how we operate under Alert Level 3 have changed in response.

• Bubbles will be limited to ten students.
• Bubbles are not allowed to cross over and nor are they allowed to have any contact with each other.
• Face coverings are recommended.
• Physical distancing must be observed at all times - students have to remain at least 1m away from each other inside and 2m outside.
• Windows of classrooms are to be opened before school, during breaks and after school to allow fresh air to circulate.
• Supervisors are not allowed to cross over bubbles, although can be relieved for breaks etc by other staff.

We do need to know early how many students to expect for bubble school so we can work out a plan to accommodate everyone, including the number of staff needing to return to the school site to supervise them.

If you wish your child to school during Alert Level 3, please email me directly by Tuesday 14 September (cchalmers@greenmeadows.school.nz), letting me know the following information:

• the name of your child,
• their room number and
• what days (or how many days per week) you will be needing to send your child to school.

The sooner you can let me know, the better :)

We do need parents to let us know if their circumstances change and they no longer need to send their child to school. Last time we had parents enrolling their child in bubble school, but then they never actually attended. This makes it very difficult for us to manage the organisation, particularly regarding how many staff we need to have on site and how many bubbles are needed.

On a final note, it is just great to see how well the majority of students are engaging with their classes. We know home learning isn't easy for anyone! We understand not every child can come online every day, but we are finding that around 80% of our students are engaging consistently and regularly. That is just fantastic!! Thank you!

Stay safe everyone and fingers crossed we get to go down an alert level next week!

Ngā mihi

Cathy Chalmers

PRINCIPAL

cchalmers@greenmeadows.school.nz