CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE

Dear Parents / Caregivers,

I share with you recent communication from the Ministry of Education so you know what will happen if we have a case of COVID-19 in our school community. We assure you that we have been planning for this and will respond quickly should this occur and I confirm we do not have any known cases of Coronavirus in our community at this time.

When is sick, sick?

The messaging remains clear – that if you are feeling unwell please stay home. However at the tail end of a cold, there will be runny noses and probably some coughing. This might be worrying for some people who are being vigilant about their own and others’ health.

A diagram has been developed by Dr Siouxsie Wiles to assist you when considering symptoms. What it tells us is:

A dry cough and a high temperature are common to both flu and COVID-19
Sneezing is not a symptom of COVID-19, however if someone has COVID-19, then sneezing can spread droplets containing the virus

As soon as a case is confirmed in our immediate school community (e.g. a student, staff member, or member of their household), the Medical Officer of Health and Ministry of Education will inform me about this, and we will work together to get quick and clear messaging out to you
If there was a case confirmed of someone in our school, we will likely be asked to close temporarily by the Medical Officer of Health. This will allow time for close contacts to be traced, appropriate testing to be undertaken, and a careful clean of the school to be undertaken.
If our school does need to close temporarily, we have a plan in place to support student’s learning.

We know COVID-19 feels scary and of course people are concerned for the well-being of our children. Please be assured that with no case confirmed in our school, your children are safe here.

Good hygiene is a priority at our school, and we are reinforcing this regularly with all students and staff. We know that practicing good hygiene is still the best thing we can all do to prevent illness.

We are getting the most up to date advice and guidance so that we can confidently make informed decisions about the safety and well-being of our school community.

As a result of this, these events are no longer planned as per the term diary:

Short-term Yokohama group
Attitude Health Seminar
Summer Tournament Week
Brave Hearts Parents Evening
Form Class Photos
Academic Coaching evening
All camps
Local and regional competitions

We look forward to seeing your sons back at the College on Monday morning, safe and well after an enjoyable weekend.

R W Mangan
Principal