COVID-19 Updates for Domestic Students & Families
NEW ZEALAND COVID-19 INFORMATION
Long Bay College recommends parents/caregivers and students visit the official government websites for the latest COVID-19 information.
LONG BAY COLLEGE COVID-19 UPDATES
Any developments that occur that impact upon our school will be posted below. Information will also be emailed to parents/caregivers. Please scroll down for the latest information.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11 – COVID UPDATE
Kia ora Parents and Caregivers,
I believe it is timely to give an update on the Covid-19 situation in our kura (school). Since our first case of contracted Covid-19 we have had 90 additional cases, many of whom are no longer active.
I am extremely proud of the commitment of our student body and staff to our hygiene protocols which have seen transmission within our school minimal, if in fact at all. We continue to work diligently to keep our school fully operational for as long as we can and firmly believe that enabling the school to function fully, ensuring rhythm and routines and a sense of normality, are a positive step for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. If the time comes that we have to move to the second response of our Omicron plan, namely rostering home, then this will be done with great consideration and care.
As of 11.59 pm this evening the requirement for household contacts to isolate at home will be reduced to 7 days as per the recent announcement from the Government. Here is some guidance from the Ministry of Education to clarify the protocols we now need to follow:
What you need to do
- You and your whānau should be very vigilant about monitoring for symptoms.
- If any symptoms develop, get tested immediately.
- Wear a face mask when out and about.
- Wash hands often with soap for 20 seconds and dry your hands completely.
- Wash your hands if you have been in a public place or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your face, and cough or sneeze into your elbow or cover your mouth with tissues.
- If you and your whānau haven’t been vaccinated or boosted, please do so as soon as possible. You can book on-line at bookmyvaccine.nz or by calling 0800 28 29 26. It’s free.
Symptoms of COVID-19
- A new or worsening cough.
- Sneezing and runny nose.
- A fever.
- Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste.
- Sore throat.
- Shortness of breath.
Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.
For more information, go to the Unite Against COVID-19 website.
If you or someone in your whānau tests positive for Covid 19
- If you or your child receive a positive test result the household must isolate for seven days.
- Household contacts must test on Day 3 and Day 7.
Returning to school after COVID-19
- Students who test positive for COVID-19 are not required to self-isolate past seven days, but they shouldn’t return to school if they are still feeling unwell.
- Many children will have long lasting runny nose and cough after viral infections. If it is over 10 days since the onset of the COVID infection and they are no longer feeling unwell, they are unlikely to be transmitting any active COVID infection and can return to school. However, if they are continuing to feel unwell or their symptoms are worsening after 10 days then GP review is recommended.
What we’re doing
- We are staying open.
- We are using public health measures to reduce the risk in our settings, including masks, physical distancing and ventilation.
- We have appropriate cleaning procedures in place.
School support
Students and parent/caregivers are able to access expert support from our Hauora (Wellbeing) Centre for our rangatahi (young people).
- Head of Wellbeing, Ms Hiltrud Egle: [email protected]
- School Nurse, Mrs Amanda Palmer: [email protected]
Student absences
If a student is absent from school, please contact the Student Centre by phone, email or absence form via the school website by 9:30 am on the day of absence. A phone call, written explanation or email of non-attendance is required from parents/caregivers. Please phone: 09 477 9009 ext 878 or email: [email protected].
I would like to congratulate all of our community on accepting the challenge of Covid-19 and its associated difficulties, with confidence and courage.
Noho ora mai
CJ HEALEY
Tumuaki / Principal
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 – LBC PHASE 3 INFORMATION
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
As you will be aware, we are experiencing students and staff to be impacted by Omicron, either directly or through family members. The numbers are still low and student cases have averaged less than one per day since our first case was identified and at the time of writing, we are yet to have a confirmed staff case.
To date, it is unlikely that we have had any cases that have resulted from transmission within our school setting. This is an endorsement of the health measures adopted by the school and is ensuring our kura continues to be a safe place for both staff and students. In fact, you may have seen Dr Jin Russell in the media noting research from New South Wales about their recent Omicron outbreak showing that spread within the school setting is very low (less than 4% of cases at school infected someone else when at school). We have seen that in New Zealand too.
Today’s Government announcement confirms that, moving forward, only confirmed cases and their household contacts will be required to isolate. This is good news and further supports the school’s commitment to remaining open for on-site instruction. As always, it is imperative that during the next few weeks students are being constantly monitored for symptoms. If they start to feel unwell, they need to stay home and get tested. The availability of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will provide a much more efficient testing timeframe for people.
It is still of the highest importance that the parent/caregivers of students who contract Covid-19 or who are identified as household contacts, contact our Student Centre at [email protected] so that we can update our attendance records, keep our teachers informed so they are better able to support your children, and so that we can complete our Ministry of Health requirements.
Students needing to isolate will be able to access their learning through our Microsoft Teams platform, a platform our Year 10 to 13 students are very familiar with and that our Year 9 students are aware of and have been refining their skills, in.
In the short term, we are looking to introduce measures to ensure the school continues to function effectively. It is likely, at some stage in the near future, different Year Levels will be rotated to learning from home for one day per week and we are prepared for this eventuality. To assist you with understanding our ongoing and intended responses to the Covid-19 situation, please find an attachment which clearly details our procedures.
Despite this unsettling time, our Long Bay College students have had an outstanding start to the year and in fact, as demonstrated by our ever-improving NCEA results and our record Scholarship results, we have had an outstanding two years despite the obvious challenges presented. We look forward to the remainder of this term with optimism and envisage any disruption to the school setting being short-lived and well-managed by our community.
Community Omicron Response Document
Nga mihi
CJ HEALEY
Tumuaki / Principal
