Holy Cross School Miramar eNewsletter

Each Monday morning before school, we gather as a staff to pray together, this is a special time that helps us to prepare spiritually for the week ahead. This also provides a time and space to pause, give thanks for the many blessing we receive and pray for people and our world.

Following our staff reflection time, we gather as a school and are led in prayer by our Year 7 and 8 students; currently they have been helping us to reflect on leaders who have inspired others; the students share prayers that invite us to take on some of the qualities of these leaders, qualities such as courage, honesty, fairness and kindness.

In these uncertain times let’s pray for our leaders, our country, our world and each other.

Lord we ask that you bless and guide all leaders to act with wisdom, care and love.

We pray for our beautiful country, Aotearoa New Zealand, may we work together as one, for the good of all.

For our world, that we care for and respect all the gifts that God has given us and that we uphold our responsibility to share these resources so that all people can live with dignity and have what they need for a good life.

We pray for ourselves- may we show extraordinary kindness and courage. May others come to know you more deeply through our words and actions

Amen.

This morning we came together as a staff to discuss the current Covid situation. We would like to reassure you that the processes and procedures we have in place focus on the safety, care and wellbeing of our precious tamariki and all who are part of our community.

As you know from previous experience we have processes documented for each alert level and will continue to follow these, ensuring they are updated and revised following any information received from the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Health.

In the next section we provide a general reminder of Level 2 practices, as well as our more detailed plan.

In terms of the wellbeing of your whānau, we remind you of the outstanding Sparklers resource which has wonderful ideas and activities to support all family members. The importance of speaking with children about what is happening is vital. Please make the time to revisit this site, we know you will find it useful.

If you have any questions, concerns or challenges please speak with me- I may not have the answers but I will endeavour to work with you and find out. Remember too we have details of agencies that are able to provide support in many areas, don't hold back.

As always, we thank you for the wonderful support you give to us and each other; the Holy Cross community is one we can be proud of, let's continue to work together and model for our children, community in action.

Last night you would have heard the Governments decision about COVID 19 and the new alert level, we are now at Alert level 2. We encourage you to continue speaking with your children about practices to keep themselves and others safe.

The key messages to keep revisiting include:

Wash your hands with soap and water often
Cough and sneeze into your elbow
Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth
Put tissues into the bin
Keep a good distance between yourself and others - 1 m inside and 2 m outside

Parents we also reinforce the importance of keeping your child at home if he or she is unwell or if you are concerned about the health of anyone in your household.

As soon as we know of any changes to the current alert status we will share details of how health and safety recommendations will be set in place in our school setting.

Thank you for your continued support, we really appreciate your efforts to keep our students and our community safe.

Drop off pick up arrangements from, school gates at level 2. Any adult coming onto the school site must sign in at the Office.

Please continue to drive with great care near driveways and turning points.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EP8jHQFB4rk-r2j5KoGcyqS5lG2zJZadARwuhQ79l38/edit?usp=sharing

What Holy Cross School looks like at Alert Level 2. Please note that these procedures have been developed with the safety of staff and students in mind. Under Alert Level 2 we will continue to follow the guidelines set out in the Holy Cross School Pandemic Plan but will continue to manage the areas identified below. We have chosen to control the controllable rather than return all aspects of school back to normal. For this reason we will limit all non-essential curriculum activity both in and outside of school. Whilst many of you may feel anxious at this time, we will ensure that school is the safest possible place for your children to be, outside of your family homes. At all times we will be following the most up to date advice from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.

Classrooms	At Pick up and Drop Off	Staffing Classes
Sanitiser: Under Alert Level 2 hand sanitiser stations will be provided in every classroom. Students and Staff will use these as they enter or exit a room. -Additional disinfectant/cloth will be available in classrooms for staff to sanitise spaces throughout the school day as required. Food: Students will eat morning tea and lunch in their class at their desk/ table; no sharing of food or drink Temp: Class temp to be 18 deg can go up to 20 deg but no higher.	Under Alert Level 2 we encourage a drop off and pick up only approach to restrict the number of ‘adults on-site’. Where possible there should be one person designated for pick up and drop off. Please be respectful of this as it is the ‘most likely’ chance of Covid-19 entering the school grounds. Students will not be allowed to enter before 8:20am and must go home immediately after school- not to play in the grounds. If you do need to come on site please email or phone first then come to the school office to register and register as a visitor.	There is no ‘bubble concept’ at Alert Level 2 so there are no restrictions on students in classes. Physical Distancing – Physical distancing is a good precaution to prevent the spread of disease. Children, young people and staff should be far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on or touching each other, coupled with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces. There does not need to be a specific measurement but where practicable 1 metre should be used as a guide, particularly between adults.
Staff	In the playground	Managing Attendance
Distance: Staff are expected to maintain a minimum of 1m physical distance between adults at all times, including in the staffroom. Dishes: Cups, spoons etc. to be personally handled into the dishwasher. Sanitiser: Soap and sanitiser will be provided in the staffroom. Disinfectant/wipes available to be used on shared keypads (e.g. photocopier and alarm). Parking: Staff to park in staff car park before 8:15am or continue to park on the Polo ground side of Para St. This will provide additional space for parents to drop off and collect students.	Sports equipment may be used but hygiene practice to be observed. Children to sanitise or wash hands after using equipment and after breaks. Drinking fountains will not be used. Students will need a named drink bottle at school. Students can bring their own scooter to use at school. We will set in place a break timetable to limit contact with the wider group and manage the use of bathrooms, for two weeks- review as necessary.	Students and Staff will not attend if they are unwell. Students and Staff who become unwell during the school day will be sent home. Anyone showing signs of COVID-like symptoms should seek advice from their GP or Healthline. This may result in being advised to get tested for COVID-19. In schools our contact tracing is a combination of timetable, attendance register and visitor register. These provide good information to health authorities if they need to contact people that might be considered a close contact of a confirmed case, and determine whether they will need to self-isolate. This includes recording who the adults on-site are in close contact with as well as recording any visitors to the site, including parents and caregivers.
Cleaning and Hygiene	Movement In and Out of School	Learning
Toilet block will be checked and cleaned regularly. Students and Staff will use hand sanitiser when opening and closing all doors. Cleaners will complete daily cleans in line with the Ministry of Health guidelines. In an Alert Level 2 we will continue to model good hygiene practices (coughing into your elbow, handwashing and drying) and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.	We will continue to limit all non-essential curriculum activity both in and outside of school. No School Assemblies or gatherings. Afterschool Care will be able to operate under Alert Level 2- Meeting with SKIDS to confirm practices that must be in place. Garden to table: Food will only be consumed by the class that has prepared it	Regular structure and routines will be maintained to provide consistency and support wellbeing. Safe practices and expectations will be revisited.

If you are interested in having your child baptised, Father Ephrem invites you to an information evening for families on Wednesday 19th August at 5pm in the staff room. If this is something you may be interested in for your child/ren, please contact the office.

Gardener of the Day - Elaisa Moral

Spring is coming back!

It is nearly time to plant seeds and cuttings to grow new plants. Olivia and some students found some plants and they made some cuttings. She had some pearl light to help cuttings make roots so they can be planted in the garden. I got some sawdust and put it on the compost because it needs a balance of carbon and nitrogen (weeds and vegetable scraps).

Chef of the Day - Sarkis Isaac

In today’s session in the kitchen we made Vegan Pumpkin Pasta. Today I cut some vegetables for the salad to eat with the pasta. Something that went well was they way we worked as a team. Something I think we need to be careful about is how we use the equipment. An idea for next time could be to make ‘hulk’ cupcakes. I felt happy when I started to cut the vegetables. My goal for next session will be to concentrate harder so I know how to cook well.

Thank you very much to Bria's dad who last week spent the morning with the Garden To Table classes and took some beautiful photos of all the work involved in creating a meal.

On the menu last week was Broccoli and Cauliflower tempura and Celeriac.