COVID-19 Alert Level Two Guidelines

Kia ora Ōtūmoetai Primary School Community & Whānau

Welcome to Term Two!  The COVID-19 Alert Level Two Guidelines for OPS are as follow:

Guidelines for Parents/Caregivers
If children are sick, parents MUST keep them at home. If children arrive at school sick, parents will be called and asked to collect their child.
If children are going to be away from school for any reason, parents are asked to text the school absentee phone as usual - 027-5842592
We ask that children are dropped off at school between 8.30 - 8.55am. We do not want children gathering at the school hall before 8.30am.
Parents are asked not to come onto the school grounds unless absolutely necessary. We are trying to reduce the numbers of people gathering onsite. Please just drop your child at the school gate in the morning and arrange to meet them outside the school grounds at 3pm.
Parents/caregivers/visitors who absolutely need to enter a classroom will be noted on the daily classroom register by the classroom teacher. This is for tracing purposes for MOH if needed.
Please do not come to the school office unless absolutely necessary. Parents/caregivers/visitors who absolutely need to come to the school office will need to record their name on the Visitors Register - this is for tracing purposes for MOH if needed.
Wendy can be contacted via email office@ops.school.nz or by phoning the school office 07 5766751 if needed.

Children will be asked to:

Maintain physical distancing where practicable - this means children will be asked to maintain a physical distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other (Please note: there is no minimum distance requirement for schools at Alert Level 2)
Use sneeze/cough etiquette - using elbow/hand washing.
Ensure regular hand washing/use of sanitiser - particularly when arriving at school, before eating, when returning to the classroom after play breaks, after using the toilet, after nose blowing /coughing/sneezing etc….
Bring their own personal water bottles - use of drinking fountains will be discouraged.

Well Being and Mental Health
When children return to school, they will all be feeling differently. Some children will be anxious and fearful and others will be excited that they are back at school and looking forward to seeing their teachers and friends. Whatever your child/ren are feeling please talk to them about it.
Invite your child/ren to say how they are feeling and express what is on their minds. Answer questions honestly. Focus on the people that are there to help, both at school, at home and in the community. Validate feelings by saying things such as: “Yes, it is a bit scary/ different/interesting. I feel that way too. What are some of the things you/me/your teacher can do to help you with that?”
While it is important to get back into routines, we will all need time to reconnect and relax. Be reassured that we are not only super-excited to see the children back at school, but we will also be vigilant in keeping them safe.

Practical Ways to Help Your Children
Children look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events such COVID-19. Parents, caregivers, whanau and teachers will have a particularly important part to play in reassuring children at this time. This link provides guidance for parents and whānau.
https://parents.education.govt.nz/…/talking-to-children-ab…/

Teacher Only Day Postponed
On another note, the Ōtūmoetai Community of Learners / Kāhui Ako Primary and Intermediate schools have overwhelmingly voted to postpone the Teacher Only Day scheduled for Tuesday 2nd June 2020. This will now be held at a later date in either 2021 or 2022. This means our school will not have a Teacher Only Day on 2nd June 2020.

School Sports Teams
At this stage, we are unsure if school sport will be going ahead and we are awaiting news from the local sports associations. If you would like to register your child in a school sports team please do so via the school website page before Monday 18th May at 12.00 noon. No payment is required until sport teams are confirmed.

Sport Bay of Plenty Update
All Sport BOP events are cancelled until the end of May.

Thank you for your support during this challenging time. It has been very much appreciated.

Being challenged in life is inevitable. Being defeated is optional. (Roger Crawford)

Kind regards
Zara McIndoe
z.mcindoe@ops.school.nz
Principal

Welcome to Ōtūmoetai Primary School!

Tēnā koutou! A very warm welcome to all students, families and visitors to our school website. Ōtūmoetai Primary is a school bursting with enthusiastic children, dedicated and hard working staff, friendly and involved families and a supportive and committed PTA and BOT all working together towards our school vision of ‘Actively Involved Learners’.

We are a PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) School and 2019 saw the exciting launch of School Houses.

We are excited about continuing our successful journey with you. Our school vision is 'Actively Involved Learners' - this pertains to children, staff, parents, community and whānau. Please get involved in our school - our success depends on the support and involvement of all stakeholders. We look forward to welcoming you to school events, assemblies, class trips, community/whānau meetings and information evenings. We encourage your involvement as classroom helpers, PTA and BOT members, sports coaches and managers and in contributing to school reviews, surveys and school fundraisers. Most importantly, thank you for your involvement with your child and for having your child/ren prepared for school - spending quality time with them, reading to them, having them at school on time, providing them with healthy lunches, ensuring that their uniforms are named, supporting them with homework, sport and extracurricular activities and for being your child’s number one advocate.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, Engari he toa takitini.
Success is not the work of one but the work of many.

If you are new to our area feel free to email or phone to make an appointment to meet with us if you are interested in learning more about our school. We would be happy to meet with you.

Ngā Mihi Nui
Zara McIndoe
Principal

Term Dates

http://www.tect.org.nz/

TECT Grant 2018

The children and staff of OPS wish to thank the Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust for their assistance in purchasing 145 new HP chromebooks, which allows us to have a 1-to-1 ratio of devices to students in Weka Team, and frees up more chromebooks for use in the middle school. TECT footed half of the bill, which made this purchase possible.