Kia ora koutou,
I hope this newsletter finds you and your whānau safe and well.
We are delighted to be able to welcome more tamariki back onsite under Alert Level 3 from Wednesday 17 November.
We know learning kanohi ki te kanohi is the best option for children and young people. It’s important for them to connect with their friends and teachers and it helps their social, physical and emotional wellbeing.
We look forward to starting to bring children back on site. If your child is already attending bubble school they will continue to. For other children returning we will need to manage the numbers of students attending each day to keep everyone safe.
Even with the Delta variant, the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools is low because of all the public health measures we will have in place. What this will look like:
• we will need to limit the number of tamariki/children onsite each day
• we will keep those onsite in separate groups while inside
• we’ll ensure our classrooms are well ventilated
• we’ll continue to practice physical distancing where possible.
In addition to this, all staff and children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are required to wear face coverings indoors (unless they have an exemption).
Children in Years 0, 1, 2 and 3 are encouraged to wear a mask (unless they have a disability or health condition that makes this unsuitable) as our Year 0, 1, 2 and 3 staff will be wearing a mask inside (unless they have a disability or health condition that makes this unsuitable).
All staff (and external contractors) who are on site will be fully vaccinated or will have had had at least one dose of the vaccine and return a negative weekly test.
Our plan to welcome tamariki back to school is:
- School is open from Wednesday 17 November.
- Our school population will be split in half and we will only have half the school population at school at any one time.
- Silverdale School A – All siblings. (Approximately 50% of our school population)
- Silverdale School B – Only child at Silverdale School. (Approximately 50% of our school population)
This is the school timetable for when your child/ren will be required to attend school.
Week 5
Wednesday 17 November – Silverdale School A
Thursday 18 November – Silverdale School B
Friday 19 November – Silverdale School A
Week 6
Monday 22 November – Silverdale School B
Tuesday 23 November – Silverdale School A
Wednesday 24 November – Silverdale School B
Thursday 25 November – Silverdale School A
Friday 26 November – Silverdale School B
Week 7
Monday 29 November – Silverdale School A
Tuesday 30 November – Silverdale School B
Wednesday 1 December – Silverdale School A
Thursday 2 December – Silverdale School B
Friday 3 December – Silverdale School A
Week 8
Monday 6 December – Silverdale School B
Tuesday 7 December – Silverdale School A
Wednesday 8 December – Silverdale School B
Thursday 9 December – Silverdale School A
Friday 10 December – Silverdale School B
Week 9
Monday 13 December – Silverdale School A
Tuesday 14 December – Silverdale School B
Wednesday 15 December – Silverdale School A
Thursday 16 December – Silverdale School B
Friday 17 December – Silverdale School A
More detailed guidelines will be coming home shortly.
Confirmation of what school your child will be in will come home on Monday 15 November.
We have modified our times to meet with the MoH guidelines.
Start and finish times will stay the same.
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Junior School
Year 0, 1, 2
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Middle School
Year 3 and 4
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Senior School
Year 5 and 6
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Start – 9.00am
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Block 1
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9.00am – 11.00am
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9.00am – 10.35am
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9.00am – 10.00am
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Morning Play 20 mins
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11.00am – 11.20am
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10.35am – 10.55am
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10.00am – 10.20am
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Block 2
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11.20am – 12.15pm
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10.55pm – 1.00pm
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10.20am – 11.20am
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Lunch Play 40 mins
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12.15pm – 12.55pm
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1.00pm – 1.40pm
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11.20am – 12.00pm
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Block 3
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12.55pm – 1.45pm
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1.40pm – 2.05pm
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12.00pm – 1.20pm
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Afternoon Play 15 mins
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1.45pm – 2.00pm
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2.05pm – 2.20pm
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1.20pm – 1.35pm
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Block 4
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2.00pm – 2.55pm
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2.20pm – 2.55pm
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1.35pm – 2.55pm
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Home – 3.00pm
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Please note, we’ll continue to support learning from home for those tamariki who’s parents have chosen not to send their child/ren to school. This will not be the same as you are currently used to. For parents/caregivers who have chosen not to send their children back to part time school, the children will have limited contact with their classroom teacher as it is too difficult for teachers to be teaching all day face to face and then teach online. There will be no Zooms and children will have limited feedback from their teacher. For those children returning to school, feedback will be given during class time and not online.
What you can do to help:
• stay at home if you or your child is sick
• avoid catching up with other parents, children and whānau at the gates
• wear a face covering and maintain a two-metre distance from people not in your household bubble
• get advice from your doctor if you or your child has complex medical needs (and please get in touch so that we can support your child to return onsite, wherever possible)
• avoid having playdates inside with children from other families at Alert Level 3.
We look forward to seeing you back at school next week.
Ngā mihi nui
Silverdale School Country Show Day Online Auction – The auction is open from Wednesday 10 November until Friday 19 November.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
We are so fortunate that local businesses have been super generous in donating items and services to support our school! Get online and get bidding – you might even grab yourself a bargain.
There is something for everyone!!
https://www.32auctions.com/CSD2021
The auction is open from Wednesday 10 November til Friday 19 November.
Winning bidders can then make payments directly into the PTA account (12 3046 023 1780 00) or pay by EFTPOS when collecting on Sunday 21 November at Metro Park.
Reasons to get vaccinated
Without vaccines, we’re at risk of serious illness, disability or even death from things like the measles, meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus and polio – and now COVID-19.
Vaccines work by stimulating the body’s natural resistance by training our immune systems to create antibodies.
Here are a few reasons why vaccinations are good – for everyone:
- they can prevent us from getting sick
- they are safe
- they can save lives
- they will not cause a disease they are designed to prevent
- they can help protect the community
- prevention is much better than treatment.
In a nutshell, by getting vaccinated, we are protecting ourselves, our loved ones and those around us. Most people can be vaccinated, but those who cannot be – including very young babies, those who are seriously ill or have certain allergies – they depend on us to be vaccinated to ensure they are also safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.
These are the reasons the Government is requiring the education workforce to be vaccinated by 1 January 2022.
It’s important to know that licensed vaccines have been rigorously tested across multiple phases before being approved for use.
How does the vaccine work?
The COVID-19 vaccine works by teaching your body to fight the virus and protects you from
getting sick:
- The vaccine sends a set of instructions to teach your body how to fight the COVID-19 virus.
- With these instructions your body learns to recognise the COVID-19 virus and use antibodies against it. Antibodies stop the virus from infecting your cells and help to kill it.
- That means if you come into contact with the COVID-19 virus in the future, your body will have the right tools to protect itself so you are less likely to get sick.
Is the vaccine safe?
The Pfizer vaccine has been thoroughly assessed for safety by our own Medsafe experts.
Medsafe only grants consent for using a vaccine in Aotearoa once they’re satisfied it has met strict standards for safety, efficacy and quality.
This is the same process used to assess other vaccines, like the flu, measles, and tetanus vaccines. There have been no shortcuts taken in granting approval.
The Pfizer vaccine has been used successfully by millions worldwide and is highly effective at preventing severe illness and death. It continues to be monitored for safety.
Why was it developed so quickly?
Because the mRNA vaccine is not new technology and has been studied for over a decade, including for the development of other vaccines such as the seasonal flu vaccine, researchers had a head start.
This is the first time scientists and governments from around the world have united to develop a vaccine. This global collaboration meant they could spend an enormous amount of time and money into developing the vaccines very quickly without taking any shortcuts in the necessary processes or compromising safety. This also meant that the various stages of research development happened at the same time.
Are there any side effects?
It is common to experience mild side effects, such as muscle aches, pain at the injection site or headaches.
These are more commonly reported after the second dose and are actually a sign that your body’s immune system is learning to fight the virus. They don’t last long and won’t stop you from having a second dose or going about your daily life.
There are some side effects that are more serious but very rare, like a severe allergic reaction or an inflammation of the heart. If you develop difficulty breathing, a racing heart, chest pain or feel faint immediately or in the days after the vaccine, you should seek medical attention.
Further information
Here are links to some downloadable PDFs:
The Unite Against COVID-19 website also has content about misinformation and scams which may also be helpful for you and for your community.
If you see something about COVID-19 or the vaccine that doesn’t seem right or if it’s on social media, you can report it to the platform. Anything else can be reported to CERT NZ.
Here is a range of resources available to inform people who are anxious about the vaccine.
Videos
- Nigel Latta, Dr Maia Brewerton and Dr Helen Petousis-Harris recently answered questions in a Facebook live event.
- Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Dr Nikki Turner, Dr Siouxsie Wiles and Dr Vanisi Prescott recently answered questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine, moderated by Mihingarangi Forbes.
- Mihingarangi Forbes sat down with Dr Hinemoa Elder to discuss some key concerns and hesitancies.
- Vax Facts with Māori Doctors: Dr Anthony Jordan, Dr Papaarangi Reid, Dr Rawiri McKree-Jansen, Dr Maia Brewerton (specialists and activists in Māori health) take phone calls from the Public about Covid and the Vaccine. (Most callers are unvaccinated.)
- Clinical psychologist Rachel Prebble explains how to talk to friends and whānau in this video create an opportunity for open, safe conversations which build trust and enable change over time
- A fun and informative item on the Hahana Facebook page with answers to lots of vaccine questions.
- A rangatahi panel with Dr Jason Tuhoe to kōrero about the vaccine from different perspectives (vaccinated, vaccine hesitant, wants to be vaccinated but whānau pressure not to).
- Watch a discussion between four health professionals where they share their thoughts, knowledge and experiences of the COVID vaccine in Straight Up with Dr. Lily Fraser – The Panel.
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