Kia ora e te whānau

Welcome Back on site

We very much look forward to seeing our students and staff who are well back on site next Monday 13 June 2022. We hope for as little disruption to learning as possible over these last four weeks of the school term. We thank you for caring for your children at home on the six school days that we have been closed. We acknowledge the challenges that some families have faced by having to do this.

In my conversations with other Principals and schools right across the country, managing our schools in the “covid climate” is always the first topic that currently comes up in all gatherings and we talk about our challenges and share our responses. It has been widely reported that  20% (1 in 5 teachers) of teaching staff nationwide are absent from their roles due to Covid and that schools have used a variety of responses to combat this. Raglan Area School will continue to investigate alternative options that will respond best to the challenges inherent in the Area School setting. We will keep you informed.

Matariki Public Holiday – Friday 24 June 2022

The inaugural nationwide Matariki public holiday is on Friday 24 June and school will be closed on that day. In the coming days many of our teachers will be including celebrating and learning further about this wondrous time in the year.

Covid-19 Traffic Light  – We are still at ORANGE 

At Orange, face masks are not required at school. However, given the increase of Covid Cases across the country, public health advice is that masks continue to be strongly encouraged when indoors. Wearing a mask is a key health measure that slows the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings. For that reason, we ask that visitors to the school, including parents and whānau, wear a mask whenever they are indoors and on school grounds.

We also ask that students (if they are Year 5+) continue to bring a mask to school every day. As there are currently a high number of cases at school and in the community, we strongly encourage masks to be worn in classrooms for the remainder of this term – 4 weeks.

 At Orange, students aged 12 and above are still required to wear a face mask at school or on public transport.

We will continue to keep all the other health measures in place at school that we know slow the spread of COVID-19. These include ensuring our indoor spaces are well-ventilated, maintaining good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette, appropriate physical distancing whenever we can and, most importantly, staying home if we are sick. 

As always, please feel free to make contact by phoning the school office 07 8258140 if you have any queries.

Stay well. Stay safe. Stay connected.

Ngā mihi. Whaea Louisa Barham  (Tumuaki / Principal)