Kia ora koutou e te whānau,

Our school will operate under the normal school hours of 9:00am - 3:00pm. Access to the school site is from 8:30am each morning.

We are really looking forward to welcoming our wonderful Templeton School children back onsite tomorrow morning. 

At Alert Level 2 there is low risk of community transmission and it provides us with a lot more opportunities to engage and connect with others. However, there are still a number of public health requirements we all need to follow. Please continue to monitor your health and do not send your children to school if they are not well (and please seek advice about getting a COVID test).

 For us, all the required safety precautions for Alert Level 2 will be in place including following all the recommendations from the public health experts. This means we will regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, encourage everyone to frequently wash their hands and cough and sneeze into their elbow.

 While physical distancing is not a requirement in schools, we will be doing our best to keep students from congregating in very large numbers and keeping spaces well-ventilated.

Face coverings are not required to be worn in school.  The decision to wear a face covering is up to each child and their whānau, whatever your decision it will be respected. Where an individual chooses to use a face covering they should supply and wear their own, and to do so safely. This option applies to younger children too.

If you are not sure what all the rules are for alert level 2 when you are out and about, then the following information may be useful to you:

•   COVID-19 Alert Levels summary table

•   COVID-19 Alert Levels detailed table

The Templeton staff have processed the Alert Level 2 MoH and MoE guidelines and confirmed the following specific detail to ensure we keep our people safe in our school environment:

(Please note, we will continue to review and adapt our plan in the coming days as we adjust to our new normal in Alert Level 2)

• During our transition into Alert Level 2 this week, we will only allow the parents and caregivers of Korimako children and other Junior children with identified needs to come onsite. All other parents and caregivers are not able to come onsite at this time. All of the above parents are only able to access school through the main Kirk Road gate.

• The above parents and caregivers who come on-site must sign the school register and clearly state which classroom space they are visiting. This is crucial for contact tracing purposes. We recommend you bring your own pen to record your details in the onsite parent and caregiver visitor form.

• Any of the above parents and caregivers onsite must actively practice the physical distancing requirements for adults in Alert Level 2. We ask that parents onsite wear a face covering.

• All staff and visitors are to scan the QR Tracing Code upon arrival.

• The Banks Street, Auditorium and Main Kirk Road gates are open and staffed for safe entry into school for all students. A reminder that parents must enter through the Kirk Road entrance.

• A hand sanitiser station is present at each gate and all children need to sanitise their hands before heading to their classrooms.

• Teachers will be in classrooms and ready for the children from 8.30am

• When children arrive, they are to go straight to classrooms and remain inside - Teachers have ensured there are books, games and activities available to keep the children engaged, comfortable  and calm. Home Learning TV episodes and Mythbuster Episodes may also be played on the classroom TV’s.

• Students are not required to wear face coverings in school. The decision to wear a face covering is up to students and their whānau. The decision to wear or not wear a face covering will be respected. Staff are not to physically help a child with their face covering. All face coverings must be independently managed by the individual.  

• Children, young people and staff will 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 can be used as a guide, particularly between adults. - MoE Level 2 Guidance

• Hand sanitiser at entry to school, classrooms and in shared spaces. Soap, water and the ability to dry hands is provided in all designated bathrooms

• Where practicable we will ensure that Templeton children are regularly washing and drying hands, coughing and sneezing into their elbow, and avoiding touching their face

• Physical education classes and break time activities are able to include access to sports equipment including playgrounds but hygiene practice will be observed after playing with equipment

• Disinfect and clean all surfaces daily. Teaching staff all have antiviral spray in their classrooms to regularly disinfect high touch surfaces and resources during the school day as required

• Teachers pack up their classroom at 2:45pm. Any older siblings go to their youngest siblings' designated gate for pick up.’  Please see below for further details re gates.

• School will finish at 3:00pm each day during COVID-19 Alert Level 2. 

• There will be no Whole School Assemblies during COVID-19 Alert Level 2 - WISE Times and other team gatherings can continue so that safe spacing of children and staff is possible

• School resources (reading books, library books etc) need to be returned to a designated box in the child’s classroom. 

• Reading Recovery resources will be returned to a designated box outside the Office

• Shared pens, jovis, maths resources are allowed, however will be avoided where possible

• Drinking Fountains are not available for children. All children will require a named drink bottle for water only. A designated water refill area is set up for children in their class. 

Pick up process for parents and caregivers of Korimako and other Junior children with identified needs who are able to come on-site:

• As stated above, only parents and caregivers of Korimako children (New Entrant children) and and other Junior children with identified needs are able to be onsite on-site to collect their child/ren. These parents and caregivers must enter through the Main Gate on Kirk Road and complete the register form outside the Office. We ask that this is done by 2:50pm at the latest. Any parents arriving after this may be required to stay off-site for contact tracing purposes.  We recommend you bring your own pen to record your details on the on-site parent and caregiver visitor form

• The above parents and caregivers who are on-site must clearly state where they are waiting for their child/ren and must maintain physical distancing requirements from other parents and staff

• The above parents and caregivers will need to patiently wait until it is clear enough to exit school grounds through the Main Gate on Kirk Road.

• Staff will be unavailable to formally meet with parents and caregivers after school on-site during Alert Level 2. All meetings with staff will need to be arranged through distance options

Pick up process for parents and caregivers who wait off-site:

• • We have designated gates for all of our Junior Classrooms for parents and caregivers to wait for their child/ren. If your Junior School child has older siblings, then they will need to be collected from their youngest sibling’s designated gate.  Older siblings will be dismissed from their class at 2:55pm to join their youngest siblings class for collection.

• Korimako (Year 0-1) children and their older siblings - Main Gate Kirk Road

• Tui (Year 1-2) children and their older siblings - Staff Car Park Gate 

• Kākā (Year 2-3) children and their older siblings - Double Gate behind Auditorium

Example: The youngest sibling is in Tui, the older siblings from Kākā, Ti Kouka and Rm 9 will all need to wait at the Staff Car Park for collection.

• Please ensure you tell your children which gate they will need to meet you at. All Junior classroom teachers will actively walk their children to these gates and support the handover. 

• All other children who do not have siblings in the Junior School will be able to confirm with their parents and caregivers which of these three gates they are to exit out of

• Banks Street Gate, Main Gate Kirk Road, and the small gate in front of Auditorium

As September has changeable weather, children will need to be dressed accordingly to ensure that they remain warm, dry and visible on cold and wet days. We will follow the uniform requirements for children when they are in class and out in the playground, weather permitting. Some children may need to walk longer distances or wait longer at designated areas during Alert Level 2. Please ensure that your child has the necessary wet and cold weather and winter clothing on top of their uniform when travelling to and from school each day. This means that families do not have to have uniform specific jackets for their children to wear over their uniform each day. 

Please note that this is a ‘living system’ that will be regularly reviewed and refined based on Alert Level requirements. After much measured consideration, this is the most effective plan we can put in place at this point in time to manage the health and safety needs of our children, staff and community. We continue to balance the health and safety requirements of both the road safety and COVID-19 management systems during Alert Level 2.

Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s kaiako or I if there is something you need assistance with. 

Kind regards,

Nick Pratt

Principal - Tumuaki

Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā

Below we have links to access our Remote Learning Programmes.  These include links to online Google Meets and other information to help navigate your way through our week of learning.  Please email your child's teacher if you have any questions about the specifics of these timetables. 

JLT Remote Learning Hub

MLT Remote Learning Timetables

ILT Remote Learning Programme Timetable - 31.8-3.9

Onsite ILT Remote Learning Programme Timetable - 6.9-10.9