Term One
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week and hearing their holiday stories. We hope you have had a lovely summer.
Due to some of our Road Patrol supervisors moving on, or unable to assist us this year, we have a number of openings. Please consider if you can help with supervising our crossing. As you know, Kirk Road is a very busy road and we need a team to keep everyone safe. We have a new keen bunch of trained tamariki all set to go, however, we need an adult to be there to support them. The children are rostered on all year so you would have a regular team to work with.
Morning sessions run from 8:25-8:55am and afternoons are from 2:55-3:15pm. Here is a YouTube video from NZTA to explain what the role involves. School Traffic Safety Teams 6: Supervisors
The times we have available are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon and Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
If you are able to help even just for a term or every fortnight, please let me know. We would be extremely grateful. My email address is penny@templeton.school.nz. If you are able to help, I will come out with you the first couple of times to make sure you are all set up and to answer any questions you may have.
Ngā mihi nui
Penny McCauley
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
We are currently planning a full review of the Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā uniform. Key considerations for our uniform moving forward are the functionality (practicality), cost, supply reliability, and design. Any changes that will be made need to ensure our children’s functional needs are being met and that the uniform reflects the sense of belonging we value in our school. These changes need to be cost-effective, sustainable, and reflect our school's culture.
Please take five minutes of your day to complete our Uniform Development survey.
We will also be asking the children what they would like to see in their uniforms at the start of Term 2.
In the interim, our existing branded uniform can be ordered through NZ Uniforms. We also appreciate the rising cost of living at this time, so please consider purchasing unbranded plain red polo tops, polar fleeces, and cotton sweatshirts in the interim. Our additional uniform requirements are plain black trackpants, shorts, and skorts. There are good quality second-hand uniform items available from our Main Office.
Thank you for taking a moment to share your thoughts on our school uniform development in this survey as it will greatly support our planning moving forward.
Noho ora mai nā,
Nick Pratt
Principal - Tumuaki
Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
I would like to thank you all for your ongoing support during these challenging times. You will notice that today's update is not from Nick. He began his second period of Household isolation on Sunday due to one of his children testing positive. He informed us yesterday that he has also tested positive. I am sure you will join us in wishing him a speedy and full recovery as he and his whānau navigate this tricky virus. Due to being unwell himself, he will not be checking his emails over the next few days or sending out his planned newsletter tomorrow. Please forward any emails to me at penny@templeton.school.nz. Please also continue to send any COVID-related emails to cpf@templeton.school.nz now and over the holidays as we still need to send through numbers to the Ministry of Education.
Over the last seven weeks our school has been impacted by the following COVID numbers:
180 student and staff COVID related cases
103 confirmed student COVID cases
18 confirmed staff COVID cases
59 student and staff household contacts
These numbers highlight the extent that COVID has impacted and continues to impact our hapori (community).
At this point, we are continuing our current operations due to the high numbers we are still experiencing in our Kura. We continue to review these operations and make any necessary adaptations based on the latest Ministry of Education advice to meet our community's needs. An update on our school's operations will be shared with the community over the holidays especially if the Government announces changes in the traffic light settings for the nation. We will be continuing with our three separate morning tea and lunch breaks as we believe that will work well during the winter months. Our other operations will be reviewed and shared before Term Two begins.
A reminder of what we are all looking out for over the term break.
Symptoms of COVID-19
A new or worsening cough.
Sneezing and runny nose.
A fever.
Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste.
Sore throat.
Shortness of breath.
Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.
For more information, go to the Unite Against COVID-19 website.
Thank you for your ongoing support as we navigate our way through these unique times. It really has been a team effort this term. We really have appreciated how we have all pulled together during this trying time.
Noho ora mai nā
Penny McCauley
Deputy Principal - Tumuaki Tuarua
See Insights
Like
Comment
Share
Tuesday 22nd March 2022
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
Thank you for all of your support as we navigate COVID in our school community. We really appreciate the proactive way you are carefully monitoring your children and testing them when showing COVID symptoms. We wanted to email to help with the current processes as it can be a bit confusing when reading Ministry of Health and Education websites.
Please email us on cpf@templeton.school.nz or ring the office on 3497045 (during office hours) if your child tests positive or becomes a household contact.
We will then contact you to confirm we have received this information, and access our remote learning programmes.
Please email or call us if your child tests positive while isolating as a household contact as we need to send in our daily numbers to the Ministry of Education.
The day that the child or household member tests positive is Day 0. Everyone then needs to isolate for 7 days.
Household contacts test on days 3 and 7. If they test positive then that is their day 0 and they need to isolate for a further 7 days.
Once the 7 days are up then the child is able to return to school if symptom-free. They may still be testing positive on a Rapid Antigen Test but can return to school if symptom-free.
Please either ring the office or email cpf@templeton.school.nz if you have any questions about this or tell us when your child is returning. We can then advise further as needed, and let their teachers know when they will be returning.
We have included a graphic provided by the Ministry of Health to give a visual of the isolating process.
Once again, thanks for all of your support. We are a great team and will get through this unique period in history together.
Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui (be strong, be brave, be steadfast). Take care everyone.
Noho ora mai nā
Penny McCauley
Deputy Principal - Tumuaki Tuarua
Wednesday 16th March 2022
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
We continue to see active COVID cases throughout our Kura. As confirmed cases are identified we will send our Community notices via HERO and Seesaw or email to those affected learning spaces. This is a scenario that we have planned for at Templeton Primary School. We will continue to take a proactive approach in our operations. The health and wellbeing of our children, staff, and community is a top priority so we are closely following the Ministry of Health guidance for schools. I would like to reassure our families that all public health measures we are able to provide are being prioritised to ensure our classrooms are safe for our children and staff.
At Phase 3 of the Omicron response, only cases and household contacts are legally required to isolate.
Please continue to follow good practices when it comes to your own health and the health of your whānau.
What we’re doing
We are staying open.
We are using public health measures to reduce the risk in our settings, including masks, physical distancing and ventilation.
We have appropriate cleaning procedures in place.
What you need to do
You and your whānau should be very vigilant about monitoring for symptoms.
If any symptoms develop, get tested immediately.
Then, stay at home until you receive a negative result, AND until you or your child is symptom free for at least 48 hours.
Wear a face mask when out and about.
Wash hands often with soap for 20 seconds and dry your hands completely.
Wash your hands if you have been in a public place or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Avoid touching your face, and cough or sneeze into your elbow or cover your mouth with tissues.
Symptoms of COVID-19
A new or worsening cough.
Sneezing and runny nose.
A fever.
Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste.
Sore throat.
Shortness of breath.
Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.
For more information, go to the Unite Against COVID-19 website.
If your child or anyone in your household tests positive please email cpf@templeton.school.nz as soon as possible.
We greatly appreciate your ongoing support as we continue to ensure our children are able to learn and grow in a safe and happy learning environment during these unique times.
I am available to contact should you have any questions or concerns. (principal@templeton.school.nz) Please don't hesitate to contact me.
Noho ora mai,
Nick Pratt
Principal - Tumuaki
Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā
Friday 25th February 2022
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
The following update has been created in partnership with the Ministry of Education as we have officially moved into 'Phase 3'.
New Zealand’s COVID-19 response continues amid much larger numbers of daily cases.
You may well have seen the headlines in the media about the numbers of cases being seen in schools. Please don’t be alarmed by this. It is only natural as cases in our community increase, they will appear in our school. We have really good systems in place to respond to this and to keep any spread of the virus – should it appear – to a minimum.
You may have seen Dr Jin Russell in the media noting research from New South Wales about their recent Omicron outbreak showing that spread within the school setting is very low (less than 4% of cases at school infected someone else when at school). We have seen that in New Zealand too based on Ministry of Education data.
This is why we remain open at Red. It’s great for a child’s wellbeing and learning to be at school with their friends and school staff, and we have very good systems in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Your job remains the same, too: please continue to keep a really close watch of your whānau for anyone with symptoms. If unwell, please stay at home and get advice about getting a COVID-19 test.
With Phase 3 of the Omicron response, the key change is that it is only confirmed cases and their household contacts who need to self-isolate. Everyone else, including those who may have had close contact with the case but aren’t in the household, must continue to monitor really closely for any symptoms of COVID-19.
Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are now being used to diagnose COVID-19 as well as PCR tests. This means that you will get an almost immediate test result back if a RAT is used.
If anyone in your family is confirmed as having COVID-19, you will be asked to notify your close contacts yourself. Please get in touch with us as soon as you can if your child has tested positive for COVID-19 by emailing cpf@templeton.school.nz (all emails received will remain confidential as part of our COVID management processes).
School Protocols
Our existing COVID Protection Framework plans remain in place. These were sent out last Friday and are attached to this notice for your reference. (These continue to be reviewed and updated based on MoE and MoH advice)
Please notify us if you have a household case. We have a dedicated email address for confirmed cases. We will notify parents of any cases or cases related to spaces.
School will remain open
Online learning will only be supported if children have to isolate with their household
We will continue to send children home if they are unwell and may ask for siblings to be collected too.
Transmission of COVID-19 is still most likely to happen in your home – so please keep doing all those good things to keep your whānau safe. Wash your hands, get lots of fresh air, cover any coughs and sneezes, clean surfaces regularly, and seek advice if anyone is not feeling well. And please wear a mask when you are out and about. There is information online to help your family prepare to isolate if you need to.
The most important advice we can give to keep your whānau safe is to act as if you have COVID-19. More than a third of people who have COVID-19 will not have any symptoms if they have had three doses of the vaccine. Please think about who you visit and what health measures you can put in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Getting three doses of the vaccine will really help you to do that. Research has shown that compared with being unvaccinated, three doses of the vaccine will mean you are 67% less likely to be infected with Omicron and 97% less likely to get Delta. If you can’t get COVID you can’t pass it on.
Finally, we know how hard the impacts on COVID-19 have been for many families in New Zealand. If you know of a family in our community who is struggling, please encourage them to reach out for support for example to access food, medicine, or access financial support: Help is available – COVID-19 Health Hub.
Supporting links for key information:
More information about rapid antigen tests
Find out if you are a Critical worker
Close Contact exemption scheme | business.govt.nz(external link)
What to expect if you test positive for COVID-19
If you test positive for COVID-19 | Health Hub(external link)
If you have any concerns about sending your child to school, please do get in touch. We are here to help.
Ngā mihi nui,
Nick Pratt
Principal - Tumuaki
Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā
Thursday 24th February 2022
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
We have received confirmation this morning of an additional positive COVID case at our school. This case was identified as a close contact of the confirmed case on Monday of this week. As a result of this, they have been isolating at home with their whānau since being confirmed as a close contact on Monday.
We have worked alongside the Ministry of Education to complete the contact categorising process this morning and made direct contact with the families of any children who are identified as close contacts.
Your child has not been identified as a close contact.
Please respect the privacy of the families concerned and the processes we have followed. Based on this, there is no additional detail we can share at this time.
Templeton Primary School has followed COVID response plans to meet the health and safety needs of our children, staff, and community. These plans are based on the most up-to-date advice and guidance from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. Our team continues to review these plans and adapt them as necessary to meet the requirements of our school.
What you need to do
You and your whānau should watch for symptoms
If any develop, get tested immediately
Then, stay at home until you receive the result
What we’re doing
Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā will stay open
We have appropriate public health measures and cleaning procedures in place
Symptoms of COVID-19
A new or worsening cough
Sneezing and runny nose
A fever
Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.
For more information, go to https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/
Here is our Flow chart for your reference with regards to who you need to contact and whether you should keep your child at home. Please note that if your child tests positive please email cpf@templeton.school.nz as soon as possible. Thanks for your support.
Please contact Nick Pratt (principal@templeton.school.nz) if you have any questions.
Noho ora mai
Nick Pratt
Principal - Tumuaki
Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā
Tuesday 22nd February 2022
Templeton Primary is getting Walking School Buses!
Starting Monday 7 March 2022 with Walk or Wheel to School Week.
There are 3 different routes from:
Roydon Drive - Colchester Reserve end
Bicknor Street - Waterloo end
Bailey Street - Railway Terrace end
Route 1 Roydon Drive will walk Monday after school and Tuesday mornings
Route 2 Bicknor Street will walk Monday mornings + after school and Wednesday after school
Route 3 Bailey Street will walk Monday mornings + after school and Tuesday mornings +after school
Alternatively you could message Templeton Walking School Bus on Facebook anytime of the year or email walkingbus@templeton.school,nz
It is a fabulous way to start or end the day in the fresh air, having a chat and making new friends.
Keep walking every-one!
Monday 21st February 2022
Kia ora koutou Templeton families, whānau and friends,
The health and wellbeing of our children, staff, and community is a top priority.
We’re sending this letter as there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our school. We have contacted families of the children who have been identified as 'close contacts' based on Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education guidelines.
If you haven't been contacted directly by us, then your child is not classified as a 'close contact'.
What you need to do
You and your whānau should watch for symptoms
If any develop, get tested immediately
Then, stay at home until you receive the result
What we’re doing
Templeton Primary School will stay open
We have appropriate public health measures and cleaning procedures in place
Symptoms of COVID-19
A new or worsening cough
Sneezing and runny nose
A fever
Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.
For more information, go to https://covid19.govt.nz/.../about.../covid-19-symptoms/
Please contact Nick Pratt via email principal@templeton.school.nz. if you have any questions.
Noho ora mai
Nick Pratt
Principal - Tumuaki
Templeton Primary School - Te Kura o Rātā