Covid information
If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 please contact Natalie Looney (Principal) immediately. 021 136 7751
This information is to support our families with any Covid-19 queries, and what you need to do.
In advance we know that this will end up in disruptions to your lives and work. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Please note that we are not the “health experts”, but do know that the Ministry of Health may be delayed in providing advice/guidance to you.
Please also note that this information is subject to change, based on any updated guidelines from the Ministry of Education & the Ministry of Health.
Please refer to the additional tabs for infographic versions of this information.
FAQ's
Please contact Natalie as soon as possible after you have been informed of a positive test result.
Contact: principal@huirangi.school.nz or 021 136 7751
We follow a response plan based on guidance from the Ministry of Education.
This involves:
- Seeking confirmation of the positive case, and when the infectious period was
- If this was on a school day, we then work through contact tracing
- We will advise classes that are close contacts, via text/email initially, and then a follow up phone call.
- If this occurs during a school day, we will request that you come and collect your child as soon as you are able to. Arrive at the main office, and we will bring your child(ren) out to you safely.
- Rest of school advised of the case, and becomes casual contacts
There is detailed guidance around this and a range of criteria. Without going into detail, because our students spend a long time in the same classroom, this then fits the criteria for being a Close Contact.
This means your child has had contact with a positive case at our school.
They will need to isolate for 7 days and be tested on day #5 (Note – the 7 days start from the date that they were in contact with a positive case at school. Because of the time lag between the confirmed case/test results, this may mean that your child only needs to remain home for a smaller number of days).
The day #5 test is likely when you would receive the notification of being a close contact.
We will advise you further regarding testing and isolation dates.
If you have been identified as a Close Contact of someone with COVID-19, you are at a higher risk of being infected with COVID-19. You might live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, or you may be a close contact for other reasons. The guidance for close contacts is below.
Regardless of guidelines for testing and self-isolation, any time you develop symptoms of COVID-19, get a test.
Household Close Contacts
All household members who live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 (a case) are household Close Contacts.
If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 you must follow these steps (whether you are vaccinated against COVID-19 or not):
- Self-isolate from the day that the first person in your household receives their positive test result (or is notified as probable) until they complete their 10 days of self-isolation and is released.
- When the first case in your house gets to days 3 and 8 of their isolation, you need to get tested.
- You can end your self-isolation on the same day as the first person in the household, provided you have no new or worsening symptoms and your tests were negative.
- If symptoms develop at any stage, assume you have COVID-19 and begin 10 days self-isolation.
- Avoid or minimise contact with the person with COVID-19 as much as possible during your isolation period.
Yes, as above. Your child is able to attend school.
Most importantly, your child is still able to attend school
- You and your whānau should watch for symptoms
- If any develop, get tested immediately
- Then, stay at home until you receive the result
- Please keep an eye out for school communications
- If your whānau hasn’t been vaccinated, please consider doing so as soon as possible.
This will mean that your child will need to isolate. All family members will be close contacts and also need to isolate.
Ministry of Health will provide more guidance.
This will mean that your child will be a close contact and also needs to isolate. Ministry of Health will provide more guidance.
Because these are all symptoms of Covid, please do not send your child to school. While these may be the normal bugs/sniffles that occur, we encourage you to get your child tested.
Our processes involve working through a detailed contact tracing assessment. If your child is not a close contact, then school is still open for them and we encourage you to send them to school as much as you can. As you know, our students have missed a lot of teaching and learning over the past 2 years, and we really want to see them at school as much as possible.
Our school health and safety plan for Red does contain a large number of protections.
All staff, volunteers, contractors on site are vaccinated.
We have good ventilation.
Staff and students in Year 5 and above are wearing masks.
We are minimising contact between large groups of students.
Our onsite team are working hard to make school fun, safe and a place of learning. We encourage you to focus on the things that they can do to help – mask-wearing, washing hands, getting a test (if required)
This website has some useful tips – https://www.kidshealth.org.nz
Our support and response will also depend on whether class teachers are also isolating at home. If our teachers are also isolating, they will be in touch to offer our remote learning support (virtual connections, activities etc)
If our teachers are still at school, they will look to connect with you, and we will also arrange for hard packs & some other learning ideas.
