Welcome return to Whangamatā school under level 2

HOME DELIVERIES: Whangamata Area School Librarian Jan Shanks has been delivering resources and books to students as they worked from home. PHOTO/Alison Smith.

Parents and school staff are welcoming the return to class under level 2 with confidence from the Public Health Director that the chances of an outbreak in a school environment is extremely remote.

An "eerie and relatively deserted place" is Whangamatā Area School principal Alistair Luke's description of the level 3 school grounds where he has been working in isolation.

"It's welcome news for me. We've got three kids here, they're going well but it's time to start using the school again frankly."

Schools were given "quite significant" detail from the Ministry of Education on how classes will operate under level 2.

This included acknowledgement that being strictly held to physical distancing guidelines was impractical.

"I'm really happy about the level 2 guidelines for schools because while it won't be business as usual they allow us to create a really meaningful experience in school," says Alistair.

"Schools would keep students and staff distant where possible but there is an acknowledgement that in a fully functioning school setting, this is not always possible or feasible.

"The important thing is when the government says it's going to level 2 it says the risk of Covid-19 is exceptionally remote."

However there will remain restrictions on some usual school activities.

"This is likely to affect gatherings such as assemblies and team or contact games and activities for some considerable time."

During the lockdown period, the region's educators have used Zoom, Google Docs and other online tools to keep students learning.

This meant for some schools, such as in Waihi and Waihi Beach, having to provide school laptops and WiFi to families that did not have access to this technology prior to lockdown.

Schools will continue to have extra hygiene measures around hand washing, the cleaning of high touch surfaces, and restrictions on large gatherings where people were in close proximity for extended periods of time.

Sports and games are able to resume, and school playgrounds would be able to be used again.

"From our point of view sport is a real multi organisation operation so many regional and national sports organisations in individual codes will be putting their plans together for operation, and working out what their truncated seasons are going to look like.

"What we do know is there needs to be a full two-week training window available prior to any competition resuming so that athletes are well prepared to "enter the fray" of a full match play situation."

"At level 2 we would need to work together to ensure that school is a safe place to be, with the main consideration being that students, staff and visitors should stay away if they are at all unwell.

"If we respect this very strong piece of public health advice, then we can ensure that school is an awesome place to which students can hopefully return in the very near future."