Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Greetings
We hope you are all enjoying a great summer holiday. We are excited to be welcoming our tamariki back to school for 2022. Term 1 begins on Thursday the 3rd of February.
A special welcome to all the new whānau joining BMPS in 2022.
In order to ensure a smooth start back to school for everyone, please read the information below:
With NZ being at Red Setting, our start back to school will have strict health and safety procedures in place.
What procedures are in place to help to make school a safe place for our tamariki?
BMPS’s Health & Safety Red Setting Plan, which adheres to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education guidelines will be in place. This includes:
- Tamariki will be welcomed back to BMPS on the 3 February.
- The gates will open for children at 8:20am each day.
- Parents and caregivers will not be allowed on-site except to visit the office for enrolment, uniform and stationery purchases.
- Tamariki from year 4-6 MUST wear a mask (unless they have an exemption). See below.
- Children in Y1-3 do not need to wear a mask but are welcome to wear one.
- Staff will wear a mask inside and when appropriate outside.
- Tamariki will be in team bubbles.
- Wherever practicable tamariki will be physically distanced from other groups, when inside and outside (recognising incidental contact may be impossible to avoid).
- Tamariki must bring a bottle of water-water fountains are closed.
- Tamariki must wear a hat outside.
- Good hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette will be followed.
- Classrooms will be well ventilated.
- High-touch surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected each day.
- Classes/areas being used will be cleaned thoroughly each day.
- There will not be any whole school assemblies.
- There will be staggered morning tea and lunch breaks.
- Parents/Caregivers can collect their children from outside of the school gates (please ensure that your children know which gate).
- There will be a staggered home time: Kahu 2:40pm, Tui 2.40pm and Kiwi at 2.45pm. Kahu and Tui tamariki will meet their siblings under the canopy.
- Children must stay at home if they are sick-see absence procedures below.
What do I do if my child is unwell and is not able to go to school?
Our usual attendance procedures apply. Please leave a message for the Attendance Officer on 092748271
or email office@bmps.school.nz. Please state your child’s name, class and the reason they are away so that we can code the absence appropriately in our student management system.
As per our normal process, we will follow up on unexplained absences.
What happens if my child becomes unwell at school?
You will be notified to pick them up. If the symptoms relate to covid, siblings will also be sent home.
For tamariki with covid symptoms-they will need to show the school a negative covid result before being allowed to return to school.
Please note that if your child goes to the sickbay because they are unwell, they will be given a mask to wear.
What will happen if there is a covid case at school?
If we have a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case at our school, we will be notified by the Medical Officer of Health or our local public health authority. Our regional Ministry of Education staff will work with us and the local health authorities to agree on a plan. BMPS may be closed for a period of time and a deep clean of the school would be undertaken. We would maintain good communication with our community.
What happens if you have a covid case at home?
The Ministry of Health will work alongside you. If you are able to, we ask that you let the school know:
fee@bmps.school.nz
Does my child need to wear a mask?
Masks are mandatory for tamariki in Year 4-6 (unless they have an exemption). For Year 1-3, we will support your decision if your child does wear a mask.
Masks for Year 4-6
Our Year 4-6 tamariki must have their mask on when they enter through the gate. We ask that you provide 2-3 masks and 2 small bags-one bag for the unused masks and the other for the used mask. Tamariki will wear their mask inside and will be able to take it off when they are outside and are at a social distance. Please note, it is the parent’s responsibility to provide masks for tamariki.
Will BMPS provide lunches?
- Tamariki need to bring morning tea.
- Lunches in schools will start on Thursday.
General Information
We welcome Anthony Curry our new Assistant Principal. We also welcome Courtney Caruana who will be teaching in the Kahu team this year.
Teachers for 2022:
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Maori
Portuguese
Russian
Samoan
Spanish
