Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
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23 February 2021 - Learning at Home - Parent Guidelines
BAS Portal
These are very challenging times for us all and we are in an unknown arena.  Every household will have its own needs and its own challanges so the idea that one plan fits all is not feasible.   Please click on the button to the side for our Learning at Home - Guidelines for Parents. 
While the link below will take you to the BAS Portal site the classroom links will only be activated if we return to Level 3 or Level 4.

15 February 2021 - Principal Update

Please click on the buttons below for the latest information on COVID-19.
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How to Access a Level 2 Pass

We acknowledge that for varying reasons some of you will wish to come on site. Our Level 2 Pass allows us to meet the MOE and MOH requirements to be able to contact and trace anyone who enters our school site in a manageable and safe way. 
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Please, if you can,  pick up and drop off your child(ren) at the gate.  If you need to come on site you will be issued with a Level 2 Pass.  
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To access a Level 2 Pass you will need to complete the form below above or to the right.  This form will tell us who picks up your child(ren) each day; we know there is real regularity and that on any given day there is usually a pattern to pick ups /drop offs.

This information will become our Contact Tracing Register Information so it is really important that the information requested is there and correct.  

If there is any change to the pick up drop off routine you have outlined on your application, you must email office@banksave.school and let us know.   This information will be added to your contact tracing register form. 

Passes will be available for collection from our school office from today, Monday 15 February between 9:00am and 3:30pm. Bring your form with you or complete it online or complete it when you come to the office. Please bring your own pen.

Staff will be monitoring our entrances so please have your YELLOW LEVEL 2 PASS READY.  

We hope that this process helps to make the return to Level 2 for your children and yourselves a bit less stressful. 

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    Level 2 Pass Request

    By submitting this form you acknowledge that this information is true and correct.

12 May - Principal Update

28 April - Frequently Asked Questions

Scroll down to read our FAQ.
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22 April - Alert Level 3 Roll Request

Kia ora all
​Thank you to the parents who have emailed principal@banksave.school.nz to justify their request for they child to be added to our Level 3 roll. If you can, you should keep your child at home during Alert Level 3, however, in some cases this is not possible. Requests to be added to our Alert Level 3 roll are being accepted up until 5:00pm tonight. Once we close this roll we will make up our bubble classes and we will contact the parents of those children with more detailed information. All other children will continue to receive support to learn while at home. 

Ou priority will be to keep children and staff safe during Alert Level 3 so we will be running our school with minimal staff on site for at least the next two weeks.

As always, thank you for all you are doing at home in your bubbles.

Stay safe
​Nga Mini Nui
Toni Burnside
Principal

21 April - Principal Update

Kia ora koutou
 We hope that Term 2 and our home learning programme has been a success for you so far. We know there will have been a number of challenges for families to deal with but we have been getting some great feedback about the learning that is happening and thank you for all your support. I have loved popping into the online classes to see what has been happening.

Yesterday the Government decided that we will move into Alert Level 3 on 28 April. That means we will be open to receive some students from the 29 April. We have started to prepare our school today; we have cleaners booked to come in for a deep clean and we are thinking about the way ahead.
 
The key message for you is that if you can, you should keep your child at home. You should only physically send your child to school if you need to, that is, if there is no one at home who can care for them. If your child has a health condition that means they are at a greater risk of a severe illness, you must keep them at home. If your child is sick please also ensure you keep them at home. If a family member is sick keep them at home.

We will be creating an Alert  Level Three School Roll; this will be made up of the children we will be supervising at school during the level three period. Parents are asked to contact me by email principal@banksave.school.nz if you need your child / children to be on this roll. Give your children's names and confirm that for valid reasons no one will be at home who can look after them once we move to Level 3. Please make sure you register your child for our Level 3 roll by Wednesday (22 April) evening, 5:00pm.
If you do not need us to supervise your child when we drop to alert Level 3 you do not need to do anything. We will assume, if we have not heard from a family, that they will be continuing with Home Learning.

We have been given some very specific public health measures that we need to adhere to with our partial re-opening in order to keep our families, children and staff safe. These include: 

  • Before children or staff re-enter the site, the school will have an extensive deep clean.
  • Children will be split into small ‘school bubbles’ (10 or less to start with) and distanced from other bubbles. Family bubbles will stay together so children will not necessarily be with their class cohort. 
  • There can be multiple bubbles in a physical space but there must be distance between bubbles and strictly no mixing between school bubbles. 
  • School bubbles will be supervised by a teacher. This will very likely not be their own teacher.  
  • School bubbles will be kept as consistent as possible to limit the number of contacts children and staff have.
  • We will identify different toilets that different bubbles can use while reinforcing hygiene expectations. Ideally, one child at a time using a toilet.
  • Our expectation is that children will follow the Home Learning Programme and will not be receiving a ‘normal’ school programme. Staff will support them in this, however, teaching will be limited to the same as is currently being provided online.
  • To support contact tracing children will sit in the same space/tables for the day, with their own equipment and device. 
  • Children will wash their hands several times throughout the day and before and after break times. 
  • At morning tea, lunchtime and during PE, there will be rules about how children can play to best maintain social distancing. We will work on these once we know how many students will be attending. The rules will include 2 metre distancing outside and 1 metre distancing inside. Physical education classes and activities cannot include sport where the same equipment is touched by different students.  
  • We may need to arrange different times for pickups / drop offs depending on how many ‘bubbles’ we need to create. This will be communicated at a later date.
  • We are looking at the length of the school day. Further details on this will follow.
  • Children who do need to attend school will be looked after with the best of care. 

While we are at Level 3 our school curriculum will be delivered online regardless of whether children are on our Level 3 roll (supervised at school) or whether they remain at home. Teachers and learning assistants will continue to support your child’s learning at home by providing daily work except for next Tuesday, 28 April. The government has deemed this a nation wide Teacher Only Day. As a staff we will be using this time to adapt to Level 3. Home learning will continue for the rest of this week, Monday is ANZAC day so next week home learning will begin again on Wednesday 29 April. Home Learning is expected to continue until 11 May when there will be another announcement about alert levels.

We have a small number of children who do not have access to digital devices and who are waiting for paper learning packs. We have sent an order to the Ministry for these but we are unsure when they may be delivered to homes. As we are now allowed back on our school site we will be able to put a temporary learning pack together and deliver these to homes. If you were waiting for a paper pack, please make sure the class teacher knows so they can arrange for these to be compiled. 

We know there are many questions and wonderings that parents have. In the first instance please keep connecting with your teachers with any questions you might have.
We are also in the process of completing a Frequently Asked Question page (in relation to Covid 19 and home learning); this will be available on our school website by the end of the week.
 

To reiterate
  • Parents who can keep their children at home, should keep them at home.
  • School will only be open for some children. 
  • Parents must register their child to attend school while we are at alert Level 3 by sending an email to me: principal@banksave.school.nz  by 5:00pm Wednesday 22 April. This list of children becomes our Level 3 roll.
  • Children who are unwell stay at home. If there is a family member who is ill the child should also stay at home.
  • This will not be normal schooling. It will be online schooling supervised at school.
 
Stay safe and keep making memories.  Kia kaha.

Toni Burnside
Principal

9 April - Sparklers At Home

As part of their new All Right? campaign Getting Through Together – Whāia E Tātou Te Pae Tawhiti, the Sparklers team have kindly rewritten twenty-three classroom activities for home use. These include everything from how to talk to kids about Covid-19, to simple ideas for staying grounded, feeling good, and juggling homework and learning during our time spent in our bubbles. To access their site, click on the button below.
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8 April -  Mana Ake Website

Click on the button below to access the Mana Ake Website. This site has a lot of information and resources that you may find helpful at this time.
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8 April - Principal Update

Kia ora to our Banks Avenue School whānau. I hope you are all staying safe and making the most of your family time. I have kept myself busy in the garden and playing with some artworks.
Distance learning starts again next Wednesday, 15 April. You should all hear from your teachers before then so you know what to expect for the first few days. We ended term 1 with distance learning but there were some families we didn't manage to make contact with or engage with. If you have not heard from your class teacher and have had no learning offered so far, could you please contact me urgently so we can rectify that. Email me at: principal@banksave.school.nz
We have a newsletter coming out next Wednesday; this will be emailed.
We know this will be an incredibly challenging time for many families. Additional support has been offered by civil defence. A helpline has been set up for anyone needing assistance with accessing essential household goods and services, such as food and medication, due to the COVID-19 lockdown. If you need urgent assistance call  0800 24 24 11 and you will be put through to your local area to discuss your needs.
Finally, staying connected is vital. I was thrilled today when I got asked to send birthday wishes to one of our tamariki. Please feel free to contact me or share a picture of your isolation adventures. We are in this together!

​Nga mihi nui
Toni Burnside
principal@banksave.school.nz

27 March - Principal Update

Kia ora all
I hope you have all managed to adapt to life in isolation. There has been some great learning happening across the school although there are a few hiccups we are working on. I am in the process of touching base with all teachers to see how they have found distance teaching. I will put a parent survey out early in Term 2 to parents/caregivers to gather your voice. In the meantime if there is something urgent I need to know or that I may be able to help with, please email me at: principal@banksave.school.nz 
​We have just learned of a subsidised internet package from Skinny. Details are below. 

Term 1 officially ends today. Enjoy your family time - stay safe!

Nga mini nui
Toni Burnside

27 March - Skinny Jump - Subsidised broadband for Kiwi Homes

​At Skinny, we believe every New Zealander deserves to have the opportunities to learn and thrive in the modern digital world. That’s why we offer super-affordable broadband to thousands of Kiwi homes. Skinny Jump is flexible prepaid broadband: Only $5 for 30GB of data, no contracts or credit checks, and the modem comes free of charge. Just top up as you go. Our flexible prepaid top-up system means you can get a 30GB plan for only $5; you can then renew the plan five times every month. You can get up to a maximum of 150GB every month (and it will only cost you $25). Skinny Jump is a not-for-profit service and we don’t use your information to promote or sell other products. If you think this sounds like a plan for you, continue to read the next bit to see if you qualify.
We specifically support those most at risk of digital exclusion, as identified in the government's digital inclusion blueprint. If one or more of the following sounds like you, then you would probably be eligible:
  • Families with children
  • Job seekers
  • Seniors
  • People with disabilities
  • Refugees and migrant communities
  • Those in social housing
If it is ascertained that they qualify the next steps will be to complete this form  (Providers or organisations can do this on behalf of whanau).

24 March - Principal Update

24 March - Talk  - Explore - Create
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23 March - Principal Update

Kia ora all
The Prime Minister has announced today that as a country we have moved to alert level three. Schools will close today and will remain closed for the next four weeks. If you work for an essential service e.g.   Health services, emergency services, utilities and goods transport, and other essential services   then we  will provide supervision on Tuesday and Wednesday until 3pm. Please confirm that you need this additional supervision  by emailing the principal@banksave.school.nz. If you are not working for an essential service keep your children home.

This afternoon our staff met to discuss learning at home. Once we have finalised what this will look like we will contact all families. In the meantime you will find Learning at Home Guidelines for Parents below.

We have heard the school holidays will be moved forward but we have no details on this yet.

We will do everything we can to communicate with you and to support you over the next few weeks. This is a unique time in not only our own history but also world history. HEART values will be more important than ever.

Stay strong, stay well!
Nga Mihi Nui
Toni Burnside
Principal 

23 March - Learning at Home

Scroll down to read some tips on learning at home - a guide for parents or click on the button to download.

20 March - Principal Update
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20 March - Symptoms Of COVID-19, Flue and Cold

19 March - Looking after Mental Health and Wellbeing

The  Mental Health Foundation has some great advice on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing during this time. Click on the button below to go to their website.
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19 March - Resilience Strategies for Coping with Coronavirus 

Below is a brief guide to coping in the days ahead by Dr Lucy Hone & Dr Denise Quinlan
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Thursday 19 March - Talking to Children About COVID-19

Wednesday 18 March - Child Friendly Book Explaining Coronavirus

Scroll down to read this child friendly version explaining  the Coronavirus that you could share with your child/ren.
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Tuesday 17 March - Learning at Home Survey

Our full Pandemic Plan is available below. An aspect of this pandemic plan is 'learning at home'. Currently we are looking ahead and considering options for how we could keep learning happening for students should we be told to close. We are calling this option 'learning at home'. The MOE have also asked us to gather information on students access to wifi, data and devices in their home environments. The results of this survey will impact on the type of 'learning at home' plan we create. At this moment in time we have had no indication from the MOE that schools will close; this is purely a precaution that will allow us to be prepared. The survey closes on Friday 20 March.

​This survey is now closed.

Tuesday 17 March - Parent Update 

Kia ora tatou
Things have escalated in the last week with the request that travellers to New Zealand self isolate for fourteen days and that all gatherings of 500 or more people be cancelled.  At BAS  stage one  of our Pandemic Plan is already being  implemented; this is the prepare, prevent and plan stage.
We are ready to move to stage two if needed;  this is the minimise, manage and support stage.  Our full Pandemic Plan can be found below.
At our leadership meeting last night we decided to implement further actions to help reduce the risk of infection for our students and staff. ​
We:
  • Continue  to focus on good hygiene practices. Hand washing and good cough etiquette are very important tools in preventing the spread of illness including colds, flu and COVID-19. ​
  • Parents can support us by providing students with tissues and hand sanitiser if available.
  • This video explains what Coronavirus is using  language that children can understand . It reinforces for children the importance of washing hands and blowing their noses properly.
  • Ask that children bring their own drink bottle to school. We are  endeavouring to restrict the use of the drinking fountains as a precautionary measure.
  • Have cancelled future whole school and team huis; limiting the number of children in a confined space at any one time to less than 100. This is a measure of social distancing.
  • Have cancelled the school cross country which was planned for later this term.
  • Have cancelled class trips to Windsor House.
  • Have limited the number of children in our Kapa haka and Pasifika groups to less than 100; Team Totara children have been withdrawn temporarily from these groups. 
  • Are eating lunch and morning tea first then playing. This is a reversal of our normal timetable. It allows the teachers to supervise hand washing before touching food.
  • Have added additional handwashing stations outside of rooms. You may see water and soap stations set up. This will allow the children to wash their hands without needing to go into the toilets to do so.
  • Have introduced alternate ways of greeting people which will limit bodily contact, e.g., nudging elbows, saluting, bowing and curtseying. We can have fun with this one!
  •  Ask that you keep sick children at home; if you are concerned that your children or yourself  may be at risk please ring your own doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453.  Please keep us informed.
  • Are looking at the options for Learning at Home. There is the possibility that the MOE or the Ministry of Health may close schools sometime in the future. If they do this, it will be important for us to provide some options so learning at home can continue. 

With digital technology these days there are many options for us to consider, however, some of these are only viable if children have wifi, data  and devices in their homes that they can access. To help us with the planning for Learning at Home , we ask that you complete a short parent survey about access to technology in homes. This survey is attached with this update or it can be accessed on our website and completed digitally. 

The MOE has also asked us for information about student’s  access to technology so it is important all parents fill in the survey above before 3:00pm Friday 20 March.

In the Prime Minister's announcement at the weekend it was noted:
  • all travellers coming from all parts of the world, except parts of the Pacific, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in New Zealand. This also includes Australia and French Polynesia. This self-isolation requirement applies to New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and their families (Category 1B) 
  • All travellers coming from the following parts of the Pacific will be required to self-isolate if they show symptoms, within 14 days of arrival. This includes all Pacific Islands Forum members (except French Polynesia, category 1b), Associate Member Tokelau, and Observer Wallis and Futuna. (Category 2). 
Self-isolation may impact on some families. If this is the case please keep us informed.

Finally I acknowledge the MOE have been very proactive in supporting us; they are sharing daily updates that are enabling us to make informed decisions.  In turn we will endeavour to keep you informed through newsletter articles, website posts or in urgent circumstances mass emailing or social media posts.

If you have any queries or concerns please feel free to ring 385 4163 or email the office office@banksave.school.nz 

Kia kaha
Toni Burnside  Principal

Tuesday 17 March

We are prepared! Below is our plan in regards to the pandemic. Scroll through to read.
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Wednesday 4 March

For most of this week I have been reviewing and rewriting our school Pandemic Plan.  This is precautionary as a pandemic has  not been declared.

Definition of Pandemic:
A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease: most people do not have immunity to a new disease so it can spread quickly.
There are two stages to our school pandemic  plan:

Stage 1 is the Preparation / Preventative stage where we look at:
  • Teaching and reinforcing hygiene expectations across the school
  • Liaising with school cleaners to align their cleaning routines in a potential pandemic to our needs
  • Building shared understanding with staff and community  in relation to a potential pandemic. This update is a part of this step.
  • Contact lists  are updated- please make sure we have your current contact details.
  •  Social distancing options we could inforce  are identified (if a pandemic is declared) , e.g closing playgrounds, cancelling huis and assemblies etc
  • Discussing options for distance learning if a pandemic is declared and school is closed. Note the decision to close the school would be made by the the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.
  • Ensuring we have  and are using necessary sanitary  supplies e.g. tissues, hand sanitiser, cleaning products
  • Working through different scenarios to ensure we have considered all options and are prepared if we need to go to stage 2.

We are currently working through stage 1. Stage 2 would be activated if a national or regional pandemic is declared by the Ministry of Health.


Stage 2 Minimise risk of infection, Manage infection and Support those infected. During this stage processes and
procedures are activated.

  • Screening flowchart followed for staff and students. This would be shared with parents as well.
  • In case of a potential infection a notification form will be  used to gather all necessary details, e.g. who has the person been in contact with.
  • Tracking logs will be kept to monitor and track those affected.
  • Pastoral plan in place to support those affected.
  • Key stakeholders kept up to date with information from school and from Ministry of Health
  • Social distancing options activated, e.g. no assemblies, no library visits, no out of school events
  • If we are ordered to close the school  then the closure plan will be followed with the potential option for distance/ online learning. Teachers are currently discussing what this may look like.
  • Return to school plan activated once we have all clear from the Ministry of Health. A thorough clean  of the school would take place as part of this phase.
Once our Pandemic Plan is finalised it will be made available to all parents on our school website. In the meantime we are encouraging children to:
  • wash their hands often,  with soap and water, before and after eating as well as after attending the toilet
  • cover coughs and sneezes with clean tissues or their elbow
  • put used tissues in the bin.
As always if your child is sick please keep them home and notify the school office.
The Ministry of Health has updated their advice for travellers :
  • Category 1 – People who have travelled from or transited through countries in category one in the last 14 days are required to self-isolate for 14 days and contact Healthline after they have left the countries. Mainland China and Iran are the two countries included in this category (with Iran added to this category on Friday 28 February).
  • Category 2 – People who have travelled from or via countries lists in category two who develop symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath should seek medical advice by first phoning Healthline’s dedicated COVID-19 number 0800 358 5453 or contacting their GP including phoning ahead of their visit. Countries currently in this category are Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Italy (noting northern Italy is in category 1)
If you have any queries or concerns in relation to this information please feel free to contact me on 3854163 or email tburnside@banksave.school.nz.




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