Updates & Information
Tēnā tātou e te Whānau,
Ngā mihi manahau o te wā!
Term Dates:
Term 1: Tuesday 31st Jan - Thursday 6th April
Term 2: Monday 24th April - Friday 30th June
Term 3: Monday 17th July - Friday 22nd September
Term 4: Monday 9th October - (to be confirmed)
Stationery will be provided by kura at a cost of $15 per student. Kaiako will have this ready for the tamariki on day one. Please pay this to the school office or alternatively to the bank account listed below;
Thames South School
06-0457-0147387-00
Reference & Particulars: your tamariki’s name and what you are paying for
Uniform can be purchased by contacting Whaea Diane and placing an order at our front office.
This is compulsory for 2023, all tamariki must be in black bottoms (shorts, longs or skirts). Most uniform items are available to purchase at the office however some may need to be ordered (this will take approx 2 weeks), if that is the case there will be an exception to the non compliant clothing in those circumstances. Details of the items and cost is as below:
School Polo Shirt $28.00 child / youth size
Fleece Sweatshirt $32.00 child / youth size
Sports Tee $38.00 child / youth size
Soft Shell Jacket $55.00 child / youth size
Hat $17.00
(black bottoms to be purchased from your preferred store)
School Fees
We have engaged with the Ministry of Education to cut school fees out for another year so there is no school fee payment required from whānau.
We also have the good fortune to partake in the Ka Ora, Ka Ako - Healthy School Lunches Programme with the Ministry of Education by providing daily lunches for your tamaiti. Please advise the office if there are any dietary requirements that need to be highlighted. Ensure you send a healthy morning tea and a little extra if you think they may need it. We do have fruit in schools but you are also welcome to send extra fruit in their lunchbox if it is needed.
Our teaching staff for 2023 is as follows:
Te Awatea (Years 0-1) & Te Kawenga (Years 1-8) Whaea Azaria Mita
Te Kākano (Years 1 - 2) Whaea Olivia
Te Haeata (Years 3-4) Whaea Janna Brewster
Te Hāpai Ō (Years 5- 6) Whaea Mel Dowty & Whaea Jaimee Price
Te Amorangi (Years 7 -8) Whaea Hilary Donald and Whaea Barbara Hetaraka
Whaea Angela Nation remains as our RTLit specialist kaiako
Our support staff for 2023 is as follows:
Admin / Reception / International Student Support Co-Ordinator - Whaea Di
School Lunches - Whaea Di
Caretaker - Matua Phillip
Cleaner - Matua Chris
Kaiawhina - Whaea Lyn
Kaiawhina - Whaea Zharvayne
Kaiawhina - Whaea Bernice
Kaiawhina - Whaea Julie
Sunday 28th February 2021
Kia ora Parents, Caregivers, Whānau
With further cases confirmed yesterday, the Government announced changes in our Alert Levels nationwide for 7 days from 6am this morning.
Covid Symptoms: a new or worsening cough, a high temperature (at least 38˚C), shortness of breath, a sore throat, sneezing and runny nose, temporary loss of smell.
Some people may present with less typical symptoms such as only one of the following: muscle pain, fever, diarrhoea, headache, nausea/vomiting, or confusion/irritability.
If you or your whānau experience any of these symptoms, please contact your GP or Healthline (0800 358 5453) for advice and get tested if advised to do so.
Ask the team at https://www.allright.org.nz/ it’s all right to feel over this right now but we all know what to do, we have done this before and we will do it again, together.
Please see our updated Alert Level 2 Policy for Thames South School.
Contact us if you have any concerns or questions. Please contact our Ama Leaders or our Front Office if you need to communicate with us. Noho haumaru!
Nāku iti nei,
Whaea Barbara Hetaraka
Thames South School Covid-19 Procedure & Planning for Alert Level 2 (Updated 28 February 2021)
Cleaning & Hygiene
Movement In & Out of School
Hauora (Wellbeing) & Reporting
Hand sanitiser and/or soap is available in all learning areas. If using soap, paper towels are available to dry hands. Used towels must be left in the bins beside dispensers.
Staff and students are expected to use either hand cleaning option when entering and exiting all learning spaces.
PE gear can be accessed during break times and class learning programmes. Hygiene practice will be adhered to before and after use.
Coughing and sneezing etiquette (into elbow) will be adhered to at all times.
Regularly used surfaces will be cleaned at the close of all blocks.
Under Alert Level 2 we ask that parents, caregivers and whānau drop students off at the school gates before school, and collect them from the gate at the close of the school day. Please be respectful of this as it is the “most likely” chance of Covid-19 entering the school grounds. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, please contact us:
• Phone 07 868 6594
• Email office@thamessouth.school.nz
• Email principal@thamessouth.school.nz
• Text 027 217 6072
If you need to make an appointment to see your child’s kaiako please email them directly or contact syndicate leaders; Whaea Jeannie & Whaea Tineka on the following numbers or emails:
• 027 6000 521 – Junior Explorers & Navigators o jeannie@thamessouth.school.nz
• 027 6000 527 – Ama Māori o tineka@thamessouth.school.nz
We have two new whānau starting with us on Monday 1st March, access to our admin area will be granted only to these parents for a brief time to finalise paperwork needed for enrolment. From Tuesday on, they too will drop their tamariki at the gate in mornings and pick them up from there in the afternoon.
When students return to school in Level 2 their hauora (wellbeing) will be our number one priority. This will require a lot of communication between whānau/families and the school. Please contact your child’s Syndicate Leader if there are issues we need to be aware of. If the child or anyone in the home is sick with Covid symptoms, we ask that all get tested and stay home until the results come back negative and symptoms subside.
Covid Symptoms: a new or worsening cough, a high temperature (at least 38˚C), shortness of breath, a sore throat, sneezing and runny nose, temporary loss of smell.
Some people may present with less typical symptoms such as only one of the following: muscle pain, fever, diarrhoea, headache, nausea/vomiting, or confusion/irritability.
We have access to the District Nurse; Wendy King and Kirsty Van der Klip our Social Worker in Schools.
• 021832648 – SwiS (Kirsty Van der Klip)
• 021341845 – Public Health Nurse (Wendy King)
Please communicate your needs to the services directly or via syndicate leaders.
An extra support platform is available for any of our whānau wanting to improve their hauora – overall wellbeing: https://www.allright.org.nz/te-waioratanga
Attendance
Getting To & From School
Classrooms
Students and staff must not attend if they are unwell. Students and staff that become unwell during the school day will be sent home. Contact will be made directly with you via the contact numbers that we have in our school files. If needed, we will organise the unwell child’s transport home. If medical advice warrants a Covid-19 test, the result will be required before the student or staff member returns to school. If you or anyone of your close contacts has frequented any of the identified areas of interest, please do the right thing, get tested and stay in isolation until a negative result is returned.
Our school QR Code is displayed on our front admin door – please scan in before you step in staff.
Contract tracing will be monitored by our sign in process for staff and class registers for students. These provide the required information for Health Authorities if they need to contact people that might be considered a close contact of a confirmed case, and determine whether they need to self-isolate.
Students are encouraged to arrive at school at 8:45am, not earlier and are to be collected at 3:00pm. There will be no playing on site after school, the school will be closed from 3:00pm and will be locked down with no thoroughfare out of school hours.
Under Alert Level 2 hand sanitiser and/or soap will be provided in every classroom/learning space. All staff and students will be permitted to cleanse on entry and exit to all classes.
Each class has disinfectant spray bottles available for students and teachers to sanitise spaces throughout the school day as required. Year 7 & 8 students will be able to attend tech classes at Thames High School – there will be no interaction with THS students. Students will be escorted to classes by our staff and picked up for their return walk back to school during Alert Level 2.
EOTC – will be permitted within a close radius of school not exceeding Kuranui Bay in the north, Rhode’s Park and Parawai. All EOTC at this level will adhere to the stated social distancing requirements (1m indoors, 2 metres outdoors). There will be an opt in, understanding with all EOTC.
Hui / Assembly
Karakia has an integral role to the start and close of our learning programmes across campus. We will be ensuring that these can be practiced whilst adhering to physical distance provisions.
Whole school gatherings will resume at Level 1.
Break Times
Ka Ora, Ka Ako – Healthy School Lunches Programme
Staffroom
Staff to strongly encourage students to adhere to the physical distance recommendations of 1m remain in place. This means students and staff should be far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on or touching each other.
Drinking fountains will be discouraged at Level 2. Students will need a named drink bottle or cup for at school and be responsible for it.
Our school lunches are made on campus daily under strict food hygiene guidance and requirements set by the Ministry of Education. In Level 2, all lunches will be meticulously wrapped individually and delivered to classroom teachers to distribute. Hands will be washed thoroughly to ensure that our hygiene expectations are followed by teachers and students. Students will sit in their classrooms with ample spacing between each other. Students can take the remainder of their kai home if they are not able to consume it fully.
Staff are to maintain a minimum of 1m physical distance where practicable including in the staffroom.
Staff will be responsible for cleaning the utensils used and ensuring that surfaces are wiped post their use.
Soap and sanitiser is provided in the staffroom. Disinfectant/wipes are available to be used on shared keypads (ie. Photocopier, sign in, alarm). Staff to clean and disinfect hands at the start and finish of each class and when entering the staffroom.
Mā te kahukura ka rere te manu
It is the unity of feathers that allow the bird to fly
We are all in this together
Kia noho haumaru anō
Again, stay safe
Be kind