Important Message for Waimea College Students and Whānau

Feb 23, 2022

COVID-19 has reached the Waimea College community.

Kia ora koutou students, parents and caregivers. 

The health and wellbeing of our children, staff and community is a top priority.

We’re sending this letter as there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our school community. The student was at school for a short period of time on Monday 21 February. They have been isolating at home since this time and have now tested positive. This is a scenario we have been expecting and preparing for.

Through using the Ministry of Education template a small number of close contacts have been identified. These students have been individually contacted. 

All other students are able to continue to attend school as per usual.

What you need to do

  • You and your whānau should watch for symptoms
  • If any develop, get tested immediately
  • Then, stay at home until you receive the result
  • If your whānau hasn’t been vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible. You can book on-line at bookmyvaccine.nz or by calling 0800 28 29 26. It’s free.

What we’re doing

  • School will stay open
  • We have appropriate public health measures and cleaning procedures in place

Symptoms of COVID-19

  • A new or worsening cough
  • Sneezing and runny nose
  • A fever
  • Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath

Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability.

For more information, go to https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/(external link)

Online Distance Learning

As we signalled in our recent COVID update, over the coming days and weeks there may be times when teachers are working from home but students are in school, or when some students are working online from home while others are in class.

Teachers have already set their classes up for online learning through the Microsoft Teams platform. More information about how the Teams platform works at Waimea College can be found on our school website HERE.

Teachers will be using this platform to engage with students learning from home. Your teen will need to take responsibility for going to the Class Team and finding the instructions for tasks. If you need to contact a teacher by email the format is firstname.lastname@waimea.school.nz

A guideline for Online Distance Learning can be found HERE.

Please reach out to us via phone 544 6099 or via email at inspire@waimea.school.nz if you have any questions.

Noho ora mai

Scott Haines

Principal

By Scott Haines