Hello whanau. A Reminder that school closes at 1pm on Tuesday 31st May for the Kahui Ako Professional Development afternoon at Methven .

Rakaia School Support Group Need YOUR help!

Kia ora e te whanau, 

The Rakaia School Support Group do an AMAZING job to raise funds for our kura and your tamraiki which is often behind the scenes and un-noticed . 

They are needing some volunteers for a catering job this Saturday 28th May 

Time slots: 9am-11am & 11:30am -12:30am   

If you can lend a hand please contact ASAP to Natasha B 027 4550 807 

May 24th Update

Good luck at Cross Country from Mr Ellis.
Reminders that next Tuesday May 31st we shut school at 1pm due to Kahui professional development in Methven. Buses will run at 1pm.
Thursday June 9th is a parent evening at 7pm to discuss Rakaia Curriculum Development and Communication in the school. Please mark it on your diary and come for a chat and share your ideas.
June 14 and 15 are interview days. There have been multiple reminders to book online. Contact the office if you need help. These interviews are back at your request so please fill the slots.
Thursday July 7th will be a Soup and kahoot night at school for all families. We are looking forward to having a fun evening just like we did before COVID.It will start at 6pm and be finished by 8pm. Grab a team and come along.
Friday July 8th will be a Teacher only Day for Rakaia Curriculum Development. The term will finish Thursday and Term 3 will begin July 25th.
Very soon we will be trialling a Pilot programme at school with Mrs Tracey Atkinson that involves some Equine Education. She has a pony named Frisby who has been a cart pony and we will be looking to have him at school with Mrs Atkinson to introduce some children to him and to feed him, brush him and care for him at school. This will support their emotional regulation and we are excited to look outside the traditional box to provide for our students. He will not be ridden or left alone in his yard when it is built. If you interested in helping then please let school know.
Thank you

A message from Rakaia School Support Group

Kia ora e te whanau, 

A message from our lovely School Support Group.

Meat order forms due by the end of this week 
Catering help required for this Saturday – please let us know if you’re available to support. 

Mid Year Interviews

Mid Year Interviews are June 14 and 15th. We will close school at 1pm on Tuesday 14th for a 2pm start. Wednesday 15th is a normal school day.

Tuesday 14th Interview 2pm-5pm and 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Wednesday 15th 3.30pm – 5.30pm

Please follow the link below or call the office for an appointment.

http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/zynud

May 15th 2022

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Assembly and Second Hand Uniform Sale

Reminders- Full school assembly today and you are welcome to attend with a mask please.  Second hand uniform sale at 2.45pm by the sports shed. Looking forward to seeing you all. 

Bus Driver Required

SITUATIONS VACANT – SCHOOL BUS DRIVER

Looking for the ideal part-time job? One that allows you to build great relationships with your community and its young people, and allows plenty of time every day to pursue other interests?

We need a Driver for a school run in the Rakaia area.

For the right applicants, we would consider a job share arrangement.

A Class 2 Licence with a P Endorsement is desirable, however assistance to gain these may be available for suitable applicant(s).

To apply, or for further information, please contact

Mark at Pearsons Coachlines Ltd on 021 344 647 or ashburton@pearsonscoachlines.co.nz

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE

This Friday the 8th of April we will be holding the last  second hand uniform sale for this term, it will be in front of the sports shed from 2.45 until 3.15pm.

We will require you to wear masks, hand sanitize and maintain social distancing as per the rules, but also we cannot go past the yellow line into the school grounds.

Cash and eftpos available and good swaps are welcomed too.

Please keep us in mind if you are having a clear out over the holidays or the kids have grown, as donations are always welcome and can be left at the school office if you are unable to come to the sale.

Thank you

Clare Stewart (0274190020) and Nicola Vercoe

Hot Cross Bun Orders

Due Friday April 1st and pick is April 8th after school. Thank you for your support.

School Support Group AGM tonight in Mahitahi at 7pm

Please join us and then have a chat to the BOT about Community Involvement in our School. This is part of the BOT’s Strategic Planning for the next 3-5 years. 

March 23 newsletter

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Mark Update

Good morning and welcome to Week 8 of the term.

Over the weekend we have had 4 more cases of children or families contracting COVID and now we also have 2 teaching staff affected.

We have relievers in to cover, so now classes need to be shared as yet.

Maybe, it suggests we have not peaked yet in Mid Canterbury and vigilance is still required around basic hygiene and mask wearing.

Please call us if you need support.

We must advise you we still have systems in place to manage health requirements and all children unaffected by COVID should be at school.

Thank you for your continued understanding.

Mark Ellis
Principal

Principals School House available for Rent

3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms. No Garage. Large section. Available almost immediately. If you are interested please email markellis@rakaia.school.nz

We would prefer a school family in the house. 

Update from the MOE

Changes to isolation requirements

From 11:59pm tomorrow Friday 11 March isolation requirements for positive cases of COVID-19 and their household contacts will be reduced from 10 to seven days.
 
This change has been made due to up-to-date public health advice: there is a decline in infectiousness of Omicron over time and in most cases, transmission occurs within seven days.
 
This reduction in the isolation period will ensure we maintain a balance between controlling the outbreak effectively and minimising the impacts of isolation requirements on people’s lives. 
 
Evidence also shows that the risk of re-infection within the first three months after someone has had Omicron is very low. For this reason, recovered cases will no longer need to isolate again if they become a household contact within 90 days of having the virus. This has been extended from 28 days.
 
From 11.59pm Friday 11 March, all cases and household contacts who are currently isolating can end their period of isolation after Day 7. Those currently in isolation will not have to complete their Days 8, 9 and 10 of isolation.
 
Please see the information below for changes that will be in effect from Saturday 12 March.

Cases of COVID-19

Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate for seven days.
 
Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day the test was taken (whichever came first). Cases will isolate for a full seven days and are free to return to normal activities on Day 8, if they are not symptomatic.

See ‘Supporting students and staff to return to school’ further below for more information.

Household contacts 

Household contacts are required to isolate for the same seven days as the case.
 
They can return to their normal activities on the same day as the first case in their household, so long as all test results have been negative, and they are not symptomatic.
 
Household contacts should continue to self-monitor for symptoms up to Day 10.

Household contacts will be required to take a self-administered rapid antigen test (RAT) on Day 3 and Day 7 of the case’s isolation period.
 
If symptoms develop at any time during isolation:the usual advice remains in place to undertake an additional RAT
if the test is negative and symptoms persist or worsen, test again 48 hours after that negative test
if symptoms resolve there is no need for a further test until the required Day 7 test. If this is negative, they can return to daily life on Day 8.
If a household contact has new symptoms on the day of release:they should undertake an additional RAT and stay at home while unwell
if that test is negative and symptoms persist or worsen, test again after 48 hours. If symptoms resolve, there is no need for a further test. 
If a household contact has finished their period of isolation they do not need to return to isolation if a new case is identified in their household. However, this only applies for a period of seven days following their leaving isolation.
 
Should a new household member be confirmed as a case eight or more days after the household contact has left isolation, then they must start a new period of self-isolation for seven days.

Message from the BOT Chair

Kia Ora Koutou, Nga Mihi nui Koutou Katoa.

I hope this update finds you well in all the aspects of wellness. It’s important to realise that ‘wellness’ is not a thing that just happens to us, it is possible to influence our wellness through all aspects of our lives. Family, food, sleep, work, money, school and attitude are key drivers in wellness.

So starting this again, I hope that you are well.

The BOT congratulates Mark with his consistent and informative online updates and timely advice – we want you to know as much as we do because at the moment there is no certainty. That’s why Rakaia School is at the front in Mid Canterbury in regards to managing the covid risk and telling you what we are up to – it is to provide certainty.

Part of this planning and work is protecting our staff. Our choices do put your children first, but we consider our staff equally. They are what makes our school function and have the values it does. So when the time comes to move online, alter the timetable or change days around – it is done with respect to both the staff and the children.

The BOT is encouraging the school to look forward, we are a small school with close knit community ties and could be taken out of action with isolating adults and children very, very quickly. By acting promptly and with vision we have more options.

To finish, we want to say ‘Thankyou’ for trusting us and cooperating with our plan and please continue to advise of any close contacts or isolations to the school. School is open for everybody, but please enter through the office so we know you are here.

Regards

Grant Lorimer
Presiding member
Rakaia BOT