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School buses go back to work when students and teachers are ready to return to the classroom next week.
On Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country would move to closure level 2.
Students may return to school and early learning services may reopen beginning next Monday, May 18. Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers could open from Thursday to full capacity.
However, things were unlikely to return to normal: Schools would be expected to adopt strict rules of safety and physical distance. Distance learning would still be available to students who can isolate themselves.
WARWICK SMITH / THINGS
With few children in school at alert level three, the principal of the Takaro school, Helena Baker, talks about how everything is going.
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* Coronavirus: educators welcome reopening of ECE schools and centers
Ardern acknowledged that physical distancing would be difficult in schools and that children were not expected to “not be children” at school, he said.
“There will be practices in place that will help support a safe environment … we wouldn’t go to level 2 if we didn’t think it was safe.”
Warwick Smith / Things
At Takaro School in Palmerston North, the few students who attend the school sit at their desks 2 meters away and maintain social distance while playing outside during level 3.
At level 2, residential specialty schools and day specialty schools may also be resumed entirely.
School shelters could also return, and Ardern said educators had been working with the Ministry of Education to make sure they were safe for students and staff.
Tom Lee / Things
For many elementary, middle and high schools, the focus would be on helping students return to the classroom smoothly during level 2 (file photo).
New Zealand Federation of Directors’ President Perry Rush said it was vital that young people get involved in school and learn again.
“It is particularly important for those students who need regular, high-quality instruction: they are the at-risk group of students, as well as vulnerable youth who have not had the resources to adequately connect with teachers and with students doing NCEA.” .
The main focus in the future would be to make it clear that people did not attend school if they were not doing well.
Monique Ford / Things
New Zealand Federation of Directors’ President Perry Rush says it is vital that students return to school and re-commit.
“What we have to be very clear about is that level 2 is not level 3 and not level 4.
“Public health data points to schooling and employment starting to heat up again, and we accept that officials have made that call: it’s safe to go back and teachers and principals will be there en masse.”
Berhampore School principal Mark Potter said each school would be different when it came to preparing for the coming week, but one thing people were trying to work on would be to track down the adults entering the school.
Keeping the environment safe and making sure children felt safe were important as some might be eager to return, he said.
Maarten Holl / Things
Berhampore School principal Mark Potter says that in a school setting, it’s not about eliminating contact, but about minimizing unnecessary contact.
The staff would meet digitally to talk about next week, but one of the things they would do is to intentionally teach the children about estrangement.
“Below level 3, the kids have been great at staying apart.
“Kids are pretty good: You can’t eliminate contact, it’s about minimizing unnecessary contact.”
Early Childhood Council Executive Director Peter Reynolds said: “ECE centers can’t wait to welcome children and their parents back … our small business centers will be relieved to be open again. Government support has been tremendous, but reconstruction begins on Monday. “
Heading to level 2, the question of financing and how it would be applied was a pending issue, he said.
In a statement, Kindergartens Aotearoa said it encouraged everyone to return during Level 2 and that the kindergartens would open next week with additional health measures.
Spokeswoman Amanda Coulston said, “We recognize that going back to kindergarten can be disturbing for some children, but our teachers are skilled and experienced in helping them understand the world and their experiences and feelings.”
PHYSICAL DISTANCE
In a school setting, physical distancing meant that students and staff did not breathe or touch each other.
Safety practices like coughing at the elbow, washing hands and drying, as well as regular cleaning of frequently touched surfaces would be in place.
When physical distancing is not possible, such as during sports activities or in early learning settings, there would be an additional focus on hand washing, drying, or cleaning with hand sanitizer before and after activities.
There would also be regular cleaning of the equipment.
LA REL EASTER / Unsplash
Dr. Sarah Alexander, childcare expert and executive director of ChildForum, says that while parents may not be as scared as before, other factors may come into play, such as being able to pay for childcare or choosing to put their children in centers for fewer days (file photo).
Moving to level 2, the space requirements per child at ECE would return to 2.5 square meters, while indoor temperatures would also increase at level 2 to 18 degrees Celsius.
At level 2, if a school had a coronavirus case, the school would close for 72 hours and then potentially for another 14 days.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins previously said Things “It is our expectation that at level 2, most children will return to school.”
“If there are other factors that parents are taking into consideration, like the health needs of those children or the people in their home … we want to be tolerant of those things, but the expectation is that the vast majority of children will be back at school. “
