Update 5th April – Whole school learning onsite again tomorrow!
We will fully reopen for onsite instruction for all year levels tomorrow, Wednesday 6 March.
We recognise that COVID is still having a significant impact in our school. However, attendance rates are up, COVID cases are down (only one new student case today) and we are able to cover staffing sufficiently for the whole school.
A huge thank you to our relief organisers for all their work ensuring classes are covered this year.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 29th March 2022:
Year 7 -10s to remain home for the rest of this week (30th – 31st March) for remote learning.
Also please remember that 1st April is a Teacher Only Day. Our staff will be meeting (online) with the other Christian schools from our Community of Learning.
James Rose
Deputy Principal
Update 28th March 2022:
Thank you everyone for keeping year 7-10 students at home this week for remote learning. On Monday we had thirteen staff absent from school. This makes things challenging and we would appreciate your prayers for all concerned. We will review this decision tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.
Today our attendance rate for students present at school (i.e. years 1-6 and 11-13) was 61%. This is a slight improvement on the numbers from the middle of last week, but with a different group of students now included in this attendance data, it is hard to compare directly.
Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were reported amongst our student body over the weekend and today. So far, 32% of our student body has tested positive for COVID-19. Our data indicates that the number of COVID cases at our school continues to trend upwards at present and it is clear that we have not yet reached the peak. We are hoping and praying that we will soon see this trend start to taper off.
Remember, if you have notified us that you have a child of critical worker needing supervision form, then your year 7-10 children may still attend a remote learning bubble at school. This bubble is currently based in room G6.
So that we can make accurate decisions about this coming week, it is really important that if you or someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19, that you inform the school by filling in our Covid-19 notification form.
If you are a confirmed case, you and all of the members of your household MUST isolate at home for 7 days.
We have a Teacher Only day on Friday 1st April 2022 and the school will be closed for instruction for all year levels on this day. There will be no onsite supervision of students provided on this day.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 27th March 2022:
We are still seeing an increase in COVID case numbers in all year groups across our school and this trend does not appear to be levelling out. As a result, we have made the decision to roster the year 7-10 students to remote (home) learning this week due to staff shortages.
This will mean that the school will be open for onsite instruction for years 1 to 6 and years 11-13 only. We will revisit this decision midday on Tuesday 29th March 2022 and will inform our school community if there is any change.
Please remember that we have a Teacher Only day on Friday 1st April 2022 and the school will be closed for instruction for all year levels on this day. There will be no onsite supervision of students provided on this day.
As usual, teachers will contact students via email, onenote, and schedule some classes on Microsoft Teams.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update: 23rd March 2022
As COVID cases continue to rise here at Cornerstone Christian School we have made the decision to move to remote learning at home for Thursday 24th and Friday 25th March 2022. The core reason we have decided to do this is inability to staff the school on these two days.
We will revisit this decision midday on Sunday 27th March 2022 and will inform our school community of our decision by email.
If you are a critical worker and have notified us of this via the form on the Cornerstone Website, your children may still attend a remote learning bubble at school tomorrow and Friday. Year 1-4’s will be in room A2 and Year 5-10’s will be in room H2/3 in the high school area. If possible, we would recommend that children remain at home so that we can break the cycle of transmission.
To give Cornerstone staff a break during this stressful time, remote learning will continue tomorrow (Thursday) however I have asked that teachers to do not arrange meetings and Teams calls on Friday.
So that we can make good decisions about next week, it is really important that if you or someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19, that you inform the school by filling in the form via the link below: our Covid-19 notification form.
Apologies from me for some incorrect information added to last night’s email where I suggested that people isolating must have a negative day 7 RAT test before returning to school. This is not the case if you or your child have previously tested positive for COVID-19. This requirement only applies to members of a household who are isolating with a positive case.
If you are a confirmed case, you and all of the members of your household MUST isolate at home for 7 days. See the update on 20th March for more information
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 20th March 2022
Year 11-13 will continue to learn from home tomorrow morning (21st March) as we are expecting case numbers at Cornerstone to peak this week. At this stage we will remain open for instruction for all years 1-10 but please be aware that our teaching and relief staff have now been significantly impacted and we may need to close parts of the school for onsite learning this week. As always, we will try to give ample warning if we need to do this.
A number of school families have been asking us what to do if a second member of the household test positive, several days after the first – does the isolation clock restart for the whole household. The answer is ‘no’. Please see the graphic for a fuller explanation of this. (click to enlarge)
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 15th March 2022
Due to an increase of COVID cases amongst staff and students we have made the decision to move to remote learning in years 11, 12 and 13 for the remainder of this week. i.e. Wednesday 16 March to Friday 18 March. Remote learning will commence for students in these year levels. This move had been previously signaled, and hopefully causes the least disruption to families and to learning.
We will review this decision over the weekend and make decisions as soon as we can about what next week will look like.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 10 March 2022.
As a response to a small burst in cases in our Year 7 classes, we have made the difficult decision to close Year 7 classes for Friday 11th March. Remote learning will be available for all Year 7s for this day, and supervision will be provided for children of essential workers.
We reiterate the importance of control measures at school, like mask wearing, social distancing, and hand sanitising, to protect each other.
Thanks for your understanding.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 8 March 2022
Known COVID-19 cases at Cornerstone Christian School: 13 students in year 1 and years 4 through 13. There are zero staff members with COVID-19, however two staff members and thirty one school families have indicated that they have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in their household. All students and adults concerned are isolating at home as required.
All other students can still attend Cornerstone Christian School and we will remain open for instruction at this stage. If we have significant numbers of either students or teachers isolating at home this week, we may look at moving to a distance learning model so that we can weather the peak of this outbreak. Please complete the form below if your child(ren) will require supervision at school during this time: Child needing supervision form.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update 28 Feb 2022
We have had a small increase in the numbers of COVID cases in our wider school community with one new confirmed case in our middle school (year 7-10). This student was likely infectious at school on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th March 2022, and travelled home on the Feilding School bus on both days. I will not be naming the student or their specific year group for privacy reasons.
All students can still attend Cornerstone Christian School and we will remain safely open for instruction.
- Please watch for symptoms of COVID-19. These include:
- 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
- If any develop, get tested immediately, then, stay at home until you receive the result
If you test positive for COVID-19 please inform the school immediately by fill in the form via our Covid-19 notification form. If you are a confirmed case you and all of the members of your household MUST isolate at home for 10 days.
School Sports and Vaccine Passes
First of all, I’d like to acknowledge the Ministry of Education’s announcement on Friday morning that ‘My Vaccine Passes’ will not be required for students representing their school in various sporting codes. We are waiting for advice from SportNZ and Manawatu Sport on the timeframe of when this change will be implemented and how this will be outworked in venues such as Arena Manawatu and the Massey Athletics Track – who both currently require My Vaccine Passes as a condition of entry.
Rapid Antigen Test Kits
We are currently finding it very difficult to access Rapid Antigen Tests for Cornerstone Christian School via the Ministry of Education and have had to purchase a number of these at a significant cost to the school. If any of our Cornerstone families have unopened RAT test kits that they could give to our school (for staff), these would be gratefully received at the school office.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal
Update: 23 February 2022
Cornerstone Christian School has had two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our school community – a building-site worker and a support staff member. Both people are doing well at present with mild to moderate flu-like symptoms. I know they would treasure your family’s prayers.
Our staff member was infectious at School on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd February 2022. We have now identified, and phoned or spoken to, all staff and students considered to be close contacts. If you have not heard from us, your child or young person is not considered to be a close contact and can still come safely to school.
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 you or your child/young person receives a positive result, please let us know immediately by filling in our Covid-19 notification form. Please can I ask that you do not email the principal as indicated in a previous email.
- 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.
Breaktime Zones (click to enlarge)
What we’re doing
- Cornerstone Christian School will stay open
- We have appropriate public health measures and cleaning procedures in place
Children of Critical Workers
As the cases of Omicron start to increase in the wider Palmerston North Community, there may be periods of time when our school needs to operate at a reduced capacity. During those times, children may well be asked to switch to remote learning from home. When that happens, we need to know which children will still require supervision at school as both you and your spouse are considered to be critical workers. Can I please ask that if your children require school based supervision during these times, that you complete our child of critical worker needing supervision form.
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/prepare-and-stay-safe/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/
As always, a verse to end with – and old favourite but one which is very relevant in these times: Psalm 91, verses 1-4 “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.
Ma te Ariki koe e manaaki (May the Lord bless you)
Chris Mitchell
Principal