News

A message from our Board of Trustees

Fri Nov 26 02:20pm

Kia ora/ Hello to Our Lady of Lourdes School Community

The Board of Trustees is writing this letter to our school as part of the Covid-19 Public Health Response order, to reiterate the expectations of our school community.  Our board continues to prioritise the well-being and safety of our children/tamariki and follows the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education to our school regarding Covid-19.

The requirements for visiting the school office or school grounds for purposes relating to your child’s education requires you to do the following:

Scan in/or sign in at the office
Wear a mask (for the entire time you are on school grounds)
Sanitise – (available in the office)
Respect the 2m rule at all times

Unfortunately we have had incidents where parents are not adhering to these simple but effective requirements that are in place to protect our tamariki/children. This is a gentle reminder from the level of governance within our school, and by the government mandated regulations rules, to please support the current requirements  that have been set for schools to implement. 

The Principal and Board Presiding member continue to read through all advice and guidelines that are set by the Ministry of Education regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, for our responsibility in relation to this and ensuring our school is doing all that is required.

As you are aware the Mandate within schools took effect from November 15th. For our school community this means; the vaccination requirements apply wherever in person schooling occurs, such as on the school site, but also school camps, swimming pools, museums, etc. or where other education outside the classroom (EOTC) programmes take place. If you wish to be involved as a parent helper in any events after November 15th, we will need evidence of your vaccination/s.

In accordance with Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic Moral Theology, the Board prioritises care of the vulnerable and upholds the principle of the Common Good. 

We deem that, because our school children are under 12 years old and cannot be vaccinated, that they are a vulnerable population in the pandemic. It is therefore incumbent on the Board to support the staff to ensure the legal duty of care for our children.

 Yours sincerely

 Our Lady of Lourdes school Board of Trustees. 

Maria Amey – Presiding Member. 

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Mon Nov 01 10:13am

Hello families. 

A reminder that school photo’s are taking place from 8.55am tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately the last day for handing in your school photo order forms to the school office was Friday 29th October as the order forms were picked up on Friday by the photographer. 

Any late order forms will need to be taken to Brendan Lodge Photography after school today.  His studio is at 231 Main Street, Palmerston North.

We cannot accept any late forms tomorrow morning as all the organisation regarding times slots/schedules is being done by the photograher today in preparation for tomorrow.

Kind regards, Karen Worsley

A reminder that tomorrow if the final day for ordering school photos. Please make sure your child returns their envelop tomorrow. Blessings

Thu Oct 28 02:21pm

TOUCH RUGBY FEE REFUNDS – information for those who have paid touch rugby fees.

Fri Oct 22 02:17pm

To those families who paid their touch rugby fees by way of cash to the school office – I have given your child’s teacher a full cash refund to be given out to those who require it at the end of the school day to take home.

To those families who paid their touch rugby fees by way of internet banking – I have reimbursed these payments via internet banking today.

Please contact the school office next week if you have any queries regarding the above.

Have a wonderful long weekend and we will see you all on Tuesday.

Karen Worsley, Office Administrator

Hi everyone. Just a quick note to let you all know your children are fine and coped with the earthquake really well. Blessings

Fri Oct 22 11:22am

SCHOOL PHOTO ORDER FORMS

Mon Oct 18 12:56pm

Hello lovely families

A reminder that school photos will be taking place on November 2nd. We are sending home with your child/children today the school photo order form envelopes.

Please note if you have more than one child at school a seperate envelope for each child is required.  The payment options are detailed on the front of the envelopes.

Your order form/s need to be returned to the school office no later than Thursday 28th October as the photographer will be picking them up on Friday 29th October.

Kind regards

Karen Worsley, Office Administrator

TOUCH RUGY CANCELLED for this term

Mon Oct 18 11:58am

Unfortunately the planned touch season is cancelled for this term. The organisation running this programme respect the governments Health and safety guidelines to ensure the safety of community.

During this week we will look to refund payments that have been made.

Thank you for your understanding

OLOL staff

 

SCHOOL UNIFORM UPDATE

Fri Sep 24 11:24am

Good morning families

We are aware that there is limited uniform now at the Warehouse. Some of this can still be purchased online. We are in negotiations with Academy Apparel to intorduce the new uniform as soon as we can. We have a range of second hand uniform here. We will keep in touch as we know more. Please feel free to ring the office if you have any questions.

Blessings to you all

LEFTOVER BAGS OF FERTILISER

Wed Sep 22 11:25am

Hello everyone.  We have 15 bags of fertiliser leftover from our Fertiliser Drive in August. 

We have reduced the price to $15 per 12kg bag or two bags for $25, which is an fantastic price!

If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing some fertiliser at a reduced price please contact the school office.

Blessings

Blessings everyone.

Tue Sep 21 01:41pm

It is the time of year where we start looking at sorting out our classes and numbers for next year.

If you have not already – could you please contact the school office via email or a phone call if you have any children that will be enrolling with us in 2022.  Thank you to those families who have already informed us of any future enroment.

We look forward to hearing from you. 

Thank you and kind regards.

Caroline and Karen

Hello everyone. Please see attached information regarding September Attendance Dues from the Diocese of P.Nth. Blessings for your day.

Wed Sep 15 03:23pm

 

View PDF

Ministry of Education update

Tue Sep 07 04:55pm

Ministry of Education Bulletin – Alert Level 2
 Good afternoon, Malo e lelei, kia ora to you all

We have just received this latest update from the Ministry of Education. You’ll be aware that all of New Zealand (with the exception of Auckland) is moving to Alert Level 2 from midnight tonight. Our thoughts and positive wishes are with everyone in Tāmaki Makaurau|Auckland.

Extensive wastewater testing and the numbers of people getting tested across the country has given the Government confidence that it is safe to allow a shift down to Alert Level 2 across most of New Zealand.

We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone back onsite on Thursday morning, 9th September. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be continuing to support the children who have been onsite at Alert Level 3 while we prepare for re-opening to all on Thursday. 

 At Alert Level 2 there is low risk of community transmission and it provides us with a lot more opportunities to engage and connect with others. However, there are still a number of public health requirements we all need to follow. Please do continue to monitor your health and do not send your children to school if they are not well (and please seek advice about getting a COVID test).

 For us, all the required safety precautions for Alert Level 2 will be in place which include following all the recommendations from the public health experts. This means we will regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, encourage everyone to frequently wash their hands and cough and sneeze into their elbow. We ask that only children enter school grounds at this stage. Please drop them off at the front gate and we will bring them out at the end of the day. Please park on the road and not in the school grounds. Before school and After school vans will drive in as usual and we will bring the children to them

 While physical distancing is not a requirement in schools, we will be doing our best to keep children from congregating in very large numbers and keeping spaces well-ventilated. We will hold off on our school wide Monday liturgies and kapa haka and will hold these in our classrooms for now.

 Face coverings are not required to be worn in school. The Director General of Health has recommended that children 12 years+ wear a face covering at school.  The decision to wear a face covering is up to you and your whānau, whatever your decision it will be respected.

 

Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher/kaiako or me if there is something you need assistance with. See you Thursday!

Abundant blessings

Caroline Gilligan (Principal) Maria Amey (Presiding Member)

Just checking in with our families

Tue Sep 07 09:13am

Good morning on this Tuesday – it is with excitement that we begin to prepare for Level 2 at school. Today the Ministry of Education will be sharing further information with schools. When we know more we will be in touch with you. Staff will be here on Wednesday preparing classrooms for your child’s return on Thursday. We look forward to welcoming you back to school. I will be in touch later this afternoon with further updates.

Until then, stay well, go gently 

Abundant blessings

Caroline and the team

Blessings to you this spring morning. We have been sent the following from the Ministry of Education – please know there is support for you.

Fri Sep 03 11:55am

Support for Whanau:contact details

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) have staff available and ready to support families in need. 

See below a list of useful information regarding the types of support available, and how to best access this support.  Please feel free to share this with your school community.

 To confirm availability contact MSD via:

Telephone: 0800 559 009

Website:  https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/

MyMSD : https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/online-services/mymsd/index.html
 It is important to note support is available to all New Zealanders on a low income, not just those currently on a benefit.  This includes support to pay for food, power, rent, mortgage and other necessities.

 This includes, but is not limited to the following:

Support to pay for food, power, rent, mortgage, board

Wage Subsidy

Short Term Absence Payment

Leave Support Scheme

Resurgence Support Payment

Small Business Cashflow Scheme

Up to date information relating to alert levels and further support available may be found at: https://covid19.govt.nz/about-this-site/contact-and-support/

Housing support

MSD works closely with emergency management offices and other key regional groups to ensure emergency housing is available for those who fit MSD eligibility criteria.  It’s important that anyone needing accommodation contacts MSD staff to ensure the right support is provided.

 Accommodation support

Further information is available through the Contact and Support page on the Unite against Covid-19 website here:

https://covid19.govt.nz/about-this-site/contact-and-support/

 Employment support

Information relating to the wage subsidy, including eligibility and application is available here: https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/about-work-and-income/news/2021/ws-applications.html

 Important: Information provided in an application must be correct and match the information held by IRD for the business or organisation to which the application refers.

 The latest update on doing business at Alert Level 3 is here.

https://covid19.govt.nz/business-and-money/businesses/operating-safely/doing-business-at-alert-level-3/

 NZ Superannuation queries

Phone: 0800 552 002

For Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired Deaf Link Free-fax: 0800 621 621

Text: 029 286 7170

Email: MSD_Deaf_Services@msd.govt.nz

Ministry of Education update 29/8

Sun Aug 29 06:24pm

OUR LADY OF LOURDES SCHOOL

Ministry of Education – regions moving to Alert Level 3

 

Hello to all -Kia ora

The quick move to Level 4, record volumes of testing for COVID in the community, extensive wastewater testing, huge numbers of New Zealanders being vaccinated (more than 2 million people have now received their first dose), and a very wide net being cast around confirmed cases, has given Government confidence that we are safe to move to Alert Level 3 on Wednesday.

At Alert Level 3, you legally must stay within your household bubble unless for essential personal movement including going to work and going to school. As the Prime Minister noted on Friday, schools are essentially closed at Alert Level 3 with the exception of those few children whose parents and carers must go to work at Alert Level 3, and there is no appropriate caregiver at home.

So we will be open on Wednesday, for a small number of children who need to attend. As you imagine it will not be school as we know it under Alert Level 2 or 1.  All our usual safety precautions for Alert Level 3 will be in place which include following all the recommendations from the public health experts. This means we will regularly clean and disinfect high touch surfaces, encourage everyone to frequently wash their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes, and keep everyone physically distanced from others as much as possible (1 metre inside and two metres outside). We will also keep school bubbles to no more than 10 students. These bubbles will not mix with other bubbles.

Our contact tracing systems will be in place, which includes our attendance register and visitor register, and we will be limiting staff onsite with the majority of our team working from home.

You can also assist everyone’s safety by keeping your child at home if they are feeling unwell and please do contact your GP or Healthline, to seek advice about getting tested.

We will continue to support all children who remain learning from home, through our distance learning programme.

While we know how difficult it is trying to work from home as well as support your child’s learning, please keep your child at home if there is an appropriate carer available. For those of you with no other option, we will look forward to seeing your child at school next week. Thank you for emailing me if you require your child to be at school from Wednesday. The front gates will be open at 8.45am – and children will be directed to one of two areas. A staff member will be at the front gate – and we ask that no one comes on to the school grounds to limit exposure for all. We have one junior bubble in the hall and one bubble in Room 6 upstairs. On Wednesday your child will be directed to one of these. We will stagger the two bubbles at the end of the day – the junior bubble at 2.50pm and the senior one at 2.55pm. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up by 3pm.

It was pleasing to hear that across New Zealand compliance is high. As you have been doing, please continue to follow all the alert level requirements. It is the best tool we have to keep our community safe.

Blessings to you and your bubbles

Caroline Gilligan (Principal).  Maria Amey (Board Presiding Member)