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Strengthening the Bonds throughout the McGlashan Community Dear Parents and Caregivers, As New Zealand has entered Alert Level 2, we can now accept all students back to physical classes at John McGlashan College. We are going to start with the younger year levels. The process of reopening is phased over a two-day period, starting on Monday May 18. Boarders will start arriving back to the hostel from Sunday May 17. Please read this entire message as there is some very important information to be aware of. We recognise that we will need to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone once boys and staff are back on site. Therefore, we ask everyone to be aware, support the procedures below and communicate any concerns that may arise. We also need to support any students who are nervous about returning to school or about any concerns that they may be experiencing. Compared to other countries around the world, New Zealand’s time in distance learning has not been that long, however, we are aware that some boys have found this time challenging. Below are the dates when each year level will return to school: • Years 7 - 10 will start back at school on Monday May 18. They will meet in their form classes at 8:50am. • Year 11 – 13 will start back at school on Tuesday May 19. They too will meet in the form classes at 8:50am. Social Distancing during Alert Level 2: • Students and staff will maintain social distancing at school. This includes classrooms where desks will be spaced, play areas and the dining hall. • All students should arrive after 8:40am and go directly to their form class on their first day back. • Gatherings or groupings of individuals, including students, must be kept to a minimum and respect social distancing. • The dining hall will only be open to boarders to begin with. All day boys will need to bring a packed lunch as the canteen will be closed. Maintaining a Healthy Environment: • On the first day of return and at the beginning of each day, teachers will inform and repeat the message to students about the importance of healthy habits and routines at school. • These habits and routines will be reinforced by posters and visual cues around the school. • Each boy must bring his own personal drink bottle with his name on it. This needs to be washed each evening. • If possible, each day boys should bring their own named personal hand sanitiser. There will be sanitizer gel located around the school, however, we only have a limited amount. Boarders will be given their own hand sanitiser when they arrive back to the boarding house. • Students who have any type of illness or who have a temperature of over 37 degrees need to remain at home. Please contact reception if this is the case. • All students will be reminded to wash their hands at the beginning of each school day, during the day and before and after eating. • All students need to bring their own resources (laptop, pencils, pens, glue etc.) as there should be no sharing of resources. • All teachers will have their own spray bottle of disinfectant which they will use to clean all surfaces regularly. • High contact areas such as door handles and stair handrails will be cleaned regularly. • After normal hours each day, cleaners will clean classrooms and toilets with a bleach solution. • The library will be closed at the start of Level 2. • The canteen will also be closed at the start of Level 2. Boys that depend on buying food at the canteen will need to bring their own lunch. School Calendar: • The Term 2 calendar has been revised and a number of events have been postponed or cancelled. • At this stage we will not be holding any large gatherings such as assemblies or chapels during Level 2. We are very much looking forward to seeing the boys (and Columba girls) back at John McGlashan College in the very near future. Please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns. Neil Garry Principal
John Veitch Deputy Principal