The return of our Grade 6 and Foundation Phase learners

Dear Parents

As the school prepares for the next cohort of learners to return to school on the 6th of July, I wanted to reassure parents that the staff at our school have been busy putting in place procedures to ensure that our boys and staff can stay healthy and COVID-free.

Parents, please note that you may not send your child back to school if he displays any of the observable symptoms associated with Covid19, including fever, cough, sore throat, redness of eyes and shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, body aches, loss of smell or loss of taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue or weakness.

The Grade 7 learners have been back at school since the 8th of June and teaching has been happening. All the boys are screened as they arrive at school, their hands are sanitized, temperature taken and recorded. The underside of their shoes are disinfected as they enter the school building and they are separated according to social distancing norms. The same procedures will be followed for the rest of the school.

The Foundation Phase learners’ desks have been separated and boys will have a screen between each other. Staff have been issued with a 70% alcohol-based sanitizer spray bottle to sanitize hands regularly throughout the day. Parents who wish to supply their son with a different hand sanitizer may do so. Parents who wish their son to wear a face shield may also send their child to school with a marked face shield. The school has not yet received face masks for the next cohort of learners and parents will be asked to supply masks for their child’s return on the 6th of July. No mask, no entry!

The staff will be educating the boys on the protocols to maintain whilst at school and parents are asked to do the same. Parents need to reassure their child that they will be safe from infection as long as they follow the guidelines given by the staff. Parents are to inform their son’s class teacher immediately if it is found that their child has come into close contact with someone who tests positive with the Coronavirus. Such children should be kept at home and if they show symptoms, have them tested. On receipt of their NEGATIVE test results, they will be allowed to return to school.

Grades will have specific entrances to avoid bottlenecks and parents are asked to drop their child off at the drop-off zone for their child’s grade. Boys should be dropped off from 07:15 am until 07:30 am. Please do not drop your child off earlier as the school gates will still be locked.

The Grade R boys are to be dropped off in front of H.M. Stone House (Kudu Calves), wearing their PPE. They will be received and welcomed by the staff on duty and escorted to their class. No parent may enter the school unless with prior arrangement with the principal. The Grade 0 boys will only return to school on the 20th July to give the boys in Grade R and the staff the opportunity to train the boys in the correct methods of

maintaining social distancing and Covid19 protocols. When the Grade 0 boys return, they will enter

through ‘Oppies Alley’ and walk around the back of the Kudu Calves building where they will

be screened and their hands sanitized. Parents wanting their child to wear a face shield

instead of a mask should send him to school wearing one. The field in front of Kudu Calves

will be marked with play areas and play will be allowed under supervision.

The Grade 1 and 2’s must be dropped off at the Tuck Shop (drive in through the

Dudley Schroeder Gates and out through the Lorraine Thomas gate in Kingsway

or the High School gate in College Avenue). Please stay in line and do not pass other vehicles for the safety of our boys.

The Grade 3’s must be dropped off at the gate in Kingsway and they will enter the school through the break time doors (big wooden double doors near Mrs Dicks’ class).

Grade 6’s are to enter through the front of the school together with the Grade 7’s. The Grade 6’s will enter the building through the wooden doors at the front of the school at the stairs to the top floor. Social distancing protocols should be maintained at all times.

Collection must take place at the same place where your child was dropped off and this should happen between 12:30 and 13:00 for the Foundation Phase and between 13:00 and 13:30 for the Grade 6 and 7’s.

Grade 4’s and 5’s will only be returning to school on the 3rd of August. Work will continue to be made available to those boys in booklet form and there will be online support as well.

Break times will be staggered and staff will be supervising the boys on the fields during break times.

At this stage, there will be NO extra-mural activities.

I want to assure parents that we will continue to be vigilant whilst your child is at school, to make sure that we do everything right to ensure that the healthy habits of your child continue. Please assist us in making sure that once your son is out of our hands, he continues to follow the correct protocols by keeping his social distancing, by wearing his mask whenever he is close to friends and family and by sanitizing his hands regularly. He should refrain from touching his face or surface of his mask to prevent him from contracting the virus.

All boys are to wear their uniform as from the 6th of July.

They will be allowed to come to school in their school tracksuit on the days they have Physical Education. There will be non-contact physical education and covid19 protocols will be maintained.

I would also like to, once again, thank all our loyal parents who have continued to pay their school fees regularly. Your contribution assists the school to continue to provide the infrastructure and safety requirements needed to deal with the prevention of the spread of the virus. It also assists us in continuing to pay the salaries of our dedicated staff.

I look forward to welcoming more of our boys back to school and trust that they will enjoy being back with their friends, albeit at a slight distance.

Kind regards

Lester Pike

HEADMASTER