24/08/2026
**Kia ora e te whānau – He Pānui Hauora | Winter Illness**
Kia ora koutou,
As many of you will be aware, there is a lot of sickness circulating in our communities at the moment, with winter illnesses affecting tamariki, whānau and schools across Aotearoa. This has also been highlighted recently in the media, including the NZ Herald.
We completely understand that winter bugs are part of life with tamariki, and we really appreciate the support of our whānau in helping us keep everyone as well as possible.
If your child is unwell, please keep them home until they are well enough to comfortably manage a full day at kura. A helpful question to ask in the morning is:
“Are they well enough to learn, play, eat and participate normally for the whole school day?”
If the answer is no, another day at home to rest and recover is usually the best option.
This is also really important for our kaimahi. When sick tamariki come to kura, illnesses can spread quickly through classrooms and on to staff. It doesn't take long before we have several staff away sick at the same time, which puts additional pressure on everyone and can make staffing classrooms challenging.
A few simple things make a big difference: regular handwashing, coughing or sneezing into an elbow, not sharing drink bottles, and staying home when genuinely unwell. Health New Zealand also advises that vomiting and diarrhoea require extra care around returning to education settings.
If your child becomes unwell during the school day and we contact you, please arrange for them to be collected as soon as possible. We know this can sometimes be inconvenient, but it helps protect other tamariki and our staff and, most importantly, gets your child home where they can rest and recover.
Thank you for looking after one another and helping us keep our kura healthy. 💛
Mā te tiaki i a tātou anō, ka tiaki hoki i a tātou katoa.
By taking care of ourselves, we help take care of everyone.
Ngā mihi,
Te Kura o Manunui