Dear Parents and Guardians

I trust that you and your children have had a good holiday and that they are refreshed and ready to return to school to tackle the challenges of the upcoming Michaelmas Term. We look forward to welcoming them back for the final term of the year.

It is with this in mind that I write to you. There can be no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is receding at the moment. When compared with the infection rate we experienced in July, data indicates that we in Gauteng (and elsewhere) have overcome the peak. While this is good news, it is certainly not reason enough for us to lower our guard or relax our vigilance. Every effort needs to be made to ensure that we do not experience a second infection peak and that we keep our school as risk free as possible. Our aim, both nationally and at school level, remains to reach the goal of a zero infection rate.

Given our current situation, I wish to bring the following to your attention to ensure a smooth re-opening of the school next week:

• You are reminded that school re-opens for all grades on Tuesday 1st September. All pupils are expected to return punctually and are required to wear summer uniform. Pupils are also expected to comply with the hair regulations as laid down in the Code of Conduct.
• The school will be open from Monday 31st August, should parents have any administrative or financial matters to attend to. Reception, the fees office and the phase offices will be open from 08:00 am onwards. Staff will be present in order to prepare for the start of term.
• On Tuesday morning we will follow the same procedure for admitting pupils to the campus that we followed last term. Pupils will enter at the same gates and will follow the same screening procedures. As this is a time consuming exercise, please arrive early to avoid unnecessary delays.

Staff will be on duty from 07:00am onwards.
• Pupils must be collected immediately after school and may not congregate for any length of time. Parents are urged to make arrangements for the timeous collection of their children.
• At present the co-curricular programme remains suspended. There is a possibility that we may be able to re-introduce a limited programme later in the term. Details will follow.
• You are reminded that face masks remain compulsory and that all social distancing protocols remain in place.
• The tuck shop will resume operations under the same conditions that applied at the end of last term.
• We will not open the gates on the South Field this term as the grass needs to recover.

Yours faithfully

Mr D.I. Maritz
Head of School