Students mask up for first day back

Teachers and students around New Zealand faced a new normal of wearing masks in classrooms when schools started back on Monday.

Under Covid-19 guidelines, all students from year four up, and all education staff, must wear masks indoors at schools.

Ka¯piti College principal Tony Kane said only a handful of students came in without masks on the first day back for junior years.

He had received about six requests for exemptions among the roll of 1400 students.

‘‘The kids were in pretty good humour about it,’’ he said.

Daryl Aim, the principal of Natone Park School in Porirua, said compliance of the new mask rules was about ‘‘80 per cent’’.

It was a hot day for the first day back and classrooms at the primary school felt about 30 degrees, he said.

‘‘Wearing a mask on a day like that is not comfortable at all. We’ve done what I would call our best.’’

Teachers were ‘‘continuously’’ turning around and telling students to pull their masks up.

Funding the masks would be a struggle for some families at the Porirua school, so the Ministry of Education had agreed to help supply the school, and an order for 2000 had been placed for the next week.

Aim said adopting the mask rules was going to be a ‘‘struggle’’ – teachers couldn’t use facial expressions to communicate and everyone had to speak up.

The school had decided to give each class a five-minute break halfway through each class, so the pupils could get some fresh air outside.

At Queen Margaret College, Wellington, teacher Alistair Chisholm told his year six class: ‘‘There’s something very special about today: you are the first New Zealanders ever to wear masks to school.’’

The class looked impressed, but the 10-year-olds were more interested in learning new facts about their classmates than masks.

‘‘Only one child has arrived without a mask, we’re absolutely thrilled with that,’’ principal Jayne-Ann Young said.

‘‘The hardest part is when the kids come back from the holiday, they’re so pleased to see each other,’’ she said. ‘‘Being a bunch of girls, their natural inclination is to hug each other, so we’re going to have to watch out for that on duty at lunchtime.’’

Head girl Lily Taulelei said students had adapted ‘‘really well’’.

‘‘I’ve seen girls wearing home-made masks and I think they’re using it as a chance to express themselves as well as abide by the Covid rules.’’

KEVIN STENT/STUFF It was first day back at school for many with the new mandatory Covid-19 mask wearing in the classroom taking effect, including year 6 students at Wellington’s Queen Margaret’s College. Pictured: Matilda Mallinda Brown, 10.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF Natone Park School principal Daryl Aim says the kids did their best on the first day of the mask rules, but it has been a ‘‘struggle’’.