25 Feb 2022
Dear parents and carers
The Premier and Minister for Education have announced changes to school settings for the remainder of Term 1. The updated settings include:
· From Monday 28 February, we will move to symptomatic testing. Tests are to be used at your discretion such as if your child is symptomatic or there are cases in their class. Participating families will receive one last bundle with 8 tests per student or up to 20 tests per student in support classes. Students using saliva testing kits must not eat or drink for 30 minutes before taking the saliva RAT, to give more accurate results.
· Beyond that, rapid antigen tests are readily available for sale in the community.
· Masks will continue to be required indoors for all school staff, volunteers and visitors including parents and carers until Friday 4 March. From Monday 7 March, masks will no longer be mandatory for all staff. In line with community settings, workers who support our students with disability in support units and some mainstream classrooms will be required to wear masks while working with students.
· Anyone who is working on a school site (including parents and volunteers) is still covered by the Public Health Order and therefore must meet mandatory double vaccination requirements.
· From Monday 28 February, visitors can be invited back on school sites regardless of their vaccination status. Our school will consider activities such as parent-teacher meetings and other gatherings in the coming days. We will let you know if these can proceed with our school in a COVID-smart way. All visitors are asked to follow our usual sign-in and sign-out process.
Our school will continue to ensure our layered COVID-smart measures are in place, including vaccinations, maximising natural ventilation in learning spaces, continued good hand hygiene practices and enhanced cleaning.
As of Monday 28 February, students will no longer be required to be kept in stage cohorts and we are not required to use staggered finish times.
Drop off and Pick up:
All students will finish the school day at 3:10pm.
Parents are requested to drop their children off at the school gates in the mornings between 8:40 am and 9:10am.
In the afternoons, the gates will be open after 3:00pm and parents/carers may enter through either gate and use the walkway to wait for their children as marked on the map below. Parents are asked to remain distanced from school buildings and class lines. If you wish to say hello to the teachers, please wait until all of their students have left safely.
Parents/carers must not use the staff car parks belonging to the school or the Education Office. You are encouraged to park nearby and walk, or use the Wandella Road Miranda Fair carpark that is next to the Council Library.
We will continue to use the core layered COVID-smart measures for minimising risk when planning activities and events.
We strongly encourage our students and their families to consider vaccination including boosters when eligible. Find a vaccination clinic to book an appointment near you.
Thank you again for your continued support during this school term.
Michael Duffy
Principal
25-2-2022