PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

We have been fortunate as a school community for quite some time to have not had a positive COVID-19 case on site.  This past week has seen us have 4 positive cases, all linked and traced by the College to the best of our ability and following the guidance of the Department of Health and the Department of Education.

We hope that these students and their families are all feeling well and recover soon and we look forward to welcoming them back on site once their isolation period has ended.

We appreciated the positive feedback from the College community about how we undertook this process.  Schools now have to engage in the contact tracing and direct informing of families of students that may be a potential Primary Close Contact (PCC) of a positive case that has been on site.

Students and staff will only be deemed to be a PCC if they have had two or more hours of potential close contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19. 

We have appreciated the positive feedback from the community about the College’s response to the notification of a positive case being on site.  We managed to contact all PCC families within 24 hours, such of which was carried out on a Sunday but a number of staff.  I sincerely thank these staff for their commitment to the College and its students. Without this effort, the VCE exams may not have been able to proceed so we are truly grateful.

Moving forward, families of a potential PCC student will receive a text message and email via Compass to notify you that your child has been identified in the first stage of contact tracing as being a potential close contact.  Then calls will be made over the next 48 hours to families as per DET expectations.  This will help us to take the pressure off of staff to make the calls in a hurry, but ensure that families are contacted swiftly. This is a new process for us, so feedback is appreciated as we navigate this new requirement of schools.

This process and the isolation periods that PCCs are asked to engage in by the Department of health are important measures that ensure that the College remains operational and a safe environment for our young people to learn in.  Keeping our students at school now that we have returned is important to us.

The importance of accurate attendance records

If your child is not at school, we need to know and have a recorded reason.  This is more important than ever as when the College is required to engage in contact tracing if we have another positive COVID-19 case into the future, we need to be able to accurately know which students were absent on which days.  Please ensure that you notify the College via the Compass app, or by calling the Administration Office, if your child is absent and for what reason.

COVID safe measures – what can we all do at school?

• Engage in physical distancing when at school where practicable
• Maintain good hygiene.  Including washing your hands regularly during the day and also using the hand sanitiser that is available in learning spaces across the College
• Wear a face mask as per the current requirement.  Students that have a mask exemption are noted on Compass so that teachers are aware
• Remain at home when you are unwell.  There is less chance of COVID 19 spreading to others when you are not symptomatic when around others.
• If you are unwell at school, report to the Administration Office and we can contact home

College Captains for 2022

I am very excited to announce our College Captains for 2022.

Captains:

Archie French 

Melody Luke

Vice Captains: 

Hugo Bennie

Joely Aylen

We thank all students that nominated themselves as for a captain role in 2022. We have outstanding young leaders at this College that are also active in our community. We look forward to further expanding the 2022 leadership team with the appointment of House Captains soon.

Warm regards,

Erin Wright

Principal, SCSC