Principal
Mr Chris Grimmer
Masks Must be Provided by Families for Secondary Students
As directed by the Victorian Chief Health Officer, from 11.59pm Thursday 15 July:
- School staff and secondary school students aged 12 or older must always wear a face mask at school, including when attending an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program, unless a lawful exception applies.
- Children under 12 years of age and students at primary school are not required to wear face masks when at school, or when attending an OSHC program.
- For communication purposes, teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching, but those who wish to do so, can. It is recommended that face masks be worn while teaching wherever practicable.
Face masks are mandatory for all school staff and school students aged 12 or older when travelling to and from school on public transport and when in taxis or ride share vehicles.
There are a number of lawful reasons for not wearing a face mask, including for staff and students who are unable to wear a face mask due to the nature of their disability. This includes students or staff who have a medical condition, such as a breathing problem, a serious skin condition on the face, or a mental health condition.
A face mask must cover the nose and mouth. Face shields, scarves or bandanas do not meet these requirements.
It is vital, given the local cases of COVID-19, that ALL SECONDARY STUDENTS, UNLESS EXEMPT, BRING AND WEAR MASKS TO SCHOOL EACH DAY. We have some masks still available for emergency purposes, however families will be contacted if their child is continually presenting at school without a mask (and not exempt). This is a law, not a school rule, so please ensure you help keep us all safe by reinforcing this with your secondary student. This is a difficult time for us all, so let's keep working together to create the most positive environment possible for students and staff.
Impacts of COVID-19
Year 10 Snow Trip - Unfortunately, due to the large number of COVID restrictions in place following the most recent lockdown, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the upcoming Year 10 camp to the snowfields.
We are unable to meet all the state government and Department of Education & Training COVID safe requirements for this camp to run safely and successfully, and unlike some of our other camps, it is not possible to postpone it to a later date (due to the lack of snow).
This decision was not made lightly, as we understand how excited our students, staff and families are about this opportunity, as well as recognising that families have already purchased specific items for the camp. Unfortunately, like many other schools across Sunraysia and Victoria, this is the second year in a row planned camps have not been able to proceed due to COVID-19.
Year 9 Camp - Our Year 9 Melbourne Camp will not be able to proceed as planned this Term. While the Department of Education & Training’s latest Operations Guide for Schools permits school camps, current Victorian COVID restrictions mean that we will not be able to access many activities in our planned itinerary. The Year 9 Melbourne Camp has been rescheduled to Term 4 from Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October. While we are disappointed to have to take this decision, we would prefer to be able to offer the full camp itinerary rather than a reduced version. The cost for the camp will be $590.00. Payments and payment plans can be arranged through the College office. Please contact the College if you have any questions or concerns.
Grade 3/4 Camp – Our 2021 camp to Adelaide will not proceed due to border constraints. However, we have managed to find some dates in early December to run an alternative camp to Swan Hill. Mrs. Finn is in the process of re-arranging things to attempt to find a positive alternative for our Year 3/4 students.
Advance Camp/ Year 5-6 Camp – At this stage our planned camp for our Advance students will go ahead in the last week of Term 3, as will our Year 5/6 camp to Melbourne, planned for November.