Engagement and Wellbeing 

Emergency Management

Lockdown Drill

In week four of each term we practice an emergency drill, to make sure staff and students are familiar with the expectations and to help ensure the safety of students and staff in the event of a real emergency. This week we will be practising a lockdown drill, where we practice keeping all students quiet and safe in their classes. A lockdown may occur due to many reasons that could pose a threat or risk, such as an aggressive dog onsite, a nearby emergency where we need to stay indoors (e.g. toxic smoke from a fire), the onset of extreme weather, an adult on-site or nearby that could pose a threat, etc.

Some students may feel a little unsettled by this process and staff will be talking to students about this, offering reassurance and supporting them through the drill.

COVID-19: Guidelines around School Attendance

There have been quite a few queries from parents around when to send students back to school if they have had illness or symptoms related to COVID-19, such as a runny nose or sore throat. The advice states that:

If a child has any of the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) however mild, they should get tested and they must remain at home until they receive their results. A child must stay at home until they are symptom free, even if their coronavirus (COVID-19) test is negative.

Please see the following advice on the brochure below for more information.  

Unfortunately hay fever and asthma produce symptoms that are similar to coronavirus (COVID-19) such as runny nose, cough or shortness of breath. Therefore it is important that if your child has Asthma and/or Hayfever please ensure the office has a current action plan in place.

Thunderstorm Asthma

During grass pollen season between October and December, there is an increased risk of seasonal asthma, hay fever and epidemic thunderstorm asthma. 

Thunderstorm asthma is asthma that is triggered by a particular type of thunderstorm when there is high amounts of grass pollen in the air. It can result in people wheezing, feeling short of breath, and tight in the chest with coughing. This can be sudden, serious, and even life threatening. Those at risk of thunderstorm asthma are those who have asthma (or have had asthma in the past, or undiagnosed asthma) and/or have hay fever.

We will monitor the thunderstorm advisory service (Vic Emergency) and on days deemed high risk for Thunderstorm asthma will keep students indoors and take steps to minimise exposure, such as keeping doors and windows shut. 

Travelling to and from school

It’s been wonderful to see how well everyone is transitioning back to onsite learning. Having all students back onsite means that the roads around school are busy again around drop off and pick up times. The staggered dismissal times are helping a little with congestion in the afternoon and the warmer weather has seen many more students riding and scooting to school. It seems timely to provide a few reminders around this to ensure the safety of our students and wider school community.

Car Safety around school

The City of Ballarat reminds all families that parking limits and restrictions apply around schools. Please pay careful attention to these as Traffic Officers will be enforcing parking regulations around schools. We understand that drop off and in particular pick up can be busy times in a school our size. We are fortunate to have multiple entry/exit points on the surrounding streets which may be another option to consider. 

Using school crossings

Both crossings at Warrenheip and Learmonth St are fully operational again, providing students with a safe means of crossing these very busy roads. Students have generally been doing a great job of using the crossings which is pleasing to hear. We will continually be reinforcing the importance of using these crossings at school and it would be appreciated if you could do the same at home. 

Bike safety

As mentioned  bikes and scooters are an increasingly popular way of getting to school, particularly as the weather improves. Students have been doing a good job of walking their bikes within the school grounds, which is important given the large number of students moving around on site. It’s also pleasing to see almost all students wearing their helmets as all bike and scooter riders are required to wear a bike helmet in Victoria and your support of this is appreciated. More information can be found here: Wearing a bicycle helmet 

Sports Colours Day / Staff vs Student Footy Match

It was wonderful to see the excitement and enthusiasm on Thursday last week as students and staff dressed up in their favourite team colours. There was also a buzz around the school for the big match at lunchtime. Our groundskeeper Simon had the oval looking like the turf at the MCG and the atmosphere was electric, enhanced by the commentary and stats teams. Despite a valiant effort from the student team, the teachers came away with the win.

The grade 6 organising committee did a terrific job, particularly in creating spectator bays and thoroughly setting up to enable the match to go ahead in a COVID safe environment. 

Well done to all involved!