PRINCIPAL

Back to School at Last

It is wonderful to finally have all students back on site on the 22nd of October.  The only sad part was that we were unable to have the entire school say goodbye and good luck to our year 12 students, who had their final day one day earlier.  We also missed out on our annual  talent quest.  We are all wishing to be able to bring back these traditions in 2023.  Our priority for the rest of the year is to reintegrate students back into the classroom setting, re-establishing positive learning habits, rebuilding student/staff relationships and school routines.  Parent support in reinforcing these messages, ensuring students are in uniform and are in a positive mind set to be ready to learn.

Mask Wearing

For all school settings, the Victorian Chief Health Officer directs school staff and secondary school students to wear a face mask indoors and outdoors at school, unless a lawful exception applies. This includes that students aged 12 or older must always wear a face mask when travelling to and from school on public transport, 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, medical or a mental health condition. Parent/carers of a student/s who meet the criteria for an exception must provide their approval in writing for their child/ren to not wear a mask to the school.

In order to provide this approval, please click this link here.

Students involved in TAFE, VET Courses, and Work Experience

With the extended lockdown and current COVID-19 situation, face to face VETDSS delivery for the week commencing 18/10/21, remains limited.  

Only 2nd year students, from the following courses, will be able to attend campus for face to face delivery, with all other students to remain via remote / online learning;

• Community Services
• Allied Health
• Automotive Vocational Preparation

Students returning to campus will be required to complete a COVID-19 Student Declaration form (attached) which requests vaccination details.

To ensure the safety of staff and students, SuniTAFE are requesting that all students attending class on campus provide evidence of at least their first COVID-19 vaccination.

Whilst our preference is for all students attending campus to be vaccinated, we understand this has not be mandated for secondary schools students, therefore we have placed an exemption on this requirement to support VETDSS students to complete their required studies, without any further delays.  

However, please note that from the 5th November 2021, all students accessing SuniTAFE Campuses must be fully vaccinated.

Therefore, it will be compulsory for all VETDSS students to be vaccinated prior to commencing their VET studies with SuniTAFE in 2022. 

What is acceptable vaccination evidence:

• a COVID-19 digital certificate (available from a myGov account)
• an Immunisation History Statement (available from a myGov account)
• A letter/statement from a doctor outlining dates of vaccination
• a letter from a medical practitioner confirming the student is an exempted person

Students also need to be aware that as more businesses implement vaccine mandates, this will be a requirement for work experience placements.

David Browne

Principal