From the Principal
Juniors get to be Seniors for Two Weeks!!
We are excited to welcome back all our juniors to SFS on Tuesday 26th May. What a wonderful opportunity they have to be at school without the seniors!!
They get to experience opportunities to Lead.
They get to settle back into the routine of school life as a small group.
They get to connect with friends and teachers.
They get to learn.
They get to explore the entire playground. They get to play.
There are such great possibilities for your Foundation, Yr 1 and Yr 2 from this experience.
This is up to us adults to help these little ones seize this opportunity to grow and be resilient. Some might be a bit sad because an older sibling is home. However as parents this is the time to help them see it from a different perspective. Not poor me but lucky me! Life will be full of these problems. Covid-19 is one BIG one. However, how we face these little and big ones shape us and our children.
Are we going to be the creative thinker who sees the possibilities and goes forward with resilience?? or are we going to see obstacles as blocks that defeat us and keep us in our comfort zone??
This is a time to help our children move forward, climb over obstacles, overcome negative emotions and discover possibilities. Life has ups and downs, how we teach our children to handle disappointments, sadness, missing out will prepare them to find ways out in the future and soar. To lead and innovate. It starts now with how you help your junior to seize this opportunity.
You have done really well as parents and we have this too! As a school we are ready to welcome you and your child back.
Welcome back to St Francis de Sales
We are so excited!!
Health and Safety for Returning to School
At St Francis de Sales, Lynbrook we will continue to provide safe teaching and learning environments for staff and students as we transition back to onsite learning. We have and will continue to take on board the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer to implement and refine a variety of strategies to support physical distancing and good hygiene practices to reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission within the practical limitations of a school environment.
To ensure a safe return to School for everyone in our community, we have developed a set of guidelines based on ones provided by the Victorian Government and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria.
Attendance onsite
All unwell staff and students must stay home.
Parents are required to check their child’s health each morning before school. Students are NOT to attend school if they are unwell including fever, tiredness, dry cough, sore or scratchy throat, aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, shortness of breath or diarrhoea.
As the main risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the school environment is between adults, visitors to school grounds will be limited to those delivering or supporting essential school services and operations (e.g. student health and wellbeing services, specialist curriculum programs, maintenance workers, parents attending a scheduled meeting)
Parents will not be able to enter the school learning spaces at this time.
Activities dependent on and involving parents (e.g. specialist programs, 1:1 reading) will be cancelled.
Parents/carers of a student with complex medical needs (including those with compromised immune systems) should seek advice from the student’s medical practitioner to support decision-making about whether onsite education is suitable, noting that this advice may change depending on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria.
Parent–teacher information sessions and interviews will meet physical distancing requirements of 1.5 metres between adults, or will be replaced with virtual alternatives.
Activities that involve onsite attendance by students from different educational institutions (e.g. interschool sport or interschool debating) will not take place or else be replaced, where possible, with virtual alternatives.
School assemblies, excursions, camps and other non-essential large gatherings will be postponed or adapted considering use of technology.
School arrival and departure
As the main risk of introducing COVID-19 to the school environment is from adults, close proximity between adult members of the school community should be avoided, particularly during school drop-off and pick-up.
We encourage parents to observe physical distancing measures by not congregating in areas around the school.
At St Francis de Sales arrangements to practise physical distancing and minimise interaction of students and adults within the school and at school entry points will include:
- staggering drop-off and pick-up times to reduce the number of adults congregating at the school gate or outside classrooms. Parents to enter the school grounds only when essential to do so.
- Enter via the gate by the community centre/playground with the red sail cloth.
- Exit the grounds via the gate opposite LS3/ the playground with the blue sail cloth.
Staggered times will commence from Tuesday 26 May 2020
Arrival times:
- 8:25 am - A – K surnames.
- 8:40 am – L - Z surnames
Departure Times:
- 3:10 pm – A - K Surnames
- 3:25 pm – L - Z Surnames.
We are encouraging parents to use the drive through before/after school as it enables social distancing and ease of drop off and pick up of your child. Please let your child know if they will be picked up from the pick up zone.
If parents enter the school grounds to walk their child into school, please remember the following:
- There is no playing on the equipment.
- Maintain social distancing.
- Do not enter the learning space.
- Keep doorways of the learning space clear stay at least 5m away from any doorway at all times.
- Go to the doorway beside your child's home group. For LS2 parents you will need to walk around to the basketball entrance for Elizabetta and the oval side for Rosie or Ivonne.
- Please enter via the gate by the community room and leave by the gate beside the basketball court.
- Please keep your time on the grounds as brief as possible.
- Ensure your child is prepared to walk in by themselves.
On entry to the school building at any time everyone MUST hand sanitise.
Temperature checking of students and staff will occur during the morning session and when a child/staff member reports they are not feeling well.
Parents to enter the administration building only when essential to do so. Please contact the school by phone or email to minimise the need to enter the administration building. When entering the Foyer please wait at the designated dots in the administration building in order to maintain recommended social distancing spacing between adults. Only two adults permitted to wait inside for reception. Minimise cash transactions by using the eftpos or direct transfer to pay fees. Place correspondence or cash in envelopes in the in tray for processing.
Non-contact greetings will be encouraged.
Hygiene
Everyone can protect themselves and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by continuing effective hand hygiene. Enhanced hygiene measures will continue during the return to onsite teaching and learning.
All adults/students will undertake regular hand hygiene, This will be directed or supervised by staff where required.
- on arrival to school,
- before and after eating,
- after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing. Students are reminded to cough or sneeze into their elbow or a tissue and dispose of tissues immediately.
- using the toilet. This will be directed or supervised by staff where required. Toilets will be for the sole use of staff and SFS school students. There will be a designated toilet for the use of authorised visitors.
Where soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitiser will be provided throughout the school in every Learning Space, portable, office and staffroom. All Home groups and specialists staff will be supplied with hand sanitiser, disinfectant and tissues.
Students may have their own hand sanitisers. (Please check that the hand sanitiser do not contain traces of nuts as is the case with some brands.) Personal hand sanitiser is not to be shared amongst students.
Please ensure your child arrives at school with a full bottle of water each day. Students will not be able to drink directly from drinking fountains at this time. Instead they should bring their own water bottle for use (and refilling) at school.
Where relevant, the highest hygiene practices among food handlers will be ensured where these services are operating.
Students are reminded that food or drink cannot be shared at this time.
It is not recommended non-medical face coverings be used as a mitigation strategy against transmission of COVID-19 or other similar communicable diseases, as the use of these masks has the potential to create more harm than good.
Considerations for teaching and learning environments
Maintaining a physical distance of 1.5 metres will not always be practical in education settings. Physical distancing is most important between adults.
Fresh airflow indoors will be promoted and use of outdoor learning areas or environments with enhanced ventilation maximised where possible and as practical depending on weather conditions. As doors or ceiling vents may be open children are encouraged to wear a school jumper.
Cleaning and facilities management
The school cleaners are following Catholic Education Commission Victoria (CECV) guidelines and implementing increased cleaning practices. Environmental cleaning, coupled with regular hand hygiene, remains important to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
We will continue the extension of routine environmental cleaning, including progressive cleaning throughout the day, to ensure that risks of transmission are reduced for high-touch services.
Hand hygiene will be practised immediately before and after use of shared equipment as recommended. Such items may include shared computers, class sets of teaching and learning materials, and musical instruments etc. Shared devices will be regular cleaned using an antibacterial wipe where appropriate.
Children are asked to bring their own art smock/old shirt. They may also bring their own pencil case.
Sport and recreation
In line with community advice, reasonable precautions as recommended to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the context of sport and recreation will be followed.
Playground equipment can be used by students of SFS only during school hours; however, students will be directed to practise hand hygiene before and after use.
The adventure playground and playground equipment will NOT be available before or after school.
Outdoor facilities are the preferred option for the purpose of physical education and recreational play.
Non-contact sports will be encouraged. Hand hygiene will be practised before and after use of any sporting equipment.
Outside school hours care
Outside school hours care (OSHC) and vacation care services on school sites will continue to operate with the relevant risk mitigation measures in place. Additional Health and Safety measures will be taken. These will be communicated by Kharisma Kids. Parents will not be able to enter the school building. Kharisma Kids will communicate the process for this to occur for the safety and wellbeing of all.
Student Wellbeing
The pandemic may have caused anxiety levels to increase for many within our community. The school staff will be monitoring our students and plan activities to address health and wellbeing. Should you wish your child to see our school chaplain or psychologist please contact your child’s Home Group teacher who will help you access additional support available.
Provision of routine care and first aid
Physical distancing is not practical when providing direct care. In this situation, standard precautions (including hand hygiene) are important for infection control.
Standard precautions will be practiced when coming into contact with someone for the purpose of providing routine care and/or assistance (for example, the use of gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE), for example face masks may be used)
Standard precautions as per related policies will be adopted when providing first aid. ( For example, use gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE), for example face masks may be used and an apron when dealing with blood or body fluids/substances.)
Hands will always be washed with soap and water or hand sanitiser used before and after performing routine care or first aid.
Management of an unwell student or staff member
It is important that any staff member or student who becomes unwell while at school returns home. While it is unlikely that a staff member or student who is unwell with flu-like symptoms will have COVID-19, there are some sensible steps the school will take while a student awaits collection by a parent or carer as a precaution.
Staff and students experiencing compatible symptoms with COVID-19, such as fever, cough or sore throat, will be isolated in an appropriate space with suitable supervision and collected by a parent/carer as soon as possible. Urgent medical attention should be sought where indicated. It is not suitable for an unwell student to travel home unsupervised.
Where staff or students are experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID-19, the important actions to be followed include practising hand hygiene, physical distancing and putting on a face mask. Appropriate use of PPE for staff caring for an unwell child/adult who are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 and awaiting collection by a parent/carer.
In the context of schools supporting students with complex health needs, if the care of an unwell child or young person is to be prolonged (for example, because it will take some hours for a parent to collect a child) and maintaining distance is not practical when providing direct care, gloves, a gown and eye protection will be worn.
Face masks will not be used in situations where an individual is unable to safely or practically tolerate a mask (for example, a child with complex medical needs including existing respiratory needs, and younger children).
It is vital that Health Care plans and contacts are updated on CareMonkey.
If a staff member is unsure whether a student is unwell, in the first instance they will contact the parent/carer to discuss any concerns about the health status of the student and, taking a precautionary approach, request the parent/carer to collect their child if concerns remain. The temperature of the student will be taken, to support decision-making. Gloves will be worn for the purpose of taking a temperature. Thermal non touch Thermometers will be used.
Staff or students experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID-19 should be encouraged to seek the advice of their healthcare professional who can advise on next steps.
A medical certificate is not required to return to an education setting after a period of illness; however, staff and students should not return until symptoms resolve.
Cleaning guidance should be followed according to the circumstances of the case. If a student spreads droplets (for example, by sneezing, coughing or vomiting), surfaces will be cleaned immediately with disinfectant wipes while wearing gloves.
Managing a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19
If you believe you or your family member may have COVID-19, please contact the National Helpline – 1800 020 080 ( available 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week)
Any student or staff who has tested for COVID-19 must remain in isolation until the test results are confirmed.
If a student or member of your family is diagnosed with COVID-19 please advise the school immediately. The school will also be contacted by the Department of Health.
The CECV has comprehensive procedures in place with the DHHS to manage suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in schools.
We will be directed by DHHS and CECV.
If a school has a confirmed case of COVID-19, the Southern Diocesan Education Office will work with the school to facilitate a deep clean and the school will be made operational as soon as possible.
Extra Measures
- All students and their family members are encouraged to have the flu vaccination.
- If you have not already done so, also consider downloading the COVIDSafe App. We acknowledge that not everyone will be comfortable doing this but in case of a confirmed case within our community it will make contact tracing easier.
- Remember to clean your phone regularly , wipe down with an antibacterial wipe.