Dear Families,

It has been another bust week filled with learning and fun at SMJ. Our Grade 3 children headed off to Halls Gap for their overnight stay yesterday with many of the children having their first independent night away from family. As always I thank our staff who spend a lot of time organising camps and taking time away from their own family to ensure our children have these experiences.

All Victorian schools have been notified of a significant increase in cases of whooping cough in children. Please see the information below.

Attached to the newsletter today is a flyer about Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) who are running a parent survey in partnership with the University of New England on Student Wellbeing and Learning and are seeking your perspective as parents/carers of children who attend a Catholic School in Australia. You are invited to share your views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to your child/children’s wellbeing and learning. The survey is anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary. It would be great if you could take the time to complete this survey.

May your weekend be whatever you need it to be. Take care.

Louise

Whooping cough

The incidence of Whooping cough cases is continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children.

Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms include:

blocked or runny nose
tiredness
mild fever
severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.

Whooping cough can lead to life-threatening infections in babies.

If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.

Students diagnosed with whooping cough must not attend school

If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, they must not attend school for 21 days after the onset of the cough, or until they have received 5 days of antibiotic treatment.

You must notify the school if your child is diagnosed with whooping cough.

To further reduce the spread of infection to your child and the school community, the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 require that some students who were in the same classroom as a student diagnosed with whooping cough should not attend school.

Your child should not attend school for 14 days after they were last exposed to a person diagnosed with whooping cough, or until they have taken 5 days of a course of antibiotic treatment if they are:

aged less than 7 years; and
not fully vaccinated with 3 doses of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.

This exclusion is required by law – refer to the School exclusion table for primary schools and children’s services.

If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.

Your support in keeping our students safe and well is greatly appreciated.

For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.

Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.

Important Reminders