General Information (1 of 2)

PATHWAYS INFORMATION NIGHT - WEDNESDAY 27TH JULY

Our Pathways Information Night is coming up on Wednesday 27th July. This is an important evening for all Year 10 students and Year 9 students wishing to accelerate in a Year 11 subject while in Year 10.

There will be a general information presentation plus an expo of the pathways and subjects, where the various teachers will be available to discuss each of the subjects on offer.

The blocking sheet for 2023 subjects will be available on the night, along with a variety of other relevant information.

When? Wednesday 27th July at 7pm

Where? BHCS Multi-Purpose Hall (Gym).

Who? All Year 10 students and families should attend this session. Additionally, Year 9 students (and their families) who are considering accelerating in Year 10 should attend.

COVID-19 INFORMATION

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)

The government has announced that three packs of RATs will be distributed in Terms 3 and 4 for each student.

The ongoing supply of RATs to families in our school will ensure that parents and carers will have them should they need them if their child is a household contact or has symptoms.

If you have tested positive for COVID, but your child has not

Parents/carers are able to leave isolation if other arrangements cannot be made to transport their non-infectious child via private vehicle to and/or from school.

The person leaving self-isolation must travel directly to and from the location, making no stops, unless there is an emergency or as required by law. They must remain in the vehicle at all times, unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to deliver the person to and from school, and must wear a face covering whilst outside the place of self-isolation.

If your child tests positive:

Your child will need to remain home for 7 Days.
Notify the school of their child’s positive COVID test via covid@bhcs.vic.edu.au
Notify the Department of Health via https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/report
Students/Parents are requested to email teachers if they are well enough to complete school work during isolation.
Remember to advise us if your child has any siblings.

If your child is a household contact of a positive case you no longer need to isolate, however:

Parents/carers must notify the school that their child/ren are household contacts by emailing covid@bhcs.vic.edu.au
Students must take 5 x RATs over the 7 days of the household contacts isolation.
Students must wear a mask when indoors and on the bus (unless a valid exemption applies or your child is in Prep to Year 2).
Parents/carers should monitor for symptoms and keep their child home if unwell or has the slightest of symptoms.
Ensure the student commences isolation immediately if they test positive.
Students who are household contacts who present with symptoms while at school will be sent home.

You can collect a free pack of five rapid antigen tests at testing centres.

REVISED: If your child has previously tested positive for COVID:

They are exempt from further isolation requirements for 4 weeks after their positive diagnosis.

THE DIFFERENT PROTECTIONS THAT DIFFERENT MASKS OFFER

Face Masks

Masks have now been strongly advised for all school settings due to the multiple respiratory viruses taking place in the community.

Independent Schools Victoria has made the following information available about the protection that different masks offer.

Non-medical Cloth Masks

Non-medical cloth masks made from a variety of woven and non-woven fabrics such as cotton and synthetic blends are designed to protect others from the wearer’s respiratory emissions and offer the wearer some protection. The efficacy of cloth masks varies greatly, especially due to the type of fabric, the closeness of its weave and the number of layers, and are considered to be between 26% – 80% effective. The World Health Organisation recommends a three-layered structure as a minimum.

Surgical Masks

Surgical masks also protect others from the wearer’s respiratory emissions and offer the wearer some protection. Surgical masks, which are made from three layers of synthetic non-woven materials with filtration layers sandwiched in the middle, generally offer more protection than cloth masks but less than a tightly fitted respirator mask (N95/P2).

Respirator Masks

Respirator masks, such as N95, P2 or FFP2, which form a seal around the nose and mouth, protect others from the wearer’s respiratory emissions and significantly reduce the wearer’s exposure to particles. Respirators function as an electrostatic filter to capture particles, including viruses. N95 masks have been shown to be at least 95% effective at blocking small and large particles. Certified respirator masks, such as the US manufactured Alpha Pro Tech N95 Face Masks and the Australian manufactured Care Essential N95 Face Masks (which ISV has sourced for its members) are required to undergo rigorous testing and certification by bodies such as the US Centre for Disease Control and/or the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration.

NB: Some ‘respirator masks’ made overseas, which may be stamped as KN95, may not be subject to the same rigorous testing and, as such, would not be recommended as respirator masks but should be considered as similar to surgical masks.

ILLNESS DURING WINTER

Victoria is currently experiencing a surge of multiple respiratory viruses that is predicted to get worse over the coming weeks. This is being caused by new variants of COVID-19 and a resurgence of influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infections, especially amongst children, due to large periods of isolation experienced by people over the last couple of years.

For these reasons, we remind families to please keep children at home if they are sick. This will help reduce the spread of illness while also helping to reduce absenteeism among students and staff due to illness.

REAL SCHOOLS PARENT INFORMATION WEBINER TONIGHT - Thursday 21st July at 6pm.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear about the partnership BHCS has with Real Schools as we develop our restorative practices approach to building positive relationships between our staff and students. We are excited about how we can work with you as parents, as part of this partnership, and hope you can join us to find out how you can support the school's restorative journey. Adam is an experienced and passionate educator who has worked with a number of schools to help transform their work in student behaviour and wellbeing.