SFX Newsletter

Principal's Report

Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

 

Term 1 - Week 2

 

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

 

Welcome to the 2002 school year and to the first edition of our school newsletter.

This newsletter is where you will find all you need to know about the wonderful things that are happening at St Francis Xavier Primary School. The newsletter will be issued fortnightly and will  issued on these dates in Term One:

  • Tuesday 17 February
  • Tuesday 3 March
  • Tuesday 17 March
  • Tuesday 31 March

What a Brilliant Start to Our New School Year!

It has been wonderful to welcome our fantastic new Prep students to their very special first week of school. We are so excited to get to know each and every one of them and to help them settle into their new learning environment.

We were also delighted to see all of our students from Year One to Year Six. They made a great start to their learning and made the new students in their classes feel included and welcome.

 

Welcome to our New Staff Members

I would like to officially welcome our new and returning staff members into the St Francis Xavier community. 

Ms Kim Ryan                  Grade 1/2 Classroom Teacher

Ms Ella McConnell       Grade 1/2 Learning Support Officer

Ms Sue Hunter              Grade 1/2 Learning Support Officer

Ms Emma Cooper        Physical Education Teacher

 

We are extremely luck to have such fantastic educators joining our team in 2022. 

   

Guitar Lessons

Guitar lessons are available for students who are ineterested from Grade 2-6. There are currently 3 vacant spots in the Monday afternoon group. 

The class begins at 3:15pm, finishes at 4:00pm. The approximate cost is $10 per session, guitars can be provided.

If you are interested in enrolling your child in these lessons, please call the school asap to reserve a spot. 

 

 

I am extremely mindful that families don't want every newsletter in the short term to be COVID-dominated. I did think it would be worthwhile in this first newsletter however just to add some information for families in the event that somebody in your household tests positive over the coming weeks.

RAT Tests

At the beginning of this week, a box of Rapid Antigen Tests was sent home with every child. There were 5 tests in each box. Students are asked to test twice a week, ideally on Monday and Thursday, or any time time that they may wake up with symptoms. These tests will last 2 weeks (until 11 February). 

 

We expect to receive a second delivery of tests soon. Once they arrive, another box of tests will be sent home with every child which will cover the next two weeks (14th February - 25th February.)

 

We have already seen the benefit of this testing schedule, which has already picked up cases which may previously have been undetected. Please continue to administer the tests regularly. Negative test results are not required to be reported to school.

 

If a Child Tests Positive

If a child tests positive to COVID-19, you need to;

  1. Contact the school to let us know. This can be done by emailing office@sfxfrankston.catholic.edu.au or calling 97833424. 
  2. You must also report your child’s positive test to the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398.
  3. Quarantine your child for seven days. Your child must stay home until their symptoms have resolved and they are well, even if this takes more than the mandatory seven days.
  4. The Department of Health will send families a text message or email which includes a specific date you are allowed to leave isolation. This is the date that the child is able to return to school, assuming they are symptom free.  

Children who test positive do not need to have a negative test before returning to school. 

 

If a Child is a Household Contact of a Positive Case

Anybody who has spent four or more hours with a positive COVID-19 case in a household over the 48 hours leading up to the positive test result is deemed a household contact. 

 

Household contacts must immediately quarantine for 7 days once they become aware of the positive case. They should be tested on both Day 1 and Day 6 of the quarantine period. 

 

Children who are household contacts must receive a negative test (RAT or PCR) on Day 6 of their quarantine period before they can return to school.

 

If, during their quarantine period, another household member (e.g. sibling) tests positive, students do not need to start their quarantine period again. Household contacts are not subject to rolling quarantine periods, which means that the end date for household contacts remains unchanged, as long as they receive negative tests on Day 1 and Day 6. Please contact the school if you need this information clarified in any way. 

 

If a Child has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past

It is recommended that students who have tested positive to COVID-19 do not test for the next 30 days following their positive test. They also cannot become household contacts or be required to isolate during that period. 

Once it has been 30 days from the date they tested positive, students then revert to the normal testing/quarantine/contact rules that apply to everyone else. 

 

Finally - how good is it to have our road back? I am certainly not missing the car horns, traffic management staff yelling and screaming or the orange glow beaming from the 1000's of bollards and witches hats which were covering Park St for the past 18 months. Slowly but surely we will get back to normal!

 

Have a fantastic weekend everybody.

 

Steve Peart

School Principal