BHCS NEWSLETTER

General Information (1 of 2) 

REAL SCHOOLS PARENT INFORMATION WEBINAR - THURSDAY 21S 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. Make time to fit it into your week if you can.

SEMESTER 1 REPORTS

All student reports were emailed home at the end of Term 2. If you believe you did not receive your child's Semester 1 Report, please email reports@bhcs.vic.edu.au. Should you wish to discuss your child's report, please email the class teacher concerned. 

COVID-19 INFORMATION 

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)

The Government has announced that three packs of RATs will be distributed in Term 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.

REVISED EXEMPTION ADVICE

In line with AHPPC advice, the period when someone is considered a recently confirmed case (and therefore exempt from testing and isolation/quarantine requirements) has been revised to 4 weeks (28 days from the end of their isolation date), down from 12 weeks. This reflects the emerging evidence that new variants of COVID-19 can evade prior immunity gained from infection.

 

Parents/carers visiting the school for meetings:

  • Parents, carers, and other adult visitors are no longer required to show evidence of a COVID-19 vaccination if visiting for meetings or attending school events.
  • Parents, carers or other adult visitors who are ‘volunteering’ or acting as guest speakers are captured by the current vaccine mandates that apply to schools and must be fully vaccinated in order to assist in this capacity.

Face Masks:

  • Students who are household contacts must wear masks at all times while indoors while they are attending school.
  • Students must continue wearing masks on all school buses, on public transport, and when on excursions, or in rideshare vehicles, as per government COVID requirements.
  • Staff and students who want to continue wearing face masks are able to do so, including those who are medically at risk.
  • If during this 4-week period symptoms do develop, your child should take a rapid antigen test and remain at home until symptoms resolve.

Illness during winter

A reminder that besides COVID-19, Influenza and RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) are also doing the rounds. To minimise the impact on staff and students and for the health and wellbeing of all, we ask that you please keep your child home if they are unwell in any way.

KINDER TINKERING PROJECT

We are wondering if you can help? Team Kinder would like to introduce a tinkering project into Kinder in Term Three. Tinkering offers children an alternate way to develop their fine motor, cognitive and communication skills by investigating, rebuilding, constructing and planning.

 

But how can we help, I hear you ask?

Team Kinder are looking for donations of items that are in good condition but no longer work that we can take apart such as: computer towers, toasters, kettles etc. As we only have flat head screw drivers and posi-drive screwdrivers, we can only accept items that can be unfastened with these screwdrivers. 

 

If you think that you are able to help us, please contact Kirsty at kmeese@bhcs.vic.edu.au regarding any items that you would like to donate. Unfortunately we can not accept any tinkering donations before they have been checked if they are suitable for our use.