SMPS Family iNewsletter

Principal's Message

Our children are our future...

Principal's Report

Well, that was one heck of a week! As usual, our families and staff responded in a way that was resilient and understanding. Without your kindness, the whole situation could have been a lot worse. The number one focus of our work last week (and moving into next) is the physical and psychological safety of our people.  There are some wonderful pages in this newsletter so please take the time to read it all. 

 

When I lined up for my COVID test last week, I stood next to a man who appeared a bit confused and unsure. He was a lovely person, but spoke in stuttered sentences. He was clearly intelligent, but it was a bit hard to follow the conversation at times. He explained that he was formerly a doctor who had lost his licence due to the onset of dementia. My heart broke as he explained his long career in helping people and saving their lives. Once his illness set in, he did not have the cognitive capacity to continue being a physician. When I left, he wished me luck with my community in quarantine and said, "In a week or so you will all be free, but I will still have dementia." He did not say this to be spiteful....but instead teach me that our situation was inconvenient, but temporary.

 

I want to again apologise for anyone inconvenienced by being contacted by the Department of Health and told to quarantine even though their child was not on the premises on July 15 (Day 0). The reason this occurred was two-fold. One, when we were notified of being a positive site for COVID, we were unsure which day was going to be declared as Day 0 - so we handed over all records. Secondly, when we sent through our file of names, we had separate tabs for those absent - but the whole database was uploaded into the Department of Health database - they did not discern present from absent. We should have been more diligent in separating these names. Both were honest mistakes made in an attempt to be diligent, but it had a negative effect on some. We are sorry.

 

The process for return is yet to be finalised, including dates and certifications. I will be in meetings with Department of Health and Department of Education officials early next week to thrash out a plan. I am certain it will not be perfect as we will err on the side of caution. I have to ask in advance for patience and kindness as we work through any issues. I am aware of the pitfalls of insisting on certification, but it is a requirement of law - so I hope we can work out a good solution for all. I will be communicating with all families via Compass Newsfeed when the plan is worked out. Please follow the directions closely. 

 

There is a notice towards the bottom of this page explaining that the school has been cleared by health and safety officials after the deep clean (i.e. it is technically able to reopen). Be careful with this message as it only gives the site clearance to be occupied from a health and safety point of view. With all of the community in quarantine, the school might be safe to occupy, but nobody can be on site due to the Tier 1 exposure. 

 

The facts that I can share at the moment are below. Please note these can change at late notice and changes will be conveyed via Compass Newsfeed.

  • Day 13 (test day) is Wednesday, July 28. Students who attended on July 15 will be required to test for COVID and await the outcome (which usually arrives via SMS a day or so after)
  • Day 14 (clearance phone call day) should occur on or close to Thursday 29th with clearance allowed from midnight that night so long as symptoms do not present
  • Day 15 is Friday, July 30 and this is when we will develop a system to identify those students cleared by Department of Health to be eligible to return to school when school reopens. It is likely that remote learning will continue on this day whilst we sort out the clearance requirements.
  • The actual date of on-site learning starting is not set. This is where I will attend meetings next week and convey the date and details of return to you via Compass.

It is anticipated that the Department of Health may be able to provide lists daily of uncleared contacts to the school so we can ensure students are not allowed back on site until cleared.  For the health and safety of everybody, despite it potentially being a hassle, no student or staff member can return on site unless officially cleared by the Department of Health (and an SMS of a negative COVID test will not suffice).

 

Remember, the production of the SMS with a negative COVID test will not be enough proof for students to return on-site when the school re-opens. The school is not in control of this rule - the law is.

Official Communications Regarding School Reopening (Safe to Occupy)

 Please note this is just an official communication that the school has undertaken a deep clean and has been cleared by Department of Health for occupation. It does not mean students and staff are allowed back on site for learning as the majority are in quarantine.

 

The Department of Health (DH) has advised that our school site including OSHClub and Kindergarten can reopen from Monday 26 July.

 

As there are a number of students and staff who remain in quarantine, the school will not be able to offer onsite supervision (including OHSC services) at this time. Our school will continue to learn remotely, in line with the current stay home advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer. I will update you as soon as I can as to a date that staff and students will be able to resume schooling onsite.

 

Anyone who has been identified as a close contact during the recent outbreak should not be on the school site until they are cleared by Department of Health. 

More Information

For more information please visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

 

If you have questions about what this means for our school, call the Department of Education and Training COVID-19 hotline on 1800 338 663, available 8:30am to 5pm Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays. 

 

If you are a Tier 1 contact (close contact) or Tier 2 contact (casual contact) DH will contact you. If you require further information you can contact DH on 1300 651 160. If you are concerned you may have COVID-19 you can call the DH 24-hour COVID-19 hotline on 1800 675 398.

 

For school information in languages other than English, call TIS National on 131 450. Please ask them to call the DET COVID-19 hotline on 1800 338 663 and they will help interpret. For health advice in languages other than English, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/translated-information-about-coronavirus-covid-19.