Dear Parents and Carers,

Please note the following important information in relation to changed COVID-19 settings.

COVID-19 isolation requirements have changed

The Victorian Government has announced the end of the Pandemic Declaration and associated Pandemic Orders.

The following settings, based on advice from the Department of Health, will apply from 11.59pm Wednesday 12 October 2022.

It is strongly recommended that students:

who test positive to COVID-19 stay home and isolate for 5 days
should not attend school after 5 days if still symptomatic
who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school
advise the school of the COVID-19 positive test result

Where students become symptomatic at school they should:

be collected by their parents/carers
undergo testing for COVID-19

Reporting positive COVID-19 test results

The Department of Health recommends that a person who tests positive for COVID-19 should inform those with whom they have recently been in contact, including their workplace, schools and household.

Parents and carers will therefore be asked to continue to report positive student COVID-19 cases using the VicED COVID Tool.

Where a parent/carer informs the school by phone or written notification, the school should complete the Schools COVID Case Management Tool.

COVID-19 vaccination changes

The current mandatory vaccination requirement for staff and visitors, contractors and volunteers working in specialist schools will cease to apply from 11.59pm Wednesday 12 October. COVID-19 vaccination, including booster doses, continues to be strongly recommended for all school staff.

Face masks

Staff and students who wish to wear a face mask should be supported to do so, and schools should continue to make face masks available for staff, students and visitors.

The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home.

Additionally, the Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19, for at least 7 days after a positive test, when they need to leave home.

We are now well and truly in the planning phase for 2023 and as such it is important that we have a true and accurate indication of our student numbers for next year. If you have neighbours or friends looking to enrol a student in 2023 please encourage them to contact us ASAP to organise enrolment forms. We currently have 65 Prep students enrolled for next year. We are beginning to process those enrolments and organise groupings and staffing. Enrolled students will be receiving correspondence from us in relation to orientation days and information sessions. If you have a child starting Prep next year please ensure you submit your enrolment forms ASAP so that you do not miss out on important correspondence.

If you are one of our existing families and relocating at the end of the year or leaving us for other reasons, please let us know as soon as possible.

Class list creation for 2023 will be one of the foci of our term four meetings. If you have requests re groupings please make sure you submit them in writing to the school by Friday 21st October.

Classroom teachers spend many hours creating new classes. It is important to recognise that many factors are taken into account when these classes are being created; they might include academic levels of students, friendship groupings, friendship issues and teacher judgements. All requests will be considered but not guaranteed.

Kind regards,

Mandy O'Mara

Book Club