Dear Parents and Carers

Thank you for all your support during these past few weeks of remote and flexible learning.

Following advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV), schools will commence with the second stage of our return to onsite schooling with all year levels returning to school on Tuesday, 9th June. The same approach is being taken by all Catholic and government schools in Victoria.

Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means that, if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to onsite schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home.

This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact the relevant Year Level Coordinator so an appropriate plan to support the learning of your child can be devised.

If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.

We have all learnt a great deal in the eight weeks since face-to-face teaching last took place in the College on 23rd March. We are grateful to the staff for their quite extraordinary commitment to maintaining continuity of learning for our students. We know that many of our families are appreciative of these efforts and we thank those who have sent through messages of thanks and support to staff.

Our next challenge is to transition students in all year levels back to face to face teaching. We are confident that the cooperation, flexibility and hard work amongst staff, students and families that helped us adapt so quickly and effectively to remote learning will make this next phase successful.

However, life at school will be different to the pre-Covid 19 era. Our day to day operations will be changed to ensure we keep staff and students safe. While the Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important changes to our school operations, consistent with health advice to all schools. Please refer to the information sheet at the end of this letter and discuss these important points with your child.

Professional advice is that students are very safe at school. Adults are at greater risk of transmission, infection and negative health outcomes than young people. We will be emphasising effective hygiene practices amongst all students and staff with particular emphasis on helping staff remain as physically distanced as possible.

This document is designed to provide information you and your children will need about the return to school. Schools are complex and dynamic places and no doubt there will be unforeseen challenges and we will need to adjust and use common sense as we go along.

To support the health and wellbeing of all students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent hand-washing. The government advisory panel suggests that there is little benefit in taking the temperature of individuals as they come on site. We will follow this advice and will not be temperature checking staff or students.

We understand that some families and students may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. We can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our state.

More information about the return to school and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found on the CECV website, which will continue to be updated: www.cecv.catholic.edu.au/Coronavirus-information-for-parents.

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming our students back to the classroom.

Yours sincerely

Paul Clohesy

Principal

RETURN TO SCHOOL INFORMATION

Illness

⦁ Please contact the Principal’s Personal Assistant, Jenny Weller, if your child is not at school because they have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting results. In the event of a positive test result, please inform Jenny Weller immediately.

⦁ Students need not be kept home if they are asymptomatic and have been tested, BUT if they have symptoms and have been tested, they must not be at school until a negative result is received.

⦁ Any student that feels unwell at school must report immediately to Student Reception.

⦁ Reception staff have been trained in the procedure of applying first aid and isolating a suspect case, as well as the necessary follow-up in such a situation.

Household illness / compromised immunity

⦁ Some students may live in a household where they or others are considered at a heightened risk due to Chronic Illness and/or Compromised Immune Systems. It may not be safe for such students to return to face to face teaching at this time. If you are concerned that your child may be in this situation please access and check this link: Health Advice.

⦁ If you believe that your child is unable to recommence face to face learning, please advise your child’s Year Level Coordinator.

Parents/Carers and visitors

⦁ We request that parents/carers and visitors only enter the school grounds when essential. If they must be onsite, they must minimise their time and practise physical distancing.

⦁ Please avoid congregating on site when collecting your children.

⦁ The use of outside volunteers and guest speakers will be restricted until further notice.

Timetable

Our timetable will continue as close to normal as possible. However, no whole school College assemblies, camps or off-site excursions may take place until further notice.

The St Joseph’s Resource Centre will continue to be open to students for extra study before and after school.

Calendar

An updated College calendar for Terms 2- 4 will be shared with families. Many events cannot be confirmed at this stage and are dependent on government regulations. We will continue to communicate details to the affected students as soon as we have the relevant confirmation on dates and events.

Travel

⦁ Bus services will run as normal. Physical distancing will be difficult during bus travel. Students are asked to maintain space between them and other students as much as possible. Students are encouraged to carry hand sanitiser and use the sanitiser before and after bus travel.

⦁ Parents dropping off and picking up students are asked to remain in cars and, where possible, only transport members of their own household.

Cleaning and hygiene

⦁ High contact areas at school, including door handles, light switches and washrooms, will be cleaned regularly throughout the day.

⦁ Sanitising stations have been installed at the entrance to each building and every person entering and leaving a teaching area is required to sanitise their hands. A few minutes prior to the end of each lesson, students are to wipe down their workspace, including desk and chair. Disinfectant and paper towelling will be provided. Soap is available in all washrooms.

⦁ Please remind your child to continue practising good hygiene requirements, including coughing hygiene and handwashing hygiene. They must be reminded to avoid any physical contact with each other

⦁ Students are discouraged from sharing possessions with each other and are reminded to bring their own equipment (such as scissors, glue, pens, pencils and other stationery) to school.

Classrooms

⦁ Classrooms will be set up to enable students to be distanced from each other as far as is practicable. However, given our restricted teaching space, it is not possible to ensure a 1.5 m distance between students in classrooms.

⦁ Teachers will attempt to avoid close contact with students.

⦁ Where possible, depending on temperature and weather conditions, classroom doors will remain open. As much ventilation as possible will be maintained in all areas.

Canteen

⦁ The canteen will be fully operational.

⦁ However, lunch orders will only be available during Break 1. Students must place their food orders at the canteen by 9:30 each morning. No lunch orders, such as hot food or salad rolls, will be available outside of the lunch order system.

⦁ Other items will be on sale at the canteen during breaks. Only two students are permitted at the canteen windows and students must stand on the marked spots.

⦁ Limited numbers of students will be permitted to sit in the canteen areas. It is preferable for students to be outside in fresh air.

⦁ Given the tight confines of the room and for hygiene purposes, the Common room will be closed to Year 12 students.

⦁ Students may not share food: this is especially applicable in Cooking classes.

⦁ Students are reminded that, once they have arrived on campus in the morning, whether by bus or by drop off, they may not leave the school site to access the corner shop.

Breaks

Students in various year levels will be allocated to specific areas during each day. Students may only access the oval and court areas during their allocated break time. It is important that students adhere to this expectation. These details will be available on SIMON every morning.

Drinking Fountains

Students may not drink from the taps at the water drinking fountains and are expected to bring a water bottle to school. They may fill their water bottles at the drinking fountains.

Lockers

Students will have access to their lockers but are encouraged to minimise visits by taking materials for successive classes with them or leaving materials on the desk if they are returning the same classroom.

Uniform

Students are expected to be in full and correct school uniform on their return to school. Any extra clothing layers for warmth must not be visible under the College uniform.

COVID Safe App and Student phones

⦁ All students are strongly encouraged to download the COVID Safe App on their mobile phone if they have one. Students should keep the app open and may keep their phones with them throughout the day. However, they are not to check their phones during the day.

⦁ Normal school rules apply to students regarding phone use: no phone is to be sighted between the start and the end of the school day. The consequence of phone use during the school day is 6 demerit points resulting in an afterschool detention.

⦁ In the event of a positive test in our school, having this app open will help keep us all safe by facilitating contact tracing.

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