Additional Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) were distributed to students this week. Your child is encouraged to undertake the RAT twice a week at home at a time that best suits your circumstances. The RAT is designed to be used as part of a surveillance strategy in an effort to avoid asymptomatic individuals attending school.

Should your child be showing even mild COVID-19 symptoms they should not be attending school and you should seek medical advice. If your child receives a positive test result at any time, you must report this through the Department of Health system (Rapid antigen tests | Coronavirus Victoria) or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398. Information about how to do a test, including a how-to video translated into 33 languages, is available at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests. You must also report a positive result to St. Christopher’s School, by emailing office@scsyndal.catholic.ed.au, or calling our office on 9803 0011. This is so the school cansupport the student, record that they will be absent while in 7-day isolation, and while maintaining confidentiality, let the relevant members of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms.

Where a student is identified as a positive case, education contact tracing will no longer be a requirement. Students who have come in contact with a positive case at school should be monitored for symptoms, but are not required to isolate. In summary, the process is set out below:

1. Parents/guardians should report if their son/daughter tests positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test) and notify the school.

2. Students who report a positive result must isolate themselves for seven days and not attend school during that period.

3. Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school and isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period.4. Please ensure that your child refrains from returning to school if they remain symptomatic, unless it is known that their symptoms are caused by an underlying health condition or medication.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office.

Students of the Week