Important COVID-related announcements

If your child has any symptoms, as we are all advised, please have a COVID test, recover and be well before returning to school.

St Anthony's Remote and Online Learning has finished and Term 4 will be back to school for all students

Click here to view the Remote and Online Learning Hub on our Website

Term 4 Learning arrangements

Please see our Wellbeing roadmap here

Returning to school can be stressful for students at the best of times and usually means returning to known and predictable routines. This school year has been unpredictable and school routines have been forced to change. At St Anthony's we place great importance in maintaining a safe and welcoming school environment.

The school is well prepared and will maintain a COVID safe environment at all times. Please read over the attached document with your child. It may help reduce some possible anxiety your child might have about returning to school. 

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact me on DOJO or jgow@sanoblepark.catholic.edu.au.

Kind regards,

James

Please view the back to school social story here

Please view the back to school learning arrangements here

COVID-safe Plan

Click here to view the St Anthony's Covid-safe plan

The Safety Management Plan for COVID-19 (COVID Safe Plan) applies to all schools, and

outlines the key OHS risks and links to the latest guidance. It sets out the approach for managing safety risks in schools in accordance with the minimum requirements for COVIDSafe Plans. The plan is reviewed and updated, as required, regularly while

restrictions remain in place. Schools must continue to ensure that the number of staff on site is kept to the minimum level required to meet operational requirements.

COVID Visitor and Volunteer Policy

Please click here to access our new COVID-19 Visitor & Volunteer Policy. 

It is important for everyone in the community to read the policy. Any visitor who has permission to enter the school site must sign the Declaration form.  There are strict restrictions to any visitor to St Anthony's. 

• Visitors to school grounds should be limited to those delivering or supporting essential school services and operations (e.g. student health and wellbeing services, cleaning and
• maintenance workers).
• To support contact tracing, schools must keep a record of all staff, students and visitors who attend on-site for more than 15 minutes. Schools must record the name, contact details, date, and time of attendance at school, as well as the areas of the school that the person attended.
• We use existing mechanisms such as visitor sign-in procedures, student attendance records and staffing rosters to record this information and COVID safe declarations.
• Additional staff, including parent volunteers, must not attend school at this time.
• Parent-teacher information sessions and interviews must continue to be replaced with online and video alternatives. This includes the Prep information session.
• Activities that involve on-site attendance by students from different educational institutions (e.g. interschool sport or interschool debating) must not take place or be replaced, where possible, with virtual alternatives.
• Schools must not conduct on-site school tours for prospective students and their families at this time. Our Virtual tour is available instead.
• Visitors to school grounds must comply with physical distancing and face covering advice set out in this document and ensure good hand hygiene.

Term 4 Uniform Shop 

Please be advised that the uniform shop will not be open as we cannot allow any parents onsite until further notice. If you require summer uniform, please order at the office and please be patient while your order is filled.

Term 4 School Bus

Please be advised that the school bus will commence its morning and afternoon runs for families from this week, Monday October 12th. Please ensure that you have made a contribution to the payment of the bus so that we can continue to offer this service. For therm 4 the payment for the bus will be $100 per family. Please contact Patrika is this presents difficulties at this time.

Term 4 Face coverings in schools

All school-based staff must wear face coverings at school, and when travelling to and from

school. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face coverings while teaching, but those who wish to do so, can. Teachers should wear face coverings in other areas of the school when not teaching (for example, in the staffroom, on yard duty and when providing first aid or taking temperatures), and when travelling to and from school.

• Health, wellbeing and inclusion staff are required to wear face coverings, unless an exemption applies, including the need for ‘clear enunciation or visibility of their mouth’ (for example, when undertaking a speech therapy intervention or working with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing).
• Students who attend St Anthony's school for on-site supervision, will not be required to wear a face covering. Students who are aged 12 or over by Year 6 are not required to wear face coverings.
• Some students and staff are exempt from these requirements. This includes students who are over the age of 12 and are unable to wear a face covering due to the nature of their disability. This also includes students or staff who have a medical condition, such as problems with their breathing, a serious skin condition on the face, a disability or a mental health condition.
• Parents/carers will be required to wear face coverings whenever they leave the house, including for school drop off and pick up. If they are travelling in a car alone, or only with members of their household, they do not need to wear a mask.
• St Anthony's displays information and signage at school entrances and in communal areas such as staff rooms as reminders for staff to wear face coverings when not teaching.

Term 4 Other hygiene measures

• Hand sanitiser will always be required at entry points to classrooms and education will be provided on hand hygiene. All spaces have sanitizer, hand wash and paper towel. This practice is encouraged and modelled every day.
• Playground equipment can be used by students. However, students should practise hand hygiene before and after use. St Anthony's will limit using shared equipment at this time. If used, strict hand hygiene will be followed before and after use.
• There is no requirement for books to be placed aside for a given period after use or if loaned to students.
• Students should bring their own water bottle for use at school as students should not drink directly from drinking fountains at this time. All water fountains are switched off. Taps may be used to refill water bottles.
• Please remember schools are managed environments that include records of student, staff and visitor attendance, which can support contact tracing.

Term 4 Cleaning and personal hygiene products

Extended and increased cleaning arrangements have already been been introduced and will continue. This involves progressive cleaning throughout the day to ensure that risks of transmission are reduced for high-touch services.

With the return of on-site learning, St Anthony's will again increase the on-site cleaning from the start of Term 4.

Term 4 Outside School Hours Care and Vacation Care

 (OSHC) will be available to students from Monday October 12th.