Term 4 Return to School

The below information is important to be aware of and discuss with your child/ren. We will evaluate along the way and update families as we go.

Limited access to Parents and visitors on the School Campus

Armstrong Creek School is committed to providing a hygienic and safe learning environment for students and staff. To support the school in this objective, parents are not permitted into school buildings unless this has been prearranged and approved. We encourage parents to communicate with teachers and the school via email or phone where possible.

All adults are expected to maintain social distance of 1.5 metres, not congregate in groups and of course where a mask at all times (unless medically exempt).

Parents and visitors who need to access the Administration Office may do so, but please ensure you pay attention to the signage and limits to the number of people in a given area.

School Arrival and Departure

School Arrival (8:40am to 8:55am)

To reduce risk of adults congregating, the following is required when dropping your child off in the morning:

Parents promptly drop students off and leave
We strongly encourage parents who are driving to school to drop their child/ren off in one of the neighbouring car parks (near the Community Centre, Sports Pavilion, Shopping Centre) and allow your child to walk into school.
Parents who are walking are encouraged to drop off their child/ren at the crossing and not cross the road.
Students are expected to enter via the following designated entry points, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed to;

Fearnley and Hollows Houses – Main Entry Gates near the Administration Building

Fanning and Nolan Houses – Entry Gates near Supervised Crossing

Bike and Scooter travellers – Pedestrian Gate between the Community Centre and east boundary fence

Exceptions

Some families may wish to discuss with school leadership a supported drop off plan if the proposed arrangements are likely to be challenging
We understand that not everything is predictable, so common sense will be applied on a day to day and case by case basis where students may be having difficulty transitioning into school

Late Drop Off

As always we encourage families to do everything practical to ensure students arrive on time to avoid disruption to their learning time and that of other students and staff.

If a student is late for school, parents are able to enter the Administration Building to identify a child’s arrival then office staff will sign your child in and organise for them to go to class.

School Departure (Staggered 3:00pm and 3:10pm)

Reducing adults congregating during student pickup is likely to be more challenging than morning arrivals at ACS with the large number of people leaving at one time. Therefore, we are required to provide two pickup times to ease the congestion during this time.

Please make plans around the following dismissal times:

3:00pm – All Preps and their siblings dismissed and exit via the identified gate (as per arrival)

3:10pm – All other students dismissed and exit via the identified gate (as per arrival)

Note: Please stand back from gates andmaintain social distance of 1.5 metres at all times from other parent and community members

Early Pickup

If a student needs to be picked up early, please call the school prior to pick up. Students will be waiting for parents in the office. Please advise office staff that you have arrived and they will organise for your child to leave with you. Where possible, we will ask parents/carers to wait outside.

School Operations

Hygiene Measure

Students need to sanitise their hands entering and leaving a Learning Community or building at one of the many Hand Sanitising Stations provided. If for any reason you don’t wish for your child to use sanitiser at school, please inform their Home Group Teacher who will ensure other regular hand hygiene measures are in place
Where it is essential to share items students will be encouraged to sanitise their hands before and after use
Students need to wash and/or sanitise their hands after recess and lunch
Students are required to bring a water bottle each day as drinking taps will not be in use
Whilst not essential according to the Chief Health Officer’s advice, students will be encouraged to practise social distancing where possible and practical
Signs and Posters are displayed throughout the school to remind students and staff of hygiene expectations and practices

Cleaning

Our regular, high quality cleaning program remains in place with some additional measures put in place
All chairs, tables and other high touch surfaces will be cleaned throughout the day as well as at the end of each day with disinfectant
The school has been provided extra cleaning supplies that are readily available to clean in the classroom during the day if required
Playground equipment will be cleaned after recess and at the end of the day

Timetable

Our daily timetable (onsite learning) will remain the same as it was in Term 3.

Playground Zones and Expectations

At Armstrong Creek School we are fortunate to have spacious school grounds with a variety of active and passive play spaces and options.

When school returns, students will continue to play in the designated place spaces as identified for each Year Level at the beginning of Term 3.

Play Zones

P-2: Front Playground, Central Plaza Play equipment and the Small Oval

3-10: Tower Zone, Central Plaza (Down Ball and Seating Areas), Secondary Students only; Secondary Sensory Garden.

Strict Rules around health and attendance

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

Any student or staff member experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19) (fever, cough, sore throat or runny nose) is expected not to attend school and strongly encourage them to seek advice from their healthcare professional. A medical certificate is not required to return to an education setting after a period of illness, however staff and students cannot return until symptoms resolve.

This is based on the direction of the Chief Health Officer and DET. Schools are expected to adhere to and enforce this directive.

Provision of routine care and first aid

Physical distancing is not practical when providing direct care. In this situation standard precautions, including hand hygiene and mask wearing by adults are important for infection control.

Standard precautions as per the Department of Education and Training Infectious Disease policy and related policies will be adopted when providing first aid. For example, use of gloves when dealing with blood or body fluids/substances.

Management of an unwell student or staff member

Staff and students experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19), such as fever, cough or sore throat, will be isolated in an appropriate space with suitable supervision and collected by a parent/carer as soon as possible. Urgent medical attention will be sought if required. It is not suitable for an unwell student to travel home unsupervised so a parent or carer will be required to collect them.
Where staff or students are experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19), the important actions to follow include hand hygiene, physical distance and (where possible) putting on a face mask.
Staff or students experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19) are encouraged to seek the advice of their healthcare professional who can advise on next steps. A medical certificate is not required to return to an education setting after a period of illness, however staff and students should not return until symptoms resolve.
The school will follow cleaning guidance according to the situation of the case. If a student spreads droplets (for example by sneezing, coughing or vomiting), clean surfaces immediately with disinfectant wipes while wearing gloves.

Communication Between School and Home

Positive and effective communication between Home and School remains a priority at ACS, and is perhaps even more important now more than ever.

The next few weeks will provide a number of levels of change and adjustment and for some students, families and staff this may be challenging at times.

Our normal communication tools of phone, email and Compass are still available and families are encouraged to use these to maintain appropriate levels of communication with their child’s Home Group teacher and the school.

As the incidental conversations at drop off and pick up will not be possible, families are encouraged to negotiate with their child’s Home Group teacher any particular strategies that will support effective communication.

Before and After School Care

The YMCA will continue to provide Before and After School Care as per usual. They will also implement increased cleaning and hygiene procedures to support health and safety.

Please contact the YMCA directly for information and bookings; 0418 195 782.

Armstrong Creek School Newsletter

Care, Collaboration, Commitment

Issue 19 · 09 Oct 2020

In this issue