From the Principal

Currently, there is much uncertainty and anxiety surrounding Coronavirus (Covid-19). I encourage you to read the following statement and share with your family and friends.

How concerned should we be for our children?

To quote a well-known slogan, we should be alert but not alarmed. As adults, we have experienced major health events in the past (swine flu, ebola) and have a level of understanding that young people, inevitably, do not.  It is our role to not over-react … or under-react.

What we can tell our children?

Listening to their concerns and addressing them with facts is a good way to provide a sense of calm and perspective. Honesty and accuracy are really important. We are currently using our mentor groups to help separate fact from fallacy among our students.

Of course, not every young person will react in the same way. Many might not show outward signs of concern. Some might be anxious. In all cases, clear, factual and sensitive communication is a good way to manage these feelings. It is important that they understand most children and young people experience coronavirus as a cold or flu.

Many groups are working on vaccines and public health measures. Explain that there may be significant disruption to our lives – but it will not be permanent.

What steps are being taken by College?

The College leadership group has a working plan that is being refined daily as the situation changes and new information becomes available. We are closely monitoring public health and education advice, knowing full well that in some ways we operate under their umbrella.  We have put in place several specific measures.  Girls and boys are being asked to wash their hands frequently, not to touch their faces and to cough into their elbows or into a tissue (before disposing of it).  We advise them not to wear masks as a preventative measure. Medical advice is that masks are useful if you are sick to stop the spread of coronavirus …  but if you are sick you should not be at school. 

How are we monitoring potential cases coming into the school?

We have requested that any staff and or families travelling overseas in the holidays let the College know.  If they are travelling to China, Iran or South Korea, a 14 day quarantine will be imposed before the student may return to school.  Please also be aware that several other countries are being closely monitored in relation to coronavirus, including Japan, Italy, USA and Mongolia. This list could grow - please check the Smart Traveller website for latest updates.

What to do if your child is sick?

Please keep your child home from school if they are unwell. If they have a fever, runny nose, sore throat and/or cough they must stay home and follow medical advice.  If there is any history of travel to countries with confirmed cases of coronavirus, or contact with a known case, phone your GP for advice.  When the flu vaccine becomes available, we encourage vaccination.

Would we close the College?

We will take advice from Vic Health and act on that advice. Of course, we would also close if the Government closed a large number of schools, as has happened in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Italy.  We don’t know how long the closure would be. That would depend on the advice of authorities.

What would happen if we closed the school?

We have provisions and technology in place that will allow us to keep operating.  We have plans to keep educating our students as much as possible, particularly those students in senior years.

SIMON, OneNote, Teams and Edrolo provide us with a platform to deliver many online lessons. Teachers will create videos, screencasts, podcasts, deliver real-time lessons via our Microsoft Teams teleconference software and make phone contact. We will modify assessments so boys and girls are not disadvantaged. Students would work at home, using the lessons and timing of their school timetable as a guide. It would not be a free week or two of Netflix.

We are examining if it will still be possible for teachers to safely go to work. It is possible that all teaching will be done from home. For VCE students, we will work particularly hard to reschedule assessments and examinations.   We have specific plans for the Boarding House, which will be communicated to boarders separately.

In short, we would plan to still run, but do things differently. We think it is significantly more likely than not that the College will remain open.  Please consider these points carefully.  If you have any further concerns, please raise them directly with Associate Principal, Operations Mr Neil MacLean. 

Dr Andrew Hirst