Coronavirus Updates
The school is taking precautionary steps to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This page will be kept up to date with the latest information from the school.
- Risk of COVID Alert - 127 May 2022
- COVID-19 Update Term 2 - 29 April 2022
- Wellbeing for Students at Home
- Vaccination for 5-11 Year Old Children
- COVID-19 Communication and Campus Closure Plan
Risk of COVID Alert - 127 May 2022
Risk of COVID-19 Advice
6 June 2022
Our School has been advised that members of our school community have recently tested positive to COVID-19. This includes a student from Year 8 and students from Year 10.
Students and staff who worked with the above groups may have had contact with a person who was infectious with COVID-19.
While testing and isolation is no longer mandatory for exposures in school settings, NSW Health has provided advice on testing and isolation recommendations for the community following exposure to COVID-19 that should be considered when making decisions for your child and family.
You are reminded that staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing even the mildest symptoms of COVID-19. These include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, extreme tiredness, unexplained chest pain or conjunctivitis (eye infection).
If symptoms occur at any time, you should not attend school and should undertake a Rapid Antigen test. If a Rapid Antigen test is positive you/your child should isolate as someone who has tested positive to COVID-19. If you cannot access a Rapid Antigen test, you can attend a PCR (nose and throat swab) testing clinic.
If you test positive for COVID-19 You must self-isolate for 7 days from the day you were tested. You can only leave self-isolation after 7 days if you do not have a sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath. Advice and further resources are available on the NSW Health website including COVID-19 guidelines and fact sheets for People who tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19. Additional resources are also available on the NSW Government website.
The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students are paramount. As such, we will continue to ensure that all necessary health advice is closely followed.
Dr Andrew Parry
Principal
COVID-19 Update Term 2 - 29 April 2022
Wellbeing for Students at Home
Wellbeing for Students at Home
11 March 2022
Caring for your son or daughter while at home with COVID-19 or while isolating as a household contact can cause a significant amount of extra stress and pressure in the home.
Your son or daughter may feel anxious about falling behind with their schoolwork or experience a low mood because they are away from their peers and friends. During this time, it is incredibly important to reassure your child that their priority should be their emotional and physical wellbeing and health.
So please find some useful information in the attached Wellbeing at Home booklet for parents and carers. Inside this pack is information about how to manage screen time, the importance of sleep at a time like this and ways to help your child stay connected to their peers and teachers while they’re home.
Additionally, the information pack also contains the name and contact details of organisations that can offer support, guidance and assistance while caring for your child at home. Download your copy by clicking on the button below:
Please reach out to your child’s Head Mentor, Head of House, or our School Psychologists if you would like to further discuss how you can best support your child at home while they are recovering from COVID-19 or isolating as a household contact.
Olivia Kite
Head of Student Wellbeing
Vaccination for 5-11 Year Old Children
Vaccination for 5-11 Year Old Children
29 March 2022
The Chief Medical Officer and Coordinator-General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce have requested the support of School Principals for the national vaccine rollout as they seek to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates amongst school children. As a result, I am reaching out prior to the end of first term to encourage and remind you all to book a COVID-19 vaccination for your child.
Over 50 per cent of all children aged 5 to 11 have now received a first dose, with many now due for a second dose (eight weeks after the first). In particular, as we approach school holidays and the weather cools down, it is important to take steps to minimise the impact of COVID-19. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect your child and the community.
The Department of Health website provides a number of resources with further information about seeking COVID-19 vaccination. Attached is a Fact Sheet which you could use to have a conversation with your child. Further resources are also available at: www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/who-can-get-vaccinated/children
Vaccines are widely available across the country at general practices, state-run clinics and Aboriginal Health Services. You can find a participating clinic and make an appointment by visiting the Vaccine Clinic Finder at: https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/booking
Thank you for your efforts to keep your child and the wider school community safe.
Dr Andrew Parry
Principal
COVID-19 Communication and Campus Closure Plan
COVID-19 Communication and Campus Closure Plan
29 May 2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have recently worked to develop and implement a contingency plan for school closure in the case of a confirmed COVID-19 case at school (or another State or local shutdown).
We would like to share our communication plan and decision-making process should we need to close the campus.
NSW Health will advise the Principal if a confirmed case of COVID-19 has an impact on our school. All other confirmed cases are a personal matter for those involved and they will be managed directly by NSW Health. People assessed as being a ‘close contact’ of a member of the community are identified and contacted by NSW Health and given appropriate advice. Schools are bound by obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) to not disclose the identity of a person with COVID-19 except to authorised people.
Communication Plan
Immediately following notification of a decision to close the campus, as per advice from NSW Health, the communication protocol will include:
- The Principal will be notified by NSW Health.
- Communications will go out to all faculty, staff, students, and parents regarding campus closure via SMS and email.
- Parents and students will be provided with specific instructions for student departure if this occurs during a school day.
- Communication of the process and status of the campus closure will continue via sms, email and the school website until we return to normal face-to-face operations.
Campus Closure Process
Throughout any closure, the steps taken by the school will be under the guidance and advice of NSW Health. If the school is advised of a positive case of COVID-19 during a school day:
- Day students will need be collected by parents. Please make sure that you know your child’s day house and collection point (contained in this document).
- Boarding students will return to their boarding houses immediately and will be temporarily quarantined or sent home depending on the circumstances.
Parents please adhere to these guidelines to minimise traffic delays as best as possible. Following the official closure of the campus, we will sanitize all areas of the school.
Collection Points
| Day House | Pick up zone and details |
|---|---|
| Blackman | Senior School Bus Bay Enter via Bathurst Rd Gates, exit via Cox Ave South Gate |
| Brown | Allenby Road Gate |
| Dean | Cox Avenue South Gate Please do not block the gate |
| Douglas | 1st Gate to Wolaroi Boarding House Icely Road |
| Gordon | Cox Avenue North Gate Please do not block the gate |
| McLachlan | Weymouth Boarding House Gate Allenby Road |
| Richards | 2nd Gate to Wolaroi Boarding House Icely Road |
| Williams | Junior School pick up area Enter at Cox Ave South Gate, exit at Cox Ave North Gate |
| Junior School | Junior School pick up area Enter at Cox Ave South Gate, exit at Cox Ave North Gate |
| Pre-Kinder | Pre-Kinder pick up area |
Boarding
Closure of a Boarding House (or Houses) – if deemed necessary – will be completed within 24 hours of the notice for campus closure. Boarding families have been encouraged to prepare a plan for this circumstance. Parents please adhere to these guidelines to minimise traffic delays as best as possible.
Academics
The transition back to remote teaching will happen 24 hours after the announcement of school campus closure. Information regarding timetables and commencement will be sent to students and parents via email.
FAQs
How will I be informed if there is a school closure?
The School will send a notification via SMS and will send a follow-up message via email.
Where do I collect my children?
Junior School children will be collected from the normal pickup zone while Pre-Kinder will be collected as normal from their room. Senior School pickup areas are detailed above and in the map below.
What if I have to pick up children from Senior and Junior?
Pre-Kinder and Junior School students will be collected first. Siblings in the Senior School will be able to travel home with them.
Will the children be prepared to know what to do? Yes, we will be conducting a practice in Week 6.
How soon do I need to be there?
Junior School parents should collect their children within 1 hour of receiving the SMS. Senior School parents will be advised a slightly later time for collection.
Will there be a bus service?
No, there will be no School bus services running and students will not be able to use public transport.
Will there be supervision until I can get there?
Yes. Senior day students will be supervised in the DPA until 6pm while Junior School students will be supervised in Room 52 adjacent to the pick-up area until 5pm.
What if my child is a Boarder?
The Heads of Boarding will be sharing specific information on the process for our Boarding students.
What if my child drives to and from School?
Students who drive to School can drive home and take their siblings but cannot take other students home.
Can my child go with someone else if I am unable to collect them from School?
Supervision will be provided and children will need to be collected by their parents or their authorised emergency contact.
How soon will we have information on who the infected person has been in contact with?
Contact tracing is expected to take approximately 48 hours.
If we suspect our child has been in contact with the sick person, what should we do?
If your child is identified as a close contact you will be advised by NSW Health. If you need advice or have questions, call the National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.
Will the children be sent home with everything they need for learning?
Yes.
How will the school keep us up to date?
There will be regular communication via email.
How soon will the school reopen?
The School will be guided by NSW Health on this and information will be shared as soon as possible by Dr Parry.
Can we take Boarders home?
Boarding students will return to their Houses and be collected by their parents.
Downloads: