19 Aug 2020
The school is currently adapting routines and procedures to ensure we are compliant with the following departmental guidelines.
Schools are operating full time while actively following health advice
Schools continue to be safe, and operations are in line with Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and NSW Health advice. All students should be learning on campus unless they are unwell or have a medical certificate to support their absence.
The activities that are permitted at school will be conducted in a way that is safe and appropriate in the current environment. Those that remain on hold will be reviewed during the term and will recommence when appropriate-based on health and other relevant advice.
School attendance
Students should be at school unless:
• they have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition along with the expected timeframe
• they are currently unwell.
In accordance with advice from NSW Health, parents and carers are reminded NOT to send children to school if they are unwell, even if they have the mildest flu-like symptoms. Schools will make arrangements for students who present as unwell or have flu-like symptoms to be sent home.
NSW Health have requested that schools encourage anyone who is unwell or has even mild flu-like symptoms, to arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinics.
Students and staff with flu-like symptoms will need to provide a copy of a negative COVID-19 test result before being permitted to return to school.
Schools are not required to conduct widespread temperature screening or mandate the wearing of a mask.
All schools will be vigilant when implementing infection control, physical distancing and personal hygiene protocols to protect the health and safety of students and staff. Schools will promote the need to follow good hygiene practices such as:
• regularly washing hands
• avoid sharing drinks or food
• coughing or sneezing into your elbow, or a tissue which should be discarded immediately
• binging in own plastic water bottle filled with water and refilling from taps rather than using the bubbler directly.
All students and staff who reside in, or have visited Victoria, must have a permit to enter NSW and are required to comply with health restrictions relevant to their permit which may include the need to complete the 14 day self-isolation period, commencing the last day they were in Victoria.
Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW
Check the Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW and follow the recommended actions if you have been in a location where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19. We encourage members of the
community to monitor this site. Please follow the relevant health advice if you have been at any of the locations at the specified dates and times. The locations, along with the times and dates of when the cases were identified, can be found on the NSW COVID-19 website.
School activities/school site usage
Additional safety measures for school activities have been put in place to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools for the remainder of Term 3.
The following principles underpin these measures:
• Where possible, students will stay within their relevant stage group for all learning activities within their school, in order to limit close contacts to the relevant student cohort
• Inter-school activities must remain within the local community or zone
• Only providers that are essential to the delivery of the curriculum can continue to provide services and programs until further notice
• Parents/carers and other non-essential visitors are not allowed on the school-site – as mentioned below. Parents/carers should ensure school pick up and drop off arrangements enable them to physically distance from one another and from staff. Parents/carers therefore are permitted on-site at Vardys Road Public School during the afternoon pickup
• All group singing (choirs) and/or other chanting activities, as well as the use of wind instruments in group settings, are not permitted. Special arrangements are in place for HSC students
• At this stage, school formals, dances, graduation or other social events are not permitted.
Activities/site usage that can take place:
• Use the school library
• Engage in sporting activities within restrictions
• Canteens and uniform shops can open at principal’s discretion
• School assemblies (limited to 15 minutes and no external visitors)
• Students may attend other schools for essential curriculum related reasons or placements (e.g. auditions or placement tests)
• Incursions/external providers can provide activities that support delivery of curriculum (e.g. music tutors, sport skills development programs, science demonstrations, drama tutors, Healthy Harold)
• Day field trips to outdoor locations with no physical distancing requirements can take place (e.g. DoE Environmental Education Centres and sport and recreation facilities, trips to the local river to collect water samples)
• School photos
• Department of Community and Justice services and programs
• Community use agreements involving adult attendance must have a COVID Safe Plan in place
• SRE/SEE lessons within restrictions
• Work experience for students with a COVID Safe Plan in place
• P&C meetings and events must be on-line only
• Parent/teacher meetings will be online unless involving serious matters that require face to face discussion.
Activities on hold for Term 3
The following events will be reconsidered in Term 3. For now, these events must remain on hold.
• Kindergarten orientation
• Year 7 orientation has been delayed until Term 4
• School camps
• Excursions (other than field trips explained above)
• Interstate excursions
• International excursions (cancelled until further notice)
• All students (except Year 12 students) attending classes/activities relating to subjects only available on other campuses
• School or community run playgroups
• Face to face professional learning for staff. Refer to the Physical distancing guidelines
• Parent/carer attendance at assemblies and other school events
• Parent/carer volunteers – e.g. parent reading helpers (note: canteen and uniform shop volunteers are permitted)
• School-based activities that involve large gathering of adults. These include parent/carer/community gatherings such as parent/carer functions, working bees, fundraisers, school BBQs, large parent/carer information evenings, and large onsite cultural events
• Interschool sport, drama, debating and other events that are not within the local community or zone including gala days and regional sporting carnivals
• Certain large arts and sports events are cancelled or delayed. Many largescale arts events and sports tournaments rely upon feeder activities and have long-lead time organisational arrangements. As a consequence, a number of annual activities are planned to be delayed or cancelled (refer to Impacts on arts and sports events programs).
Activities that are cancelled
• Certain large arts and sports events are cancelled or delayed because they require feeder activities and have long-lead-time organisational arrangements. Please speak to your schools if you would like to know more
• International excursions are cancelled until further notice.
Physical distancing
Physical distancing of students in schools is not required under the AHPPC guidelines.
All teachers, support staff and parents/carers must maintain physical distancing from each other (1.5m).
Parents/carers should ensure school pick up and drop off arrangements enable them to physically distance from one another and from staff.
School cleaning and hygiene supplies
The school will continue to receive additional cleaning in line with the AHPPC guidelines and advice from NSW Health. Target areas include high-touch areas and other hard surfaces, door handles, lockers, light
switches and handrails in stairways and movement areas. There will also be additional cleaning of toilets and bubblers and topping up of supplies like soap.
The school has received supplies of soap, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes and personal protective equipment. The school is able to order more as needed.
Essential hygiene supplies
To support NSW schools during COVID-19 and help keep them safe, we've secured dispatched and will continue to dispatch a range of products including soap, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and personal protective equipment.
Reporting and assessment
You will receive your child’s Semester 1 report before the end of August (Week 6, Term 3).
This will be a simplified version of the report you normally receive.
Responding to COVID-19 cases
There is a clear plan in place for schools to respond to any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools. We are working closely with NSW Health and will communicate with parents if a situation arises.
Transport
Bus services to and from schools are scheduled to run as normal. For travel advice to and from school refer to the NSW public transport service.
We thank you for your continued support and diligence in following the COVID guidelines to ensure our School and Community are safe. We will advise families of any changes in school routines or procedures as soon as possible.