Could I please ask everyone in the St Ita’s community to keep the Young Family in their thoughts and prayers. The Young family is working through a really challenging time at the moment and will need the support of all in our community.

 ST ITA’S COVID-19 OPERATIONS 

With the knowledge that Covid-19 cases are developing throughout the Baw Baw Shire we will do our very best to keep you informed of possible COVID-19 exposures in our school community.

The Victorian Government’s change of strategy, announced on Friday 22nd, and the Department of Education guidelines produced for schools on Sunday 24th, mean that we also need to change our communication approach to our community.

The parameters for determining a close contact in a school setting have changed to the following:

• A Primary Close Contact is now considered someone who has spent 2 hours or more in cumulative total contact in the same room as a confirmed case of COVID-19. In primary schools, this is likely to be the whole class or level including specialists and ESO’s (Teacher’s Aides) over the infectious period. 
• Schools contact families to do the contact tracing, following Department of Education guidelines.
• Students move from moderate risk to high risk if they are unvaccinated or with a household contact of a positive case.
• Parents of students over 12 years of age will be asked for the student’s vaccination status, and evidence, if contacted during Primary Close Contact tracing.
• Unvaccinated students have a 14-day isolation period and vaccinated students a 7-day period of isolation, assuming negative test results for each on their last day of isolation.
• In most instances, schools with a positive case on site will only close for 24-48 hours while contact tracing takes place. The closure may also only apply to one section of a school.

With the opening up of regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne and the return of schools to closer to normal operation in the coming weeks, we will do our best to contact families as quickly as possible of any Primary Close Contacts when we know off a positive COVID-19 test result for a staff member or student who has been at school for their infectious period.

Please know that we will continue to be diligent in ensuring that our community observes all recommended COVID-safe protocols, and we will be communicating with you quickly as situations evolve. It is clear from cases appearing last week, that it is not a case of ‘if’ a school will have a positive COVID-19 case but ‘when’.

What is crucial to keeping our community as safe as possible in these challenging circumstances, as well as keeping our students on-site, is the continued open communication of our school families in regard to positive COVID-19 results.  We are very grateful to the families who have informed us that they or their children may have been exposed to a Covid-19 positive individual this term.

We are all in this journey together and together we will get through it as we work through this new COVID-19 environment. I will be in touch in coming days as news of further easing of restrictions for school operations from November 3rd onwards.

SETTLING BACK INTO SCHOOL

As kids settle back into the routines of school it’s important that they are given the opportunity to talk about the changes that have taken place with remote learning and lockdowns. We know that kids have been challenged in relation to their academic, social and emotional growth when it comes to settling back into school life.

As a dinner conversation starter, instead of asking “How was your day?” Try a couple of the following to promote a good family discussion:

1. What was the funniest thing you saw today?
2. What was the yummiest thing you tasted today?
3. Who was the friendliest person you encountered today?
4. What was the best thing you learned today?
5. What made you smile today?

Make sure that everyone at the table contributes to the answers.

Sometimes children might offer a response which can cause worry or concern in a parent. When this happens, always make your child’s teacher the ‘first port of call’. When you have a concern, it’s always best to make a time with your child’s teacher to discuss it, as often this resolves worries quickly and easily. This also helps build a positive supportive relationship with your child’s class teacher and research tells us that teacher/parent relationships are paramount in achieving student success.

STAYING POSITIVE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us in ways we could never have predicted just a few weeks ago, from unprecedented amounts of family time to homeschooling to working remotely — or not working at all. These sudden, rapid changes in the way we live, coupled with uncertainty, can feel overwhelming, especially for parents of young children. While we may know that it’s usually helpful for everyone in the family when parents stay positive, it’s sometimes easier said than done. Here are some things to remember:

It will not be this way forever. This is a difficult time, but it is just that — a time.

Recognise what you are doing well. It may be tough right now, but you have managed some things really well. Think about the physical, logistical, mental and emotional struggles you may have encountered in the last month, and the good — even great — way you approached and handled those challenges. You have all done an amazing job!

Remind yourself of what is good in your life. Some circumstances right now may be hard to change, or contribute to your feeling helpless. But there are other things in your life that are good and inspire gratitude. Making a list of the good things that you appreciate — large or small — can help shift your focus in a positive direction

PARENT CLASS REQUESTS FOR 2022

Parents are asked to place any class requests specific to the needs of their child/ren based on the following understandings and guidelines:

• All requests for consideration must be directed in email to principal@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au no later than Friday 19th November. (requests received after this date will not be implemented)
• The request must be based on individual student needs and not for preferred teachers, friendships groups or social relationships that occur outside of school
• We do not offer any guarantees with parent requests. Factors for consideration will help to inform our process of grouping students – the request via a parent does not guarantee student placement
• Requests from parents will be only considered for the upcoming school year.
• I will meet with and inform all relevant staff of parent input prior to formation of classes

We appreciate the parent input and will do our best to make things work for your child, so long as the request is deemed fair and in line with the guidelines above. Once groupings have been decided and announced to the school community in mid-December, there will be no changes made to classes as it creates a domino effect across the level.