COVID UPDATE

WATCH FOR SYMPTOMS

• If your child is unwell, even with mild COVID-19 symptoms, you must keep your child at home until their symptoms resolve and get your child tested with a PCR test (nose and throat swab) or complete a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).

• If symptoms continue, your child should stay home and take another RAT or PCR test in 24 hours. If that test is also negative, your child may return to school if another diagnosis is confirmed (such as an underlying health condition or medication).

VACCINATIONS

• All students and their families are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated.
• Children aged 5 to 11 can now get vaccinated. Parents, guardians and carers are encouraged to book their child in for a vaccination at the first available opportunity.

TESTING

• RATs will be provided to all staff and students at no charge. Schools will inform parents, guardians and carers on how these kits can be collected from the school.

• Students and staff should take a RAT twice-weekly on the morning before attending school. Test kits will continue to be supplied by schools during this time.

HOUSEHOLD AND HOUSEHOLD-LIKE CONTACTS

• Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine but are required to undertake the following additional safety measures in the seven (7) days that would have been their quarantine period:

Parents must;

1. 1. notify the school if returning during their seven (7)-day period;
   2. undertake daily rapid antigen testing five (5) times within the seven (7) days;
   3. wear a face mask indoors (if aged eight (8) and above) unless a lawful exemption applies;
   4. are not permitted to visit hospitals or care facilities unless an exemption applies. 

• Household and household-like contacts are still permitted to participate in school activities, including camps and excursions, as long as they wear a mask when indoors (if aged eight (8) and above or have a valid exception) and complete five (5) rapid antigen tests within the seven (7)-day period that would have been their quarantine period.

• A household or household-like contact attending an off-site activity during this period must notify the school they are attending under these requirements.

• If a student, parent, guardian or carer cannot comply with the additional safety measures at any time, they must:

1. 1. quarantine immediately for the remainder of their seven (7)-day household contact period
   2. get tested on Day one (1) (or as soon as possible) and on Day six (6) of their household contact period
   3. not attend school until a negative Day six (6) test result is received.

 COVID-19 POSITIVE CASES

• If your child has no symptoms and there is a positive COVID-19 case in their household, class, year level or other grouping, your child can continue to attend school in line with Victorian Department of Health advice.
• Staff and students who receive a positive RAT result must register it on the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form available on the Coronavirus Victoria website https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/report as soon as possible.
• Staff and students who receive a positive RAT or PCR test result must tell their school as soon as possible, and follow Victorian Department of Health advice.
• Students who test positive to COVID-19 must isolate for seven (7) days and not attend school during that period.
• Students who have recovered from COVID-19, are not required to get tested or isolate if they are re-exposed to a positive COVID-19 case within 12 weeks of ending their isolation period.
• If more than 12 weeks have passed since their isolation period concluded, students must follow the relevant testing and isolation advice depending on the type of contact they are.
• Schools will regularly communicate to parents, guardians and carers about the presence and impact of COVID-19 in their school community. Parents, guardians and carers should expect to be provided with details of any impacted grade, year level or other grouping.

 ACTIVITIES

• COVID-19 will continue to be considered in all activity risk assessments. Guidance will be provided to schools on applying appropriate safeguards across a range of activities, including school camps and excursions.
• Parents, guardians and carers will be made aware of the risk of exposure and will need to provide their permission for their child’s participation in extra-curricular, out of school hours or off-site activities.

VISITORS

• Visitors on school sites should be kept to a minimum to support essential school activities or student needs.
• Visitors will be required to comply with COVIDSafe measures, including physical distancing requirements and practise respiratory etiquette and good hand hygiene.
• The use of Service Victoria QR codes for electronic record-keeping is no longer required in school settings.
• Parents, guardians, carers and other adult visitors are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine if not performing work or volunteering at the school.

 VISITORS AND VOLUNTEERS PERFORMING WORK AT A SCHOOL

• Any visitor or volunteer performing work at a school must be fully vaccinated (boosted) (with three (3) doses) with an approved COVID-19 vaccine or have a valid exception to attend on-site for the purpose of working.
• Visitors or volunteers working on school sites include, but are not limited to:

1. 1. Parent and Friends Committee members
   2. School Advisory Committee members 
   3. volunteers performing volunteer work at the school (for example, parent helpers and those participating in a school working bee outside of school time)
   4. volunteers attending school camps or excursions.

• Schools must collect, record and hold vaccination information for all workers, including visitors or volunteers performing work at a school whether inside or outside.

SCHOOL PHOTOS ARE BEING SENT HOME TODAY

School photos will be sent home with students today. Please check their school bags to make sure they are retrieved.

ST ITA'S DAY CONCERT - ANDREW CHINN

On Thursday 19^th May, Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to share his songs with all our children. Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “ An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The concert will take place in our school hall at 2:00pm. We look forward to seeing you there.  

WASPB COLOURS FREE DRESS DAY

Linking with the St Ita Day Concert on May 19th, student can dress up in the colours of our WSAPB values (purple, white, green, yellow and blue), for the cost of a gold coin donation. They can wear any combination of these colours.

PROJECT COMPASSION

We are in the process of finalising project compassion for this year, if you still have a box at home containing donations, please return these to the office as soon as possible.

RE SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

A reminder to all parents that our whole school Religious Education Planning day is on Friday 10^th June. There will be no school for students on this day as all teachers will be in team planning on this day.

SCHOOL FEES & CONCESSIONS