Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

The AFL have had the mantra since they started this year’s football season that the league needed to be agile and flexible in how they approached and adapted to the changes that would occur throughout the season. It has become a very apt saying as we find ourselves continually having to adapt and accept the guidelines that keep changing. We know these changes can be challenging but our priority is to keep everyone safe.

Each day I receive an update from CEO Sale that has current advice about the COVID situation. Where it impacts the school, the information gets shared via the school website and school app. Please make sure you have downloaded the current school app. The details how to do this are included below.

https://stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au/szapp 

Key points from yesterday’s update for parents to be aware of are:

Testing for COVID-19

This is available for people who are displaying symptoms of coronavirus including fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss of sense of smell or taste.

If parents, guardians or carers who are feeling unwell and are undergoing testing for COVID-19, all children of the parent, guardian or carer who attend the school should remain absent from school until the parent, guardian or carer receives a negative test result.

This advice also applies to students who are unwell and are undergoing testing for COVID-19 and have siblings who attend the school. The siblings (that may not be displaying any symptoms) should also remain at home until a negative test result is provided for the student awaiting a test result.

If students who are being tested for COVID-19 have siblings who attend a school managed and operated by the Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL), then the siblings should also remain at home until a negative test result is provided for the student awaiting a test result.

If any child presents as being unwell at school then the family will be contacted to collect them.  Children should not attend school if they are unwell.

Face Masks

In regards to masks, the advice from the Chief Health Officer is that primary students are not required to wear a face covering at school irrespective of their age.

Visitors to school grounds

Visitors to school grounds should be limited to those delivering or supporting essential school services and operations, such as school staff, student health and wellbeing service providers, pre-service teachers undertaking placements, external support services, cleaners and essential facilities and capital works and maintenance staff.

Additional staff, including parent volunteers, are discouraged from attending school at this time. Activities dependent on and involving parents (e.g. specialist programs, 1:1 reading) should not take place at this time.

The Parents and Friends have advised that based on this advice they will be cancelling Hot Lunches until further notice.

Finally, congratulations to Louise, Conor, Dermot and Charlie Clarke who welcomed their new baby daughter and sister, Evelyn over the weekend. All are well.

Kind regards

Jodie