COVID GUIDELINES
I would like to thank our entire school community, for your understanding, compliance and support with the current COOVID smart guidelines put in place to minimise the risk or transmission in our community.
Please see below current guidelines and contextual information for our school.
Current measures in place to minimise risk of transmission:
- Rapid antigen test (RAT) kits, for surveillance testing provided to all students and staff. - Information regarding the distribution of the next fortnight supply will be communicated through SZapp.
- Wearing of surgical masks indoors is required for all staff.
- No parents, carers or visitors will be allowed on school site.
- Only fully vaccinated visitors essential to delivering and supporting learning or wellbeing can come on a school site.
- Students will be kept in their Stage groups on school grounds, with staggered break times, playground and canteen access.
- We will continue to use good hygiene, enhanced cleaning, good air flow and ventilation in learning spaces, as well as physical distancing practices.
Rapid antigen testing
The use of RAT kits is an important step to support the health and wellbeing of our students and staff. They are a quick and easy screening tool to help detect COVID-19. Use of RAT kits is highly recommended but not mandatory. We recommend testing Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Additional information on RAT Kits
- School staff will not be administering the rapid antigen tests to students.
- If a student or staff member receives a positive RAT result, they need to:
- record the positive RAT result through the Service NSW website or Service NSW app
- notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR result as soon as possible
- follow NSW Health advice to isolate for 7 days.
- It is recommended that staff and students that return to school after recovering from COVID-19 do not participate in rapid antigen test surveillance for 28 days (four weeks after recovery) following release from self-isolation. This is due to NSW Health advice that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have a low risk of contracting it again in the following 28 days. After 28 days (from week five after recovery) staff and students may resume participation in RAT surveillance.
Negative results do not need to be reported to Service NSW or to the school.
Unwell at school
Any student or staff member who is unwell and/or displays symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to go home and stay until they can complete a RAT or PCR test.
- If symptoms continue, they should stay at home and take another RAT in 24 hours or have a PCR test.
- If the second RAT or initial PCR test result is negative and they are displaying no symptoms OR they are diagnosed as another condition such as hayfever, the student or staff member can return to school.
- In NSW, positive COVID-19 cases are provided a Medical Clearance Notice after 7 days and allowed to leave self-isolation as long as they do not have COVID-19 symptoms.
What happens when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?
Under the new close contact rules, schools are no longer included in contact tracing. I will inform the school community when there is a positive case in our school and advise families on public health advice, including monitoring for symptoms.
If positive, students and teachers will need to follow current health advice and rules regarding isolation. This includes family members who may be classified as a close contact.
If isolating at home and feeling well, students will have access to the Department's home learning materials.
Student Cohorting
To minimise contact of students in the school we will be using the same cohorting strategy we were using in Term 4 2021.
Students will be kept in their Stage Cohort, ie: Kindergarten, Stage 1 (Yr 1&2), Stage 2 (Yr 3&4) and Stage 3 (Yr 5&6)
School start and finish times will be 8:55am until 2:55pm for all students.
To minimise contact in the morning, when your child gets to school, please drop them at the gate and they can make their allocated playground.
Playground supervision from 8:25am. Students cannot be dropped off at school before this time.
Kindergarten: COLA - More information coming home to you this week.
Stage 1 (Year 1&2): Outside hall and Canteen
Stage 2 (Year 3&4): McMillan Playground (Arbor/Library side)
Stage 3 (Year 5&6): McMilllan Playground (Music Room side)
There are cones clearly identifying the two areas in the McMillan Rd playground.
Contacting the office
To minimise contact and exposure in the office, if possible, please contact the school via phone, SZapp or school email.
Translated COVID-smart measures for schools fact sheet
Arabic, Assyrian, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese - Traditional, English, Greek, Italian, Korean, Nepali, Spanish, Vietnamese