Community Update #4.2 Term 4: Making sense of the Roadmap back to school

Dear Parents & Carers,

Welcome to Term 4. We sincerely hope and pray that all children will return onsite to St Pat's very soon. 

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria released the updated School Operation Guide on Saturday 2 October 2021 at 5:30pm.

Several of you have asked questions around a number of the points below. I hope by sharing this with you, you will have a greater understanding about the plans underway to support a safe return onsite for all children and staff in the coming weeks.

This information follows on from the guidelines shared with you in Community Update #4.1 around onsite supervision adjustments. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to ensure a safe return for our children and staff onsite.

Making sense of the Roadmap back to school

Students will return to onsite learning in a staged way. Ventilation strategies, wearing masks and continuing to follow health advice will help maintain schools as safe places.

All dates below are subject to public health advice

• From October 18 (Week 3) Prep and Year 1 students:

 Prep students will return three days a week, Monday through to Wednesday

 Year 1 and 2 students will attend on Thursday and Friday, two days a week. 

•  From October 26 (Week 4) all school students will return at least part-time: 

Arrangements for Prep students and Year 1 and 2 students will continue; 

Year 3 to 4 will attend on Tuesday and Wednesday; 

Year 5 and 6 will attend on Thursday and Friday

Remote and flexible learning will be delivered to students on the days they are not onsite. Schools will continue to follow the health advice to ensure staff and students are safe onsite.

Team Kids (before and after school care) is open to children attending school on the relevant day for the year level AND other children eligible for onsite supervision and learning.

• From Friday November 5 (Week 5):

All children back onsite.

Student attendance

All students are expected to attend onsite as their year levels return to onsite learning, unless they are formally being home-schooled. Parent preference is not an approved absence reason. Schools will work closely with families that may be concerned about the return to on site learning. Attendance, both onsite and remote, must be recorded daily.

Wellbeing check-ins - In addition to recording student attendance, schools must have in place processes and procedures to ensure that student wellbeing check-ins take place each day, on a group and/or individual basis.

Stay home when unwell and get tested The most important action school communities can take to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19, is to ensure that any unwell staff and students remain at home and get tested, even with the mildest of symptoms. Everyone should consider their health before they start work or attend school and ensure that they are free from coronavirus symptoms and have not had contact in the past 14 days with a person confirmed to have coronavirus or a person suspected to have coronavirus.

Face Masks

The Victorian Chief Health Officer:

• Directs school staff to wear a face mask indoors and outdoors at school, including when attending an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program, unless a lawful exception applies.
• Directs school staff to wear face masks while teaching wherever practicable, except where removal of a face mask is necessary for effective communication.
•  Recommends children under 12 years of age and students at primary school wear face masks when at school, attending an OSHC program, or when travelling to and from school on public transport, taxis or ride share vehicles.

COVID-19 vaccination directions for education workers
The Victorian Chief Health Officer has issued directions for required vaccinations for education workers. These directions are specific to education workers and supersede those for other authorised workers.An education worker is:

• any person who is employed by an education operator to work in an education facility (including teachers, early childhood educators and educational support staff)
• a person contracted to work at an education facility and who will or may be in close proximity to children, students or staff, whether or not engaged by the education operator including casual relief teachers, IT personnel, NDIS providers and auditors (but does not include delivery personnel)
• staff of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools who attend an education facility (such as allied health personnel)
• staff of any other entity who attends an education facility
• volunteers that attend an education facility and that work in close proximity to children, students or staff (including parent helpers) and
• students on placements at an education facility.

All education workers are required:

• by 18 October to have had a first dose of the vaccine or produce evidence of a booking to receive a vaccine by 25 October 2021; and
• by 29 November 2021 to be fully vaccinated unless a medical exemption applies, and to show evidence of their vaccination status.

Keep surfaces clean 

COVIDSafe routine cleaning arrangements will continue for all Victorian Catholic schools in Term 4. This involves daily, end-of-school-day cleaning, with a particular focus on cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces, and the inclusion of some elements that were not cleaned every day prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ventilation

Schools are required to increase fresh air flow into indoor spaces (including shared spaces, staff areas and thoroughfares) whenever possible and to maximise the use of outdoor learning areas or environments.

Use of fans Fans are only recommended to be used with other natural and mechanical methods in place. Ceiling fans should be operated on the winter setting (where possible) and lowest speed. Other fans, such as pedestal fans, should not be directed to blow air from one person directly past another and should be set to the lowest speed.  

Maximise the use of outdoor learning areas or environments 

Schools are encouraged to maximise the use of outdoor learning areas and environments. Prefer the use of an outdoor space over an indoor space where, whenever, and as much as practicable. 

Air purifiers

The Victorian Government is delivering air purifier units (model Samsung AX7500) to most Catholic schools. User manuals will be delivered with each unit and should be kept in the same room as each unit for reference. A copy can also be downloaded from the Samsung website. Air purifiers are advised to be prioritised for higher risk areas. These areas include where there are high levels of mixing of staff and reduced mask use when eating, higher levels of exertion and increased aerosol projection, and areas of lower ventilation and possible exposure to illness. For example, sick bays, staff rooms, canteens, school receptions and student centres, gymnasiums and music rooms. Further advice will be provided on air purifiers.

School Shade Sails Fund – CECV Grant Applications

As students return to school onsite under the Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan, schools are required to increase fresh air flow into indoor spaces whenever possible and to maximise the use of outdoor learning areas or environments. The School Shade Sails Fund provides grants to schools for shade development to facilitate outdoor learning. Schools can apply for up to $25,000 per school campus.

The aim of the Fund is to help schools maximise the use of their outdoor learning areas and environments by creating new safe and shaded outdoor learning spaces in schools to help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

It is important that schools note the following regarding the grants:

• Grants are available to most eligible Victorian Catholic schools (excluding a small number of higher fee-paying secondary schools).
• Grants can be made from 8 October 2021. The portal will not be available prior to that date.
• Only new shade sails/ structures will be considered (repair or replacement is not eligible).
• New shade sails/ structures over existing playgrounds are not eligible.

I will continue to keep you updated with regard to progress in all of the areas above.

We look forward to welcoming all children back to school in the safest way possible in the coming weeks.

Please email me directly principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au with any questions.

Stay safe and well,

Jenny Hawkins 

Principal