Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you and your families have enjoyed a relaxing holiday break.
As we prepare to welcome students back to our school next week, the Victorian Government has announced some new measures for the beginning of the 2022 school year across all Victorian schools.
Free rapid antigen tests
Free rapid antigen tests will be available for the first 4 weeks of Term 1 2022.
Twice-a-week testing will be strongly recommended for both students and staff.
The department will supply the tests to our school – you do not need to buy your own.
The department will distribute all kits to schools as early as possible. I will let you know once the test kits are available for collection.
Students and staff will do the tests at home; they only need to report their result if it is COVID-positive. They must report a COVID-positive result to:
- the school by phone or the RA Test Portal; this is so the school can support them, record that they will be absent while in 7-day isolation, and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms
- the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398.
Information about how to do a test and how to read RAT results, including a how-to video translated into 33 languages, is available online.
Vaccination requirements
Parents and carers must have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or have a valid medical exception (with limited exceptions) to enter school buildings.
All staff working in schools need to be fully vaccinated or have a verified medical exception.
COVID-19 vaccinations for students are not required for them to attend school but vaccination for students is highly encouraged. If your child has not yet had their first dose, please try to organise this before term begins. For more information on how to book a vaccination, including important information about vaccination for children aged 5 to 11, visit Vaccination information for children and teenagers.
Ventilation
We will also make sure that classrooms are well ventilated by opening windows and doors, to minimise the risk of infection. We have received a number of air purifiers, which will be used around the school as an added safety measure.
Vital COVIDSafe Steps
Hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing will continue wherever possible in Term 1.
Staffing our school
I know many of you will have questions about what happens if your child’s teacher gets COVID-19. We will be able to bring in extra teachers and other staff if we need them, and we will be doing everything that we can to make sure our school stays safe and open.
Other information about school operations
Feel free to contact us to clarify any concerns you may have. Our school office number is: 5278 3548
There’s no doubt that this term is going to be challenging for all of us, but we are also very excited to kick off the school year and welcome back all of our students.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kind Regards
Anthea Lagadinos
(Principal)