Executive Director's Update to Principals #57: COVID Update - 23 Aug 2021
Cry of the Poor
From St Francis of Assisi
Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.
Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.
Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.
Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.
Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs...
Amen
Updated School Operations Guide
The Term 3 School Operations Guide has been updated and is available to download from CEVN. A summary of pertinent changes is below.
Permits for on-site supervision (p4-5)
From Monday 23 August, parents and carers will only be able to request on-site supervision at school for their children in the below categories.
Category A
Children where both parents and/or carers are considered authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an authorised provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made.
Where there are two parents/carers, both must be authorised workers, working outside the home for their children to be eligible for on-site provision at school.
For single parents/carers, the authorised worker must be working outside the home for their children to be eligible for on-site provision at school.
An authorised worker permit is now required for parents in regional Victoria requesting on-site supervision for their child/ren under Category A as an authorised worker.
In rare circumstances, a parent/carer does not need a worker permit. This includes people employed in law enforcement, emergency services or health care workers who carry employer-issued photographic identification. More information is available at Authorised provider and authorised worker permit.
Category B
Children experiencing vulnerability, including:
- in out-of-home care
- deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home
- identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable (including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)
- where a parent/carer indicates that a student with a disability is vulnerable because they cannot learn from home, and/or informs the school the student is vulnerable due to family stress, the school must provide on-site supervision for that student. This may apply to students enrolled in specialist schools and students with a disability enrolled in mainstream schools.
An authorised worker permit is not required for accessing on-site supervision under Category B.
Schools should make the updated on-site attendance form available to parents/carers who require on-site learning for their child/ren. Parents/carers requesting on-site supervision because they are authorised workers must provide the school with a copy of the authorised worker form as soon as practicable after it is issued.
Teachers as authorised workers for the purpose of access to early childhood education and care services (p5)
Teachers are authorised workers (working on site or from home) and are able to continue to send their children to early childhood services, where no other supervision arrangements can be made.
For single parents/carers, the person must be an authorised worker (working on site or from home), work for an authorised provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made.
For dual parents/carers, only one person is required to be an authorised worker to access early childhood services.
Schools should provide eligible teachers with permits as needed, as permits will be required at early childhood services from Tuesday 24 August.
Face masks (p21-22)
Based on advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the following requirements for wearing a face mask apply to all schools.
It is now recommended primary-school-age children wear masks while indoors and outdoors, except when in the home or when an exception applies. However, it is not mandatory.
School staff and secondary school students aged 12 or older must always wear a face mask indoors and outdoors at school, including when attending an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program, unless a lawful exception applies. This includes while travelling to and from school on public transport and when in taxis or ride-share vehicles.
For communication purposes, teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching onsite, but it is recommended that they wear face masks while teaching onsite wherever practicable.
Camps and excursions (p13)
Camps for regional Victorian schools scheduled but that have not yet commenced should be cancelled. Camps that commenced prior to 1pm on Saturday 21 August can continue but camp activities must be consistent with the restrictions in place for the wider community.
School events, gatherings and assemblies (p13)
School events, gatherings, assemblies, and non-essential meetings should be deferred or held remotely.
Use of playgrounds and other school facilities (p13-14)
Playgrounds remain open for school use only by students receiving on-site supervision but are not available for community use at any time.
Use of school facilities by community and sport groups is not permitted.
Limit school access to outside visitors where possible (p25)
Visitors to school premises should be limited to essential school services and operations. Visitors to school grounds should be limited to essential school services and operations.
Principals are best placed to make decisions regarding what visitors are essential to the operation of their school and should review the Authorised provider and authorised worker list when making decisions regarding the suitability of any staff or workers coming on to site (other than those directly involved in the care and supervision of students).
Incursions, school tours and transition programs cannot occur at this time.
Essential visitors include for example:
- Health and wellbeing staff
- Parish Priests
Other arrangements for Victorian border communities (p7)
Students and staff who live in and are enrolled in or work in a school in a cross-border community area and attend a school in regional Victoria will be able to attend on-site if they meet the eligibility criteria as per the above categories (page 4). See full details on page 7.
School-based assessments for VCE/VCAL and IB (p7)
Schools in metropolitan Melbourne and in regional Victoria should not be conducting on-site School-assessed Coursework (SAC) or School-assessed Tasks (SAT) at this time (including IB equivalent).
From Monday 30 August 2021 schools may conduct on site School-assessed Coursework (SAC) or School-assessed Tasks (SAT) for limited numbers of students to complete assessments that cannot be conducted remotely – for example, performance or practical assessments. Schools will receive from the VCAA specific health and safety advice that must be followed when conducting school-based assessments that cannot be conducted remotely.
VCE/VCAL/VET provision in TAFEs, non-school senior secondary providers and other training organisations (p13)
Students who are enrolled in a TAFE, non-school senior secondary providers or other training organisation must continue to learn from home unless they are on the Authorised Providers and Authorised Workers list.
School boarding premises and Medium-Term Residential Programs (MTRP) (p7-8)
Students and staff residing in school boarding premises and medium-term residential programs (MTRPs) are permitted to ‘shelter in place’:
- Staff only permitted to provide essential supervision and care.
- No visitors to site except for permitted reasons including care or compassionate reasons.
- Students and staff to adhere to relevant restrictions for the wider community.
- Students and staff must not attend the school campus (where applicable) with remote learning adopted in place of face-to-face lessons.
Schools may choose to return from camps earlier than expected but are not required to do so.
Next COVID Update
Another update will be sent out later today with further information.
We will continue to monitor the situation and advise principals of any updates. Please liaise with your Education Consultant with any questions or concerns.
Stay safe and continue to look after each other…
Every blessing.
Andrew Watson
Deputy Director of Catholic Education (Interim)