Executive Director’s Update to Principals #3: COVID Update - 25 January 2022
-
Delivery of RATs and N-95 Masks
-
Requests for Additional Face Masks
-
CECV School Operations Guide (SOG)
-
COVIDSafe Plan Template and Safety Risk Review
-
Template Letters
-
Household contacts - multiple exposures
-
Checklist for COVID cases and COVID contacts
-
Notification of COVID positive not required to WorkSafe
-
Non-compliance with the Mandatory Vaccination Directions
-
Recording of Staff Vaccination Status
-
Professional Learning
-
Student Wellbeing
Help Us Enter the New Year
God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honour rather than destroy.
Lover of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love.
In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.
- Vinita Hampton Wright
Delivery of RATs and N-95 Masks
CECV has confirmed that RATs and N-95 masks will be dispatched by DET direct to each school this week, to be available for 31 January. We are advised that masks are provided as a backup; students and staff are expected to provide their own generally.
A supply of N-95 is to be provided for staff who are household contacts and are asymptomatic, have returned a negative RAT result and agree to be on-site for work as an exempted essential worker.
Requests for Additional Face Masks
Face masks are mandated for all Victorians aged 8 and above in all indoor settings in Victoria (unless an exception applies, such as when in a home, when consuming food or drink, or when receiving beauty services).
Face masks may be provided by the school or CEB as an interim measure until staff (and students) can access a personal supply.
CEB has a supply of 12,000 disposable face masks for children aged 4-11 years and 2000 disposable adult face masks that can be shared with schools.
We have also identified a supplier of N-95/FFP2 masks, in addition to those being delivered by the Minister for Education’s Office. The cost to schools for the N-95/FFP2 masks is approximately $1.50 per mask, depending on the size of the bulk order the price may reduce.
To indicate your interest in accessing some of the masks we have in the Ballarat Office, or to order additional N-95/FFP2 Masks please indicate your preferences by end of day Wednesday 2 February via this Google Form.
CECV School Operations Guide (SOG)
We note some of the hyperlinks in the School Operations Guide: Term 1 2022 are not working. We understand the Department are still working on making these operational aligned to the return of staff/students.
A few other queries have also been raised for clarification/ease of reading. We will continue to advise you of any edits; however, this is not likely to result in material changes at this stage.
COVIDSafe Plan Template and Safety Risk Review
The CECV COVIDSafe Plan Template and the Safety Risk Review have been updated with the latest information/requirements.
These documents will be reviewed and updated as any new information or amendments to advice are released.
Template Letters
CEB is working with CECV to prepare template letters for a consistent approach across Catholic Education in Victoria. These templates will be published as soon as possible.
Household contacts - multiple exposures
We have had a few questions as to whether a household contact needs to begin their 7-day quarantine again if another person in the household tests positive during this period.
According to advice for contacts on the Victorian Government Coronavirus website, this is not required. Specifically, the advice provides:
If another person in your household tests positive:
- If another person in your household tests positive during your 7-day quarantine period as a household contact (in addition to the initial case) your 7-day period doesn’t start again.
- You can complete the rest of that 7-day quarantine period, and you are cleared from quarantine if you have a negative result from a test taken on Day 6.
- However, if you test positive on Day 6 (or on any day of your 7-day quarantine period) your quarantine period will start again because you are now infectious with the virus. You must isolate for another 7 days following your positive result.
Checklist for COVID cases and COVID contacts
The Victorian Government Coronavirus website - https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/ - is a helpful resource to understand the requirements for COVID cases and contacts, refer to 'Your COVID Checklist' tab.
Notification of COVID positive not required to WorkSafe
From 14 January 2022, employers and self-employed persons are no longer required to notify WorkSafe if they become aware on or after that date of a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis attending the workplace.
Non-compliance with the Mandatory Vaccination Directions
A reminder, further to the COVID Update #1, 19 January 2022, we ask principals with staff who have not provided evidence of compliance with the Mandatory Vaccination Directions to complete the Google Form by Thursday, 27 January 2022.
The CEB HR Team (Maree Baker and Jo Huntley), with the relevant Education Consultant, will work with those principals regarding the next steps.
Recording of Staff Vaccination Status
Please ensure all other staff record their vaccination information into the PRS (CEVN) or eHR (ICON) per the Executive Director’s COVID Update #117 (2021)(10 November) by Monday, 31 January 2022, to enable all DOBCEL and CECV reporting obligations to be met.
Following the Premier’s announcement that all school and early childhood staff must receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 25 February if they are already eligible, or within 3 months and 2 weeks of receiving a second dose to continue working in education settings, please remind staff to update this for future COVID vaccinations (boosters) or exemptions. Further communication will be distributed to staff about this mandate.
Details on recording vaccination information and reporting are available via Update #117 (2021).
Professional Learning
Scaffolding Literacy
The Scaffolding Literacy Professional Learning days with Misty Adoniou, planned for Warrnambool on February 11th and Ballarat on 14 and 15 February, will now be held online. Further details will be provided in the next two weeks. Please contact Samantha Meerbach smeerbach@dobcel.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions.
Reading Recovery
All Reading Recovery professional learning will be held online until further notice. Helen Bettes will be in touch with participants with further information.
New Learning Diversity Leaders
The New Learning Diversity Leaders professional learning planned for 15 February will be postponed and a new date advised as soon as possible.
Learner Agency and Leading for Learning
Further information will be provided by 4 February regarding the initial Learner Agency and Leading for Learning professional learning days, planned for February 21 and February 22 respectively.
Student Wellbeing
Student Wellbeing Resources can be accessed via the Hive and following the ‘Wellbeing’ link to ‘Principal, Student and Staff Wellbeing’
Next COVID Update
We will continue to monitor the situation and advise principals of any updates. Please liaise with the COVID Support team (see left hand column) or your Education Consultant with any questions or concerns.
Stay safe and continue to look after each other…
Every blessing.
Ange Jones
Assistant Director: People and Development