Executive Director's Update to Principals #21: COVID Update - 4 Jun 2021
Illuminating God, light of this world, thank you for the hope you have given us.
Help us to give our worries to you and, above all, to have faith in your unfailing love.
For you have promised us "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."
You are our protector, let us trust in you to carry us through this time of uncertainty.
Whatever tomorrow may bring, we will trust in your name.
Amen.
COVID Update
Student attendance
Students can attend on-site, however students who are required to isolate or undertake home-based quarantine will be provided materials to continue their learning remotely, until such time that they are permitted to return to school.
Students who reside in metropolitan Melbourne but attend school in regional Victoria schools may return to face-to-face learning from today, Friday 4 June. However these students must follow Melbourne restriction requirements in their travels to and from school and during the school day.
Mixing students from multiple schools
Mixing of students from different educational facilities and schools should be minimised whenever practical.
Physical distancing should be maintained whenever possible, particularly for classes that involve attendance by students from multiple institutions.
Camps, playgrounds, pools and other school facilities and activities
Students can participate in a school camp if the camping venue is limited to use by a single school only and located in regional Victoria.
Excursions and incursions are not permitted at this time.
School tours should not be conducted on-site for prospective students and their families at this time.
Non-essential visitors should be excluded from school sites for this period.
Non-essential meetings, and all school events, gatherings and assemblies should be deferred or held remotely.
Mental health and wellbeing
For students
The Mental health toolkit has advice and resources to support student mental health and wellbeing. This includes advice on positive mental health promotion, curriculum support, how to identify and access support, as well as parent- and student-specific pages.
For principals and staff
Principal and staff wellbeing services are available through Converge International. Sessions for the employee assistance program have been extended and are now available from 9 am to 5 pm on weekends. Principals and staff may also find Converge International’s online magazine Flourish a useful resource for managing wellbeing
See further mental health and wellbeing resources on page 8 of the current School Operations Guide.
Promote outdoor air ventilation
Schools are strongly encouraged to increase fresh air into indoor spaces whenever possible and to maximise the use of outdoor learning areas or environments. Where possible, air recirculation should be eliminated or minimised by setting air conditioning units to use external air rather than recycling. Door jambs should be used where possible to keep air circulating and avoid the need to close and open doors.
Assemblies and large gatherings
Year level or whole school assemblies are permitted when attended only by staff and students from a single school, however schools may choose to defer these at this time.
Professional development and staff meetings
Professional development and staff meetings should be conducted online or deferred unless for essential face to face training for first aid, anaphylaxis or infection control. In these instances, density limits of 1 person per 4 square metres apply.
Liturgies
Liturgies can be held at schools, consistent with guidance on assemblies above. Singing during the liturgy is permitted within the guidelines on page 17 of the current School Operations Guide. Also refer to the latest Diocese of Ballarat COVIDSafe guidelines.
New COVIDSafe Plan template and Safety Risk Review document
The COVIDSafe Plan template has been revised to reflect the announcements of this week.
The Safety Risk Review document has also been updated.
Permitted school activities
Download the latest Quick reference of permitted school activities as a one-page PDF.
Updated School Operations Guide
A new version of the Term 2 School Operations Guide has been created specifically for schools in Regional Victoria. Many of the key changes are summarised above.
Next COVID-19 Update
We will continue to send out COVID-19 updates on an as needs basis. Please liaise with your Education Consultant with any questions or concerns.
Stay safe and continue to look after each other…
Ever blessings.