STAGED RETURN TO SCHOOL INFORMATION

Please take the opportunity to become familiar with the following information that will assist you and your child to transition back to onsite learning.

 Dear Parents,

There have recently been a number of significant changes to previously announced arrangements for all NSW schools. As we prepare for the staged return to face-to-face learning from Monday 18 October 2021, I would like to provide you with some important information that is relevant to our students and their families.

 Changes to the staged return timeline - Under the new timeline announced by the NSW Premier, students across the state will now return to face-to-face learning according to the following schedule: 

• 18 October 2021: Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12
• 25 October 2021: All remaining year groups 

To assist us with a smooth transition back to face-to-face learning, we seek your ongoing support and request that students continue remote learning and do not attend school before their scheduled return date. Of course, supervision will remain available for those students who have no option to learn from home during Week 3, Term 4. However, students who return before their scheduled week will continue remote learning under supervision and will not participate in face-to-face learning.  

COVID-19 restrictions during the staged return - During the staged return, our school will follow the prescribed NSW Health Level 3 /3 Level 3 Plus restrictions,

which apply across NSW. These COVID-safe settings will remain in place until we receive direction from NSW Health that restrictions can be eased.  

For details regarding the activities that are not permitted or must be modified please read through the Level 3 restrictions. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school and we will be happy to provide further information. 

Please note the following arrangements will be in place at our school during Week 3 and will need to be amended when all students return to the school site in Week 4. These changes will be communicated via the newsletter next week. 

DROP OFF AND PICK UP

WEEK 3 ARRANGEMENTS

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES - PLAYGROUND AREAS - students place bags down near classroom and move to the following areas

• Kinder / Year 1- Infants Grass – divided playground
• Year 2 – Year 2 Shelter/Grass (during reduced student numbers)
• Year 3 / 4 – Primary Grass
• Year 5 / 6 – Primary Shelter
• Kiss and Drop Zone will be operational in the morning for drop off – no staff will be available to supervise. Please adhere to procedures in this area – have your child ready to exit on the school side, remain in your car, exit the area safety being mindful of parents waiting in the drop off line.
• Student entry via Emerald Drive or Aquamarine Gates - staff will be present to support student entry.
• Parents and carers may walk their children to the school gates and pick up from school gates while maintaining social distancing. Please cross the road safely at the monitored crossing.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

WEEK 3 ARRANGEMENTS

See photos in FAQ document accompanying this newsletter.

Staggered dismissal to parent pickup by surname to 3 exit points – 

Aquamarine Drive small gate - A - I (Red) 

Emerald Drive - J - Q (Purple) – parents wait on grassed area near hall / church

Aquamarine Drive large gate R - Z (Orange)

Dismissal times – 

• Kinder – 2.10pm
• Year 1 – 2.15pm
• Year 2 / 3 – 2.20pm
• Year 4 / 5 / 6 – 2.25pm

Staff will be present at exit points to supervise handover to parents. All adults must maintain 1.5m social distancing requirements.

• Bus / After school care providers - assemble in covered area near admin in grade lines. After school care providers pick up from this area.
• OOSH dismissal meeting point - Primary Shelter - grade lines maintained until drop off.

Separation of students by year / cohorts - Each cohort will be allocated a learning space and complete all lessons and break times with their allocated cohort. 

Staggered breaks - Students will have access to staggered break times and will access different playgrounds

LUNCH 1 - Kinder / Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 

• 9.55-10.05 – Supervised Eating Time in class
• 10.05-10.35 – Play 

LUNCH 1 – Year 4 / 5 / 6 

• 10.30 -10.40 - Supervised Eating Time in class
• 10.40 – 11.10 – Play 

LUNCH 2 - Kinder / Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 

• 12.30-12.40 – Supervised Eating Time in class
• 12.40 -1.10 – Play 

LUNCH 2 – Year 4 / 5 / 6 

• 1.05 -1.15 - Supervised Eating Time in class
• 1.15 – 1.45 – Play 

Face masks -

Adults: Masks will be worn by teachers and staff at all times, indoors and outdoors.

Students: Masks are strongly encouraged to be worn by all students, at all times, indoors and outdoors.

Some exemptions apply. Please see the Level 3 / Level 3 Plus restrictions for more detail about face masks.

Cleaning - Enhanced daily COVID-19 cleaning arrangements (with a focus on high-touch surfaces) will remain in place until further notice.

Responding to a positive case of COVID-19 - CEDoW has an established process for responding when a member of a school community tests positive for COVID-19. In the event this occurs, we will work closely with the Catholic Education Office and the Public Health Unit to rapidly inform impacted families and ensure we complete all required steps to safely reopen.

While under Level 3 restrictions, parents and carers must: 

• follow the physical distancing advice and avoid gathering outside school gates
• adhere to mask-wearing requirements in accordance with the Public Health Order
• remain outside school grounds (some exceptions apply for vulnerable students or students with a disability)
• When an exception allows a parent or carer to enter school grounds, they must sign in using both the Service NSW QR code and the CEDoW Quick Sign-In iPad

 Vaccination Requirements

Staff:  From 18 October 2021, only staff who have received two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine or have a medical contraindication certificate will be permitted on school grounds. Please click here for more information regarding the application of the Public Health (COVID-19 Vaccination of Education and Care Workers) Order 2021 in Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong schools. 

Students:  There is no requirement for students to be vaccinated before returning to face-to-face learning.   If your child has a medical vulnerability that you believe will prevent them from returning to school according to the staged return timeline, please contact the school as soon as possible to discuss your circumstances. 

NSW Health strongly urges all students aged 12 - 15 years to receive two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. 

• There is currently sufficient supply of the Moderna vaccine to community pharmacies and the Pfizer vaccine to General Practitioners. Bookings can be made via the Vaccine Clinic Finder. Depending on location, bookings are available within the next few days.
• COVID-19 vaccination is the best protection against severe illness and also reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 now will help to protect both you, your family and your school community. 

The following fact sheets regarding the Moderna vaccine and young people are available:

Commonwealth Government fact sheet

• Children aged 12 - 15 years require parental or guardian consent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, see the COVID-19 vaccination FAQs for parents and guardians.

Ventilation - All CEDoW schools have been supported by the Catholic Education Office to complete a school ventilation review. The results - including any identified adjustments - will be addressed in line with advice from NSW Health and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS).

The advice from NSW Health and the NCIRS when it comes to ventilation of classrooms is that simple measures are the most effective. Opening windows and doors when possible and using fans to direct outdoor air in and opting for outdoor learning improve the ventilation of classrooms and learning spaces.

 Ventilation is just one of a series of COVID-safe measures in place at our school, which also include:

• Service NSW and CEDoW check-in systems
• Vaccination of staff and adults in the community
• Face masks
• Staggered timetables, pick up and drop off
• Restricting access of visitors, including parents/carers, to essential personnel only
• Use of outdoor spaces
• Good personal hygiene and social distancing 
• Staying at home if unwell and getting tested with even the mildest of symptoms

These are all measures to help keep schools safe and we seek your support with the implementation of these measures to assist in keeping our school and the wider community safe.   

Further updates - Thank you for your patience during this time of uncertainty and transition. We understand that new changes cause additional stress at an already difficult time. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to ensure a smooth and stable return to face-to-face learning and to minimise disruption not only for students but also for families and our broader school community.

As new information becomes available to us, we will provide updates to keep you informed. If you would like to raise any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Sincerely,

Peter Hill - Director of Schools - Diocese of Wollongong

Good news – we will all be back at school in less than two weeks!  It will be so good to see all those lovely smiling faces, and be able to catch up on some of the adventures you have had while remote learning. 

We hope that  you have been able to search for your Library bags and the books borrowed in Term 2, so that when you come back you can return those long-overdue books! It will be good to share some of the books we have read while we have been at home. 

As we near the end of the year, we need to make sure that all books are returned and back on the shelves ready for next year, so it is important that we do look for the books we have had at home. Sadly because of Covid it will not be possible for any borrowing to take place this term – we need to ‘quarantine’ the books when they are returned to ensure that we are not spreading any unnecessary germs. 

As we prepare to explore Poetry, we may ask the question; What is Poetry? It is many things to many different people, but Sally Murphy, an Australian Poet and Author, describes it as follows:

 A Poem 

by Sally Murphy

A poem

Is a whole lot of words

A plethora of words

A smattering, a scattering

A shattering of words

Thrown on a page

In carefully created

Chaos

To make you wonder

In this poem, you see poetic techniques – repetition, rhyme, alliteration – and the poem intends to leave the reader not with a definitive answer, but with something to ponder. That may be a depth of feeling, a sense of joy or even just a giggle! 

Take time this week to read and relax, perhaps explore your shelves at home for any books of poems. Poems are meant to be read aloud and shared, so read them together at home, find a favourite. We look forward to seeing all the happy smiling faces back soon, maybe with a poem to share. 

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world.

Love of books is the best of all."

Jacqueline Kennedy