Dear staff, parents and carers
Further to my contact on Thursday 21 October, our school has been advised of an additional reported case of COVID-19 within our school community.
I would like to reassure you that we took immediate action as soon as we became aware of the situation and sought advice from the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Health.
The Department of Education and Training has advised us that no action is required at this stage and the school is not required to close. However, given the increasing number of identified Primary Close Contacts (PCC) all classes for Years 10 & 11 will be conducted remotely from Monday. Further details will be provided on how this will be implemented.
Our school has also been undertaking its daily cleaning including sanitising all high-touch points throughout the school.
All close contacts have been identified and contacted by the school yesterday, and this information has been forwarded to Department of Health via Department of Education.
If you have been contacted and advised that you or your child is a potential Primary Close Contact (PCC), it is advised that you or your child get a COVID test and limit your/their movements outside of the home.
This means that, until you hear further from the Department of Health or a Local Public Health Unit (DH/LPHU), you are advised to only leave home for brief periods for necessary activities, such as:
- exercise
- caregiving to family members when no alternative is available
- necessary medical appointments where no alternative is available (such as telehealth)
- shopping for necessary items, only where no one else in the household can perform this task and no alternative is available (such as delivery).
DH/LPHU will then contact PCCs directly to interview them and advise if there are any changes to their PCC status. These calls or text messages can come from private or unknown numbers. Please answer these calls or follow text message advice if you receive a call or text message. If confirmed, DH/LPHU will send an SMS to the PCCs advising them of their quarantine, testing and release dates (this may take some days).
PCCs will no longer receive a clearance text message from DH to confirm their release from quarantine. For those who are undergoing 7 days of isolation, the return of a negative day 6 test is sufficient for release. For those who are undergoing 14 days of isolation, the return of a negative day 13 test is sufficient for release. More information can be found at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/what-do-if-you-are-close-contact#what-is-quarantine
The rest of your family does not need to stay at home at this stage.
If you or anyone in your family develops even the mildest of symptoms, please get tested.
Our school will continue operating in line with the current advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer.
Staff, students and visitors to schools are also reminded to stay up to date with current face mask advice. Further information can be found at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/face-masks-in-schools.
We will still be taking every possible precaution. Like all Victorian Government schools, our school has a COVIDSafe plan, which includes extra cleaning and record-keeping of all staff, students and visitors who attend on-site. QR codes are mandatory for any visitors to schools including parents who come into school buildings and indoor facilities (but not staff or students).
More information
For more information please visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
If you have questions about what this means for our school, call the Department of Education and Training COVID-19 hotline on 1800 338 663, available 8:30am to 5pm Monday through Friday, and 10am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday, excluding public holidays.
If you are concerned you may have COVID-19 you can call the DH COVID-19 hotline on 1800 675 398, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For school information in languages other than English, call TIS National on 131 450. Please ask them to call the DET COVID-19 hotline on 1800 338 663 and they will help interpret. For health advice in languages other than English, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/translated-information-about-coronavirus-covid-19.
Regards,
Vern Hilditch
Principal