Dear parents/carers,
Firstly, I thank families for responding to the survey regarding attendance that went out last week. We are expecting just over 50% of our students will be returning on Wednesday. In order to support social distancing between adults, parents are requested to drop off and pick up their children at school gates or nearby the school. This is based on advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
Our plan in response to this recommendation is below. We greatly appreciate you adhering to these guidelines:
- Students are requested not to arrive at school prior to 8:20 am.
- Any student that arrives before 8:20 am is to sit outside the Admin block where they will be supervised.
- Students who are unwell must not attend school. Students that present unwell at school will be expected to be collected by parents promptly.
- Social distancing markers will be placed out across the school entrance points, please adhere to the social distancing requirement.
Drop-off and Pick-up at School (Please click here to see the map)
- Students in Kindy, Pre-primary and Year 1 will be greeted and dismissed at the entry points allocated to parents by their classroom teachers and or educational assistants.
- Kindy and Pre-primary students only can be collected 10 minutes earlier each day. That would be at 2:40 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 2:20 pm on Wednesday.
- Kindergarten students are to be dropped off and picked up at the Kindy gate. Parents/carers will hand their child over to the personnel at the gate and leave promptly. At the end of the day students will be released at the gate to their parent/carer one at a time.
- Pre-primary students are to be dropped off and picked up at the Pre-primary gate. Parents/carers will hand their child over to the personnel at the gate and leave promptly. At the end of the day students will be released at the gate to their parents/carer one at a time.
- Year 1 students are to enter through the double gates on Comrie Road. Parents/carers are to hand their child over to the personnel at the gate and leave promptly. Siblings can also drop their brother or sister at this point and then continue on in to the school grounds.
- Year 2 students may enter the school grounds at the school oval gates, the service gate area or the gate near to the Year 2 classroom block. At the end of the day they will be dismissed from the gate on Comrie Rd nearest to the staff car park. They will be released to parents at this point.
- Year 3 to 6 students are asked to independently enter and exit the grounds through all other entry points, e.g the school oval gates, the service gate area and the gate near the Year 2 classroom block. Personnel will be positioned in these areas to assist students.
I greatly appreciate your anticipated support as we endeavour to provide a safe environment for you, your children and the staff. I will continue to keep you informed of any changes that we may need to make in the coming days/weeks. I also appreciate that you may have many questions and I have endeavoured to cover some of these in the following information sheet.
Stay well and thank you for your patience as we employ the strategies that have been listed above.
Kind regards,
Lynne Bates
Principal
Q & A
What happens if you have children in multiple year levels to pick up, eg Kindy, Yr 2 and Yr 5?
If you have children across year levels please collect all of your children from the youngest child’s exit point. Teachers will direct students to meet their sibling at this point.
Will my child be returning to their own classroom teacher?
All students will return to their normal classroom teacher/s. Exceptions may include: some specialist classes being combined and teachers who are on leave due to compromised health issues.
Will the children at school and those learning from home receive the same curriculum content?
The content will be very much the same, however, the delivery models are different.
Will my child be socially distanced from other peers in the classroom and in the play areas?
No. We are following the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) position.
The AHPPC does not believe however, that the ‘venue density rule’ of no more than one person per four square metres is appropriate or practical in classrooms or corridors, nor maintaining 1.5m between students during classroom activities.
AHPPC continues to note that there is very limited evidence of transmission between children in the school environment; population screening overseas has shown very low incidence of positive cases in school-aged children.
We will, however, continue to encourage social distancing when possible for students, as this is no doubt a habit that needs to continue within the community for some time.
Are all playgrounds going to be available for my child to access?
Not all playgrounds will be opened for play. This is an area we are monitoring in light of cleaning expectations and public use of playgrounds. Playgrounds that are used will be cleaned before school and after each break. Staggered lunch breaks will also occur.
Will the school be increasing the cleaning regime?
Yes, cleaners will work throughout the day to ensure all high-use areas, such as benchtops, desks, doorknobs, taps and hand rails are regularly cleaned and surfaces disinfected.
Will the school canteen be open?
Yes, the canteen will open as of week 2. There will be reduced hours of operation.
Can I schedule a meeting with my child’s class teacher?
Yes, however, all meetings and/or communications at this stage will need to be via phone or email.
What happens if a child at school contracts COVID-19?
WA Health has developed clear protocols for a minimum 24-hour closure in the event of a case, to enable contact tracing and thorough cleaning.
Does the school have ample cleaning products including hand sanitiser?
Yes, we are well stocked at present and there will be a rigorous process in place to maintain high levels of personal hygiene for all students.
I need to pick my child up early, where will I go?
Please come to the front office. Your child will then be brought to the Admin block to be collected.
Can I enter the school grounds at all at this time?
No, the recommendation is for parents to drop and collect children from the gates or nearby the school.