Mass Gatherings
As you would be aware, the Australian Government has announced that all organised, non-essential mass gatherings attended by more than 500 people must be cancelled from Monday 16 March 2020.
While the announcement was very clear this does not apply to schools, and that there is no need for mass school closures, it does include activities such as school fetes, fairs, concerts and the like where they involve more than 500 people.
Our school is in the process of reviewing our forward activity schedule. In the interim, I have decided to cease whole school assemblies and sub-school assemblies have been split into single years to reduce the numbers of students meeting together. I have also postponed our participation in planned excursions, including interschool sport until further notice.
As our response to COVID-19 is all about containment, I continue to ask all families to pay extra attention to health and hygiene measures employed at home with your children, particularly the use of soap and, if soap is not available, hand sanitiser. You can be assured we are reinforcing this message at school. We have soap dispensers in all student toilets and I have asked for student desks to be separated where possible to minimise close contact. I have also recommended that all group activities cease and alternative tasks be put in place.
These directions are all about supporting a national effort to contain and slow the spread of COVID-19. Each one of us, and our school, play a vital role in this effort and I ask for your continued support in this containment effort. Students must not attend school if they are unwell. Please advise the school of any changes to contact information, particularly mobile phone numbers which we will use to SMS important updates. I have included a Caronavirus fact sheet for parents (PDF, 320KB) about how to talk to your child about the virus to minimise anxiety for them. Students should not be afraid to come to school.
International Travel
I also draw your attention to the Australian Government's announcement that all people arriving in Australia must now self-isolate for 14 days on their arrival back to Australia. The Department of Education banned all staff and student international school travel last week - this ban now also includes any travel to New Zealand. I suggest families review any upcoming international travel plans and consider the potential impacts. It would be helpful if you do undertake any international travel to advise the school so we can plan to support your child's learning from home during the self-isolation phase when they return.
Continuity of Teaching and Learning
As the COVID-19 situation evolves, our school continues to prepare for continuity of learning and teaching. Many resources are already available on the school's sharepoint website and we will continue to update resources to support learning from home options if it becomes necessary. Students and parents are encouraged to visit the sharepoint website. Your child's MIS login is needed and the link is at https://qedu.sharepoint.com/sites/2167/student/
The Department of Education also has many resources available to us and our teachers will seek to minimise any disruption to student learning should our school be impacted by the virus.
Ongoing Planning
As we have already seen across the world, this situation is likely to continue for some time and is evolving. As such, as a school and as a community, we must all prepare over the short, medium and long term. I ask that you continue to take all necessary local actions to support your child's, and the school's, health and hygiene and act in a protective and preventative manner to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
I will continue to provide communication as Australia's response to COVID-19 evolves. Thank you for your vigilance in helping us manage this public health issue.
Regards,
Jo Soothill
Principal