COVID-19 Update – A
special message from the Principal for Parents and Caregivers
Dear Parents and
Caregivers
I am writing to you
regarding the evolving situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Queensland Health and
the Australian Department of Health are working tirelessly to manage and
contain the impact of this virus for Australians and Queenslanders alike. They
are regularly updating travel advice (https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/)
as new information emerges.
The Department of
Education continues to work closely with Queensland Health to monitor the
situation and identify and manage any impacts on schools and early childhood
centres. You can be assured that we have been preparing and stand ready to act
should the need arise.
I
wanted to also provide you with some more information about the approach that
our school might need to take if a COVID-19 case is identified in our school.
If
a case is identified in our school, the Department of Education and Queensland
Health will work closely with us in managing our response and our actions will
be taken with community health at the centre of our decision making.
If
there is a confirmed case at our school, it is likely our school will need to close
for a period to allow Queensland Health to assess the situation and to perform
contact tracing as required to identify people and students who may have come
in contact with the COVID-19 case. You may have already seen this happening in
other states where confirmed cases have been identified.
The
Department of Education will then work with our school to conduct any specialised
cleaning of our facilities as required to ensure our school is safe for
students and staff to return when clearance is given. A closure is likely to include
any on-site services such as outside school hours care (OSHC) and other
facility hirers.
Continuity
of learning is extremely important to us and, as in other disaster and
emergency events, the department has online learning materials and virtual
classroom capability that can be used by teachers to support your child’s
learning. The Queensland Curriculum and
Assessment Authority (QCAA) also has procedures in place to support senior secondary
students.
If
your child develops flu-like symptoms, please:
·
keep your
child at home;
·
avoid close contact
with others such as touching, kissing or hugging, or any mass gatherings,
especially those involving other children;
·
see a doctor
or contact 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) immediately;
·
seek medical
advice if your child has other underlying medical conditions; and
·
call ahead to
the medical centre or doctor’s surgery, advising of your child’s symptoms and
the closure of the school.
It is also important to
continue to encourage your children to:
·
wash their
hands regularly with soap and water, particularly before and after eating, and
after going to the toilet;
·
use
alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap is unavailable;
·
cover coughs
and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of their elbow; and
·
dispose of
tissues in the bin immediately.
As a community, during
this preparation phase, it may be timely for families to consider their own
family and care arrangements should school closure be necessary.
Again, while you can be
reassured that the Department of Education and Department of Health are taking
all necessary measures to contain COVID-19, it is important for me to keep
information flowing to parents and caregivers to ensure we are all informed and
prepared as a community, should this public health issue come into our school.
I thank you for your support
in managing this event and supporting student awareness of the additional need
for strong health and hygiene practices.
Yours sincerely
Yolanda Tognini
Principal