Dear Parents/Carers,

I am writing to provide an update on the current status on COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus).

The health and well being of our staff, students and families remains our top priority. We will continue to consider guidance and advice from Queensland Health, the Australian Government and the Queensland Department of Education in relation to this matter and keep our community updated.

The National Cabinet met on Sunday 15 March and Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that:

• Schools will remain open and respond to local issues as required
• All people arriving in Australia must now self-isolate for 14 days on their arrival back to Australia
• Mass gatherings of over 500 people are not to proceed
• For other non-essential gatherings, we are to consider the need and the issues of health and hygiene/social distancing to further mitigate the spread of the virus.

We continue to expect that all parents and carers within the College community will ensure that they are aware of, and comply with these Government requirements.

At this point in time, our College will remain open, unless further advice or circumstances recommends us to do otherwise. At present we do not have any concerns within our College.

The College has contingency plans in place to allow us to continue to educate our students in the event of a temporary school closure. As a precaution, Primary students will be bringing home a work book that can guide ‘work from home’ in the event that the school is required to close. Secondary students will generally be working from their OneNote and other electronic means of learning. This plan will be communicated to you as required.

Precautionary Measures

We will continue to take precautionary measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff, students and families. As part of this effort we have decided to postpone the following events until further notice:

• Year 4 Excursion to Sea World
• Year 3 Excursion to the Planetarium
• Our Whole School Easter Service
• Our Cross Country/ Colour Explosion
• Secondary Interschool Sports (Cancelled by CISSSA)
• Primary Swimming Lessons
• Assemblies (Notices will be emailed to students)
• Chapels (Pastoral Care classes will continue with devotions and Faith & Life activities)
• Hot Dog Tuck Shop Day (Orders will be honoured at a future date).
• Lower Primary Easter Hat Parade

This is a voluntary decision in response to the Australian Government’s recommendation that non-essential organised gatherings are reviewed. The Year 2 Excursion to White Rock, and the Year 11-12 Food and Nutrition Excursion to the Camel Farm are still currently going ahead.

Health & Hygiene

I would ask that you continue to be alert to the health and well being of your family during this time. If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school. Instead, allow them to rest at home and recover, seeking medical attention as you require, and following the advice of health authorities such as:

• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing
• Disposing of tissues into a bin
• In the absence of a tissue, cough into your elbow
• Wash your hands regularly, after using the toilet and before eating.

We also ask that you promptly advise us of any student absence and this includes advising us if there is a confirmation of any contagious illness, including COVID-19.

Safe Travels

With the Term Break approaching, we strongly recommend that you do not travel overseas. New Government regulations state that all people arriving in Australia must now self-isolate for 14 days on their arrival back to Australia.

If you are planning to travel during the upcoming break, we ask that you contact the College Admin so we can note your intended destinations and return dates. In this way we will able to better monitor students returning from overseas destinations and ensure our public health responsibilities are appropriately addressed.

As you are likely aware, this situation is likely to continue for some time. We will continue to advise of updates and changes as needed. We appreciate your understanding as we respond.

Nick Makin
Acting Principal