COVID-19 Update

• Vulnerable Students:
  • Children with complex medical conditions
  • Children with more than one complex health condition
  • Compromised immune systems

Parents and carers of children and young people with complex medical needs are encouraged to seek medical advice from their health practitioner to support informed risk assessment and decision-making regarding the suitability of on-site education for their child.

Parents choosing to keep their child at home due to their child’s health concerns must then provide the School with their treating medical practitioner’s written advice.

Please provide medical certificate by email to Compliance Manager, Ms Kylie Hooper at hooperk@hvgs.nsw.edu.au

• Vulnerable Parent/Carers:

A situation may arise where a parent is requesting to have their child stay home due to the risk posed to an immediate family member within the household, e.g. the parent has a severely compromised immune system and their treating medical practitioner has advised against the student being at School to minimise potential risk of exposure to COVID-19.

The parent/carer will be asked to provide written advice from their treating medical practitioner to confirm this requirement.

Please provide medical certificate by email to Compliance Manager, Ms Kylie Hooper at hooperk@hvgs.nsw.edu.au

• Review of requests:

All requests will be reviewed confidentially by the Principal and communicated directly to the parent/carer.  

The Parent/carer should expect that approval to continue flexible learning arrangements may be granted for a limited timeframe only.

• Decision to send a child home:

Should a child present at School with any of the COVID-19 compatible symptoms, including (but not limited to):

• Fever;
• Cough;
• Sore throat;
• Shortness of breath,

The child will be assessed and cared for by the School Nurse in the Sick Bay.

If, in the Nurse’s opinion it is required, the child’s parent/carer will be called immediately and required to pick the child up as soon as possible.

The child will not be permitted to return to School until the symptoms have abated or a COVID-19 clearance is presented.

• Keep child home if they are sick

Children must be kept at home if they have any of the COVID-19 compatible symptoms, including (but not limited to):

• Fever;
• Cough;
• Sore throat;
• Shortness of breath,

The child will not be permitted to return to School until the symptoms have abated or a COVID-19 clearance is presented.

Regular School absentee practices will apply when a child is at home sick or with the above symptoms.

Cleaning

• Extended and increased formal cleaning of high-touch areas including toilets, door knobs, taps, air conditioner buttons, light switches etc.
• Extra hand sanitising stations (recently installed) throughout high traffic areas of the School and in Staff rooms 

Hygiene

Continued promotion of good hygiene practices for staff and students including:

• Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, or using hand sanitiser, when entering school, and at regular intervals throughout the day particularly before and after eating, and after going to the toilet.
• Covering coughs and sneezes with ones elbow or a tissue and placing used tissues straight into the bin.
• Avoiding touching one’s eyes, nose and mouth.
• Encouraging students to not share food or drink.
• Continued adherence to strictest food hygiene preparation standards for the Canteen.

Distancing

HVGS will continue to encourage social distancing for students and staff including:

• Where possible, avoiding close-proximity queuing and encouraging increased space between students, for example, by placing markings on the floor.
• All school excursions and assemblies cancelled for May
• Using rooms with with enhanced ventilation
• Where possible, arranging classroom furniture to leave as much space as possible between students
• Teachers maintaining 1.5m physical distance from other adults in staff rooms
• Encouraging non-contact greetings
• Two visitors only at any time in the uniform shop

• NO external visitors are permitted to enter or visit the School unless an emergency, critical to the School’s operations, or have approval from the School to do so.
• Parents and carers are asked not to come onto the grounds unless your child requires your urgent attention, which would be notified to you by the School. The exception to this is to drop children at school, and collect children. Please remain in your vehicles for this.
• All incursions, events and ceremonies on-site that involve visitors have been cancelled

• When dropping off and picking up students from Kindergarten through to Year 12 parents/carers must stay in their vehicle. This includes for regular school times, co-curricular activities, and late arrivals. The exception to this is;
  • Dropping off or picking children up from TeamKids.
    These exceptions are due to legislation requiring children to be signed in and out.

• Parents/carers are required to drop off and collect their children from the front of the ELC. This will assist to minimise the volume of visitors who attend our setting on a daily basis. Staff will be on hand to sign children in and out of the ELC and assist children with morning and afternoon routines.

• You may have noticed the ELC’s Coronavirus Policy on display in our foyer area. Here is a digital copy of the policy which outlines the steps we are taking to minimise the spread of any infectious illness, links to the latest Government information and requirements, as well information regarding the payment of fees.

• Parents are allowed on-site to collect, given the legal requirement that student be signed out
• Parents will not be required to sign their child in or out on an iPad, TeamKids staff will do that (parents still need to escort children in and out of TeamKids). 

• HVGS has confirmed with bus companies that provide services to and from the School, that all regular Schools services will be running in Term 2. We understand bus companies have hygiene and social distancing practices in place as per Government recommendations. Please contact the bus company for any specific questions.

  Bus services details can be found on the HVGS Parent Portal under School Resources.

• The HVGS-run bus service to and from Newcastle will continue as normal but with enhanced cleaning and hygiene, and social distancing procedures in place

• Uniforms can be purchased online through QKR.  Uniform price list and more information can be found on the Parent Portal under School Resources.
• Parents can also attend the uniform shop, where social distancing rules will apply. The uniform shop is open Tuesdays and Thursday from 8am – 4pm during term time. 

• Any student or staff member who over the last 14 days has been overseas should be in self-isolation for 14 days after they returned. They are excluded from school and should not return to school or child care (ELC) services for a period of 14 days after arriving, as the COVID-19 incubation period can be as long as two weeks.
• Students or staff who have been identified as close contacts of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 during their infectious period must also self-isolate at home, and should not attend school or childcare settings until 14 days after their last contact with the infected person
• If a student is unwell with respiratory illness, or cold or flu-like symptoms they should remain at home until symptoms resolve and, where appropriate, seek advice from a medical practitioner

• Take all steps and precautions to combat Coronavirus, and to press home the relevant messages to children and students;
• Supervise hand hygiene; regular hand hygiene routines when at home (using soap);
• Enhance frequency and cleaning for high touch surfaces at home; and use outdoor environments; and