12 Jul 2021
Term 3 – Return to School Guidelines (as of 9/07/21)
Schools were involved in a link today with Departmental staff to discuss guidelines distributed yesterday. Based on this we can advise the following for the start of the term. Some of these points have not altered from yesterday.
• Oberon High School students return as expected on Tuesday, July 13th
• The school timetable will commence on a Week A as previously planned
• The protocols around students and staff coming to school with flu like symptoms has not changed. Individuals are to stay away with the mildest of symptoms and require a negative test before returning.
• Masks have been recommended for students and staff in all indoor situations. Students who have an intellectual disability (learning), disability confirmation (Mental Health), Autism or specific physical disability are exempt from wearing masks. There are other exemptions available upon application to NSW Health. Students travelling to and from school on buses will be asked to wear a mask for the safety of all passengers, if you have a question in regard to this, please talk to your driver or bus company.
• School assemblies can occur, however, we will need to take into consideration hygiene protocols and ensure appropriate student mixing. This also extends to school sport as it did in 2020.
• Excursions, sport (CHS/Western/NSW) and extra-curricular events encompass a large range of activities and come under a range of different guidelines meaning each one must be assessed individually. However, it is clear that activities are to be limited to local geography. They are also to be confined as far as possible to the school day. Overnight excursions are not permitted which means we will need to keep an eye on the Stage 4 Burrendong Camp which is scheduled for August (guidelines may change by then).
• NAIDOC and Education Week will be discussed next week to determine how they can proceed.
• Parents/Carers are limited onsite to emergencies only. General visitation is not permitted at the moment, which means any adult coming to the gate will need to buzz and state their business. If it is not urgent or an emergency access will not be possible. If you are not sure please ring before coming down to the site. If you need to carry out general administrative business, please ring the school to discus alternatives to normal arrangements.
• Parent/Carers of students with a disability can come into the school (following hygiene protocols) if there is a defined purpose and it has been pre-arranged with the school.
• Visitors are restricted to essential staff who may be assisting with critical student support or the operation, safety and hygiene of the school. There are some exemptions, however, there are very specific protocols for this which will be discussed on an individual basis.
• Canteen can still operate at this time which is great, however, further restrictions may see the canteen closed as it was in 2020.
• Community use agreements are only allowed outside of school time. Groups such as P&C can continue to meet outside school time.
• Any visitor to the school, irrespective of time will need to follow guidelines around masks, sign in and hygiene.
• There is no time frame specified for these to finish, therefore, it could be short term or extended.
• Day 1 will see staff discussing a range of internal measures to re-introduce to maximise site safety. This is likely to bring back measures around hygiene and student/staff movement that were in place during 2020. Students will be briefed on that before classes commence Tuesday.
Your sincerely
Craig Luccarda, Principal
Please note:
• The guidelines we are operating under are for Public Schools. Non-government schools may implement procedures of a different nature.
• Some guidelines and their implementation may vary between Primary and High schools. Eg masks
• The above points are subject to potential change if circumstances deteriorate and the Department change guidelines early next week.
• When reading or listening to media reports please ensure they are talking about outside Greater Sydney area. Schools within Greater Sydney have very different guidelines at the present time.
• Some outlets have mentioned a Level system for schools. This indicates the level of restrictions. Our school is in Level 2.