Following Friday’s easing of ‘baseline’ public health measures and subsequent consultation with Catholic Education Western Australia, the following will apply at St Dominic’s School from Monday, 2nd May.
School Attendance
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) encourages all students and staff who are well to attend school, including those with health conditions.
Masks
The mask mandate no longer applies to staff, visitors and students in schools. However, students and staff are welcome to wear a mask should they wish, especially where physical distancing is not possible.
Asymptomatic close contacts (staff and anyone over 12 only) are required to wear a mask outside of the home at all times.
Parents and Caregivers
Parents and caregivers are permitted on school sites and in classrooms in order to:
- Support school services
- Attend both year level and whole school assemblies and special infrequent school events
- Drop off/ pick up
- Morning reading/ activities or to volunteer in classroom activities
- Attend parent teacher conferences
Parents/ caregivers must use the hand sanitiser provided prior to entering the school grounds.
As it can be difficult to physically distance within a classroom setting, parents/ caregivers are asked to continue dropping children at the classroom door instead of entering the room. We have observed that throughout Term 1, many of our students have developed a wonderful sense of independence, and dropping them at the classroom door can continue to assist them in the development of this important life skill.
We also continue to encourage the use of the ‘kiss and ride’ option for both drop off and pick up.
School Events
The following activities may take place without restriction:
- Community events
- Choir
- Whole school assemblies (including parent audiences)
- Sporting programs (including Cross Country and Interschool)
- Excursions and incursions
- After school extracurricular activities
- School Advisory Council and P&F Meetings
Close Contacts
A close contact is now defined as:
- A household member or intimate partner of a person with COVID-19 who has had contact with them during their infectious period.
- Someone who has had close personal interaction with a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period where:
- they spent greater than 4 hours of cumulative contact with them in any 24-hour period in a residential setting (for instance a home or accommodation facility).
- where masks have been removed by both people during the period of contact.
- Someone who is directed by WA Health that they are a close contact.
Asymptomatic close contacts are not required to isolate but do have to follow testing and mask wearing requirements, which include wearing a mask (staff and anyone over 12 only) and a daily negative RAT result for seven days.
Parents/ caregivers are required to inform the school if their child tests positive and must keep them home until they have completed their 7 day isolation period and are free of symptoms. Positive results are to be reported to the school via the CEWA COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form for Students and Staff Members.
Parents/ caregivers are reminded to also report their child’s positive RAT to WA Health via the Mandatory Registration of Positive Rapid Antigen Tests website.
To further support the school with the management of COVID-19, parents/ caregivers are also encouraged to report negative tests to the school via the CEWA COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form for Students and Staff Members.
Please be assured that the wellbeing and safety of our students, staff and community continues to be our priority. If you have any concerns, please contact me via the school office.
Leon Bolding
Principal
Frequently Asked Questions
Can asymptomatic close contact students return to school?
Yes. Parents must inform the school of the child’s close contact status and should do so via the CEWA COVID-19 Self-Reporting Portal. Students who return to school must follow the requirements set out by the WA Government including mask wearing (Year 7 and above) and daily RATs. Students in primary school are not required to wear a mask.
Where a household close contact is in Year 3 or below, are they required to wear a mask?
No. Any child under the age of 12 is not required to wear a face mask.
Is it compulsory for students who are asymptomatic close contacts to attend school?
Yes; school attendance is compulsory and students should return to normal classes unless symptomatic or a positive COVID-19 result is returned.
What recording is required by the school and what evidence needs to be supplied for persons identified as close contacts?
Staff and students are encouraged to report their close contact status via the CEWA COVID-19 Self-Reporting Portal. Staff and Parents are welcome to upload photo evidence of their negative RAT, however, this is not a compulsory requirement. Positive RAT COVID-19 cases must be reported on the WA Health website.
Do students and staff who are close contacts need to take a RAT each day prior to coming to school?
Yes. Students and staff who are close contacts must take a RAT each day before coming to school and are encouraged to note their result via the portal. Where a student or staff member becomes symptomatic or returns a positive result, they must commence isolation protocols.
When will the school provide work for students who are not at school?
Schools will provide work for students who need to stay at home due to isolation requirements. Schools are not required to provide work to students who are being kept at home by parents/ carers.
If a positive case returns to school before the WA Health recommended date of return, are we as a school responsible to send them home?
Yes. The parents of students who are COVID-19 positive should be immediately contacted and requested to pick up their child. The child should not return to school until they have completed their 7 day isolation period.
