COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update

We have been in constant contact with Catholic Education regarding the impact the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) may have on students, staff, and our school in the future. The school, in support with the Catholic Education Office, has developed a School Coronavirus Operational Plan that will be implemented if required.  This plan will support us in operational matters related to managing an outbreak of the Coronavirus if it eventuates in our school community. In the meantime, we have initiated the following:

• We have contacted our cleaners and have committed to financing extra cleaning of high-traffic areas such as door handles, bench tops and daily thorough cleaning of our sick bay etc.;
• We will segregate our ‘sick bay’ accordingly;
• If any child is displaying flu-like symptoms, we will be calling parents and asking for children to be collected immediately;
• We will be instructing and teaching students about thorough hygiene - washing hands etc; and
• We will be sending home any staff who are unwell.                        

Good hygiene remains the best protective measure against the spread of the virus. Please spend time with your child and show them (demonstrate) the importance of the following:

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or hand sanitiser (for 20 seconds);
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue (dispose tissue into the bin) and then wash hands thoroughly; and
• Avoid close contact with anyone displaying cold or flu-like symptoms and stay away from others if you are unwell.

As the impact of the virus on children and healthy adults can be quite mild, there may be a tendency to continue working and attending school and hence increase the risk of infecting others. This is in contrast to SARS and Swine Flu, where most people were quite unwell if infected. The advice from Catholic Education and ACT Health is that schools should be very strong on sending home staff and students who have the slightest sign of illness. This is not a time for soldiering on with coughs and colds. Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell.

These techniques are being modelled explicitly to students and displayed around the school. You can remain informed via updates issued by the Australian Government Department of Health -

https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert

Catholic Education Online Survey
Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (Catholic Education), have released an online survey to better understand your opinion of the value Catholic schools like ours provide and what that means for you and your children. The findings of this research will be used by Catholic Education to improve the offering of Catholic schools.

The survey was sent out to parents via email last week and should take less than 15 minutes to complete. 

Privacy and confidentiality
Please note that Catholic Education has engaged JWS Research to host the survey, collect the data and analyse the results. JWS Research is an independent, fully accredited, Australian research agency (see www.jwsresearch.com for further information). Survey results will be reported in the aggregate with individual responses remaining completely confidential and treated in accordance with the relevant privacy laws, including the Market and Social Research Privacy Principles and the industry’s code of professional behaviour.

I encourage all parents to respond to the survey. Thank you in advance for your time and participation.

A Word from our Counsellor
Hello parents of St Benedicts Primary School,
My name is Laura Lamerton and I am the new Student and Family Counsellor allocated to St Benedicts. I am very passionate about working with children and their families. I provide counselling and other supports to students and their families experiencing stress, changes to their family circumstances, relationship or behavioural difficulties, mental health issues and a range of other factors impacting on the students' learning. Students are provided therapeutic interventions creatively through art, activities and games. I have a strong personal focus on self-esteem building and teaching kids emotional regulation skills using fun techniques. I am employed part time on alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Referral forms are located at the front office. I can be contacted laura.lamerton@catholiccare.cg.org.au or 6295 8027.

Warm Regards,

Laura Lamerton
(Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, & Master of Child and Adolescent Welfare)

Swimming Ribbons Assembly
Students will receive ribbons at this week’s Assembly, Friday 13^th March. Ribbons will be given for those who placed 1^st to 4^th in the 50m, 100m and 200m events. Selections for the St Benedict’s team at the South Weston PSSA carnival will be announced shortly and are based on qualifying times and not place ribbons received.

Parents & Friends Treasurer Needed
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter we are seeking a person for the position of P&F Treasurer and would love someone to volunteer for that position for the 2020 school year.