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July 11^th 2020

Dear students and parents/carers,

As we prepare for the beginning of term 3, there are some important changes that all students and parents must familiarise themselves with prior to returning to school. It is important to note, the college will be taking a zero tolerance approach to students refusal to follow instructions/directions of the college and staff (which includes all teaching and education support staff) in relation to safety measure put in place to support the health and safety of all students, staff and the community – this includes expectations around physical distancing.

Updated College Operations for the beginning of term 3

At this stage the new arrangements for schools in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire (which includes us at Tarneit Senior College) are as follows:

• Students enrolled in Years 11 and 12 will return to school on Monday 13^th July as planned and will continue face to face learning with their teachers

• Students enrolled in Year 10 will continue school holidays for a further week up to and including Friday 17^th July.

• Students in Year 10 enrolled in a VCE study, may attend school only for VCE lessons and must sign in and out directly before and after class via the front office. These students will only attend school for their timetabled classes and they will be expected to return home after their face-to-face class finishes.

Temperature testing:

As per government directive, all students will undergo temperature testing upon arrival at school. Temperature testing will occur at the front of the school (between admin building and the auditorium) and at the Begonia Road entry upon arrival at Tarneit Senior College.

“Following the advice of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer (CHO), the Victorian Government has announced that students at government schools in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will receive a temperature check every morning. Daily temperature checks will help make sure unwell students stay at home and do not risk spreading coronavirus. I understand that this is a stressful time for parents, but we are following the best medical advice and taking every possible precaution to ensure the safety of all Victorians”

Students whom record a temperature 37.5 degrees or higher will be required to return home. Contact will be made with parents/carers indicating that their child has recorded a temperature 37.5 degrees or higher and they are recommended to seek medical attention and as per advice of the CHO, should have a Covid19 test (reminder any person who undergoes a Covid19 test should self-isolate until results are received and always follow the advice of DHHS).

Students whom refuse to be temperature tested will be sent home.

Infra-Red Thermometers:

The college will utilise contactless infra-red thermometers to check the temperature of ALL students

Testing Locations for each morning:

· Front of school between admin and auditorium

· Begonia Road Entry

Maintaining health & safety of testing staff:

In consideration that staff undertaking the temperature testing of all students have a high exposure to the entire student population – testers will be wearing both gloves and face mask while undertaking temperature testing of students.

Late arrivals:

Students arriving late to school will be temperature tested by Attendance Officers upon arrival as part of the late signing process. All students arriving late must report to the office first; they are not to go to their lockers until they have signed in and been temperature tested.

Staggered dismissal of students at the end of the school day:

To support the dismissal of students in a staggered approach and decrease congestion at the end of the school day, the dismissal times for the end of the day will be altered for the foreseeable future to:

• Year 11 classes will be dismissed at 3:00pm each day –students must exit the buildings in an orderly & efficient manner as to not disturb year 12 classes
• Year 12 classes to be dismissed at 3:15pm each day

Rationale behind change: according to PTV scheduling, buses are scheduled to arrive at TSC Crossway Ave at 3:09pm & 3:25pm – this staggered approach to dismissal will allow a decrease in congestion at the end of the school day and spread students across buses. It will ensure most students are at the bus stop in time for the bus should it arrive a minute or 2 early/late.

Wyndham City Council will be facilitating earlier supervision of crossing on Crossway Ave.

No Parents/Visitors on site:

Visitors to the college grounds will be limited to those delivering or supporting essential school services and operations. We ask that parents/carers do not attend the college until further notice. If a parent/carer needed to contact the college, they can do this by calling (03) 97490246.

Where a parent/carer needs to attend a meeting (for example, a Student Support Group meeting) this will occur via phone conference or Google Meet only.

Any visitor to the college should always call before coming onsite to determine if an alternative is available (e.g. phone conference, Google Meet).

Parents/Carers picking students up early or at the end of the school day are asked to remain in their vehicles at all times. Parents/Carers should not wait for students on the footpath or within the school grounds.

Physical Distancing:

We are asking that where practical, we exercise common sense and courtesy and maintain as much distance as possible between ourselves and others. Tarneit Senior College prides itself on being a young adult learning environment and as such expects our students to uphold the community expectations of young adults and maintain physical distancing where possible and indicated.

Maintaining a physical distance of 1.5 metres will not always be practical in school but will be encouraged where ever possible.

As young adults it is important that we expect and re-enforce with our students to uphold the social practices expected in the community to prevent the potential spread of Covid-19. Therefore we will be continuing to implement a range of physical distancing practices across the college, this includes:

· Ensuring furniture within classrooms is spread, to allow where possible the implementation of 1.5m separation between individuals

· Having physical & social distancing protocols in place for the line-up of students at the General Office/Canteen and Library

· Having limits on the number of students using individual outdoor furniture

· Encouraging student to maintain physical distancing guidelines within their friendship groups at recess and lunch

Increasing tables in classrooms:

Following an enormous amount of work on Friday, nearly all classrooms now have enough tables for one table per student, to ensure physical distancing is maximised within the classroom and decrease ‘shared space’. We have utilised our exam tables across the school to facilitate every classroom having 25 tables. The exception is a small number of specialist rooms where this has not been possible.

All students are instructed to sit one person per table where available. In specialist rooms where this is not possible students are to sit at the tables as they are currently organised and follow all signage and instructions.

Assemblies/Excursions/Incursions/Camps:

Due to current stage 3 restrictions within Melbourne Metropolitan and Mitchell Shire, there will be no excursions/camps/assemblies permitted until further notice.

Student Lateness is unacceptable:

As student returned from remote learning last term, there was a significant number of students who were consistently late to school and/or class. Lateness is unacceptable. There should be no reason why students are late to class. Not only does student lateness effect their own learning it also distracts the learning of all other students who are doing the right thing and being at class on time.

As a senior college our students are all aged 15-19 years and as such should now be able to manage their time effectively to ensure they are at class on time.

Parents/Carers must be proactive in ensuring you support your child to be at school on time. It is important students are in the classroom at 9:15am promptly.

To support students getting to class on time, a 5 minute warning bell is provided. Students MUST move directly to class once they hear the warning bell.

Personal Protective Equipment:

Students wishing to wear suitable face masks will need to supply their own.

“The Chief Health Officer has now given us the clear advice that wearing facemasks makes a tangible difference when it comes to reducing the transmission of coronavirus within the community – and that is why we are issuing this new recommendation. At this stage the advice only applies to people in the metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire area where physical distancing is not possible, but wearing a mask is an added protection that anyone can choose to take – no matter where they live”

Sanitising Stations:

All students are requested to use the hand sanitiser upon entry to every classroom/office

As a college we have been proactive in securing ready supply of hand sanitiser for both students and staff. To support students and staff access, we have established in every classroom and office a hand sanitising station which includes:

· Alcohol based sanitiser

· Non-alcohol sanitiser

· Tissues

· Hospital grade surface disinfectant – to sanitise tables and chairs

· We have also installed 6 automatic hand sanitiser dispensers on stands which will be available in our open spaces of Buildings A, B & C, Library and General Office.

· All toilets have soap dispensers with commercial grade soap.

Sanitising tables at end of each lesson:

· All teachers are requested to finish lesson instruction approx. 5 minutes before the scheduled finish to ensure ALL classes/students utilise the disinfectant spray and that students are asked to disinfect both their table and chair prior to leaving the classroom.

Students/Staff unwell and showing Flu like symptoms

Perhaps the most important action school communities can take to reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), is to ensure that any unwell children and young people remain at home.

Students experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19), such as fever, cough or sore throat, will be isolated in an appropriate space with suitable supervision and collected by a parent/carer as soon as possible. Urgent medical attention should be sought where indicated. It is not suitable for an unwell student to travel home unsupervised.

· Where students are experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19), the important actions to follow include hand hygiene, physical distance and (where possible) putting on a face mask.

· If a staff member is unsure whether a student is unwell in the first instance the student will be referred to the sick bay where first aide staff will contact the parent/carer to discuss any concerns about the health status of the student, and taking a precautionary approach, request the parent/carer to collect their child if concerns remain. A trained staff member will take the temperature of the student, where appropriate, to support decision making. Gloves should will be worn for the purpose of taking a temperature.

· Students experiencing compatible symptoms with coronavirus (COVID-19) will be encouraged to seek the advice of their healthcare professional who can advise on next steps.