2022 Return to School Letter from the Principal, 24th January 2022

 

Dear Parents and Carers, 

We trust you have had a blessed Christmas break and look forward to welcoming our students back to the College next week. 2022 begins with a great deal of excitement as we move into a new season of growth. We look forward to working together to see our whole College community flourish. We name 2022 as a year in which our College continues to move ‘from strength to strength’. 

As you may already be aware, the NSW Government has recently announced a return to school plan for NSW schools. Summerland Christian College has taken onboard these directives, along with advice laid out by our peak governing body AISNSW to enable a safe return to school for our students and staff for Term 1, 2022.  

 

Information relating to students:

We ask all families to please be reminded if your child is unwell and displaying any Covid-19 symptoms please keep them home and seek health advice.

The College would like to make it clear that we will not be enforcing vaccination of any student and will not be vaccinating students with Covid-19 vaccinations on site here at school. 

Masks:

• All Secondary students and (all) Staff must wear a fitted face covering in all indoor settings and on buses. 
• All Primary students are strongly encouraged to also wear masks in all indoor settings and buses. 

 

Rapid Antigen Home Test Kits (RAHT):

The College will be supplied with a number of RAHT Kits for students and staff by the NSW Government to enhance the safe return to school. Allocated RAHT kits will be distributed to families weekly. More advice around pick up will be communicated upon confirmation of our delivery, which is anticipated to be this week. 

The surveillance testing should be conducted at home prior to your child’s first day of school. This will be followed up with regular surveillance testing at home before attending school on Mondays and Thursdays each week. 

 In the event of a positive result, we ask that families follow the health directives and isolate your child for 7 days. Students may leave isolation and return to school following the 7 days, provided they do not have any symptoms or have a doctor’s clearance if any symptoms remain. 

It is a requirement to report a positive result to the school via email at:

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All positive reports will remain strictly confidential and are recorded in accordance with our mandated responsibilities.

Please note that NSW Health also requires a notification of any positive result to RAHT and these are to be lodged through the Service NSW App. Schools will be required to communicate any positive cases (without identifying persons) with the school community. 

The NSW Government is encouraging all families to be diligent in taking part in the surveillance RAHT testing to enable our school community to stay safe and well. 

 

College events and activities:

All upcoming Term 1 events and activities will be assessed on an individual basis by the College Executive Team and communicated via the School Bulletin. 

 

Information for parents:

In line with current advice, visitors on site will be kept to a minimum to support essential school activities or student needs.  

Parents can visit on-site upon invitation by the College. For example: canteen volunteers, orientation mornings for new students, parent/teacher events and interviews etc. 

All on-site visitors will need to show vaccination status before entering College grounds and sign-in via the Front Office. 

We acknowledge that maintaining distance from our parent community is not ideal and not in the heart of what we hope to offer as we partner with you in nurturing your child’s education. This position will be reviewed frequently in the hope that we can again have parents on-site in full capacity.

 

First Day of School for Trindy, Kindergarten, Year 7 and New Students:

Trindy:

(Tuesday 1st, Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd February - between 8:10am and 9:30am)

To help your child have a great start to the year and to keep within our COVID Safe Plan, all Trindy parents/carers are invited to come on-site for their child’s first day. All visitors will need to sign in at the front gate, prior to entry into the College. Please arrive promptly at your child’s allocated start time. If you are yet to book your child’s start time, please call the Front Office on 66 242 711. 

Kindergarten: 

(Wednesday 2nd February from 8:40am - 9:10am)

The College has set up an allocated Kindergarten drop-off zone located outside the Grace Centre. Here parents/carers will have the opportunity to take photos with their child and say goodbye as our Kindergarten students embark on their big school journey. Students will be escorted to their Kindy classrooms where lots of fun in learning awaits! 

Year 7: 

(Tuesday 1st February from 8:40am - 9:10am)

Parents and carers are welcome to escort Year 7 students on their first day. Students will arrive outside the 6 bay drop zone located at the Secondary building. From here they will meet their homeroom teachers and be shown their lockers.

New Students:

(Tuesday 1st February from 8:40am - 9:10am)

New students and parents are invited to arrive at the ‘New Student Desk’ located outside the 6 bay drop zone, located at the Secondary building. Here students will be issued their welcome packs, Chromebooks (if applicable) and will meet their teachers. 

 

We value your partnership and trust as we continue to adapt to practices that best support both a safe and productive way of working together in the education of our young people. As we look to the future with hope overflowing, may each of you look to Jesus as you explore and exercise your strengths and talents more fully and discover all that God has planned for you this year! Consider what going from ‘strength to strength in 2022’ looks like in your family, faith, learning and relationships as we grow in 2022. 

In Christ,

 

Nate Atkinson

Principal