Catholic Education

Current Advice

This page provides up to date information and ongoing updates regarding Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Information has been collated from the relevant government agencies including ACT and NSW Health.

The information on this page is current as of 1 April 2020.

Media Statement

Media Statement from the Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ross Fox.

School Closures

Current health advice regarding school closures has not changed. The government does not recommend or require school closures at this time, though families that are able to provide supervision are encouraged to keep their children home. We will continue to closely monitor health advice to ensure both student and staff safety.

There are currently no Catholic schools affected by COVID-19 in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

If a student or staff member were to test positive to the virus, the impacted school will close for a short period while ACT or NSW Health investigates the incident. Those students and staff identified as close contacts of a case will need to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. A deep clean of the school will be undertaken before it can be reopened.

Parents will be notified by their school if it is to close via their normal communication channels.

You may wish to access the national health advice.

Last Week of Term 1

In order to support all staff in Catholic schools to provide Remote Learning programs in Term 2, our schools will be providing all staff with professional learning in the last week of Term 1 from Monday, 6 April to Thursday, 9 April. This professional learning will enhance the learning programs we will be able to offer in remote modes in Term 2.

We ask all parents and carers to make alternative arrangements for their children. If this presents difficulty for your family, please email your Principal by 5pm on Thursday, 2 April, so that they can consider the support available.

Our Catholic schools will not be providing a Remote Learning program during this week.

When to Stay Home

Please keep your child at home if they are showing any symptoms of sickness. Once your child is well again, they can return to school.

If your child develops any symptoms such as a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath:

Call your GP in the first instance. By calling your GP before arriving they can take appropriate infection control measures.
Call your school to let them know.

School Excursions, Events and Activities

The Australian Government has announced that all organised, non-essential mass gatherings attended by more than 100 people must be cancelled from Wednesday, 18 March 2020.

The following events have been cancelled in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn:

Upcoming school or regional/ACT swimming, athletics and other sporting events, large band or other music concerts where there would be large gatherings of students.
Local and interstate school excursions, including camps will be cancelled.
All camps scheduled to commence from Monday, 16 March will be postponed and rescheduled, or, if there is no other option, cancelled.
School assemblies.
Parent/teacher nights.
School open days/nights.

Travel Advice

New quarantine requirements are in place for anyone arriving in Australia from overseas from midnight on Sunday, 15 March 2020. Anyone returning from any overseas country, should isolate themselves for 14 days.

ACT and NSW Health continue to work closely with the Australian Government and other health authorities across the country to monitor and respond to the evolving global situation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn School Communities

To ensure the continued health and well being of our students, staff and school communities, Novel-Coronavirus (COVID-19) FAQs for school communities have been developed.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – FAQs for School Communities

Hygiene and Social Distancing

Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn, is focusing maintaining the best possible hygiene standards for staff and students. All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn have been asked to ensure school-wide hygiene practices such as hand washing are in place, encouraged and maintained and that signage is displayed around good hand hygiene, preventing the spread of germs, coughing and sneezing.

Maintaining good hygiene practice is an important way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Based on government advice, we are advocating that students and staff:

Wash hands regularly and thoroughly with soap for at least 20 seconds.
Utilise hand sanitiser and rub thoroughly for 20 seconds.
Sneeze or cough into your elbow or tissues. Dispose of all tissues in the bin and wash or sanitise your hands after use.
Minimise hand to face contact.
Avoid hand contact with others.

Social distancing is an effective measure to reduce the spread of the virus. Social distancing includes:

Avoiding crowds and mass gatherings where it is difficult to avoid close contact with others.
Avoiding small gatherings in enclosed spaces.
Keeping the recommended 1.5m distance from others.
Avoiding handshakes and minimizing all non-essential human contact.
Avoid visiting vulnerable people in Aged Care facilities, hospitals, infants or people with compromised immune systems due to illness or medical treatment.

Resources

ABC Educational Content
The ABC is launching an expanded schedule of free education content to support students, teachers and parents, with so many children forced to learn at home due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. To enhance its educational programming, ABC Education is working with state and territory education departments and other education providers to deliver additional curriculum-linked content to children of all ages. For more information please click here.

Online and Interactive Resources for Physical Education, Health and Road Safety

2020 Parents’ Guide to Google Classroom

Cover your cough

Handwashing

Hand Sanitiser