This page provides up to date information and ongoing updates regarding COVID-19. Information has been collated from the relevant government agencies including ACT and NSW Health.
Each section was reviewed on Wednesday, 29 September 2021.
Current status: as of 25 October 2021.
On This Page
Current Advice For Schools
The current ACT Government lockdown ends on Friday, 15 October 2021, but this will be reviewed on Tuesday, 28 September. The current NSW Regional lockdown has been extended for some local government areas whilst others were released from stay-at-home-orders on Saturday, 11 September 2021. Where your school is leaving lockdown, your school will advise of the details of this return.
The Roadmap for ACT schools is outlined in the document, CECG ACT Schools Roadmap – Term 4 2021. There are different dates for year groups to return to face to face learning as outlined in the document, CECG ACT Return to Campus – Term 4 2021.
The current requirements for NSW schools that are no longer in lockdown are outlined in the document, NSW School COVID Requirements – Level 3 Community table.
Upon the return to face to face learning, all Archdiocesan Catholic schools and Early Learning Centres will follow these requirements to keep COVID safe when attending classes onsite.
All ACT and various NSW Catholic Education schools are currently operating on a remote learning platform.
CECG has guidelines set out below which have been developed to support our students to continue their learning remotely. We continue to be proactive in caring for and protecting the students, staff and members of our wider school and Catholic Education communities.
The following guidelines apply to CECG schools during this lockdown:
- Schools will remain open for students of parents and carers who are unable to provide care for their children.
- Schools will remain open for vulnerable students.
- There is to be one mode of learning employed, the remote learning model. The same learning will be delivered to students both at home and on site at school.
As always we ask you to please follow appropriate ACT and NSW Health advice:
Useful resources can be found on the NSW Education and ACT Education websites. These pages are updated regularly.
ACT: There are currently no schools affected by COVID-19 and no temporary closures.
NSW: There are currently no schools affected by COVID-19 and no temporary closures.
If we keep being diligent and follow the public health advice, we can continue to keep our schools, students and staff safe.
School Closure Advice
If a school is temporarily closed we will follow this process:
Protocol for temporary school closure due to COVID-19
Transition to Remote Learning in the Event of a Lockdown
During this lockdown, our Catholic schools will remain open (subject to ACT/NSW Health advice) to support vulnerable students and parents and carers, particularly those providing essential services, and who are unable to provide care for their children. Students will be supervised at school and participate in a remote learning program. Similarly, students who are not in attendance at school will engage in remote learning.
When to Stay Home From School
Please keep your child at home if they are showing any symptoms of sickness. If they have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms, they should be tested just in case and self-isolate until they receive their results. Please notify the 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.
- Notify the school.
- In the event of an emergency please dial 000.
Where students and staff are absent or sent home due to flu-like symptoms, they should be tested for COVID-19.
You can find information about testing locations below:
NSW COVID-19 testing locations
ACT COVID-19 testing locations
Hygiene and Social Distancing
Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, is focused on maintaining the highest standards of hygiene possible for staff and students. All of our Catholic schools have been asked to ensure school-wide hygiene practices are in place, encouraged and maintained. Signage promoting good hand hygiene, prevention of the spread of germs and correct procedures for coughing and sneezing are displayed.
Physical distancing of children in schools in not required under the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee Guidelines (AHPPCH).
All adults must maintain physical distance from each other (1.5m) including teachers, support staff and parents.
We are conducting additional cleaning of schools in accordance with the AHPPCH Guidelines and the advice of ACT and NSW Health.
Resources
ACT Government COVID-19 Education Videos
2020 Parents’ Guide to Google Classroom
Important Links
More information is available from various agencies following the links below:
Australian Government Department of Health
Australian Government Services Australia
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC)
Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment
COVID-19 Hotlines
If you need advice or have questions concerning COVID-19 please contact:
ACT COVID-19 Hotline – (02) 6207 7244 between 8am and 8pm daily.
For NSW please refer to:
National Coronavirus Health Information Line – 1800 020 080
In the event of a medical emergency, please call 000.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, we believe it is vital to address any concerns for the mental and emotional health of our school communities. Catholic Education has highly effective student support structures and resources in place to help build students’ resilience. These may also assist to alleviate any anxiety or concerns related to COVID-19 and its impact. They include:
- Counsellors who provide skilled, student and family centred support in all primary and secondary schools. CatholicCare and Marymead counsellors offer much of this support.
- Highly-trained student wellbeing personnel who continue to provide support to our schools.
Talking to Your Child About COVID-19
Children and young people, while not considered to be in a high risk category, may be exposed to news reports, social media and general discussions about unfolding events. Parent resources are available to help guide the conversation around coronavirus.
Catholic Education has prepared a general information sheet on Looking after Yourself During Lockdown.
School.tv has released a helpful short video that contains helpful details on how to talk to your child about the pandemic. Other resources to guide the conversation include:
- Child Mind Institute: ‘Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus’
- UNICEF Australia: ‘How to talk to your children about coronavirus (COVID-19)’
- Australian Psychology Society: Tips for coping with coronavirus anxiety
- Psychology Today: ‘How to talk to kids and teens’
For advice on maintaining positive mental health, Beyond Blue, Headspace and Reachout are all reliable sources.
The Smiling Mind app is a free tool to promote mindfulness and also includes information on how to support children in times of crisis.
Support is also available through the following phone counselling services:
CatholicCare – (02) 6162 6100
Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800
Mental Health Line – 1800 011 511
Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Mensline – 1300 789 978
Visit the Headspace website
The information on this page is current as of 1 June 2021.