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Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
We thank you for your ongoing support in keeping children who are sick away from school until they have recovered. We know it is challenging for you to manage. As COVID - 19 is still present in our community we continue to ask that unwell students get tested and remain at home until their symptoms resolve and seek medical assistance as required.
We encourage parents, guardians and carers to keep children home if they are displaying any of the following symptoms:
- fever
- chills or sweats
- cough
- sore throat
- shortness of breath
- runny nose
- loss of sense of smell or taste
In certain circumstances headache, muscle soreness, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea may also be considered.
If a child is displaying any of the symptoms of COVID-19, however mild, they should take a rapid antigen test (RAT) or get tested. RAT’s will be sent home this week with the eldest child in each family.
Wearing a face mask can help protect you and those around you. Face masks stop droplets spreading when you talk, cough, sneeze and laugh, which lowers your chance of spreading or catching COVID-19.
We have also had cases of gastro reported in the school. I have included the Department of Health Exclusion table to clarify for you the exclusion periods for instances such as gastro and when your child can return to school.
Conditions |
Exclusion of cases |
Exclusion of Contacts |
|
Chickenpox |
Exclude until all blisters have dried. This is usually at least 5 days after the rash appears in unimmunised children, but may be less in previously immunised children |
Any child with an immune deficiency (for example, leukaemia) or receiving chemotherapy should be excluded for their own protection. Otherwise not excluded |
|
Conjunctivitis |
Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased |
Not excluded |
|
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection |
Exclusion is not necessary |
Not excluded |
|
Diarrhoeal illness* |
Exclude until there has not been vomiting or a loose bowel motion for 24 hours |
Not excluded |
|
Diphtheria |
Exclude until medical certificate of recovery is received following at least two negative throat swabs, the first not less than 24 hours after finishing a course of antibiotics and the other 48 hours later |
Exclude family/household contacts until cleared to return by the Chief Health Officer |
|
Glandular fever (Epstein-Barr Virus infection) |
Exclusion is not necessary |
Not excluded |
|
Hand, Foot and Mouth disease |
Exclude until all blisters have dried |
Not excluded |
|
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) |
Exclude until 48 hours after initiation of effective therapy |
Not excluded |
|
Hepatitis A |
Exclude until a medical certificate of recovery is received, but not before 7 days after the onset of jaundice or illness |
Not excluded |
|
Hepatitis B |
Exclusion is not necessary |
Not excluded |
|
Hepatitis C |
Exclusion is not necessary |
Not excluded |
|
Herpes (cold sores) |
Young children unable to comply with good hygiene practices should be excluded while the lesion is weeping. Lesions to be covered by dressing, where possible |
Not excluded |
|
Human immuno-deficiency virus infection (HIV) |
Exclusion is not necessary |
Not excluded |
|
Impetigo |
Exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced. Sores on exposed surfaces must be covered with a watertight dressing |
Not excluded |
|
Influenza and influenza like illnesses |
Exclude until well |
Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Chief Health Officer |
|
Leprosy |
Exclude until approval to return has been given by the Chief Health Officer |
Not excluded |
|
Measles |
Exclude for at least 4 days after onset of rash |
Immunised contacts not excluded. Unimmunised contacts should be excluded until 14 days after the first day of appearance of rash in the last case. If unimmunised contacts are vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure with any infectious case, or received Normal Human Immunoglobulin (NHIG) within 144 hours of exposure of any infectious case, they may return to the facility |
|
Meningitis |
Exclude until well |
Not excluded |
|
Meningococcal infection |
Exclude until adequate carrier eradication therapy has been completed |
Not excluded if receiving carrier eradication therapy |
|
Mumps |
Exclude for 5 days or until swelling goes down (whichever is sooner) |
Not excluded |
|
Molluscum contagiosum |
Exclusion is not necessary |
Not excluded |
|
Pertussis (Whooping cough) |
Exclude the child for 21 days after the onset of cough or until they have completed 5 days of a course of antibiotic treatment |
Contacts aged less than 7 years in the same room as the case who have not received three effective doses of pertussis vaccine should be excluded for 14 days after the last exposure to the infectious case, or until they have taken 5 days of a course of effective antibiotic treatment |
Poliovirus infection |
Exclude for at least 14 days from onset. Re‑admit after receiving medical certificate of recovery |
Not excluded |
|
Ringworm, scabies, pediculosis (head lice) |
Exclude until the day after appropriate treatment has commenced |
Not excluded |
|
Rubella (German measles) |
Exclude until fully recovered or for at least four days after the onset of rash |
Not excluded |
|
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) |
Exclude until medical certificate of recovery is produced |
Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Chief Health Officer |
|
Shiga toxin or Verotoxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC or VTEC) |
Exclude if required by the Chief Health Officer and only for the period specified by the Chief Health Officer |
Not excluded |
|
Streptococcal infection (including scarlet fever) |
Exclude until the child has received antibiotic treatment for at least 24 hours and the child feels well |
Not excluded |
|
Tuberculosis (excluding latent tuberculosis) |
Exclude until receipt of a medical certificate from the treating physician stating that the child is not considered to be infectious |
Not excluded |
|
Typhoid fever (including paratyphoid fever) |
Exclude until approval to return has been given by the Chief Health Officer |
Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Chief Health Officer |
A medical certificate is not required for children to return to school after a period of illness, however they should not return to school until any applicable isolation or quarantine periods have concluded and they no longer have symptoms. Again, we thank you for your support with this matter.
Kind regards,
Jodie
As part of our Social Justice work at St Michael’s we support various missions and appeals throughout the year including St Vincent De Paul, Caritas, MS and Juvenile Diabetes etc.
The Religious Education Curriculum, Christian Life and Catholic Social Teaching, helps the children align what we do in support of these organisations with the call to love God and one another.
We have shared a partnership with Catholic Mission through our work for the Socktober Appeal for many years. Catholic Mission work in different communities around the world to help them establish various projects to support their community in some way. The focus this year is on the communities of Ethiopia, helping them to develop projects that will help sustain and enrich the lives of vulnerable children.
On Thursday 21st July, Mark Clarke from Catholic Mission will be visiting St Michael’s. Mark will work with the Student Leaders as we form a plan for our Mission work for the rest of 2022. The children will have the opportunity to learn more about the work of Catholic Mission, particularly in Ethiopia, and the importance of our support.
While Mark is at St Michaels he will also speak to each of the Grade 5/6 classes about Catholic Mission.
We look forward to sharing some news of our day with you.
Each week students from each class are awarded Student of the Week certificates. These children are nominated for the example they have been within the school based on the School Wide Expectation focus for that week. The weekly focus will be from Wednesday until Tuesday the following week. Awards will be presented to students at assembly on Friday.
In Week 1 the School Wide Expectation focus was Resilience:
I view mistakes as a learning opportunity.
I persist through challenges and difficulties in my learning.
The award winners for Week 1 are:
| Boston Shaw | Linesa Dehiwatte | Jesse Affleck |
| Amelia Wisewould | Ayden Berkelmans | Sid Sposito |
| Ella Hogan | Rylee Martin | Mohan S |
| Connor Affleck | Charlie Mortimer | Jimmy Fkiaras |
| Jacob Geary | Yaazhini Arun Kumar | Pippa-Lilly Mason |
| Leo Heller | Mason Hill | Alex Yeates |
| Harlan Moore | Maia Bragger | Candice Bramwell |
| Aurora Buhagiar | Harrison Ritchie | Rosemaria Thomas |
| Jaxon Nachorny | Mia Francolino | Kahil Hughes |
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and (insert school name) is excited to be participating. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including:
- access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
- a modern user-friendly interface
- rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
- the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 2 September 2022.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-
challenge
To join the challenge please click on the link below:
