There is a lot of information in the following communique so I encourage parents to ensure they read through to the end. It will inform you of decisions made by our Government and by our Director General, while also explaining actions we have put into place here at school. In addition, in the near future, you will also receive a communique via Connect from our school psychologist, Kate Vernon, with information for parents about talking to your child about the COVID-19 virus.
 
At this point in time our Director General, Lisa Rogers, has indicated that schools will not close in the immediate future, but of course the situation changes daily. Watch this space!!
 
Other information/actions to consider in relation to our school and to support the reduction of the spread of the COVID-19 virus:
• There is a mandatory 14-day self-isolation requirement on all international arrivals into Australia effective from midnight. We are monitoring this directive in relation to any of our parents or staff who may be affected.
 
• All organised, non-essential mass gatherings attended by more than 500 people are not to go ahead. At Harmony we have discussed this situation and are making the following changes:
· Assembly this week will only be open to the students of LA 10 and their parents and family members and the parents of students receiving certificates – Merit, Aussie of the Month and Lexile.
· As from week 8 all assemblies are postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.
· There will now be 3 EduDance concerts, and each one will be broken into 2 parts so that at any one time we will only have 3 classes and their family members together.
· Our ANZAC Ceremony will be adjusted to be delivered over the PA system with students in their classrooms. Students will be invited to place their flowers at the base of the flag pole at staggered times after the service. A few students will lay the wreath and manage the flag protocols.
 
• Recess and lunch breaks will continue as per normal as at no time do we have over 500 students together in one area. We have ample grounds and facilities and the students spread far and wide during these breaks. The kindy and pre-primary students play in their own specific area, reducing the number of students in the playground to below 400. Lunch and recess eating – at no point during the day do we have more than 500 students sitting in an area eating together. Our Kindergarten students eat at a different time to the rest of the school, the pre-primaries eat in a separate section in their play area, and the students from year 1 to 6 eat across 2 areas outside of and between yellow, orange and red teaching blocks.
 
• Sporting events have already been cancelled, including the girls multi sports day and the summer carnival in week 8.
 
 
• We are continuing to implement strict hygiene practices at Harmony and these will be reinforced throughout every day with students by staff. As communicated to you last week the following practices will continue:
· Frequently washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or using an alcohol-based hand gel
· Refraining from touching mouth and nose
· If coughing or sneezing, covering your nose and mouth with a paper tissue or flexed elbow
· Dispose of the tissue immediately after use and perform hand hygiene and
· Avoiding close contact with anyone if you, or they, have a cold or flu-like symptoms
 
In addition, the following hygiene practices have been implemented:
 
· All students will be expected to wash their hands with sanitiser every time they enter a classroom or leave a classroom and of course after they have been to the toilet.
· At recess and lunch time, hand sanitiser will be available for students to use outside the toilet blocks.
 
• Our wonderful band of cleaners have been extra vigilant with the cleaning of all surfaces in the school for the last two weeks, including table tops and door handles. They will continue to prioritise cleaning of surfaces indefinitely while in the present context of reducing the spread of the virus.
 
• We have had lots of parents asking if they should keep their child home if they are exhibiting flu like symptoms. We advise that as a precautionary measure that you do keep your child home. We are living in a time where extra vigilance is needed and we ask that you take this in mind when making decisions around your child’s health.
 
• Should anyone in the school community have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or been in a public area where someone with the virus have been present, are asked to inform the Health Department and also the Principal.
 
Lea Hadley
Principal