Dear Kapinara Families
Welcome to a new school year!
I hope that you have all had at least some sort of break, and that everyone is staying cool! This is a just a courtesy email to let you know what we do and don’t know about school as of today. As you are aware, things continue to change.
Please be aware that there can be a time lag between new ‘Directions’ announced at State Government level CEO ‘Instructions’ for Education and subsequently advice for schools. I will keep you informed as best I can. I will be involved in two webinars with our Director General in the next few days, so I may have some more up to date information to share after one or both of these.
As of the afternoon of WEDNESDAY 19 JANUARY 2022, I am able to confirm the following:
- All school staff are required to be double dose vaccinated by the time Term 1 starts
- All people employed by the Department of Education WA who work on school sites (for example school psychologists, instrumental music teachers, relief teachers, regional and central office staff) must be double dose vaccinated by 31 January 2022
- These requirements also apply to those known as ‘Ancillary Workers’. These are people who attend education sites on a regular basis but are not employed by the Department of Education WA. (For example, school nurses, chaplains, incursion providers, pre-service teachers, and work experience students)
- ‘Ancillary workers’ also include parents/carers and community members who attend the school site ON A REGULAR BASIS in a voluntary capacity (to work in the canteen, uniform shop, assist in classrooms etc). ‘On a regular basis’ means MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK.
Currently, parents/carers, community members and contractors are not required to be vaccinated if they attend the school site on an AD HOC basis. ‘Ad hoc basis’ means attendance at no more than one education facility no more than once per week.
That is, parents/carers are not required to be vaccinated when:
- dropping off or picking up their child from school
- volunteering at school on an AD HOC basis
- attending a parent teacher interview or
- entering the school outside school hours
There will continue to be additional cleaning protocols and thus cleaning staff in place, and an emphasis will continue to be placed on very regular and thorough handwashing practices.
At this point it is almost impossible to predict what Term 1 will look like. However, I can tell you that I am hoping to be able to schedule class meetings in Week 1, to enable you to connect with your child’s teacher. If we need to do this on one particular day for practical reasons, it will be Friday 4 February 2022. I can also confirm that if children need to work from home at some point during the year, we will be able to loan families a digital device where required.
As always, if you have any specific questions or concerns, please contact us.
Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to welcoming our wonderful school community back to school.
Warm wishes
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Blackwell
Principal