Dear Parents/Caregivers
Covid 19 update
Due to the unique needs of a remote community like Derby our town, and the pressures that an outbreak may cause on the regional health system, we are doing our best as a school to keep our children, our school community and the wider community as safe and healthy as possible.
Hygiene and cleaning
We are doing our best to enforce strict handwashing, sanitising (when we can source it) and heightened cleaning regimes on our own school bus (we are not responsible for the orange buses however) and our own school site.
We are also asking children to not use shared drink bubblers or fountains and are asking them to fill their water bottles in classroom taps. We therefore ask you to ensure your child has a drink bottle to bring to school. We will supply them with a disposable one if they forget but small water bottle supplies in the shops are limited at the moment.
Shared fruit and other shared eating will also be stopped for the time being.
School Attendance
We are urging parents to keep their children at home if they have any signs of illness.
We do not require medical certificates to explain any absences, however please notify the school if your child is absent.
Teachers have prepared extensive work booklets in preparation for any possible school closures and we are able to send them home now if needed, despite their being no official closures.
Currently we are suspending any attendance awards or celebrations as we do not want to encourage attendance at the expense of public health and the safety of our town and community.
We also urge families or children who may have higher risk of contracting illnesses at this time to carefully consider their situation when deciding on sending their children to school.
School gatherings
In line with the Prime Minister’s announcements this morning, and to implement as much social distancing at school as we possibly can, we will not be holding any assemblies, sports carnivals, after school sports events, ceremonies such as Anzac day, school masses, parent meetings or staff meetings until further notice.
Official school closures
Please be aware that there are very real possibilities of a school closure in the near future and we are asking that families be prepared in case this happens. Due to the unique needs of a remote community like Derby our town, and the pressures that an outbreak may cause on the regional health system please be prepared that there may be different directions announced for our school.
If you wish to discuss any of the above, to have work sent home for your child, or to notify the school of their absence, please feel free to email me at Yvette.clifton@cewa.edu.au or on my mobile on 0409 533 651.
We appreciate your cooperation and patience as our school community adjusts to the current situation.
Kind regards
Yvette Clifton