News

Dear Kildare Families

Thank you so much for your support and understanding as we continue to prepare for the start of our College year.

Below is some information that has recently been provided by SA Health and Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) on how to manage cases of COVID-19 in Catholic Education South Australia schools, preschools and early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres from 31 January 2022. 

The new arrangements recognise the importance of providing quality education and care for our children and students while minimising the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Schools, preschools and ECEC centres will remain open if there is a case of COVID-19 under the new arrangements.

Parents and caregivers are a key part of the success of the plan and we request that you notify us immediately if your child tests positive to COVID-19.

If a student or teacher in your child’s class/room tests positive for COVID-19, they will be deemed a classroom contact and the following will occur:

• We will notify all parents in that class/room of the positive case
• All students and children without symptoms can continue attending school, preschool and childcare. No rapid antigen testing will be required.
• If your child develops any symptoms (even mild) please keep them home from school, preschool, childcare and get a COVID-19 test.

Any student who has worked 1:1 with a COVID positive ESO (for more than 15mins, indoors, in close proximity and where face masks are not able to be worn) will be asked to complete 7 days of ‘test to stay’ rapid antigen testing each morning before attending school, preschool or childcare. We will provide you with the testing kits at no charge. Students that test positive must not attend school, preschool or childcare.

Alternatively, if you don’t want your child to complete the 7-day testing, they can quarantine for 7 days. During this time, where feasible, we will provide access to learning resources for your child.  In addition to this, the Department for Education is developing online learning resources to be accessible to all students in Reception to Year 10 that can be self-served during any period of quarantine.

The Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) has recommended that classroom contacts should avoid the following between days 1 to 7 of exposure:

• Attendance at OSHC where possible
• Attending extra-curricular-based activities for 7 days (such as camps, excursions, interschool sport, combined choir etc – noting most of these activities have been temporarily suspended until Week 5).

An infographic showing the specific Testing Isolating and Quarantine for School Settings is shown on page 3.

Our staff will also undergo 7 days of ‘test to stay’ rapid antigen testing in the event that they are in a classroom with a student or colleague who tests positive.

It’s vitally important that you please:

• keep your child/children home if they are:
  • unwell
  • experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms
  • any other member of the household has COVID-19
  • they are a close contact for a person who has COVID-19 and are required to quarantine

• notify us asap if your child/ren tests positive for COVID-19
• let your child know that they will be required to wear a face mask while indoors at school if they are in Years 7 to 12 (and indoor mask wearing is also strongly recommended for children in Years 3-6).

These new settings will be in place until the end of Week 4 of Term 1. However, with the rapidly changing nature of the pandemic, this may be reviewed or changed if and when needed. As always, we must remain flexible and responsive.

I understand you may have a lot of questions about this information. We’ll continue to provide you information as soon as we have it.

Thank you for your understanding and support in implementing these temporary measures as we continue to adjust to this rapidly changing pandemic.

If you have any immediate queries in relation to this correspondence, please let me know.

Best wishes always

Tina Neate
Principal