Congratulations - Staff Baby News

We would like to congratulate Mrs Carly Reeves and Mrs Megan Fraser and their families on the recent birth of their beautiful baby girls.  Both mums and babies are doing well!

ACT RAT DISTRIBUTION CHANGES IN CECG SCHOOLS AND ELCS

The ACT Government is making some changes to the way rapid antigen tests (RATs) are distributed to ACT school communities for the remainder of Term 1.

For the first eight weeks of Term 1, all school staff and students were given two free RATs per week. RATs will continue to be available through schools but will be provided to staff and students on an as-needed basis - or in response to increased cases reported in a school. Early Learning Centre staff will also have continued access to RATs under the same distribution arrangements.

This change will ensure school communities continue to have access to government-funded RATs, which is one of the measures that has supported a safe return to on-campus learning at ACT schools in 2022.

The RATs from the ACT Government will be delivered to the CE in Manuka initially then to schools as required. 

RATs will continue to be available through our school but will be provided to staff and students on an as-needed basis - or in response to increased cases as necessary. If you require additional RATs please contact the school office, via email if you require a RAT Kit sent home with your child. 

SMART Watches at School

This week the teachers have raised the issue of the number of children communicating with parents, via their Smartwatches, during the school day.  As with all social media, children should not be encouraged to use their smartwatches at school.  All communication to a child should come via the office, prior to school dismissal.  Children should also be asked to share concerns with their class teacher or a member of the leadership team so problems can be dealt with immediately at school. Thank you for your support.

COVID Reminders 

All families should

• Continue to monitor for symptoms. Get a COVID-19 test if you or your child  develop any symptoms and isolate until you or your child receive a negative result.  You can check the symptoms of COVID-19 here.
• If you or your child has symptoms and tests negative on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), please take a PCR test.  If the PCR test is positive, you should follow the guidance for people with COVID-19.  Please also remember to report any positive test to the MTS covid email covid.motherteresa@cg.catholic.edu.au.  If the PCR test is negative, then students can return to school when well and do not have any symptoms.
• A child can continue to attend school if they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms. We remind families that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 must not attend school.

Students absent for 25 Days or More

Families electing to take holidays for more than 25 school days must complete an "Application for Exemption from Attendance or Enrolment" form, which is available from the office and seek formal permission from the Principal.  This is a legal requirement as parents are required to carry the letter of authority when travelling.

Fees

A reminder that school fees were due last week unless paying via regular instalments.  If you have not already done so, could you please contact the office to arrange payment or discuss any concerns meeting the school fee payment. Fee statements were sent out during the week so families should check their current status.

Sincere apologies to those families who had settled their accounts and received the communication.  Unfortunately, our system automatically sends a reminder to all families.  

Compass Updates

There has been a recent update to the Compass Parent Portal which has resulted in some families being unable to locate the "Absentee Note" when needing to complete this for a student who is not at school.  You can now find the absentee note through the "Shortcuts" button located in the middle at the bottom of the home screen.

Stranger Danger

This is a reminder to parents to talk to your children about stranger danger, especially if they walk to and from school. I was notified today, from a neighbouring primary school, that two of their students were aware of a white van following slowly behind them while walking to school together. The students are safe and the incident has been reported to ACT Policing.

Please have a conversation with your child/ren about moving safely around the community and what to do if they ever feel unsafe. You may wish to visit the AFP website section on Child Safety for tips. In addition, Safety4Kids is a non-government website that has useful information and links.

Working With Vulnerable People Cards

A reminder that any visitor or volunteer (when we are able to have volunteers back on site) must carry a valid ACT Working With Vulnerable People Card.  This is available from Access Canberra and is free for all volunteers.  It is also a reminder for those who have a card to check the expiry date and action a renewal if needed. A copy of cards must be maintained at the front office. Both sides of the card must be provided. 

Mandatory Face Masks 

As restrictions have eased with the wearing of face masks throughout some settings in the ACT, unfortunately, schools are not included in this category.  All parents & visitors to schools must still wear a face mask whilst on school grounds or when entering the school office.   Thank you for your co-operation with this.

Canteen News

The canteen will be open for online lunch orders in Week 9.  Please note that students from Years 4 to 6 will collect their lunch orders at 10:20am, while Kindergarten to Year 3 will collect theirs from 11:00am. 

There are still no over-the-counter sales at this stage.

God Bless

Carmel Maguire