COVID-19 Update as at Wednesday 25 March
Dear Students and Families,
Following the Prime Ministers' latest advice, schools will remain open, however, families can choose to have their children at home for the remainder of Term 1, 2020.
Importantly, the Chief Minister stressed that, if you choose to take this decision, students must be at home. They are not permitted to be at any other location. If they can’t be at home or with parents/carers, please send them to school.
Our primary focus is ensuring that we continue to provide education in a safe environment. This includes an increased focus on practising good hygiene in our school and supporting students and staff who may be feeling anxious about the current situation.
We are receiving regular and ongoing advice from the Australian Government and the NT Health Officer in regards to COVID-19 and making the necessary preparations to act on that advice.
If this advice changes, we will communicate with families and community via Compass and email.
Please be mindful that staff are still teaching all of their classes face-to-face and the majority of our students are still attending school.
Darwin High School has an expectation that students who are self- isolating will continue to engage with the learning requirements of each subject.
Student process for working from home (while the school remains open):
- Parent/Carer to notify the school their child is not attending via Compass or by phoning 8999 1222.
- Check Compass in the lesson plan section and the resources section in each subject profile.
- If work cannot be found in Compass, students are encouraged to contact the class teacher via email and teacher will respond as soon as they are able.
General Advice:
- Practice good hygiene:
- Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottle to use at school
- Wash hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water before and after eating, after going to the bathroom and as often as possible
- Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneeze into the elbow
- Avoid touching faces
- Limit physical contact when greeting people and practice social distancing of 1.5M wherever possible i.e. at recess and lunch
- Avoid contact sports and social group activities i.e. basketball/football/soccer
Do I have to send my child to school?
Following the Prime Minister's latest advice, schools will remain open however families can choose to have their children at home for the remainder of Term 1, 2020.
Students are welcomed to school as normal unless they have:
- flu-like systems, a fever or ongoing cough (or otherwise sick)
- just arrived in Australia OR returned to the Northern Territory as of 4 pm Tuesday 24.03.20 and have to self-isolate for 14 days or
- been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19
Preparing for a school closure (should the NT Government decide to do this):
- Any students who DO NOT have access to the internet and a computer/laptop at home must notify their Year Level Coordinator ASAP so that alternatives can be provided should the school close.
- Students are being reminded to be prepared, ensure they have subject textbooks and take home work/assessments, textbooks and devices on a daily basis so they can continue to work from home.
- Darwin High School is working on operationalising our school’s pandemic plan, which provides us with direction in regards to how to respond in the event of a temporary school closure.
For the latest information from to the Australian Government Department of Health website: https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov
You can also contact the National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.
Please see the following advice provided by the SACE Board
https://youtu.be/pR6mgatlbgU
We will continue to keep you informed with updates via Compass and email.
If you have any specific questions or concerns related to your child’s individual situation, please do not hesitate to contact the school on 8999 1222.