We have been monitoring the exponential rise in COVID-19 infections in our country with great concern. We have noticed through communication received by the school over the past two weeks that the number of infections in our own community is rising steadily.
We have procedures in place to protect our learners and these have been very effective. We also have a risk- assessment strategy in place that guides us in terms of the actions we need to implement should the volume of infections in our community threaten to overwhelm us. We were informed today that both a learner and a staff member in our Intersen Phase are COVID-19 positive. The staff member and learner are currently self- isolating. Having assessed the potential risk these infections pose to our other learners and staff in the Intersen Phase, as well as in the Foundation Phase, the management of the school has decided to implement the following course of action:
- Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7 and the LSEN class are closed with immediate effect. Please do not send your children to school on Wednesday 15 July 2020.
- We have been in contact with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Department of Health. We have invited an inspector from the Department of Health to visit our premises tomorrow to assess the risk and advise when it will be safe for our learners to return to school.
- Children in the above-mentioned Grades must remain at home until they receive clearance from the school to return. Please be advised that this could take several days.
- Our Pre-primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2 learners may attend school tomorrow as their facilities are not affected by the above-mentioned infections. However, parents/guardians of our Pre-primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2 learners who feel their children may be at risk, considering the current circumstance, are welcome to keep their children at home from tomorrow onwards, should they prefer to do so.
- The school will be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and fogged whilst our children are away.
- Please monitor your child for any symptoms of COVID-19 and seek medical assistance if any of the following symptoms appear: Fever, Dry Cough, Sore Throat, Shortness of Breath, Sore Stomach
- Online teaching is available on ClassDojo
Please be advised that these measures are purely precautionary and have been taken because it is impossible to track the pattern and path of COVID-19. We believe that the risk to the above-mentioned Grades/LSEN is extremely small but we prefer to err on the side of caution when dealing with such a pervasive virus.
We appeal to you not to be anxious. We are in no way surprised by this development. The most important consideration is that we were prepared for this eventuality and we are committed to keeping our learners and staff members safe. Due to the procedures in place in the classrooms, close contact is not permitted between learners, as well as between learners and staff members, which significantly reduces the risk of transmission.
We have followed all protocols related to the reporting and management of COVID-19 in this instance and the NICD guidance is very specific, in that children need to be isolated and observed for symptoms. This does of course not preclude you from having your child tested, should you consider this necessary. Please contact the school at should you require further information.
Learners doing Home Education
Please note that the book collection for home learners, scheduled for Thursday 16 July from 3pm to 5pm, has been postponed as a result of this development. We will advise of a new date for collections once we have been given clearance by the Department of Health.
We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this regard.
Yours sincerely
Mr D. Tarr Principal
