Term 1 Closure

On Saturday, March 28, the College Leadership made the proactive decision to close the College as a precautionary measure, for the final two weeks of Term 1, beginning Monday, March 30.

This is a measure we have decided to take, to safeguard the health and safety of every single person in our school community. A letter was sent to all parents outlining this decision, and further correspondence will be emailed in the days to follow.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this will cause. I trust that you will understand and appreciate this proactive and precautionary measure in the current environment.

Peter Thomson, Principal
Andrew Lock, Head of High School

Parent Letter, March 27, 2020

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As indicated yesterday, The Minister for Education, in conjunction with the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA), announced that the last four days of this term, prior to Easter, will be pupil free days.

The Federal and State Governments are keen to ensure that children of essential workers are able to physically attend school. Where no other care options are available to parents, students attending these four days are to be children of families in employment where there is no capacity to work from home, or where home may be a challenging environment for specific children. 

As we have been advised, during these last four days of Term 1 (April 6th – 9th), the College will not be continuing course curricula for any of our students. There will be an alternative program offered to students who attend school during this period. This time will be primarily used for staff to prepare additional online learning and alternative modes of curriculum delivery from the beginning of Term 2. 

In order to prepare, we ask that you inform the College via email or by calling Lara Webb (Enrolments) on 7221 3606, if your child will be attending these four days. Please do this by midday Tuesday, March 31st (Tuesday, Week 10). The four-day program will be confirmed once we are aware of the numbers attending. 

In addition, if your child will be attending school during these four days and would usually attend POSHC, please confirm your need for this service during that period of time. 

Parents and Caregivers of High School students,

As you are all aware, teaching and learning for many is going to look a little different in the coming months as Australia manages the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Further information on what Term 2 will look like for students will be provided in due course. 

In the meantime, please read the letter below, which outlines Considerations for Learning for High School students in Term 2, 2020.

Thank you for your continued support as we walk this journey in partnership.

Peter Thomson, Principal
Andrew Lock, Head of High School

Parent Letter, March 26, 2020

The Minister for Education has today announced that the last four days of this term, before Easter, will be pupil free days.

Both the Australian Government and the State Government have stated that they are keen to ensure that children of essential workers, where there is no capacity to work from home, or where home may be a challenging environment for that child, are able to physically attend school. 

The College Leadership have begun to discuss planning for those days and will send a letter home tomorrow with more information.

Peter Thomson, Principal
Andrew Lock, Head of High School

Parent Letter, March 24, 2020

Firstly, we want to acknowledge the difficult time that many of us are facing at the moment. Unprecedented is a word that has often been used, and there is no other way to describe the current situation.

Be assured that we as a school are doing as much as possible and practical to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, and to also ensure the education of our students continues as much as possible.

The State Government has advised that schools and pre-schools in South Australia will remain open until national health advice changes. At the time of writing, school holiday dates in South Australia have not changed (commencing Good Friday, 10 April and returning Tuesday, 28 April). The Prime Minister has indicated, however, that parents are able to keep their children home if they wish. He has also stressed to those parents who choose to keep their children home the importance of staying home and not mixing with other families or going to public places for non-essential reasons, and to take responsibility for ensuring their children continue with their learning. 

For Cedar College students currently self-isolating, it is expected that they keep up with their course requirements, as determined by their teachers. Teachers must prioritise the face to face learning that is happening at school, and whilst support can be provided to those at home, it will be at a limited level. The methods of learning are generally different for Primary School and High School, as has been previously communicated. 

 As mentioned, there are several things we have put in place to ensure a safe working and learning environment. For this to work effectively and to further ensure the health and safety of our students, staff and families, there are a number of things that we need your support in: 

• Ensure that you keep your child away from school if unwell. 
• Ensure that you keep your child away from school if they have been in contact with anyone who has, or is suspected of having COVID-19, or if they have any symptoms associated with COVID-19. Please inform us if this is the case. 
• If students are observed to be unwell at school by the nurse, they will need to be collected. 
• Aside from picking up and dropping off your children, please minimise the time you spend on campus (ideally for essential purposes only). 
• Classroom access is now only for Cedar employees and students. Please read this in conjunction with the Canvas communication sent today to the Junior Primary and Year 3 classes. 
• Please ensure you apply social distancing measures when on campus. This is not only recommended practice, but you are also role models for our students. Please don’t be offended if a staff member or a student requests you to do this! 
•  Please re-enforce the messages we are sending to our students, which are: 

1. If you are unwell, do not come to school. 
2. Wash hands regularly and thoroughly with soap, especially before eating and after going to the toilet. 
3. Turn away from others to sneeze or cough into a tissue, then put it in the bin and wash your hands. 
4. If you don’t have a tissue, turn away from others and cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow when you cough or sneeze. 
5. Practice social distancing as much as possible. This includes things like refraining from hugging, shaking hands or other unnecessary contact. 

As communicated previously, with the recent focus in the media of the impact of this outbreak on schools, we also understand that some students will be experiencing heightened anxiety. Our Cedar Care and student wellbeing support remains in place and can assist students as needed. As parents, you also play a vital role in your children’s wellbeing. We encourage you to talk to your children about any concerns they might have regarding this outbreak and how you as a family will respond. If you would like some guidance, there are some good resources on the Developing Minds website.

For Year 12 Students, the SACE Board has released an online video to explain their intent on supporting our students and staff going forward. They have assured us that no student will be disadvantaged as a result of the current situation. If you are a parent of a Year 12 student, please visit these links: SACE BOARD – Student Video   SACE BOARD – Parent Video

Thank you for your ongoing support – these times are difficult for us all. Do what you can to love and support those around you. This is a time to pray, to trust in God and to do the best we can in these circumstances. 

Andrew Lock , Head of High School
Nigel Austin, Upper Primary Co-ordinator 

Newsletter Update March 19, 2020

Our Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday morning (March 18) that there is now a ban on indoor meetings of more than 100 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 500.

Arrangements that reflect this directive were already in place at Cedar from the beginning of the week, so there is no further change required at this stage.

Blanket “do not travel” advice for all Australians has been announced, and all people entering the country are required to isolate for 14 days. It is particularly important that any child who has been in contact with individuals returning from overseas, or is feeling unwell in any way, not to return to school. Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said on Wednesday, “Don’t leave it to the teacher to work that out when they arrive, or the school administrator or whoever is on drop-off, make sure, if your child is unwell, that you are taking action to keep your child out of school”.

As you know, camps and excursions this term have been cancelled, which, of course, has resulted in great disappointment to our students. We will endeavour to arrange alternative activities, where appropriate, for students to enjoy later in the year. Our focus is on the best way forward, with your child’s health and education being our priority.

The recommendations by the Australian Government Department of Health and the World Health Organisation are the basis for the decisions we make. These recommendations are changing daily. Further updates can be accessed here: www.health.gov.au or www.health.gov.au/covid19-travellers or SA Health.

At present, Cedar College will continue to remain open unless the Government directs us otherwise. We believe that Cedar is a safe place with a supportive, kind and loving staff. Our staff includes everyone, from admin, groundskeepers, nurses and SSOs, through to teachers. We all have a role to play.

Mr Peter Thomson, Principal