Latest news: COVID-19

Dear Parent or Carer

Thankfully, it has been several months since we last had reason to communicate with the entire College community about COVID-19. We are grateful that our girls, staff and families continue to be vigilant in observing the health and safety guidelines we have had in place for the last two terms, as this has enabled our campus to remain open for face-to-face learning and kept our Pymble family safe. Thank you for your ongoing care and understanding.

With the Christmas/New Year holidays approaching, it is timely to remind our community that bans and restrictions still exist in terms of overseas and interstate travel, and that it is each family’s responsibility to ensure their daughter is able to attend school in person on the first day of Term 1, which is Thursday 28 January 2021.

If your daughter travels overseas or to a restricted state during the break, please ensure her mandatory 14-day quarantine period upon her return to Sydney is completed prior to Thursday 28 January 2021, as all students are expected to attend school on this day.

Please note the College will not be offering online learning to students who travel during the break and are unable to return to campus on Thursday 28 January due to quarantine, flight cancellations or updated travel restrictions.

Given the unpredictability of new COVID-19 outbreaks and consequent bans or restrictions, we strongly recommend that students avoid travelling overseas during the break.

Click here to access the latest official advice for interstate and international travel, including mandatory quarantine.

Other helpful links include:

• International travel
• Interstate travel
• Quarantine

We are really feeling for our families who have been separated from their loved ones for an extended period of time and who would normally travel internationally to be reunited during the Christmas/New Year break. We understand this is a challenging situation you find yourselves in.

If this applies to you, please let us know by filling in this form by Monday 9 November so we can best support you during this time. If your family is intending to travel overseas, please also let us know by completing the same short form above.

Our experience with our current families who are Australian citizens stuck overseas is that flights are regularly cancelled, and it is proving incredibly difficult to return to Australia, which is why I am writing to you at this time.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support to ensure the health and safety of our Pymble family.

Kind regards

Dr Kate Hadwen
Principal
Pymble Ladies’ College
Avon Road, Pymble NSW 2073
T: +61 2 9855 7799
www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Dear Parent or Carer

Hopefully you and your family are enjoying some rest and relaxation over this winter holiday break.

As you will likely be aware, sadly the COVID-19 cases have increased in Victoria in recent days and as such, the border between NSW and Victoria is now restricted. Some Pymble families may have travelled to or have plans to travel to Victoria during the three-week break. Please see below important information regarding the self-isolation requirements now in place (COVID-19 Border Control Order 2020).

Any person who has been in Victoria within the last 14 days and is already in NSW, or has arrived/arrives in NSW on or after 12.01am on Wednesday 8 July, must self-isolate for a 14-day period.

There are only limited reasons a person in self-isolation can leave their home, including obtaining medical care, complying with legal obligations, providing an essential service, in an emergency or to leave NSW.

Under the order you cannot go:

• to work, unless providing an essential service and you should check whether your employer has additional requirements around work attendance
• to school
• to childcare
• to recreation facilities
• to public areas
• sightseeing
• shopping
• to visit other people.

The health of our Pymble community is our utmost concern; we ask that families reconsider any travel to Victoria as it will impact on your daughter’s ability to attend the campus at the commencement of Term 3.

If your daughter or a member of your household is diagnosed with COVID-19, please email health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au as soon as practicable.

We appreciate your support to ensure the ongoing health and safety of our Pymble family.

Stay well

Dr Kate Hadwen
Principal
Pymble Ladies’ College
Avon Road, Pymble NSW 2073
T: +61 2 9855 7799
www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Please click here to read our Return to Campus Plan, which contains extremely important information and videos for students and parents.

We ask that all families read this guide carefully and adhere to the guidelines we have put in place to help keep our community safe.

Great news! Our College Council, staff and I are delighted to let you know that we are now in a position to bring forward our staged Return to Campus plan to commence in Week 3 of Term 2. We are so excited to have the girls gradually return to Pymble from next week, which is two weeks earlier than previously anticipated. As you would appreciate, the situation is more complex for Boarders and our Director of Boarding, Mrs Carolyn Burgess, continues to communicate with families about their Return to Boarding plan.

As you know from our response to every new stage and development of the COVID-19 pandemic, every decision we make is based on the very best interests of our Pymble family.

NSW has done a great job of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and there is a growing sense of safety and security which has led to a gradual loosening of restrictions in the state. We now feel it is safe for our girls and staff to return to campus and this belief is supported by our College Council and leadership team.

Fortunately, we had our detailed weekly Return to Campus Safety plan already well-developed for this moment. This plan will simply be brought forward, with a few alterations. As part of our Safety plan, we also encourage all staff and students to download the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app.

The table below lists the day(s) scheduled for your daughter(s) to be on campus in Week 3; on all other non-campus days in Week 3 your daughter(s) will continue learning at home via Pymble Online. From Week 4, all students will return to campus full-time.

Please note the following key points:

Week 3 (w/c Monday 11 May)

• Year 12 girls return to campus full-time for learning via Pymble Online on Monday and Tuesday.Face-to-face learning for Year 12 resumes on Wednesday.
• Year 11 girls attend campus on Thursday and Friday for face-to-face learning.
• Kindergarten to Year 10 girls attend campus for face-to-face learning for one allocated day(see table below).
• All bus services will resume from Week 3.
• Dress code for Kindergarten to Year 6 is PE uniform for Monday to Thursday and mufti on Friday.
• Dress code for Years 7 to 12 is full winter uniform Monday to Thursday and mufti on Friday.

From Week 4 (w/c Monday 18 May)

• All year groups, Kindergarten to Year 12, back on campus full-time for face-to-face learning.
• Dress code as above.

Important: We are anticipating the vast majority of students will return to campus on their allocated day(s). We ask all parents to fill in this online attendance form by midday on Friday 8 May.

Please also note the following important information for your daughter’s return to campus, which was outlined in my last letter:

• Pack light – the locker areas will be closed for at least the next two weeks, which means girls in Years 7 to 12 will need to take their bags with them from class to class.
• Bring enough food and water – we would prefer not to have lengthy lines near food service outlets.
• Communicate with us – in order for the College to provide the best learning experience for your daughter, please let us know if she is not intending to attend school by filling in the online attendance form (above).
• Keep your daughter home if she is unwell – the College will immediately request for your daughter to be collected should she present to school unwell.
• Check the College has the right contact details for you and that your daughter’s health plan (if she has one) is up to date.

Thank you for your flexibility and for the trust you have demonstrated in us as we navigate carefully and thoughtfully through these challenging times. My thoughts are very much with our counterparts around the world who are welcoming back students under very different circumstances to ours.

We look forward to seeing your beautiful daughter(s) back at Pymble next week.

The purpose of this communication is to provide you with a high-level overview of our Return to Campus Plan. I realise this is a vexed issue surrounded by strong sentiment; some feel we should all return to campus immediately and others feel next term would be better. I would like to thank you for the kindness you continue to demonstrate as we work our way through what has been a difficult time for everyone.

We have structured our Return to Campus Plan so we can slowly integrate students and learn from each week what went well along with what we can do better. By first bringing back the Year 12 girls, followed by Year 11 girls, we will have an opportunity to try things out and see what needs to be refined. I worry about having too many girls on campus too quickly for many reasons, including the risk posed by large numbers of girls travelling to campus on trains and buses.

Return to Campus Plan

Naturally, this plan is highly likely to change based on any number of factors. Reading tea leaves might be more accurate in the current conditions! The table below summarises what is essentially quite a complex and large spreadsheet into something that is easy to read. Each Head of School will update families with more details closer to the time when your daughter(s) begins the reintegration back into
campus life.

As much as is feasibly possible, we have tried to accommodate for siblings and twins. Apologies in advance to our families for whom this schedule means your daughters are attending on different days of the week. Please believe me when I say we have done our best to take into account as many factors as possible to help our Pymble families.

Pymble Online will be consistently available to all girls during Term 2 for those who cannot return to campus.

Important tips for your daughter’s return to campus

1. Pack light – the locker areas will be closed in Term 2, which means girls in Years 7 to 12 will need to take their bags with them from class to class.

2. Bring enough food and water – all food services will be closed for Weeks 1 to 3. After this time, we would prefer not to have lengthy lines near food service outlets.

3. Communicate with us – in order for the College to provide the best learning experience for your daughter, please let us know if she is not intending to attend school on her designated day.

4. Keep your daughter home if she is unwell – the College will immediately request for your daughter to be collected should she present to school unwell.

5. Check the College has the right contact details for you and that your daughter’s health plan (if she has one) is up-to-date.

Your daughter’s wellbeing is our priority

Please find below a list of some of the measures the College is implementing:
• Separate quarantine area for students who present as unwell with COVID-19 symptoms and who are awaiting immediate collection from a family member.
• Sanitising stations at Sufferance Path for girls arriving from the train (from Week 3).
• Sanitising stations at the bus stop (from Week 3).
• Students travelling by public transport encouraged to wear masks and gloves (as is the case in many European countries and New Zealand as schools return to campus learning).
• Desks to be separated where possible in classes, including the use of double classrooms.
• Girls will be required to sit at the same desk in each of their classes.
• Students assigned designated year group indoor and outdoor gathering areas.
• Staff spread across the campus to avoid large numbers of staff working from the one office space.
• All staff meetings to take place online.
• All group meetings of larger than one classroom group will be conducted through Microsoft Teams.
• No excursions until further notice.
• Hand sanitiser in classrooms, offices, bathrooms and other areas around the campus.
• Cleaning conducted three times per day on all high-touch surfaces, and daily cleaning and
disinfecting of each room.
• Deep cleaning of site each Wednesday and Friday afternoon from Week 2.
• Personal protective equipment pack to be distributed to each staff member.
• Hygiene signs placed around the campus.
• Water fountains turned off (water bottle filling stations remain on).
• Reduced school community contact with high-touch surfaces, by leaving light switches on and keeping classroom doors and school entrance doors open during school hours.
• Staff will be encouraged to conduct lessons outdoors where possible and improve ventilation with outside air by opening windows in enclosed spaces.

What happens if a student or staff member contracts COVID-19?

It is likely in this event that the school will close for two days while the Department of Health conducts its contact tracing and we engage experts to deep clean the premises. Learning will continue through Pymble Online. One of the Top Tips for getting through the term is to pack light! It’s likely we might be in and out of campus depending on what transpires.

Finally, a big heartfelt thank you…

In the context of these recent challenges, I wanted to thank you our loyal Pymble families for your heartfelt messages of support and faith in our school and in the decisions that we are making on your behalf. You may be concerned about what the future holds and I understand that, as these are uncertain times, but I’d like to share with you what I’ve experienced.

I have been inspired by the way our families have gone above and beyond to care for our students, staff and each other. How, even when your daughter(s) are learning remotely, you continue to ask, “What more can I do to help each other, our girls and our school?” How you have sent messages and videos of thanks and encouragement for the wonderful teaching your daughter(s) has continued to receive, along with thanks for the care and support given to you and your families.

During these difficult times, we are working hard to ensure that once we return to campus, we will have in place all appropriate measures to protect your daughter(s), our staff and more broadly, our Pymble families.

We’re taking our time, as best we can, to make sure we do things right. As you can appreciate, the one assured thing is that the plan will most likely change. I understand we all thrive on certainty and I want you to know we are doing our very best to provide you with as much notice about changes afoot as we possibly can.

As we approach the end of the school holidays – and with the constant stream of reporting in the media about the return to school in Term 2 across our country – I wanted to update you on our current plan regarding Term 2 at Pymble.

While we will always have regard for the statements of the NSW Premier insofar as they affect state schools, as an independent school, Pymble will continue to make decisions in the best interests of our girls, staff and our Pymble families.

Naturally, we want nothing more than to have our girls back on our campus enjoying all our wonderful facilities. As Term 2 unfolds, we will continue to work purposefully and proactively towards the resumption of on-campus learning. This includes continuing to seek the guidance and advice of medical experts to develop plans and refine time frames which identify, manage and mitigate the risks unique to our context and relevant to our students, staff and wider school community. Until then, we are well-positioned to continue to provide excellent education via Pymble Online.

With that in mind, the College will enact its Staged Return to Campus Plan as soon as we feel it is safe to do so. Whilst we will begin Term 2 with an extremely limited number of girls on campus, we anticipate that our staged reintroduction of girls onto the campus will commence later this term.

Start of Term 2 arrangements

Term 2 will commence on Tuesday 28 April. Teaching and learning will be available via Pymble Online so that all students and staff can continue their learning and teaching safely and equitably.

We will continue to comply with Government advice to keep our campus open to support daughters of parents working in essential services. Should you require on-campus supervision for your child, please complete this form by midday on Friday 24 April.

After-school care will be available for the daughters of those working in essential services in Kindergarten to Year 6, who are on campus from Tuesday 28 April. Please refer to separate communication sent from our Out of School Hours Care Co-ordinator.

Girls coming to campus will be expected to exercise social distancing implemented by the College and comply with all directions of the College in this regard. We would be grateful for the support of all parents in reiterating the importance of social distancing prior to your daughter accessing campus.

Students attending campus under these arrangements and their families must continue to follow all Government guidelines and advice. If a student or a member of the student’s household is at a greater risk of a more serious illness if they are infected with COVID-19 (e.g. because of an underlying medical condition or age), then we strongly encourage you to consider whether a return to campus is appropriate. If your daughter may be in this category please contact our Dean of Students, Ms Lamia Rockwell, to further discuss this matter.

Year 12 girls

Our Year 12 Day students and Boarders are at the forefront of our thinking as we work to ensure they have every opportunity to achieve the outcome they deserve in their final year of schooling with us. We have communicated separately to our Year 12 girls and families.

Boarding

Due to the heightened risk of group accommodation, sadly the Boarding Houses will remain closed for Term 2. Following this letter, more information will be sent from our Director of Boarding, Mrs Carolyn Burgess, to our Boarding families.

Timetables for Term 2

We are incredibly proud of Pymble Online and our staff and girls are to be warmly congratulated on working hard to make this such a success. We have used survey feedback on Term 1 from 808 girls in Years 5 to 12 to assist us in making decisions regarding Pymble Online in Term 2. Over 80 per cent of respondents reported we had the lesson length and number of periods right for them; in general terms, the remaining 20 per cent felt either it was too much or too little.

Your daughter’s Head of School will email you shortly with information about her timetable, which will start in Week 1 of Term 2. The revised timetable takes into account feedback from students, parents and staff.

Food services on campus

All food service outlets will remain closed as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of COVID-19. Any students who are learning onsite should bring their own recess, lunch and enough water for the day.

Co-curricular Sport and Activities

All online Sport and Activities will continue as per the end of Term 1. There will be no IGSSA or IPSHA Sport for Term 2. An update on co-curricular activities will be issued by our Deputy Principal, Mrs Julie Shaw.

Wellbeing of your daughter

We are missing our girls terribly and know they are missing their friends too. The Wellbeing team will continue to connect with your daughter(s) on a regular basis. Please help us care for your daughter by letting us know as soon as possible if she needs a little TLC (tender loving care). You are always welcome to contact our Dean of Students, Ms Lamia Rockwell, or any of our Wellbeing team should you have any concerns.

Thank you for trusting us

Given that the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve every hour of every day, it’s impossible to answer all the questions you may have right now. Please be assured that we will continue to monitor, consult, seek feedback and plan, plan, and plan some more, for every possible eventuality while keeping you informed along the way.

While the world remains in a state of flux you can be confident that, whatever happens, we will have a well-informed and considered response that represents the best interests of our Pymble family and our wider community. That’s what we do as custodians of our girls, staff and our Pymble family more broadly.

Our College values of Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility will be our guiding lights, as always. Thank you for keeping these values in your heart through these most challenging times.

We will be in touch again soon.

Until then, stay well.

Dr Kate Hadwen and Mr James Hunter
Principal and Chair of College Council

Frequently Asked Questions about Online Learning

At the moment it must feel like I’m communicating with you every five minutes! Please accept my sincere thanks for your willingness to support the College as we navigate our way through these very uncertain times.

As you will know, from my previous communications to you, we have been taking advice from those in senior governmental positions and I have also received an inbox full of emails from concerned members of our medical fraternity, many of whom have already withdrawn their children from our campus to continue their learning remotely.

We have seen a variety of responses to the international outbreak of COVID-19, ranging from mild concern to the almost full-scale panic we have witnessed in shopping centres in the past week. We understand and respect other sectors and organisations will make different decisions based on their own needs. The job of the College is to make decisions in the best interests of our girls, staff and Pymble family. As parents, you have elected to educate your daughter in an independent school, in part based on those very principles. Pymble is now choosing to utilise the flexibility we have to make decisions in the best interests of our community.

At our College Council meeting last night, the decision was taken to move Pymble to a fully online learning environment, beginning at 9.25am Thursday 19 March.

Please note that Pymble has NOT had a positive case of COVID-19. We continue to have a number of our staff and students being tested and awaiting results. We feel it’s only a matter of time before someone returns a positive test, hence the need to take decisive action to ensure we can plan carefully and proactively roll out our full online learning program.

What does this mean for your daughter?

1. Our preference is that your daughter continues her studies at home from 9.25am Thursday morning.

2. However, our campus will remain open. This decision takes on board feedback from the government, which is concerned that closing our school could result in healthcare workers and others on the frontline being unable to attend work due to the need to stay home and care for their children.

3. Girls who do need to come to school on Thursday and Friday will also be learning online, with staff here to support them. To minimise the risk of transmission, our girls will stay in class groups in one space rather than moving between classrooms.

4. Our staff will remain on campus for the time being, although some may need to work from home (joining those who currently are working remotely).

5. Rolls will be marked online and on-campus, and the normal absentee process will continue to be in place; attendance at lessons during school hours is compulsory. Our preference is for you to email, rather than phone, the relevant School Office to report your daughter’s absence.

6. At this point, all on-campus and off-campus College events have been deferred or cancelled until further notice.

Questions

I’m sure you’ll have many questions running through your mind. A list of FAQs will be uploaded to this webpage on Friday. We will continue to refine and update these as the situation evolves. Should you have specific questions you would like answered, please email them to health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

In the meantime, here are some practical things you need to know:

The plan for this week

It is important that all girls come to school on Wednesday so we can complete their familiarisation with online learning and brief them for the first few days of working remotely.

Today and tomorrow, we will be working to our current timetable, albeit with minor modifications so I can speak with staff and students and answer any questions. We will also run an online assembly for girls in Years 3 to 12 today at 12.35pm.

On Thursday and Friday (when we prefer your daughter to be at home, learning online) we will be running a three-period day for girls; the girls will be given this detail in class today and tomorrow. This structure is designed to support excellence in online learning, allowing our teachers to sharpen their online practices and our students to have a balance of screen time in their day. Our students will start their learning at 9.25am and conclude at 2.45pm for Preparatory School, 3.00pm for Junior School and 3.15pm for Secondary School.

For Preparatory girls, click on this link for further details about their day.

Each Friday afternoon, starting this week, your daughter will be provided with a plan for the week ahead.

Dress code for online learning is mufti

Your daughter does not need to wear her uniform for online learning. As our lovely Head of the Student Representative Council explained to the girls in our very first Teams assembly, girls will be expected to wear appropriate attire, similar to what they would wear on mufti days. We might even have special dress up days; for example, the Junior School will host online Harmony Day on Monday 23 March and we are already looking forward to seeing the photos.

Normal behavioural expectations apply

The same behavioural expectations for our girls will continue to apply while they work remotely. The girls have been reminded of these guidelines this week. The College has also developed Protocols for Online Learning that reference key documents such as our Student Code of Behaviour and the Technology Code of Use.

Please click here to read and acknowledge our protocols for online learning by 5.00pm Friday 20 March.

Technical issues

Please ask your daughter to contact IT for any support she requires via email on helpdesk@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or by calling (02) 9855 7771. If your daughter has a laptop issue, you or she can visit the Hub where we can work to solve any issues that arise.

Learning Discussions for Years 11, 7 and Preparatory School

Learning discussions have been postponed and will now occur via Microsoft Teams during the day on Monday and Tuesday in Week 11. More information will be sent to the relevant year groups closer to the time.

Co-curricular Sport and Activities

IGSSA has advised us that Saturday Sport has been cancelled for the rest of Term1. Our staff is considering all other sports and activities on a case-by-case basis. We are also working through a range of alternatives, from online dance lessons to speech and drama voice exercises and fitness activities. We will be in touch with more details shortly.

Peripatetic Music lessons

Music tutoring will move online, and peripatetic staff will leverage off our Teams platform. Peripatetic Music teachers will be required to record all lessons.

At-home childcare

Pymble has a small army of casual staff available, all of whom have experience working with our girls and Working with Children clearances. If you are looking for someone to care for your child at home, please contact childcare@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au and we will email you contact details of our casual staff to enable you to make childcare arrangements independent of the College, if required.

Term 1 holidays

We have made the decision to end the term a few days earlier than scheduled. The College will break for Easter holidays on Friday 3 April 2020. Our staff will have the opportunity to come together on the first two days of Week 11 to prepare for Term 2.

Term 2

At this stage, we don’t know exactly what Term 2 will look like for us. It’s fair to say that the information provided to the College indicates we may be continuing with online learning for some time.

In conclusion

As I write this, our girls are running up and down the stairs as part of training for athletics; the thought of not having them on campus is tough. The laughter, joy, challenge and warmth they bring with them each day is uplifting. These are difficult times, and this is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. Weighing up the evidence and leaning on the guidance and knowledge of our Executive team, Heads of Learning areas and Council has been crucial in coming to this conclusion. We all feel that moving to online learning is in the best interests of our Pymble family.

We have truly incredible staff here at Pymble. I am enormously proud of the way our team has pulled together to ensure they are well prepared for online learning. All of this has been accomplished while they continue to teach their classes, set and mark assessments, do lunch duties and care for their own families.

At the forefront of my mind is the disruption experienced by our girls this year. There are many experiences and opportunities that are now on hold, such as trips and tours, exchanges and sporting activities, including Nationals swimming and rowing and Tildesley Tennis to name a few. I feel for our Year 12 girls for whom these changes are yet another challenge to manage; rest assured we continue to work with and support all our girls. Like all challenging times, this too will pass; there will be other opportunities ahead.

Together, let’s give our girls a sense of hope about the future. Research has shown hope is critical to so many other positive outcomes, including academic achievement. Team Pymble is keen to ensure our girls feel that sense of hope. Our wellbeing team, together with all our staff at Pymble, will continue to provide the love and care they do for our girls through Teams chats or phone conversations.

To flip the conversation a little, these changes also bring exciting opportunities. We are very conscious of not having girls sitting in front of screens for too long and keeping them connected to each other and to us. Our amazing staff have lots of fun new initiatives planned, such as Olivia Newton-John ‘Let’s get physical’-style exercise clips (for those of us who are old enough to remember ONJ!), recorded meditations and high-impact academic tutorials. We are also genuinely excited to be in a position to give our girls the opportunity to replicate the modern workplace by working remotely. Agility is a highly valued skill in future employees, and we genuinely believe this can be a wonderful way to support the development of these skills for all Pymble girls.

Finally, the best times for us as educators are when our campus is alive, our girls are all here, co-curricular is in full swing and the hustle and bustle of school life, with all its face-to-face interactions, takes centre stage. While the leadership team of Executive, Heads of Learning Areas and our Council are aligned that this is the best decision for Pymble right now, we look forward to returning to the joy of a vibrant campus as soon as is safe and practicable.

Stay well.

Dr Kate Hadwen
Principal

Mr James Hunter
Chair of College Council

Yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the best possible approach for students, staff and the broader community at this time is for schools to remain open as the country responds to COVID-19.

Following the announcement, several schools, including ours, spoke via teleconference with The Hon. Brad Hazzard MP – Minister for Health; The Hon. Sarah Mitchell MLC, Minister for Education; Dr Kerry Chant PSM – NSW Chief Health Officer; Mark Scott – Secretary, NSW Department of Education; and Elizabeth Koff – Secretary, NSW Health.

Please click here to read the advice to schools from Dr Kerry Chant PSM, the NSW Chief Health Officer, following this meeting.

Accordingly, we will be following the advice of experts and the College will continue to operate as normal at this stage.

This differs for our Boarding community, and Boarding families have received separate communications in addition to this.

The situation is rapidly evolving, and our position would change if we were to have a student or staff member test positive for COVID-19, or if advice were to be updated based on national or international experiences.

As you are aware, the College is well-prepared for online learning. If we were to close our campus, students will be expected to follow the normal school timetable for their learning; rolls will be marked online, and absences will be followed up with our usual processes. Our Wellbeing staff will continue to care for the needs of our girls through Microsoft Teams chats and phone calls.

We recognise this time is very difficult for all within our community. In particular, I am feeling for our Year 12 students and for those girls for whom events have been cancelled. Please know we are all here to support and care for your daughter.

Thank you for your ongoing support in this, a challenging and unprecedented time for everyone.

The World Health Organisation has recently declared the COVID-19 a pandemic.

To date, we have not been advised of a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the Pymble community.

If your daughter is diagnosed with COVID-19, please phone 0407 022 607 as soon as practicable.

The elevation to pandemic status has prompted us to upgrade our prevention advice from ‘Low’ to ‘Moderate’, effective as of Monday 16 March. This means extra advice for students, staff and families to follow, in addition to our previous advice.

Upgraded Travel Advice

The Department of Health has changed their COVID-19: Countries and regions considered to pose a risk of transmission to include the following ‘Higher Risk’ countries:

• Mainland China
• Iran
• Italy
• South Korea

• Any person who has close contact with a person who has travelled to or transits through the above countries must self-quarantine for 14 days after being in contact with that person.
• Any person who has been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 must self-quarantine as outlined above and notify the school (health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au).
• Any person who has been in contact with a person with suspected case of COVID-19 must self-quarantine as outlined above and notify the school. If you find out that the suspected case has tested negative to COVID-19, you can return to the College prior to the 14 days.

In addition, the list of countries classified as ‘Moderate Risk’ has been upgraded to include:

• All other countries

Given the spread of COVID-19 globally, we ask that you seriously consider the necessity to travel internationally and should you travel that you take every precaution needed to remain well. Upon return, if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19, we ask that your daughter self-isolate until your symptoms resolve or you have been medically cleared of COVID-19.

If you have any queries about whether you should be attending the College, please err on the side of caution, do not attend the College and contact us at health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Moderate Precautions

As of Monday 16 March, the College will raise our precautionary measures to a Moderate level, including:

• Limit non-essential face-to-face meetings
• Limit face-to-face student gatherings to no more than a year group for all sub-schools
• Limit external visitors to the Boarding Houses to family and essential services
• Cancel large events involving external parties held on campus
• Avoid being in enclosed public spaces where large groups of people gather
• Limit close contact with others and encourage ‘social distance’ (no hugging, kissing, hand shaking)
• Encourage all in our community to have the flu vaccination when it is released (anticipated to be released in April), especially as we are also heading into flu season
• Parents and carers to limit non-essential visits to the College.

Naturally, this may have an impact on some College events. Please refer to the list below for the advice we have to date, bearing in mind that this advice only remains relevant while we operate at Moderate Risk level.

School excursions, incursions and on-campus events

All scheduled excursions, incursions and on-campus events will be reviewed in line with our upgraded risk assessment process, which included assessing risk of transmission of COVID-19. Depending on the nature of the activity, some may proceed while others may be amended, postponed or cancelled, in which case parents will be advised of any change.

Events which have been amended or cancelled include:

• Learning Discussions – Years 7 and 11 –  Learning Discussions for Years 7 and 11 will continue via Microsoft Teams. More details will follow.
• Preparatory School Windows into Learning – cancelled.
• Preparatory School Learning Discussions – will proceed as scheduled.
• Preparatory School Easter Hat Parade – will proceed as scheduled, amended to be a student-only event during the day with one year group at a time attending the event.
• Junior School Parent Group Afternoon and Movie – cancelled.
• Middle School Parent Group Breakfast – cancelled.
• Careers Expo – will proceed as scheduled, amended to be a student-only event during the day with one year group at a time attending the event.
• Secondary School Ensemble Concert – cancelled.
• NSW da Vinci Decathlon – postponed for now due to the risk associated with a large number of students attending the event.
• Army Cadets Camp – will proceed as planned at this stage.

Communication with the College

The College will continue to communicate any updates to our advice or events as necessary. Please take a moment to ensure the College has your correct contact details so that you do not miss out on any important information. You can do this by logging into MyPymble with your login ID and password and clicking ‘Change of Detail’.

Caring for our Pymble family

We encourage all students to take the opportunity to relax and recharge over the weekend, so they return with great energy to tackle the week ahead.

Please note, we have also advised our staff to do the same by responding to emails on Monday rather than over the weekend and enjoying a well-deserved break.

Our Wellbeing team continue to provide excellent support to our girls. Please speak with our team should you have unique concerns or if your daughter is requiring a little extra care.

The College has established a comprehensive COVID-19 Response Plan and is adhering strictly to preventative measures to maintain a healthy learning environment and keep the campus operating as normal.

However, due to the local escalation of COVID-19, we now ask you to begin planning for the possibility that the College is instructed by NSW Health to close the campus at short notice, and students are required to self-isolate and continue their learning at home for a period of time. Thank you to our Boarding families who have already communicated their contingency plan to our Boarding staff.

Please note the following important points:

• How would you collect your daughter if the campus closed before the end of the school day?
• Preparatory and Junior School parents must nominate an alternative guardian, family member or friend to collect their daughter if they are unable to. Click here to nominate.
• Do you have adequate WiFi for online learning to continue at home?

Should the campus close, we will contact you by SMS, email and the SkoolBag app.

We have pre-planned for this contingency by creating a School Closure Plan. Please ensure you and your daughter are familiar with your designated collection point in the event you are required to collect her during the day.

In the event of a closure, learning will continue.

We have put steps in place to enable our girls to continue their learning in the event the campus is closed temporarily.

A variety of platforms are available for online delivery, including Seesaw (K-6), Canvas (3-12), Class OneNote (7-12) and Teams. Instructions on how to access your daughter’s online learning platform will follow.

Rest assured, we have experience with remote learning. Since the start of the year, more than 350 students have worked offsite successfully during periods of self-isolation. In the event of a campus closure, we will continue with our remote learning program, just on a larger scale.

Finally, please do not to send your daughter to school if she is unwell, especially if she displays any symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, fatigue and shortness of breath, as identified by NSW Health.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update you as necessary. Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider your family’s response plan.

In recent days there has been an escalation of the COVID-19 situation globally and closer to home in NSW. As a result, we have upgraded our current advice for all who access our campus as follows:

• Any person who travels to or transits through the following countries must self-quarantine for 14 days after landing in Australia:
  • Mainland China
  • Iran
  • Italy
  • South Korea
  • Japan
  • Cambodia
  • Thailand
  • Indonesia
  • Mongolia
  • Singapore
  • Hong Kong

Please refer to the Australia Department of Health website for a list of Countries and regions considered to pose a risk of transmission of COVID-19. This list is based on the risk of the person having been exposed to COVID-19 due to travel to a country and region with sustained community transmission and/or based on the patterns of travel between those countries and regions and Australia, and/or the other epidemiological evidence. Further, following our own legal advice and recommendation from College Council we have also included Mongolia on our list of countries due to the poor standard of medical care and high degree of risk of transmission. You can read more about the latest Government update regarding Mongolia here.

• Any person who has close contact with a person who has travelled to or transits through the above countries must self-quarantine for 14 days after being in contact with that person.
• Any person who has been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, must self-quarantine as outlined above and notify the school.
• Any person who has been in contact with a person with suspected COVID-19, must self-quarantine as outlined above and notify the school. If you find out that the suspected case has tested negative to COVID-19 you can return to the College prior to the 14 days.
• All international tours and student exchanges scheduled to arrive or depart between now and the commencement of Term 3 (Tuesday 21 July) have been postponed or cancelled.
• We advise all parents and students to consider carefully the ramifications of a two-week absence from classes and co-curricular commitments before choosing to travel, particularly students in Years 11 and 12. Please complete this online form if you are planning international travel to or through the countries listed above.

If you have any queries about whether you should be attending the College, please err on the side of caution, do not attend the College and contact us at health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

As this is a rapidly changing situation, the College will continue to update you through this dedicated page. You will be sent an SMS message directing you to the updated webpage as and when required.

Please also be advised that students who are unwell for any reason must not attend school or any school-related activity on or off campus. If your daughter presents at school or an activity when she is ill, you will be contacted to collect her and take her home immediately.

Our Healthcare Centre nurses, and Science teaching staff are delivering lessons and practical activities based on best hygiene practices for all students K-12. Further information regarding additional preventative measures at the College can be found in our FAQs (see link below).

Please also note the following Personal Hygiene Best Practices, which are always in place at the College and widely considered by health experts to be key to disease prevention and management.

More information can be found in our updated Frequently Asked Questions and COVID-19 Guidelines.

We understand that this is a worrying time for many in our community. We want to assure you that our executive team and Council are responding to the situation as it evolves. We have a well-developed College contingency plan which we use to guide our decisions. We ask you to start thinking about how further escalation of COVID-19 may affect your family in the event there is a more considerable outbreak locally or if a member of our community were to be diagnosed. Should your daughter feel anxious, please refer to the following document “How to talk to your children about COVID-19”.

Thank you again for your ongoing support in putting the health and safety of our Pymble family first.

If your daughter or a member of your family is diagnosed with COVID-19 please email the College as a matter of urgency at health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

最新消息：新冠病毒 (COVID-19)

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