Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome back to 2022. The following information includes holiday dates and required stationary. Other information is on the website regarding the timetable and COVID related issues.

All students will receive a pack including masks, RATS and other information on their first day back.

Term Dates

Term One

Tuesday 8^th Feb (Secondaries) – 14^th April

Wednesday 9^th Feb (Primaries) – 14^th April

Term Two

2^nd May – 8^th July

Term Three

25^th July- 30^th September

Term Four

17^th October – 15^th December

Term One Public Holidays

 14^th Feb – Regatta Day

 14^th March – 8 Hour Day

Students are required to bring the following items to school on the first day.

1. Drink bottle for water with their name on it.  (as cups are not being used)
2. Packet
3. Hat
4. Pencil case with 2 grey lead pencils, coloured pencils, ruler, eraser, glue stick and a blue and red pen.  The school will not be responsible for these items. Students will be provided with all texts books.

 

The commencement of any school year is regularly met with excitement, anticipation and usually even a bit of nervousness.  This year we are met with additional challenges and uncertainties due to COVID-19 and the Tasmanian borders re-opening in December.

I want to reassure you that Lambert School will continue to provide a comprehensive learning program and caring environment that we are known for.

The School has undertaken a great deal of preparation ahead of the commencement of Term 1.  It is our objective to prioritise face-to-face learning opportunities for all our students along with curricular and co-curricular programs to have the same or similar learning outcomes.

We have been carefully monitoring advice from Public Health Tasmania. However, these guidelines are changing frequently and this presents its own challenges. The school is working through the complexities of this situation to ensure we can provide continuity of learning and care in a safe environment that is logistically feasible.

As a result, the School has developed an information document. Please review and follow the guidelines that are set out in this document and associated protocols.  Naturally, the guidelines have depended upon a range of factors and advice received by the school. To the best of our ability he overview provides a list of COVID-19 Safe Strategies that summarises the many guidelines that currently exist. Further in the document is a list of impacts on upcoming curricular and co-curricular activities.

 

In summary the key strategies outlined are:

1.  All employees of the school are fully vaccinated.
2.   People who are unwell must not enter any school.
3.   All adults and secondary students must wear masks indoors and in specified circumstances.  Younger students are supported to do the same.
4.   Physical distancing in a COVID-19 safe manner should be maintained wherever possible.
5.   Good hygiene will be practised by staff & students and extra cleaning measures are in place.
6.   Adequate and additional ventilation measures will be practised. The school has ordered air purifiers for each room and will be installed as they arrive.
7. As the year progresses decisions will be made on excursions, sporting activities and camps.
8. Unvaccinated adults should not enter the school but should ring to speak to the Principal/Deputy Principal or administrator.

Despite our current focus on dealing with the local prevalence of COVID-19, we are extremely hopeful and optimistic about the year ahead.

I am looking forward to seeing all Secondary students on Tuesday 8^th Feb and Early Childhood and Primary students on the Wednesday the 9^th Feb.

 

Best wishes

Wilma Lambert

At Lambert School, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our community are paramount. The school continues to follow the guidelines of the National and State public health authorities with respect to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to the best of our ability. As we prepare for the first days of school, we have been carefully monitoring advice from Public Health Tasmania. However, these guidelines are changing frequently. The school is working through the complexities of the situation to ensure we can provide continuity of learning in a safe environment that is logistically feasible. This overview is applicable to all students, staff, parents/guardians, carers, visitors, contractors and volunteers. It is important that everyone who visits or is part of the school community supports the health and safety measures as outlined.

Lambert School has a COVID mandate policy which will be attached to this email as well as on our website.

The school has undertaken a number of planning processes and facility audits in preparation for the start of Term 1, 2022. It is important to note that the ongoing delivery of education is regarded by the Tasmanian Government as an essential service and there is an expectation that schools will remain open for the delivery of face-to-face learning wherever possible. We understand that there are vulnerable or high-risk members in our community.

 

TEACHING STAFF

Wilma Lambert – Principal (Secondary English and Primary Literature)

Nina Penfold – Deputy Principal (Primary English and Support teacher)

Cheryl Scripps     – Early Childhood, Secondary History/Geography

Tai Gardner – Drama

Helen Quinn – Art

Bob Fletcher – Science and Maths

Xuan Zhou    – Chinese and Primary Maths

Hsinhan Tsai-  Coding Primary-Grade 10

Caroline Jackson – French

Eleanor Tucker – Music

 

SCHOOL TIMETABLE CHANGES

The timetable has been changed to allow for reduced groupings when students are on breaks.

 

Period	Primary	Secondary	Secondary (Friday)
1	9:15 – 10:15	8:30 – 9:30	8:30 – 9:30
2	10:15 – 11:05	9:30 – 10:30	9:30 – 10:30
Morning Tea	11:05 – 11:30	10:30 – 11:00	10:30 – 11:00
3	11:30 – 12:15	11:00 – 11:45	11:00 – 11:45
4	12:15 – 1:00	11:45 – 12:30	11:45 – 12:45
Lunch	1:00 – 1:45	12:30 – 12:55	12:45 – 1:30
5	1:45 – 3:00	1:00 – 2:00	1:30 – 2:45
Break (Secondaries Only)	N/A	2:00 – 2:20	N/A
6	N/A	2:20 – 3:00	2:45 – 3:45
7	N/A	3:00 – 3:45	N/A

 

 

VACCINATION

After a staff consultation period in December 2021 and January 2022, the School has adopted a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all employees, contractors and volunteers to the school.  As per the policy, all staff, contractors and volunteers must provide the school with hard or digital copy proof of full vaccination by 8^th February.

All adults are required to check in, using the Check in Tas App. All contractors, volunteers and visitors will be required to also sign in using the form at front desk. All information will be kept private and confidential. As per Government requirements, all adults, including those who are fully vaccinated, must always wear a mask when indoors – see below

SYMPTOMATIC AND/OR COVID-19 POSITIVE PEOPLE

As students, families and staff return to school, it is important to note that any person MUST NOT visit or enter Lambert School premises if they identify with any of the following: ● Have any COVID-19 symptoms ● Are COVID-19 positive ● Are awaiting a COVID-19 PCR test result ● Are a close contact of any confirmed case ● Are subject to quarantine or isolation requirements. Please note that if your child exhibits cold or flu-like symptoms or is unwell, they may be isolated, and you will be asked to pick them up from school immediately. We ask that you support your family and community’s health by keeping your child and/or yourself away from school if they/you are unwell. Similarly, any adult who presents at school with cold and flu-like symptoms or develops symptoms during the course of the day will be required to go home, or if too unwell, isolated at school and an appropriate means of transport organised. Students who are absent from school, and are able, can stay up to date with their learning via receiving a home pack and emailing the school for learning information.

TESTING

The school will receive enough RAT tests for each child to initially have 2 each. More have been ordered. We ask that these are only used if your child has symptoms. These are to be used if a staff member or student is symptomatic or a close contact and any result from their use shared with the School Office. This information will be kept confidential and is for internal records only. All RATs must be used by staff and students in their home. If any person tests positive for COVID-19, they should not return to school until they are both free from all symptoms and have completed the required isolation at home. Any adult or student in Years 7 to 10 who is returning to school after an absence due to being COVID-19 positive, is still required to wear a mask as required. Students and staff will be required to follow Department of Health guidelines regarding confirmed cases and close contacts.

 

MASK WEARING

Current government protocols require all adults and secondary students (Years 7 to 10) to wear a fitted face mask (worn over the nose and mouth) when: ·Indoors; ·When queuing or gathering together outside; · On public transport; · Travelling on a school bus for any school activity; and · On an external bus as part of a school excursion or activity. Any adult or student in Years 7 to 10 who is returning to school after an absence due to being COVID-19 positive, is still required to wear a mask as required.

 

PHYSICAL DISTANCING

We request that all those who are present on school campus be mindful of physical distancing and personal space between one another. If you are unvaccinated you need to drop child at the front door needs to occur outside the school. Please talk to your child’s teacher about any concerns.

 

GOOD HYGIENE AND CLEANING

Following excellent hand hygiene is an effective measure you can undertake to control the spread of the COVID-19. All students and visitors can access hand sanitisers at entrance points and other locations. Students are asked to bring their own drink bottle as cups will not be used.

 

VENTILATION

Action to improve ventilation in all indoor spaces include: ● Opening windows and doors (weather permitting); ● Moving more classes outside; ●  Sliding doors set to open for longer; ● We will be installing the air purifiers are commercial grade and will be installed in all  room.

                                                     Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set out Lambert School requirements in relation to COVID-19 vaccinations for all individuals on site at Lambert School and for all employees of Lambert School .Lambert School will ensure proper consultation occurs as part of the policy development and implementation process. This will include:

• The opportunity for face to face meetings with staff to facilitate discussion and gather feedback.
• A process whereby staff can provide written feedback which is then analysed and properly considered.
• Providing to staff the written risk assessment on which the premise to introduce the vaccination requirement is based, and the opportunity to attend a presentation explaining the risk assessment findings.
• An open-door policy to allow employees to meet with managers to explain their views and any concerns they may have.

 

Important Background Information

• The 5 to 11-year age group currently has limited access to the vaccine and, assuming a suitable vaccine may be available this coming January, the best possible timeline for reasonable coverage of this age group to be achieved is the end of term 1, 2022.
• Secondary and primary school student vaccinations will remain voluntary and, therefore, uptake may be patchy.
• Students and staff will be circulating in the community and re-entering the school on a daily basis. The Kirby Institute modelling has indicated that Tasmania will have experienced between 43,000 and 77,000 cases of the disease in the community by July, 2022. These numbers will coincide with our Tasmanian winter.
• These modelled numbers, and the high reputation of their source, should satisfy the Fair Work Ombusman’s requirement that a certain level of community transmission is necessary before an employer can introduce an evidence of vaccination policy.
• Most employees in schools are in public facing roles, and are therefore at a greater risk of exposure to the disease.
• The higher the vaccine coverage within a school community, including staff, the less risk there is of contraction or transmission of the disease within the school. This, of course, would reduce the risk of the school being closed and having to return to on-line learning.

 

 

Lambert School has taken the decision that it is reasonable given the nature of our business, that all individuals that have direct contact with students staff parents/carers and the wider school community  are to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus by the 31^st Jan 2022.

 

Our objective is to protect people and the community, associated with Lambert, from acquiring and transmitting COVID-19, a human coronavirus of pandemic potential and an urgently notifiable infectious disease. This includes:

• Employees and their families;
• Volunteers;
• Contractors;
• Participants; and
• The broader community;

 

Applicability

When

applies throughout the organisation

 

Who

applies to all members of staff who have direct contact with participants applies to all members of staff who work on site in any capacity.

 

 

Policy Review:  Depending on updates from the Department of Education.

 

Background

 

Lambert School acknowledges that generally personal health management, including vaccinations, outside of your employment are your own affair. However, health related matters that impact on or affect the health and safety of yourself and others, or Lambert’s business interests or reputation or those of its staff or students are a focus for Lambert School.  COVID-19 is highly transmissible and there can be significant health impacts on those afflicted.

 

In accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (TAS), Lambert School has a duty, so far as practicable, to provide and maintain a working environment in which the employees are not exposed to hazards.  An important step in protecting employees, volunteers, contractors, participants, and visitors from acquiring and transmitting COVID-19 is by ensuring employees who enter our facilities and worksites when supporting participants are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

Lambert School is committed to its responsibility to maintain the safety of our workplaces, and to ensure the work environment does not put workers and others including students at risk of contracting COVID-19. This is part of our commitment to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all individuals affiliated with the school.

 

Benefits of Vaccination

The Australian Government has advised that COVID-19 will be with us for many years into the future.

 

Getting vaccinated has many benefits, including:

• protecting yourself against severe illness and death from COVID-19;

• preventing complications such as ‘long COVID’;
• protecting people who can’t be vaccinated due to medical conditions.
• protecting children while research continues to test the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in people under the age of 12;
• slowing the spread of the virus;
• keeping hospitalisation rates at a level our health system can cope with;
• reducing the need for lockdowns in the future, when enough Australians are vaccinated;
• being able to attend events and travel in the future.

Vaccination Education Resources

Employees are encouraged to educate themselves about vaccination by utilising the following resources:

 

• https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/about-rollout
• https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/australias-covid-19-vaccine-and-treatment-strategy
• https://www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccination-information/covid-19-vaccination
• https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/covid-19-vaccination-patient-resources

 

If you have any concerns regarding being vaccinated, we encourage you to speak to your GP.

 

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

 

Approved vaccine means any COVID-19 vaccination that has been provisionally (or fully) registered for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

 

Evidence of vaccination means a copy of the individual’s Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register, or digital evidence of their Vaccination Certificate.

 

Fully vaccinated means having obtained the manufacturer’s recommended dosage of any Approved Vaccine.  For example, where a two-dose schedule is recommended by the manufacturer, a person will be considered fully vaccinated when they have received both doses of the vaccine.  This includes any booster doses.

 

Vaccination means treatment with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease for the benefit of individuals and the community.

 

Vaccination Certificate means an Australian Government approved COVID-19 digital certificate or COVID passport.

 

Evidence of Vaccination

In order to ensure this policy is being met Lambert School’s policy requires all impacted individuals to provide evidence of vaccination by the 1^st February 2022 in paper form to be filed.

If an employee who is requested to provide such evidence has any concerns, they should initially speak to the Principal.

 

In order to be able to internally track and report on COVID-19 vaccination status, Lambert School will record individual evidence of vaccination.  Once an individual has been fully vaccinated, they are required to provide the evidence of vaccination to the Principal as a paper certificate.

 

Failure to provide evidence for sighting, or for storing where required by legislation, may be considered a breach of this policy and subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

 

Where an individual is fully vaccinated, but is unable to provide suitable evidence of vaccination (i.e. they were vaccinated overseas), they should contact the Principal to discuss an alternative solution.

 

Any individual who joins Lambert School after the implementation of this policy is required to be fully vaccinated, and provide evidence of vaccination, prior to commencing with the organisation.

 

Exemptions

Lambert School recognises that not all employees will be able to receive an approved vaccine.  As such we may provide exemptions from this policy in certain circumstances.

 

Individuals who are requesting an exemption must do so in writing, to their manager, stating the reason for their request.  Lambert School will consider the request and consult with the individual before making a decision.

 

When considering an exemption Lambert School will take into account, among other things, the:

• legitimacy of the reason(s) for the exemption request;
• risk to the individual and the organisation;
• potential for making alternate work arrangements;
• requirements of any Federal or State authorities or directives

 

Exemptions requested on medical grounds must be accompanied by a Vaccine Medical Contraindication form.  Lambert School reserves the right to contact the issuing medical practitioner to verify the authenticity of any such medical evidence.

 

If an individual has concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, they can:

• read Department of Health – Are COVID-19 vaccines safe?
• call the National Coronavirus Hotlineto get reliable information from the Australian Government.

 

Refusal to Comply

Where an individual refuses to comply with their obligations under this policy, and has not been issued an exemption, they will be required to provide the reason for their refusal.  Lambert will consider the reason for refusal and discuss with the individual to try and find an acceptable solution.

 

Should an individual continue to refuse to comply they may be considered in breach of this policy and may be subject to disciplinary action which may include termination of employment.

 

Privacy and Record Management

Lambert School acknowledges that information regarding an individual’s vaccination status may be considered sensitive personal information when collected, and as such requires handling in accordance with privacy legislation.

 

Where Lambert School requires collection of the evidence of vaccination, we will ensure that the individual is aware of the following:

• The employer’s identity and contact details;
• The fact and circumstances of collection;
• Whether the collection is required or authorised by law;
• The purposes of the collection;
• The consequences if vaccination status information is not collected;
• The employer’s usual disclosures of vaccination status information;
• Whether the employer is likely to disclose personal information to overseas recipients, and if practicable, the countries where they are located.

 

Consent

Where Lambert School requires an individual to provide evidence of vaccination for collection, we will ensure that:

• The individual is adequately informed before giving consent, and understands why we are collecting the information and what we will use it for;
• The individual gives consent voluntarily;
• The consent is current and specific, and
• The individual has the capacity to understand and communicate their consent

 

Record Storage

Evidence of vaccination collected by Lambert School, with consent from individuals, will be stored on their personnel file (for employees), on a secure data base.

 

All records will be stored in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles.

 

Lambert School will ensure proper consultation occurs as part of the policy development and implementation process. This will include:

• The opportunity for face to face meetings with staff to facilitate discussion and gather feedback.
• A process whereby staff can provide written feedback which is then analysed and properly considered.
• Providing to staff the written risk assessment on which the premise to introduce the vaccination requirement is based, and the opportunity to attend a presentation explaining the risk assessment findings.
• An open-door policy to allow employees to meet with managers to explain their views and any concerns they may have.

 

• The 5 to 11-year age group currently has no access to an approved vaccine and, assuming a suitable vaccine may be available this coming January, the best possible timeline for reasonable coverage of this age group to be achieved is the end of term 1, 2022.
• Secondary and primary school student vaccinations will remain voluntary and, therefore, uptake may be patchy.
• Students and staff will be circulating in the community and re-entering the school on a daily basis. The Kirby Institute modelling has indicated that Tasmania will have experienced between 43,000 and 77,000 cases of the disease in the community by July, 2022. These numbers will coincide with our Tasmanian winter.
• These modelled numbers, and the high reputation of their source, should satisfy the Fair Work Ombusman’s requirement that a certain level of community transmission is necessary before an employer can introduce an evidence of vaccination policy.
• Most employees in schools are in public facing roles, and are therefore at a greater risk of exposure to the disease.
• The higher the vaccine coverage within a school community, including staff, the less risk there is of contraction or transmission of the disease within the school. This, of course, would reduce the risk of the school being closed and having to return to on-line learning.

 

 

In Effect from 16^th Jan 2022

To be reviewed in Dec 2022 or as required.