Rapid Antigen Test Collection

Dear Kent Road Parents and Carers,

Welcome to a new school year.  The health and wellbeing of our students and staff remain our priority, and the following measures are designed to help to keep our school open and our students learning in the classroom.
These key measures include:

• Rapid antigen test (RAT) kits will be provided to all students to help monitor your child’s health and minimise transmission of COVID-19 across our school.
• Wearing of surgical masks indoors is required for all staff and strongly recommended for all primary students. Masks will be provided by the school if required.
• Only fully vaccinated visitors essential to delivering and supporting learning or wellbeing can come on a school site.
• Two parents or carers are allowed to accompany their child into school on their first day of Kindergarten or students starting at a new school.
• Students will be kept in their year groups on school grounds, with separate playground areas for each grade as we did in 2021, and pick-up time staggered from 2.55pm-3.10pm to minimise the spread of COVID-19 across cohorts.
• We will continue to use good hygiene, enhanced cleaning, good air flow and ventilation in learning spaces, as well as physical distancing practices.

 
While this is not going to be a normal start to the school year, we know that being together in the classroom is the most effective way for students to learn and grow.

Rapid antigen testing
Rapid antigen test (RAT) kits will be available for collection for Kent Road students on Friday 28^th January and Monday 31^st January at the times listed below:

• Friday 28^th January

9am - 10:30am & 1:50pm - 3pm

• Monday 31^st January

8.30am - 10.30am & 2pm-4pm

We will distribute the rapid antigen tests as we did home learning packs last year. Parents or students are asked to enter via gate 3 on Kent Road and go to the table labelled with the class they were in last year so that names can be marked off.

Kindergarten 2022 parents can collect the kits on Monday 31^st when they attend for their scheduled visits.

The use of RAT kits is an important step to support the health and wellbeing of our students and staff. It is a simple process of placing a nose or throat swab in a chemical solution, which is put onto a scanning device.

Results can be ready within 15 minutes. Use of RAT kits is highly recommended but not mandatory.

Instructions are included in the kits detailing how to use the tests, check the results and dispose of the tests safely. You can also download the instructions through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) External link website. The user guides will also contain a contact number for the suppliers if you need additional support.
Additional information

• School staff will not be administering the rapid antigen tests to students.

• RAT kits should be collected from school by a parent or carer and the tests completed at home in the morning before attending school.

• Each student will receive an initial supply of 4 RATs to be used twice a week in the morning before attending school.

• If a student or staff member receives a positive RAT result, they need to:

  • record the positive RAT result through the Service NSW website External link or Service NSW app External link

  • notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR result as soon as possible

  • follow NSW Health advice External link to isolate for 7 days.

 
Unwell at school
Any student or staff member who is unwell and/or displays symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to go home and stay until they can complete a RAT or PCR test.

• If symptoms continue, they should stay at home and take another RAT in 24 hours or have a PCR test.

• If the second RAT or initial PCR test result is negative and they are displaying no symptoms OR they are diagnosed as another condition such as hayfever, the student or staff member can return to school.

What happens when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19
Under the new close contact rules, schools are no longer included in contact tracing. I will inform the school community when there is a positive case in our school and advise families on public health advice, including monitoring for symptoms.
 
Yours truly,
Denise Minifie
Principal