COVID-19 Information
Child pages
  • COVID-19 Information Home
14 more child pages
Skip to end of metadata
Go to start of metadata

The Department regularly updates its coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic advice and guidance for schools. This page is designed to help our Princes Hill Secondary School community find the most up-to-date advice and access key coronavirus (COVID-19) information and resources.

We will continue to inform our school community of any updates or new information via Compass Newsfeeds and post important content on this page for reference. 

It is critical that we all remain vigilant in maintaining COVID Safe environments. Actions such as staying home when unwell, performing regular hand hygiene, wearing masks indoors and maintaining physical distancing are simple measures, but are of the utmost importance.

Checklist for COVID contacts - what to do if you've been told you are a contact of someone with COVID-19.


Thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our school community safe and well.

What to do if you've been told you are a contact of someone with COVID-19What to do if you've been told you are a contact of someone with COVID-19

Latest News

The school community should continue to refer to Compass for regular Newsfeeds about school learning, activities and information. Click on the heading of the latest announcements below for the most recent information. Click here for all prior announcements.

Covid case update 17 May
Trevor Smith posted on May 17, 2022
Dear students, parents and carers, and staff Please see below reported covid-19 cases since yesterday's report.  Details of current reporting and isolation requirements can also be seen below. Thank you to all parents and students for continuing to advising us of positive cases through the portal or our covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au mailto:covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au email address. Additional rapid antigen tests will continue to be provided and are expected to be distributed later this week.…
Covid case update 16 May 2022
Trevor Smith posted on May 16, 2022
Dear students, parents and carers, and staff Please see below reported covid-19 cases since yesterday's report.  Details of current reporting and isolation requirements can also be seen below. A particular thank you to all parents and students for continuing to advising us of positive cases through the portal or our covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au mailto:covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au email address. Additional rapid antigen tests will continue to be provided.     10HUMS1D, GUITARHOYK, MSPROD1A,…
Covid case update 13 May 2022
Trevor Smith posted on May 13, 2022
Dear students, parents and carers, and staff Please see below reported covid-19 cases since yesterday's report.  Details of current reporting and isolation requirements can also be seen below. A particular thank you to all parents and students for continuing to advising us of positive cases through the portal or our covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au mailto:covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au email address.…

Rapid Antigen Tests

Free rapid antigen tests (RATs) will continue to be made available for all staff and students in Victorian schools for the first 4 weeks of Term 2 2022 to support the early detection of COVID-19 in our school. Rapid antigen testing will be voluntary for all students and staff.

Tests will be provided in packs of 5 individual tests. A pack for each child in the household continue to be distributed fortnightly. 

Tests should occur at home, twice weekly e.g. Sunday & Wednesday and any positive test results must be reported to the school (see below). Advice, including a video on conducting a rapid antigen test can be found here.

A user guide for entering information about a positive RAT into the Department of Education Student Covid Test Portal can be found at the link.


If staff or students receive a positive test result at any time, you must report this through the Department of Health online system or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398.

Parents must also report a positive result for their child to the school, either through the Student COVID-19 Test Portal (you will need to register) or by phone to the  office 9389 0600 or written notification - email to covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au . This is so the school can support students, record absence while in 7-day isolation, and let others community members know they should monitor for symptoms. Where we receive a report of a positive test through a phone call or written notification, we will enter the relevant information into the Schools COVID Case Management Tool (staff access only). This information is treated consistent with the Department's Privacy Policy.

The school is required to provide alert parents, students and staff of  positive cases who have attended school whilst respecting individual privacy consistent with the Department's Privacy Policy. The notification will include dates of attendance and affected group/cohort/year levels; and any relevant extracurricular activities. This allows affected groups and individuals to more carefully monitor symptoms and test earlier as appropriate.

All teaching staff are expected to provide clear details of the week's learning program, activities and tasks in the Lesson Plan feature of Compass. This is recognised as especially important as student and teacher absence continues to be higher than usual.

Students and staff who tested positive and completed their 7-day isolation period are not required to participate in the RAT screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. In addition, if a staff member or student has recovered from COVID-19, they are not required to get tested or isolate/quarantine if re-exposed to a case within 12 weeks of ending their isolation period.

Students who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are not required to quarantine but are required to notify the school that they are a household contact. Please use the covidreports@phsc.vic.edu.au to notify us that a student is a  household contact and the date this was identified.

Students and staff who are household contacts may return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times during their 7-day period. Further, they are required to wear face masks indoors unless they have a valid exemption.

If your child subsequently test positive, complete the reporting requirement outlined above. 


Vaccination

Vaccination remains the most critical element liming the impact on health and the spread of Covid-19. All children and teenagers over the age of 5 can be vaccinated 

Please be aware that booster shots for young people aged 16-17 have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and ATAGI. Please do not delay initial vaccinations or booster shots when eligible and available. Booster shots can also be administered following a covid-19 infection - when recovered from acute illness.

School staff are double vaccinated and have now had their booster shots as required by the Department.

For more general information about the COVID-19 vaccine, refer to the Victorian Government COVID-19 Vaccine Website and the Commonwealth COVID-19 Vaccine Website

Ventilation

We continue to take all possible steps to maximise ventilation of learning and teaching spaces throughout the school with windows and doors open throughout. This includes classes and meetings being conducted outdoors where reasonably practicable. Additionally, we now have in place air purifiers positioned in nearly all locations considered to be less well ventilated. 

As we move in to colder weather, students and staff are advised to dress accordingly.

Vital Covid-19 Steps

We continue to apply a range of mitigation measures on public health, Department of Education and OHS advice as detailed below.

Students should practise physical distancing wherever possible. Maintaining a physical distance of 1.5 metres will not always be practical in the school environment.

Staff must practise physical distancing 1.5m between themselves and other staff members or adults to the extent that is reasonably practicable. Staff should physically distance themselves from students where appropriate and feasible.

From 11:59 pm Friday 22 April, face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting except as Household Contacts. We understand that many students and staff members, including those who are medically at-risk, or are house hold contacts will  to continue to wear a facemask.
A reminder that everyone including students aged 8 years and above must wear a face mask when travelling on public transport, taxis or ride share vehicles.

Vaccination requirements for visitors to schools

Parents, carers and other adult visitors (not performing work) are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Contractors remain obliged to show evidence of vaccination.

All staff, students and visitors to schools should practise good hand hygiene, particularly on arrival to school, before and after eating, after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing or using the toilet. 

Hand sanitiser is available at entry points to buildings and classrooms. 

  • No labels