No images? Click here Dear parents and guardians, Further to the WA Premier’s announcement that lockdown restrictions will ease from tonight at 6.00 pm, I am very pleased to confirm that we are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday morning. This past week has been a very trying and difficult time for many families, especially those who have been impacted by the bushfires in Perth’s north-east. Please know our thoughts and prayers have been, and remain, with you as you continue to respond to these extremely challenging circumstances. Our thoughts are also with families in the Gascoyne where there has been heavy rain and flooding. I would like to thank all members of our community, in particular our staff, who have responded so quickly and positively in the past few days to enable students to transition to Remote Learning as quickly and efficiently as they did. I am very grateful and proud to be a part of this strong community. As part of his announcement last night, the Premier outlined the following ongoing restrictions would apply to schools:
I respectfully request that if your daughter is unwell, please do not send her to school. This information is relevant as of 4.00 pm today and we remain conscious that the restrictions put in place today could easily change tomorrow. Please be assured, should restrictions or conditions change, we will endeavor to communicate with parents in a prompt and timely manner. Please see below for further information about the return to school on Monday 8 February. RETURN TO SCHOOL Will cross-campus classes be run from Monday? Yes. Cross-campus classes will commence Period 3 on Monday. Will cross-campus buses be operating from Monday? Yes. My daughter is new to PLC. How will she know what to do? Head of Senior School, Ms Rebecca Watts, will be sending all students a special edition daily notice on Sunday to explain to them the plans for Monday morning. My daughter is just starting Year 7. Where should she go when she gets to School? On arrival, please bring your daughter (and her bag) to the Hugh Baird Sports Centre by 8.20 am. Your daughter’s Tutor and Mrs Jane Brandenburg (Year 7 Pastoral and Academic Care Co-ordinator) will be waiting to greet you. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, parents will not be able to attend our planned welcome activities for the morning. My daughter is new to school in Year 8 or 9. Where should she go when she gets to School on Monday? My daughter is new to school in Year 10. Where should she go when she gets to school on Monday? Will students have the option to continue Remote Learning? No. Unfortunately It is not possible for staff to provide both face-to-face and Remote Learning to their classes. What if my daughter is unable to return to School next week? Please advise your daughter’s Pastoral and Academic Care Co-ordinator if she is not able to return to school on Monday. We do appreciate that there may be some students, in fire affected areas in particular, who are not able to return to school next week. Teachers will be uploading materials onto SEQTA and can communicate via email with any students who may not be able to return to School. Will students need to wear masks while at School? Yes. All Senior School students are required to wear a mask. We are seeking clarification about whether Year 7 students who have not yet turned 12 are required to wear them. At this stage we request that all Year 7 students do wear masks. What happens if my daughter loses her mask or it is broken during the school day? Staff and students are required to supply their own masks, however, Reception staff and the Boarding House will have limited supplies of masks should they be required. What if my daughter doesn’t want to wear a mask? All Senior School students are required to wear a mask. The only exceptions are when a person has an illness, condition, or disability which makes wearing a face mask unsuitable. In this instance a request for exemption must be supported by a letter from a treating medical practitioner to confirm the exemption is required. Should my daughter wear her school name badge? Yes. The name badges are provided to all students to help her peers and teachers get to know your daughter’s name. With students in the Senior School wearing face masks and a number of new students commencing, we ask that all students please wear their badges. Will Homework Help be available in the Library after school this week? Yes. Homework Help will continue as usual after school. All staff and students aged 12 years and over will be required to wear a mask. Will the School ensure that laboratory coats, aprons, and protective eye wear is not shared between students? To allow practical classes to continue this week, we ask that students bring with them to School an older long-sleeved collared shirt to use instead of school-loaned lab coats or aprons. All protective eyewear provided by the School will be disinfected and cleaned after each use. Will the Cafeteria and Bev’s Café be open from Monday? Yes. Both Bev’s Café and the Cafeteria will be in full operation from Monday. Both will also accept cash from our new students in order to give them more time to receive their SmartRider cards and to set up FlexiSchool accounts. Bev’s Café will be open from 7.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday. Will the dedicated HorizonsWest school buses be operating next week? Yes they will. All Senior School students are expected to wear masks while on the bus. Junior School students are exempt from wearing masks on school buses. Can parents come onto campus? The current advice is that parents are permitted on campus as long as they are not in a group of more than 150 people, wearing a mask, hand sanitise, social distance (4 sq metres) and sign in or scan the QR Code on the SafeWA App at a Reception. However, we do ask parents to limit their visits to school and only attend campus if it is absolutely necessary. CO-CURRICULAR AND SPORT Will co-curricular classes commence from Monday 8 February? It is the intention that most co-curricular classes will commence from next week as per the timetable. However, Senior School Lighthouse Co-Curricular classes will not start until the week commencing 15 February. Will Chorale and Senior Vocal Ensemble practice take place? The Music Department will communicate directly with members of both Chorale and the Vocal Ensemble regarding practice arrangements. Will the Lighthouse Fitness Centre be open next week? The Fitness Centre will be open to all inducted staff and students in Years 10-12 from Monday afternoon 3.30 pm – 5.30 pm. Please note, masks must be worn at all times. What are the requirements for wearing a mask if my daughter is undertaking rowing training?
Will there be a SafeWA QR code and sign in sheet at the Rowing Shed? Yes. All coaches, parents and visitors will be required to sign in before entering the shed. Will Year 9 rowing training start on Monday morning? Yes it will. What are the requirements for wearing masks for Physical Education and Sport?
Will Year 7 and 8 sport training start on Monday afternoon as scheduled? Yes. Although please note, that for this next week, Years 7 and 8 Volleyball and Tennis will be run on Monday and Wednesday afternoon, 3.45 pm – 5.00 pm and not on Monday morning. Will swimming training commence Monday morning as scheduled? Yes. Girls are not required to wear masks for swimming training. Will the Inter-House and IGSSA Swimming Carnival go ahead? Yes. At this stage it is anticipated both the Inter-House and IGSSA swimming carnivals will go ahead. EVENTS Will the Support Your Daughter Evenings continue as planned? All Support Your Daughter Evenings have been postponed. We will advise parents and guardians of all new dates as soon as possible. Will school photographs take place next week? No. School photographs will be rescheduled for later this term. Parents will be advised of the new dates as soon as they are known. When will the Year 12 Ball be held? We are very pleased to be able to advise that the Year 12 Ball will now be held on Saturday 6 March 2021 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre at the same time as previously promoted. I understand the uncertainty around the Ball has been upsetting for some of our Year 12 cohort and I thank you all for understanding and cooperation as we have worked through the process to identify another date. Will the Welcome Sundowner be held on another date? With the Government restrictions, unfortunately the 12 February Welcome Sundowner cannot proceed as planned. Families will be advised of a new date for this event as soon as it has been rescheduled. HYGIENE AND CLEANING What extra cleaning regimes have been put in place around the school campus? Both Junior and Senior School campuses and the Boarding House have had intensive cleaning and Zoono treatments ahead of the girls returning to school on Monday. We will also have day cleaners on campus cleaning high-touch surfaces throughout the school day. Does the school have hand sanitiser available for staff and students? Yes. Hand sanitiser stations will be located in classrooms, at all entrances and at various locations around the school. I apologise for the disruption to the start of our school year. Thank you again for your patience during the last week and we look forward to seeing as many girls back at School on Monday. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any queries at all and stay safe. Kind regards, Cate Begbie |