COVID-19 Updates
The College will take a proactive approach to managing positive cases within the community, and list below the processes when a case is identified.
- Communication will be provided to staff and families that there has been a COVID-19 case (it is important to know that specific information of the case will remain confidential). This advice will be provided to impacted staff and students via this webpage, and where necessary, via direct email. Parents must advise the school immediately should they or their child/ren test positive at home.
- Community members will be advised to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if unwell.
- Students and/or staff who develop symptoms at school will be asked to isolate immediately and will be provided with RAT’s to test once isolating. Parents are asked in this situation to pick their child up as soon as possible from school.
- Follow any direction provided by the Public Health Unit (PHU) or Queensland Health.
All individuals must follow Queensland Health advice in relation to isolation and testing.
In the event where there are multiple COVID-19 cases, we will work closely with the Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit about any requirement to close. This includes a two-step precautionary clean as outlined in the Queensland Government’s managing COVID-19 in workplaces.
If a staff member or student tests positive for COVID-19, they will be required to isolate at home and cannot attend school while isolating. More information on isolation is available.
Should a student’s household test positive for COVID-19, then the student will be required to quarantine as a close contact and cannot attend school while in quarantine. More information on quarantine is available.
If a staff member’s household tests positive for COVID-19, then the staff member is required to quarantine as a close contact. As education is a critical industry, the College may deem their role as critically essential and the staff member may be able to leave quarantine to undertake the critically essential work. The College would need to satisfy a number of requirements before the staff member can leave quarantine.
The most important thing that you can do at this time is to place a high priority on your personal hygiene:
- To stop the spread, show your children how to wash their hands properly using soap and water regularly, or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser which has been placed on our regular bus run to Maleny. Every Primary School and Secondary School classroom has hand sanitiser available.
- All students are to have their own water bottles, filled with sufficient water for any sporting practice or fixtures. Students are NOT to share their water bottle with another student. Limited bubblers are available across the campus.
- If your child is unwell, please keep them at home and notify the office immediately should they test positive.
The Federal Government is advising limited overseas travel at this time. Should you be planning an overseas trip, please advise the College by contacting Student Services on (07) 5477 3488 (Secondary School), (07) 5477 3484 (Primary School) or studentservices@immanuel.qld.edu.au. We encourage parents to refer to the Smart Traveller website which has the most up to date advice about travel.
Please click this link for the dedicated parent SEQTA page that is refreshed daily and contains important information regarding positive cases. Ensure that you are familiar with your username and password to access the SEQTA online portal and learning management system. If you are unsure how to login to SEQTA Learn (students) and SEQTA Engage (parents) e.g. you don’t know your username or password, please contact IT Services on (07) 5477 3472.
Immanuel will continue to email you with important information updates. This page is reviewed regularly and should be the point of truth for parents to access up to date information relating to decisions and actions at the College. In addition, information updates will continue to be placed on the ILC Facebook page as well as the Immanuel App. Please ensure that you have the Immanuel App downloaded onto your phone for the latest alerts. You can visit the Google Play or App Store here:
https://apps.apple.com/au/app/...
In the unlikely event of a school closure, parents will be notified immediately via SMS as well as all other modes of College communication - including email, Facebook and the Immanuel App.
We thank you for your cooperation and understanding with this current situation. If you have any further questions or concerns, you are invited to contact the Principal Mr Colin Minke directly via minkec@immanuel.qld.edu.au or phone (07) 5477 3465.
Please continue to contact Student Services should your children be remaining at home via the link above.
COVID-19 is a continuing international health concern. Around the world, people are being affected in many ways. Although children are considered at lower risk of infection, they are not immune to the multitude of news reports regularly seen or heard in the media.
Although children will have already heard about (and possibly experienced) COVID-19, it is important for parents and care-givers to take this opportunity to convey the facts about it and set the emotional tone. This may help kids feel more informed and reassured. Involving them and encouraging self-efficacy can also give them a sense of control and purpose.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the College for further information or seek medical or professional help. Please find linked here a resource for supporting our students, particularly primary age.