FAQ

Links to these organisations will be readily available to the Newington community via a new section on Spaces.

The local Public Health Unit will work with the College to commence contact tracing. Those identified as close and casual contacts will be contacted and advised. The College may close to allow this process to take place.

Those identified as close and casual contacts will be given further advice. The College may close to allow this process to take place, as has happened in other schools recently.

A casual contact is someone who has been face-to-face for less than 15 minutes, or been in the same closed space for less than 2 hours, as a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 when that person was infectious.

If a student comes to school with symptoms, we will send him home. If we suspect a student has coronavirus, based on their symptoms and history, we will isolate them and follow NSW Health guidelines.

Please keep your child home from school if they are unwell. If they have a fever, runny nose, sore throat and/or cough they must stay home and follow medical advice.

If a negative result is received, then your son can return to school provided he feels well.

Person-to-person spread of coronaviruses generally occurs between people who are in close contact with one another. A close contact is typically someone who has been face-to-face for at least 15 minutes, or in the same closed space for at least 2 hours, with a person who was infectious. The Public Health Unit will keep in touch with people who are close contacts of patients with COVID-19 infection. If any symptoms develop, contacts must call the Public Health Unit and report those symptoms.

Medical advice is that masks are useful if you are sick to stop the spread of the virus … but if you are sick you should not be at school.

Of course, we would also close if the Government closed a large number of schools, as has happened in China, Italy, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. We don’t know how long the closure would be. That would depend on the advice of NSW Health.

In the senior school, teachers will create videos, screencasts, podcasts, deliver real-time lessons via our Zoom teleconference software and make phone contact. We will modify assessments so boys are not disadvantaged. Boys would work at home, using the lessons and timing of their school timetable as a guide.

For younger boys, teachers will provide work. Boys would work at home, using the lessons provided by the school.

We have already tested our systems to ensure their capacity to work effectively.

Students who have made or scheduled future appointments to see a counsellor will still be able to access that support remotely. Any student who has concerns for their wellbeing or requires emotional support can still contact the College and the pastoral team.

Of course, these resources are also available to families, as per current practices.

This could include changes to the type of tasks, the methods of submission or the timing of tasks. Both NESA (for the HSC) and the IBO (for the IB Diploma) have been in contact with schools and provided advice as to how this can be done in a way that recognises the needs of students.

IT will be able to provide support to students with faulty equipment through standard phone, email and service desk operations. All equipment will be sanitised and cleaned between loans. 

Head of Boarding Nathanael Coull will liaise individually with boarders to ensure all arrangements are secured.

Please have a plan in place for collection. If your son will be staying with a guardian, please ensure they are prepared to collect your son and are in a position to take care of him during the period of closure

Shaking hands and other physical contact is being discouraged.

Boys who feel unwell should not come to Saturday sport as a player or a spectator (please do keep the relevant sport director informed).  

We have increased the frequency of cleaning of doors, handrails, classrooms, common areas, locker rooms, bathrooms and indoor sport facilities.  

Additional sanitiser stations are being installed across all campuses.

We have distributed a video that illustrates how to wash your hands effectively. Students at the prep schools and ELC have had lessons in hand washing and are supervised to ensure they are doing it effectively.

Signs explaining good hygiene practices are being installed across the College as a reminder to both students and staff. Mentor sessions and classes will reinforce their importance. 

Extra precautions have been taken on Newington coaches.

At Newington, all teams have been told to be vigilant with their hygiene and to reduce physical contact where possible. This includes:

• No hand shaking or high-fives
• Students using only their own water bottle at training
• Students showering after training and washing their hands well after handling equipment
• Washing hands regularly and always before eating

Sport directors and coaches will continue to educate boys about these important steps. 

Any boy who is unwell should not train or compete. He should not come to Saturday sport as a player or a spectator, but please do keep the relevant sport director informed. 

We are considering how to deal with spectators at large-scale events such as GPS Swimming and Head of the River and working closely with the other schools involved.

All other trips, domestic and overseas, for the remainder of the school year are continuing to plan and disseminate information, but extensions and delays have been made to any financial commitments required of families.

Promotion of tours for December 2020 and January 2021 has commenced, with information specifically tailored to answer coronavirus concerns now included as part of the promotion information. Payment deadlines on these tours have also been extended, and the school is continuing to negotiate and confirm refund policies in the event that destination advice changes for particular countries. Please be aware that refunds will depend on the particular policy of each tour provider and will vary. 

There are also a number of instruments that remain in music rehearsal rooms, for example pianos, where several students and staff may use them across the school day. The Music Department will be involved in ensuring the regular cleaning of these instruments between uses.

The College has asked all families and staff who have been in specific high-risk countries to provide details to their campus via the contact details below.

Stanmore: mbates@newington.nsw.edu.au

Wyvern: ecope@newington.nsw.edu.au

Lindfield: jdruce@newington.nsw.edu.au

ELC: szweep@newington.nsw.edu.au