Information about Schools/Childcare Asymptomatic Covid-19 Testing ProgrammePrivacy Notice can be read below:
Thursday 16 December 2021
GHS Dance Show 2021
The GHS Dance Show 2021 can be found by clicking on the link below:
https://sway.office.com/wwLzeNVKV3DsCaYm?loc=swsp
*** Passwords have been sent out to Parent/Carers of pupils involved via text. If you have not received a text, please contact the school .***
Thank you for your ongoing support. If you are able to, we would greatly appreciate a donation to our dance academy. This can be done by clicking the link:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year when it comes!
GHS Dance Academy 2021/22
Wednesday 15 December 2021
Letter to parents/carers from R Hunter and Test & Protect re COVID and Lateral Flow Tests (15 Dec 21)
TEST & PROTECT
15 December 2021
COVID-19 asymptomatic
testing programme for school staff and pupils
I am writing to let you know about some updates made
to the process for handing out LFD test kits to the children and young people in our secondary school.
Following
updated advice from Test and Protect, we are now able to hand out test kits
proactively to all staff and pupils, to enable them to test twice-weekly at
home and help keep our school/setting safe. There is no longer a requirement
for staff and pupils to “opt in” to the
programme in order to receive or pick up test kits from school. This will bring
the schools programme into line with arrangements in other testing programmes
in society.
Testing
remains voluntary. No-one is required to receive a pack of test kits if they do
not wish to, and no-one is required to take LFD tests as a condition of
attending school. However, we are
strongly encouraging all of our staff and pupils to
do so, and to record results online,
in order to identify any infections early on and help prevent our staff and
children from missing school during the winter period.
At the point
at which staff and pupils are provided with test kits, they will be provided
with information on the programme and privacy arrangements, for example through
the use of information posters and a privacy notice. By taking a pack of test
kits, reading the accompanying instructions, and testing at home, the person participating
will be understood to have agreed to taking part in this process.
The school
will be running test kit “stalls” on Thursday and Friday so that pupils can
collect kits as they leave school at the end of the day.
Please do discuss
the contents of this letter with your child[ren], and continue to encourage
them to do the following to help keep our school community safe:
Test regularly (twice a week) at home; and
Report all results, whether positive negative or void, at www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19-report-your-test-result or by calling 119.
Further information for
parents is at: www.parentclub.scot/articles/covid-19-testing-staff-and-pupils,
and more general information on LFD testing can be found at www.nhsinform.scot.
Frequently Asked Questions for young people, designed in partnership with Young
Scot, can be found here: https://young.scot/get-informed/national/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-young-people-at-school.
Yours
faithfully,
R Hunter
Head Teacher
Monday 13 December 2021
Letter from Lorna French (Acting Head of Schools) in relation to COVID-19 Guidance (13 Dec 21)
Dear Parents and Carers
COVID-19 Guidance
With one week until schools close for the holidays, we should be winding down, however recent news about the Omicron variant has made it clear that we must be more careful than ever. Although the Schools Guidance has not yet changed, there have been changes to the national guidance about close contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19. The list below sets out what you should now know:
Household Close Contacts
Must complete 10-day isolation (this includes under 18s) and is irrespective of vaccination status/negative test
Non-Household Close Contacts who are adults (over 18)
Can end self-isolation if all of the following apply:
- ·
you're fully vaccinated
- ·
you receive a negative PCR test result
- · you do not have, or develop, symptoms
If you’re a close contact (non-household) and you’ve tested positive for
coronavirus in the last 90 days, you do not have to self-isolate or book a test
if you’re fully vaccinated unless you develop new symptoms.
Isolation advice for under-18s (including under-5s) from Health Protection
Scotland
- · All those under the age of 18, should isolate in line with the high risk/low risk advice in place before the emergence of omicron.
- · High risk contacts (for example, household resident, household non-resident, intimate, intense social care) should isolate for 10 days even if the PCR/LFD test is negative. This also applies to under 5s.
- · Low risk contacts (for example, classmates, car shares) will receive a warn and inform letter but will not be required to isolate or do a PCR test
Please find below link to information:
As I mentioned, there is no change to the Schools’ Guidance, though Headteachers may make some small local changes. All major changes will be communicated to you directly first, should that be necessary
Thank you in advance for all you can do to support us in this final week of term. By regular testing, being vaccinated and of course following FACTS, we will hopefully do enough to enjoy a healthy, happy Christmas holiday.
Kind regards
Acting Head of Schools and Lifelong
Learning
Friday 10 December 2021
Update Letter from R Hunter regarding the Omicron variant (10 Dec 2021)
Covid /Omicron Mitigations
As I write you I am aware of the ever-changing landscape because of the emergence of the Omicron variant. Local authority briefings are providing Head Teachers with updated information.
I am meeting with colleagues, representative of our Health and Safety committee, pupil leaders and representatives of the Parent Council on Monday evening at 3.45pm to discuss out next steps and the possible re-introduction of certain mitigations.
The advice for now is to do all we can to ensure we apply the FACTS principles.
Face covering (unless exempt)
Avoid Crowds
Clean Hands (use hand sanitisation stations in
school)
Two meters distancing (for adults in school)
Self -Isolate
covidcasemanagement@edinburgh.gov.uk
I expect there to be further communications next week in preparation for the new term in January. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to discuss any matter.
Yours
faithfully,
Ross
Hunter
Head
Teacher
Wednesday 8 December 2021
COVID-19 Lateral Flow Device Testing for our school (8 Dec 21)
Dear parent/carer,
·
Test regularly (twice a week) at home; and
· Report all results, whether positive negative or void, at www.covidtest.scot or by calling 119.
Why does testing and reporting results matter?
· Regular, twice-weekly testing at home can identify people at an early stage who have Covid with no symptoms. By asking them to self-isolate, we can reduce the risk of the virus being passed on and avoid more of our young people and staff missing school over the winter period.
· Reporting positives means your family will receive the advice and support you need. Reporting negative and void results helps public health experts to understand the full picture of COVID in our area, and to plan to protect communities and keep schools safe and open.
What else do I need to know?
· The online portal for reporting results has been improved following feedback – you can now register family accounts that save key information for all your family members, so it only takes a few minutes to report results using your phone.
· We have now ordered new test kits that are “nose-only” – this is to address feedback that some young people found throat swabbing uncomfortable. This link shows how to do the new tests: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk3LLAD7ybk]. All our school pupils can access LFD test kits free of charge from our school.
· LFD tests are very good at identifying people who don’t have symptoms but who have a “high viral load”. Those are the people who are most infectious and likely to pass the virus onto others. All LFDs supplied by schools have passed rigorous safety tests.
NB: If your child receives a positive result from their LFD at home or has symptoms, they must report any LFD result online (or by calling 119), self-isolate and book a PCR test via NHS Inform at www.nhsinform.scot. Everyone in the household should also self-isolate and follow the advice about next steps on NHS Inform.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for contributing to the shared effort to test, report and keep our school community safe during the winter period.
Further information for parents is at: www.parentclub.scot/articles/covid-19-testing-staff-and-pupils, and more general information on LFD testing can be found at www.nhsinform.scot. Frequently Asked Questions for young people, designed in partnership with Young Scot, can be found here: https://young.scot/get-informed/national/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-young-people-at-school.
Yours sincerely,
Ross Hunter - Head Teacher
Monday 6 December 2021
Scottish Government Transport survey – free bus travel
Do you have a child aged 5-16, or are you a young person aged 12-21? If so, please complete the short travel survey for a chance to win up to £250 in Love2Shop vouchers.
The Scottish Government will soon be launching the Free Bus Travel Scheme for young people between the ages of 5 and 21. This aims to encourage greener travel patterns, and increase opportunities for young people to engage in employment, education and social activities and not be excluded due to travel costs. Transport Scotland will monitor the scheme as it progresses to check on use and impact. The first step is to try and understand current travel patterns so that any changes after the scheme is introduced can be identified.
We would be grateful if parents/carers of younger children (i.e. those aged 5-16), or young people aged 12-21 themselves, could complete this short travel survey. The questionnaire asks about current travel behaviour, and your thoughts about bus travel generally and the free bus travel. This should take no more than 10 minutes to do.
Contact Us: If you have any questions about the work or problems completing the questionnaire, please contact our Project Manager, Elaine Wilson-Smith, at elaine@wellsideresearch.co.uk or on 0131 677 5522.
online1.snapsurveys.com/under22travelsurvey
The closing date for all responses is 24th January 2022.
Ross Hunter
Head Teacher
Gracemount High School
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