• Appropriate social distancing is encouraged at all times when moving around the school.
  • For a simple explanation on the importance of social distancing, please read this article by Professor Thomas Perls from Boston University.
• Where possible, classrooms have been reorganised to allow for more personal space.
• Students are not to share drink bottles or food.
• We are constantly reviewing the status of events, excursions, assemblies, retreats and camps in line with government advice.
  • Please see below for a comprehensive listing of cancellations/postponements.
• Staff and students are receiving regular communication and training on personal hygiene measures.  Subject-specific hygiene practices are being consistently reinforced by all staff.
• Whilst the school has provisions for hand sanitiser, including supplies in every classroom and common areas, students are encouraged to carry their own hand sanitiser and tissues.
• We ask that all parents/caregivers do not accompany their child to classrooms unless in exceptional circumstances.
• We strongly encourage students/families to take advantage of our cashless payment systems operating in both the school canteen and Uniform Shop, to avoid spreading germs through handling cash.
• Cleaning contractors are on-site from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm daily, until further notice, to undertake additional duties across the campus including regular spraying of door handles and spraying/sanitising of common areas.
• UNIFORM SHOP PROTOCOLS
  • Families wishing to make purchases at the Uniform Shop are asked to call ahead and make an appointment on 8169 3950
  • Families without an appointment may be asked to wait outside to facilitate adequate social distancing protocols inside the Uniform Shop
  • We are currently not accepting cash with families asked to use our cashless payment system instead

• ELC routines have been adjusted to allow for more time spent outside (weather permitting).
• We are encouraging students to maintain a reasonable distance between them in their play.
• Sleepers are being accommodated in one of the downstairs rooms to facilitate maintaining reasonable distance between individuals.
• We ask that where possible, parents / caregivers hand over their child outside individual home rooms.
  • Sign-in iPads are now located in the ELC foyer.
• Normal ELC hours will be maintained, including early- and late-care, until further notice.
• In the event of a school closure at Blackfriars, all ELC programs (including early-care, sessional pre-school and late-care) will cease operations until further notice.

If you have any questions, or are directly affected by COVID-19, please contact Karen McEntee, ELC Director.

• OSHC routines have been adjusted to allow for more time spent outside (weather permitting).
• We are actively mentoring students maintaining a reasonable distance between them in their play.
  • This is aided by no contact ball games such as basketball and football.
  • Children can engage in games such as cricket, soccer and handball.
  • Group activities are being staggered to minimise the number of students in close proximity at any given time and designated play areas have been assigned.
• The playground is now in use, however, children are required to wash their hands before and after use
• OSHC staff will sign children in and out of OSHC service. Parents and caregivers are asked not to enter the hall until further notice.
• Social distancing stickers have been placed in Frassati Hall to help encourage students to maintain social distancing.
• Please refer to the OSHC Hygiene Practises letter distributed in mid-March for the best advice on maintaining good personal hygiene.
• In the event of a school closure at Blackfriars, all OSHC programs will cease operations until further notice.

If you have any questions, or are directly affected by COVID-19, please contact Rita Quaini, OSHC Director.

Following is a list of events/activities that have been cancelled or postponed to date due to COVID-19. Events and activities that remain scheduled to proceed or have been postponed to alternate dates (until further notice) can be found on the School Calendar.

Term 1

Event	Original Date(s)	Status
Prospect Road Autumn Fair	Sunday 15 March	CANCELLED
Harmony Day Celebrations	Wednesday 18 March	CANCELLED
Secondary Athletics Carnival	Thursday 19 March	CANCELLED
Year 11 Retreat	Tuesday 24 March	CANCELLED
Open Evening	Wednesday 25 March	CANCELLED
Parent/Teacher Interviews	Wednesday 1 April	CANCELLED
Dominican Feud	Thursday 2 April	CANCELLED
Principal’s Tours	Thursday 2 April	CANCELLED
Primary School Sports Day	Friday 3 April	CANCELLED
GenConnection Concert	Sunday 5 April	CANCELLED
Year 7 Retreat	Monday 6 April	CANCELLED
Year 8 Retreat	Tuesday 7 April	CANCELLED
Year 9 Retreat	Wednesday 8 April	CANCELLED
Easter Passion Liturgy	Thursday 9 April	CANCELLED

Term 2

Event	Original Date(s)	Status
Resurrection Liturgy	Wednesday 29 April	CANCELLED
Generations in Jazz	Friday 1 to Sunday 3 May	CANCELLED
P+F Mother’s Day Stall	Wednesday 6 May	CANCELLED
Principal’s Tour	Thursday 7 May	CANCELLED
Mother’s Day Liturgy	Friday 8 May	CANCELLED
Class of 2000 Reunion	Friday 8 May	POSTPONED TO 2021 (date tba)
NAPLAN testing	Tuesday 12 to Friday 22 May	CANCELLED
Year 7 Camp	Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 May	POSTPONED (Term 4 / Week 7)
Combined Careers Expo	Thursday 28 May	CANCELLED
Autumn Music Soiree	Monday 1 June	CANCELLED
Whole School Mass	Wednesday 3 June	CANCELLED
Principal’s Tour	Thursday 4 June	POSTPONED (Thursday 2 July)
Whole School Assembly	Wednesday 10 June	CANCELLED
Adelaide 6-hour Pedal Prix	Sunday 14 June	CANCELLED
Year 12 Formal	Friday 19 June	POSTPONED (Friday 25 September)
Primary Arts Night	Tuesday 23 June	POSTPONED (date tba)

Term 3

Event	Original Date(s)	Status
Adelaide 6-hour Pedal Prix	Sunday 26 July	POSTPONED (Sunday 16 August)
Subject Selection Parent Assembly	Wednesday 29 July	CANCELLED
P+F Olympics Quiz Night	Saturday 1 August	CANCELLED
St Dominic’s Day Mass and Activity Day	Friday 7 August	POSTPONED (new date tba)
ABODA Music Festival	Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 August	ONLINE EVENT (date tba)
Intercol Week (Blackfiars v CBC)	Monday 17 to Saturday 22 August	POSTPONED (Monday 14 to Saturday 19 September)
Book Week	Saturday 22 to Friday 28 August	POSTPONED (Term 4, Week 2)
Parent / Teacher Interviews	Wednesday 26 August	POSTPONED (Wednesday 23 September)
Father’s Day Liturgy	Monday 7 September	CANCELLED
Catholic Schools’ Music Festival	Monday 14 to Thursday September	ONLINE EVENT (date tba)

• The following protocols are informed and compliant with the following SA Health guidelines:
  • South Australian Roadmap for Easing COVID-19 Restrictions >
  • detailed here>
  • All co-curricular information is available on SEQTA via the co-curricular tab. Please check this for updates regularly, and ensure students are in attendance at their relevant team trainings and meetings to receive any urgent updates.

• Students and staff should not attend school if they are unwell in any manner. If you are experiencing any fever or respiratory symptoms, please seek coronavirus testing as soon as possible and self-isolate until you receive your results. Please notify the school of the reason for your absence for potential cleaning and contact tracing purposes.
• Students and staff must not attend school if they or someone in their household is being tested for or has been diagnosed with COVID-19.  Please alert the school immediately in this situation.
• If you are uncomfortable sending your child to school at any time, please notify your son’s classroom/home group teacher as soon as possible so we can ensure they are well-equipped to work from home.

• If we are advised by authorities of a confirmed case of COVID-19, or of the necessity for a forced closure, the school will be required to close allowing for a bio clean of the campus.
• Our process in the case of school closure will be as follows:
  • School closure SEQTA Direqt Message and SMS sent to parents / caregivers.
  • School will continue to operate as normal until the end of the day.
  • OSHC will operate as normal that day.
  • Families wishing to collect their child before the end of the day are free to do so, ensuring that they are signed out at the school Administration, Student Services Office or ELC.
  • Students who use the Blackfriars school buses will have the regular services provided departing at 3.25pm.
• During school closure it is imperative that students remain at home and continue to practise social distancing and personal hygiene procedures.

• Blackfriars is continuing to focus on our core business of classroom-based learning and teaching, with online accessibility to ensure equitable and quality learning for all students. The Blackfriars Remote Learning Guidelines document outlines the eLearning protocols for our community.
• Our Learning Management System (including SEQTA (Year 4 to Year 12), Seesaw (ELC to Year 3) and OneNote Class Notebook) is well-equipped for remote access and is being regularly reviewed and updated by our ICT team.
• The eSafety Commissioner has provided an online safety kit specific for parents and carers who may need to support their children through remote learning at some point.
• Our Library website has a comprehensive range of digital learning resources, as well as useful websites for student research, and general resources for parents to keep their kids busy and engaged with learning from home.
• Dr Michael Carr-Gregg shares his tips for preparing for remote learning in this special report by SchoolTV.

• Click here to read a message for teachers and parents from Professor Martin Westwell, Chief Executive, SACE Board of SA.
• Please view video messages below from Professor Martin Westwall to students and parents.

• Blackfriars offers free onsite counselling and psychology services to all students. Referrals to the Counselling Team may be made by the student (self-referral), a parent or caregiver, or a teacher. Referral forms are available via SEQTA.
• ChildMind is a US organisation, but their tips for supporting teenagers to navigate coronavirus are just as relevant to us in Adelaide.
• If you or your children are having trouble articulating how they are feeling, you might like to try using this feelings wheel to label and understand different emotions.
• This Beyond Blue fact sheet has great tips for children and adults alike, as well as links to other reputable resources about COVID-19.
• This headspace page is specifically for young people feeling stressed about COVID-19, and provides clear advice about what to do if you’re feeling overwhelmed or need extra support.
• Youth Beyond Blue has general resources for supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing (not specifically about COVID-19).
• This article from TALi Health also has some extra tips for working through difficult feelings with your children.

• This guide from ABC provides some simple suggestions.
• SBS has also provided tips from children’s author Francesca Cavallo, in both written and audio form.
• UNICEF also has some broader tips for how to cope as a family, and some good FAQs about the virus.
• This episode of Play School is a great tool for explaining coronavirus to younger children:

Play School: Hello Friends! (A COVID-19 Special)

💖 OUR PLAY SCHOOL COVID-19 SPECIAL 💖Join Emma and Matt for this special episode as they help explain some of the big questions around Coronavirus, from staying at home to washing your hands.

Posted by ABC Kids Community on Wednesday, 1 April 2020

• Lifeline provides a free, 24-hour phone line for crisis support: call 13 11 14 or use their web chat function.
• Kids Helpline offers free, confidential phone and online counselling for children and young people aged 5-25.
• Beyond Blue also offers phone and online options for those suffering from anxiety or depression.

• ABC’s Coronacast offers short daily episodes summarising the latest advice and developments regarding COVID-19, in a simple and straightforward manner.
• Australian Government and SA Health websites have the latest official guidelines and information about what steps should be taken by the public.
• A National Coronavirus Health Information Line has been established, and can be contacted on 1800 020 080.
• This SchoolTV report by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg provides a handy parent guide to coronavirus.

If you have any questions, or are directly affected by COVID-19, please contact:

• David Ruggiero – Deputy Principal (Secondary)
• Frank Ali – Head of Primary
• Karen McEntee – ELC Director
• Rita Quaini – OSHC Director

As always, Blackfriars staff are here to support your children and families.

Please stay informed with updates via SEQTA, the school website and our social media channels.