13 August 2021
Dear Parents
 
The school has observed a worrisome rise in cases of COVID-19 cases and learners isolating due to contact with a person with the virus. We thank parents for being responsible and for keeping the school informed and for keeping their daughters at home. At present we have 9 learners across all grades and one staff member who tested positive and 39 learners isolating. We are in constant contact with both the Department of Health and the Department of Education.
 
We ask parents to please keep their daughters at home if they display flu-like symptoms. Should your daughter test positive for the virus, please do not bring the medical certificate to the school as you have been in direct contact with your daughter. A phone call to the school is necessary so that contact tracing can be done and you may email the medical certificate or send it with your daughter when she returns to school when she is well or has completed her isolation. Should learners come into direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person, they need to isolate at home for 10 days.  Direct contact is deemed to be when 2 people are within 1.5 m of each other for at least 15 minutes and both without a mask. Alternatively, they can isolate for 5 days at home and then be tested for the virus and should they be negative, they may return to school. If you have tested positive for the virus, please do not come to school to tell us that is the case. A phone call is sufficient.  Should a parent come to the school on an urgent matter, they must bring their own pen with and must fill in the screening form before entering the building.
 
Learners who miss task due dates or tests because of absenteeism require a medical certificate and must submit this work as a matter of urgency. In a Covid related absenteeism, the task or test is done once out of isolation or recovered (even if this is in a week off, in the case of Grade 8-11 learners) and for non-Covid related absenteeism the learner also comes in during the week off if there is any outstanding work. 
 
The school remains very diligent in following the protocols necessary during this time of the pandemic. Masks are essential as is sanitising and social distancing. Our classrooms are sanitised a number of times during the day, as are the bathrooms. The pandemic has made the teaching environment extremely difficult for our teachers as they are on duty for so much of the time as the learners cannot be left alone, not even at break time. I applaud the teachers and thank them for their commitment in trying to keep our girls safe.
 
Today is the last day of school for our matrics for a while as they go on 2 weeks study leave, though they come in periodically for special lesson slots or assessment, before they start the Preliminary Examinations on 30 August. We wish our matrics the best of luck for these exams and may they work hard in these weeks ahead to make themselves, their parents and the school proud. You, Matrics, carry the key to your future, so I urge you to study diligently in these last months of your schooling career to realise the dreams you have for yourself.
 
Please stay safe and warm.
 
Best Regards
 
Mrs K Stear
PRINCIPAL