Residential School and floods in NSW

Dear Aurora families

As you are aware, above average rainfall is expected in most parts of the state over the coming days.

The Bureau of Meteorology advises that this presents a risk of flooding in some of the affected areas. Obviously, this may impact on the travel plans for our upcoming Residential School for some students.

Please be assured that we are keeping a close watch on the situation as it unfolds and we are working very closely with the bus company to ensure that published routes are safe.

In the event that a bus route needs to be changed, families will be alerted via SMS and will be directed to information published on our website https://aurora.schools.nsw.gov.au/. A banner on the landing page will link you to a page with the latest information.

In the days before the Residential School, families are advised to stay informed and monitor local conditions, including via the LIVE Traffic NSW and the Bureau of Meteorology websites/apps.

Please do not take your child to the designated ‘pick up’ location (bus and air travel) if it is unsafe to do so. You should never drive through flood waters. Please also ensure that you do not leave your child unattended whilst waiting for their Residential School bus.

If travel is deemed to be unsafe for individual students or groups of students and attendance at the Residential School is not possible, families will receive a full refund for the cost of the camp, including transport.

Families are asked to contact the Aurora College office by telephone on 1300 287 629 or email at auroracoll-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au as soon as possible, if your local circumstances do not allow for safe travel.

In the event that travel home at the conclusion of the camp is not safe, students will be accommodated in Canberra under the supervision of Aurora staff until it is safe to do so.

Following the announcement by National Cabinet at the end of September with regard to mandatory COVID-19 isolation, the NSW Department of Education has revised its Term 4 requirements. Part of the updated advice is provided below:

• For all overnight excursions and camps, any COVID-19 positive case is required to be isolated until a parent is able to pick up their child.
• Students who share overnight cabins/rooms with a positive case are no longer required to be picked up from the venue; however, families of the students must be informed. These students will need to monitor for symptoms and wear a mask for all indoor activities as per the NSW guidelines for people exposed to COVID-19. If any student or staff develops symptoms following COVID-19 exposure, they will need to be isolated and follow the advice for people with symptoms (as above).

Obviously, the major change to the settings that were in place last term is that ’close contacts’ are no longer required to be picked up from the venue.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Aurora College office.

Regards

Chris Robertson
Principal, Aurora College