Toorak College students playing key role in keeping themselves and community safe
Junior cleaners and parental nurses will be integral to a safe return to school for an elite Mornington Peninsula college – with cleaning packs and thermometers to be an essential part of every classroom kit.
South East
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They may be attending one of the most exclusive private schools on the Mornington Peninsula but these girls will still have to clean their own classrooms.
Toorak College will make its students responsible for cleaning their own work stations when they return in ten days.
Principal Kristy Kendall said cleaning packs would be placed in every classroom and the students encouraged to use them regularly.
She stressed the school would also be professionally cleaned.
“It’s about educating the students, not just about the importance of hygiene and how to keep themselves and their community safe, but also teaching them self-reliance and responsibility.”
Ms Kendall has emailed her students about the plan and said the early response was positive.
“So far its been thumbs up all the way,” she said.
Parents of students in years 7-12 have been asked to take their child’s temperature before they go to school each day.
“Instead of asking the teachers to do it for all students we’re getting the parents involved,” Ms Kendall said.
“There will also be thermometers around the school for students to use during the day if needed.”
Students from ELC to Year 6 will have their temperature checked daily by school staff.
Ms Kendall said the school had spent the past 24 hours preparing a plan to return on Monday, May 25.
“The first thing I did was talk to staff,” she said.
“I can’t run the school without them and I needed to know if it was feasible for them to transition back to the classroom.”
Preps, Grade 1 and 2 and Years 10-12 will be welcomed back on Monday, May 25 and the remaining Years 3 – 9 will be back by June 9.
The school introduced extra long weekends for senior students early in Term 2 to stop them from racing ahead in their studies.
“We’re having one of our Toorak long weekends this weekend with a non-curriculum day on Friday,” Ms Kendall said.
“Our teachers have said that’s all the time they will need to prepare so we won’t need to take Monday May 25 like the state schools are.”
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