09 Mar 2022
Dear parents and caregivers,
Thank you for your support of my decision to keep students and staff at home both today and yesterday as we endured the significant rain event.
I sincerely hope that flooding avoided your house and neighbourhood and you and your families have been able to keep safe and well during this extraordinary experience.
Please note that Figtree HS will be operational tomorrow, Thursday 10 March.
It is important for me to make you aware that there has been significant flood damage to Figtree HS. Areas of the external fencing surrounding our bottom oval and tennis courts have been disfigured and are awaiting repair; there is in excess of $100 000 worth of damage in these areas alone. Also, some of the internal spaces and thoroughfares in the school have been impacted by the deluge of water. For example, there is much debris on footpaths around the school and students, staff and visitors will need to take extra care and maintain walking speed (only) as these areas are very slippery.
The footbridge - positioned at the back of the school, joining O'Briens Rd - has also been impacted and until Wollongong City Council properly assess and mend the damage, the footbridge is out of bounds. Further to this, I ask for all students and members of the school community to access the school via the various entry points on Gibsons Road.
In the interim, students who need to catch buses from O'Brien's Rd can provide an early leave note to the Front Office to be dismissed 10 mins prior to the end of the normal school day. Students will need to walk around the school, taking the Princess Highway route to get to where the buses depart from. Otherwise, alternate pick-up arrangements will need to be made.
While, very welcomingly, it looks like the rain is easing in this part of the state, an emerging hazard of high winds is presenting. With this in mind, can you please chat with your child and bring to their attention an increased possibility of limbs dropping off trees and even entire trees falling due to the deeply saturated ground. (I acknowledge this preceding point could be interpreted as ominous/dramatic - I don't want the students to be alarmed/scared, just alerted to this as a potential risk, especially as they walk to and from school)
We will continue to take a risk managed approach at Figtree HS as we negotiate these hazards.
Meanwhile, try to steer clear of danger and stay safe.
Dan Ovens
Principal