Last updated 4 Nov 4:15pm

To all our INCREDIBLE students & future students (and amazing parents),

I wanted to write to keep you updated with where we are at as a College regarding the coronavirus pandemic. We understand the COVID-19 situation varies significantly from country to country, and we want to keep you up to date with the situation in Australia and what it means for our upcoming 2021 semesters for Hillsong College Australia.

Australia has very low COVID-19 cases (with 8 new cases nationwide in the last 48 hours) and continues to enjoy the gradual easing of restrictions across the country. However, our international borders remain closed to foreign travellers and students.

This past semester, we continued to innovate and deliver our on-campus program in a safe, virtual environment for our students, including online chapel. We are thankful for our amazing staff and students who helped make the best of this unexpected situation. The safety of our staff and students is our priority, with a clear COVID-safe plan adhered to all times. As a result, we are pleased to report zero cases of COVID-19 on our Australia campuses this year.

As you may have already heard, we are bringing College back on campus, THIS WEEK! Aiming to start this coming Friday and continuing following Monday, most tutorials will be back on campus. We will continue with our blended delivery for remaining classes and continue to strategize around our options.

We expect we will start our January 2021 semester with a similar mix of on-campus and virtual delivery and will gradually open our campus as the situation continues to improve. With this approach in place for our Vocational and Higher Education on-campus programs in 2021, we are confident our students will continue to receive the quality ministry training and education they experience here at Hillsong College.

For Current Students
To keep our College COVID-safe and compliant to church and all governmental requirements our students in Sydney will be required to sit a short 20-minute presentation outlining the safety requirements necessary for us to function safely on campus. You will receive an email very shortly with a link to COVID 19 SAFE Church Training which will need to be completed if you have not done so already. As always, your safety and well-being are our highest priorities.

For On-Campus Applicants
For our new on-campus applicants (those coming to Sydney when borders open), please remember you will still need to apply for your Australian student visa so that once borders open and international travel is made possible, you can join us on campus and seamlessly continue your studies.

We will continue to keep you updated and encourage you to remain informed via official health authority channels. Let us continue to pray for those affected during this time, our nations and for this virus to be eradicated in Jesus’ name.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you, in person, very soon! Let us continue to stay in faith and finish this year strong and courageous, in one heart and mind.

Regards,

Lee Burns, Executive Vice President
Hillsong College

Last updated 6 November 2:27pm

To all our INCREDIBLE students (and amazing parents),

I’m writing to you today to update you with where Hillsong College USA is regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand the situation varies significantly from state to state, so we want to keep you updated and informed with things here in Phoenix, and what it means for our current 2020 and upcoming 2021 semesters.

The US has seen a recent rise in COVID cases across the country and is reporting a continued increase. This is the case in Arizona as well. This means we will continue to uphold our COVID-Safe procedures on campus to help ensure the safety of our students, staff, college, and church. We are thankful for our amazing staff and students who helped make the best of this unexpected situation.

With that in mind, we are looking for every student to take personal responsibility and show wise leadership with their involvement at social gatherings off campus. We ask that all students living in college housing not host any gatherings at their houses, and for all students to refrain from attending any gatherings (other than work) where recommended social distancing rules (6ft in proximity for longer than 15 minutes) and/or the wearing of masks are not applied.

We plan to continue to keep College on campus for the duration of this semester leading into Winter break. We also plan to continue to resume on campus for our January 2021 semester. With our current policies in place and the collective effort of our student body, we are confident our students will continue to receive the quality ministry training and education they experience here at Hillsong College USA.

And as we announced on Preview Day, we are excited to continue to move towards offering co-enrolment options for those wanting to obtain a bachelor’s degree while studying with us (which opens up possibilities for financial aid). More details are soon to come. There are exciting days ahead.

We will continue to keep you updated and encourage you to remain informed via official health authority channels. Let us continue to pray for those affected during this time, our nations and for this virus to be eradicated in Jesus’ name.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you, in person, very soon! Let us continue to stay in faith and finish this year strong and courageous, in one heart and mind.

Regards,
Lee Burns
Executive Vice President, Hillsong College

COVID 19 and College - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the COVID-19 situation in Australia?

Australia has a very developed health system, and the Australian government has been very proactive in responding to the growing coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the number of cases of infection in Australia, whilst rising, is much lower than many other parts of the developed world. The Australian government continues to respond to developments with even greater availability of testing, tighter travel bans, stronger messaging around hygiene and social distancing, enforcement of self-isolation and quarantines, and heavily limiting non-essential gatherings indoors and outdoors. At this point, for a number of very sound reasons the government has not closed schools, universities or other educational institutions, nor imposed gathering size limits upon them. See https://www.health.gov.au/ and World Health Organisation Global Statistics

What is Hillsong College doing?

The College continues to monitor the situation closely. The College’s Executive Team is meeting daily to keep abreast of developments and make appropriate decisions to safeguard the health of our student community and contribute to slowing the spread of the virus whilst continuing to deliver a high-quality training experience. We are also taking active steps to support the wellbeing of our student body – spiritually, emotionally, socially and practically - in these unprecedented and challenging times.
In particular, and in response to the government’s advice, the College is making adjustments to its training delivery so that classes can still run on-campus, exercising high standards of hygiene and social distancing, whilst also providing “virtual classroom” options for students who are unwell, concerned about their health or for other reasons unable to attend classes on campus.

Should students return home?

Whilst this is a decision for students and their families to make carefully, we feel the following things should be kept in consideration:

The rate of infection and death from the coronavirus is amongst the lowest in the world. See Current Status

Australia’s response to the coronavirus is amongst the most proactive in the world. See Australian Government Response

The single greatest source of infections into Australia are arrivals from overseas. As a result, the government has enforced compulsory 14-day self-isolation for all international arrivals. See Travel Restrictions

The 18-25 year old age group is statistically amongst the least vulnerable in the population.

How will students and their families know what is happening?

College will primarily and officially communicate to students via emails to their official student email. We will also send text messages and upload details to the College Portal and Website. Please rely on these official forms of communication. Additionally, we urge students and their families to become familiar with the Australian government’s regular health updates.
In these unprecedented circumstances the worst thing that can happen is for unreliable information sources and the rumour mill to distort communications between the College and our students. If students have any questions, please contact your core tutorial leader or campus vice-principal. Parents and families should feel free to ring +61 2 8853 5200 or email [email protected]

What is College doing to provide a safe campus for students?

College is following the safety guidelines issued by the Australian health authorities. This includes communicating hand washing and social distancing advice, providing hand sanitization stations around campus, regularly cleaning and disinfecting student and classroom spaces and changing classroom set-up to create necessary social distancing.

What should students do to stay healthy?

In line with Australian Government health advice you should do the following:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitiser with at least 60 per cent alcohol.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw soiled tissues in the bin and clean your hands with soap and water or sanitiser. If you don’t have a tissue, cover your sneeze or cough into your elbow.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces each day.

Stay home if you are sick and don’t expose others. If you are unwell with flu-like symptoms, do not go outside your property or home, do not go to work, school or shops unless it is essential.

Practise social distancing – minimise physical contact, keep safe distances from others

Should students come to College?

Yes, unless you feel unwell, especially if you have flu-like symptoms – i.e. fever, cough, shortness of breath and a sore throat.
Having said that, College is not going to be unreasonable about its attendance policy during these times.

What should I do if I feel unwell?

You should do the following:

Familiarise yourself with the Coronavirus symptoms – fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath

Seek medical attention and follow their advice.

Contact your core-tutorial leader so we can continue to care for you.

Should I withdraw?

College is looking at a range of responses to the situation, including delivering our courses online. We are committed to continuing to deliver our course even if, in the worst-case scenario, we can’t run face-to-face classes. Therefore, we encourage students not to withdraw, even if they are required to self-isolate or decide to return home.

What about my College accommodation?

You and your housemates should rigorously follow the standard hygiene advice (see above). In shared bedrooms you should do what you can to sleep as far from each other as possible. If one of your housemates feels unwell urge them to follow the steps outlined above.

What is the COVID-19 situation in the United States of America?

The USA has a very developed health system, and the US government has been very proactive in responding to the cases occurring in each state, including Arizona (where Hillsong College USA is located).

How does this affect schools / universities in the state of Arizona?

After the early closure of schools during the 2019-20 school year in response to COVID-19, local education agencies (LEAs), schools, and universities have been asked to prepare to re-open schools to in-person learning for the 2020-21 school year. We have been given recommended policies and procedures to allow for the re-opening of schools. In line with other universities in Phoenix, we have adopted those recommendations and implemented them for our re-opening of Hillsong College USA for our Fall 2020 semester.

What is Hillsong College USA doing?

Please review our COVID-19 operational plan here

Please watch this update from Hillsong College USA Principal: Blake Robinson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEIMr4Bd1U8

The College is following Arizona’s road map for re-opening schools and continues to monitor the situation closely. The College’s Executive Team is meeting daily to stay up to date with developments and make appropriate decisions to safeguard the health of our student community, whilst continuing to deliver a high-quality training experience. We are also taking active steps to support the wellbeing of our student body – spiritually, emotionally, socially and practically - in these unprecedented and challenging times.

In particular, and in response to the government’s advice, Hillsong College is adjusting its training delivery so that classes can still run on-campus. We are exercising high standards of hygiene and social distancing, whilst also providing “virtual classroom” options for students who are unwell, concerned about their health, or are for other reasons unable to attend classes on campus.

How will students and their families know what is happening?

Hillsong College USA will primarily and officially communicate to students via emails to their official student email. We will also send text messages and upload details to the College Portal and Website. Please rely on these official forms of communication. Additionally, we urge students and their families to become familiar with the US government’s regular health updates.

If students have any questions, please contact your core tutorial leader or campus principal. Parents and families should feel free to call +1 (480) 464 3922 or email [email protected]

What is Hillsong College USA doing to provide a safe campus for students?

Hillsong College USA is following the safety guidelines issued by the CDC.

This includes communicating hand washing and social distancing advice, providing hand sanitization stations around campus, regularly cleaning and disinfecting student's classroom spaces, and changing classroom set-up to create necessary social distancing.

What should students do to stay healthy?

In line with the US Government health advice you should do the following:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw soiled tissues in the trash can and clean your hands with soap and water or sanitizer. If you don’t have a tissue, cover your sneeze or cough into your elbow.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces each day.

Stay home if you are sick and don’t expose others. If you are unwell with flu-like symptoms, do not go outside your property or home, do not go to work, school or shops unless it is essential.

Practise social distancing – minimize physical contact, keep safe distances from others

Should students come to Hillsong College USA?

Though we are resuming in person, if students or parents are uncomfortable with being on campus we are offering a virtual class experience.

Please do not come on campus if you feel unwell, especially if you have flu-like symptoms – i.e. fever, cough, shortness of breath, and a sore throat.

Having said that, Hillsong College USA is not going to be unreasonable about its attendance policy during these times.

What should I do if I feel unwell?

You should do the following:

Familiarise yourself with the Coronavirus symptoms – fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath -

Seek medical attention and follow their advice.

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.

Contact your core-tutorial leader so we can continue to care for you.

What about my college accommodation?

You and your housemates should rigorously follow the standard hygiene advice (see above). In shared bedrooms, you should do what you can to sleep as far from each other as possible. If one of your housemates feels unwell urge them to follow the steps outlined above.

If students are concerned regarding their accommodation or rental payments, they should get in contact with our Accommodation Team ([email protected]).