As Western Australia's first school term with COVID-19 in the community comes to a close, many will be breathing a sigh of relief.
Among them is Tiki Swain's family, who have had at least one family member in isolation at any given time during the past few weeks.
Their story is not uncommon, with almost all the state's schools having reported positive cases in students and staff.
So far, 1,031 schools out of a total of 1,139 in WA have reported positive cases among staff and students.
In the last week, 910 of those reported infections.
But when school returns at the end of the month, that cycle could well begin again.
Tag team isolation
Mx Swain's primary school-aged son was the first to be sent into isolation, after his entire class were deemed close contacts.
Not long after he got out, it was their high school-aged daughter's turn to quarantine.
"She was out of isolation for two days and she had to go back into it from a different friend catching COVID," Mx Swain said.
It meant their daughter had to miss a Scout camp, which Mx Swain still helped out at.
"But then some of the campers actually brought COVID with them, and so half the kids on the Scout camp caught COVID," they said.
Now close contacts themselves, they spent the next week sleeping in a tent in the family's backyard to isolate from everyone else.
"Then my daughter caught COVID from one of the Scouts who'd actually been on the camp and went back to school, and so she's been isolating for the last week," Mx Swain said.
"And of course my youngest child had to isolate at home with us while she had COVID as well, so we've had people stuck at home one way or another for three, four, five weeks."
That finally came to an end yesterday.
School COVID rules change
From the start of next term a number of school COVID rules will change, allowing parents back on school grounds and expanding the types of events allowed to go ahead.
But the current close contact rules remain, meaning students who spend more than 15 minutes face-to-face, or two hours in a small room with a person with COVID-19, where neither person wears a mask, will still be sent into isolation.
They will be allowed to attend school, and on-site activities before and after school, but will have to isolate outside of that.
It makes things particularly challenging for families of younger children who are not required to wear masks, meaning one case can force an entire class into isolation.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said yesterday that was not likely to change anytime soon.
"All of the rules are in place to limit the spread of COVID as much as possible, and also to allow schools to continue with face-to-face learning," she said.
"We don't anticipate any particular change at this point around school contacts for younger children.
"It is important that we still contain the spread of COVID."
Rolling with the COVID punches
Mx Swain said while the last few weeks had been challenging, they had also been fun.
And while their children had completed all their schoolwork, it was not a major priority.
"You keep a little bit of routine, you let them do a bit of schoolwork so that they don't forget how to do it," they said.
"You make sure they get up in the morning and go to bed at night and everything like that … you just don't worry about it."
And despite the disruption, Mx Swain said they were not overly worried about the cycle beginning again after the school holidays.
"I'm not going to try and second guess the future, you roll with it," they said.
New rules bring new challenges
After what he described as a challenging, demanding and tiring term, the head of WA's Primary Principals Association said school leaders were ready for what comes next.
But Niel Smith said there were nerves about what the new rules could mean for principals.
"Am I going to have to face a difficult conversation and potentially a challenging parent who doesn't want to wear a mask now they're allowed onsite?" was one concern he relayed to ABC Radio Perth.
"We welcome a return to normal. We're just aware that we've learnt this term it does pose new challenges each time."
He said principals, teachers, students and families had generally adapted well to the changes throughout this term.
Opposition Leader Mia Davies said schools were just one area where the government needed to provide greater justification for its rules.
"All we ask … is for the government to provide clarity as to whether or not the rules and restrictions that are in place are proportionate to the risk we face here in Western Australia," she said.
"We are a highly vaccinated community, we've all gone and done everything that the Premier and the health experts have asked us to do.
"It's right to continually ask whether or not those rules that are in place are still required."
Education Minister Sue Ellery said the government would continue to monitor the situation over the school holidays to prepare for the return to school.
