An Easter Prayer

Lord our God, we thank and praise you for the greatness of your love, shown to us in Jesus Christ, who was willing to die for us, to bring us into your family, and to bless us with the life that lasts for ever.

We thank you for the new life we celebrate at Easter; help us to keep growing in the life that never comes to an end.

We pray for our families, our friends, and all those we care about: fill them with hope and happiness.

We pray for those who are ill, impacted by Covid-19 or facing difficulties: may they find hope in the cross of Christ, and be strengthened by the knowledge of your love.

Lord, accept our prayers, and be with us now and forever.

Amen.

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has indeed been a term that no one could have expected and certainly no one has previously experienced. Whilst we have heard of people who act selfishly and inconsiderately at the expense of others, the response to the COVID-19 virus has also resulted in people supporting each other and looking after others with care and compassion. We are truly fortunate to live in a country where the government uses research and evidence to make decisions for the benefit of all. Even though we may not agree with every call, our leaders, I believe, have acted in a manner, which has kept the public safe and informed. We ask God to give them wisdom and strength to continue to make decisions which protect and assist all Australians in this time of crisis. I also would like to thank the COVID-19 Response Team from the Wollongong Catholic Education Office for their support in maintaining clear channels of communication to all Diocesan Schools and their parents.  A final letter for the term has been posted on Compass today and it includes how Diocesan Schools will operate at the commencement of Term 2.  This of course is dependent on Government decisions in the next fortnight.

CHANGE OF CLASSROOMS- 4 GOLD

We have been in the process of restoring the current PBL Classroom (next to Year 6 Gold) in preparation for 4 Gold students and their teacher, Mrs Wright to move in once the present situation of remote learning is completed. The current 4 Gold classroom experienced significant water damage in the heavy rains two months ago. This combined, with the age of the demountable building, has resulted in the decision to re-locate the class as the chances of this re-occurring are strong. I will keep parents informed of when this is likely to happen.

REMOTE LEARNING

It is fully expected that our students will continue to be involved in Remote Learning next term. Although a small number of students were attending school on site during the last few weeks, most of our children were kept at home and were engaged in a number of activities, many of which used an online platform. This mode of learning is new for everybody and certainly has raised some challenges for students, parents and teachers. It will get easier as we move ahead as mistakes that are being made will be addressed over time. I thank parents for their patience and perseverance in supporting their children in their learning. When you consider that many adults are working from home, the extra responsibility of fulfilling the role of teacher is huge and one that we are extremely aware of at school. I continue to encourage parents to contact the teachers if you are experiencing difficulties as they will be able to guide you through the issue.

ATTENDANCE

One of the challenges that Remote Learning has created is the complexity of keeping attendance records. Those students who are attending school on site are being marked “P” for “Present”. The students who are involved in Remote Learning are being marked “F” for “Flexible Attendance” and students who are unwell are being marked “S” for “Sick”. Currently parents whose children are sick are unable to add attendance notes in Compass as it is disabled so they are to inform the school via email or telephone as soon as possible. It is an expectation that all students make contact with their teachers every day via the morning check-in. Failure to do so will result in the student being marked A for Absent. If a circumstance arises and students do not participate in the morning check-in, they can still touch base with their class teacher at some stage in the day. If this communication has not happened by 3.10pm, an automatic Compass alert will be sent to parents informing them that no contact has occurred. At this point parents may wish to email/phone the school if the child has in fact been engaged in remote learning, so an "A" for absence is not recorded. 
Parents who are experiencing technology issues, including problems connecting to the internet are to contact the class teacher as soon as possible.

MORNING CHECK-INS

Last week we introduced a whole School Morning Check-in, where families logged into a Zoom Conference to join in our school prayer and to listen to messages and announcements. The response was fantastic with 80% of our families being involved. We will continue that at 8.40am each day in Term 2 so it is hoped that all our families set up the Zoom App and log in (instructions are currently on Compass). This initiative is so important as it allows us to come together as a community, even if it is online, something we are all missing at the moment. Following the whole school check-in, Zoom check-ins for Years 2-6 will occur between 9-10.15am and all students are expected to participate, as a roll call is held, learning tasks are explained and students will have the opportunity to ask questions. Kindergarten (SeeSaw) and Year 1 (Dojo) will also have their morning check-ins. The timetable for the check-ins are:

9am- Year 6 & Kindergarten

9.15am- Year 5 & Year 1

9.30am- Year 4

9.45am- Year 3

10am- Year 2.

Where a class does not have a check-in immediately after the whole-school check-in, the students can still commence their daily assigned tasks whilst waiting.

SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES

Parents are reminded to contact me at school if I can be of any assistance to help you through these troubling times. I am extremely conscious that some families are experiencing significant hardship in so many ways. I am also aware that children may be struggling and worried about the health of a loved one or even the disconnection they are experiencing from extended family members such as grandparents or elderly relatives. CatholicCare school counseling services will continue next term using online platforms so please do not hesitate to contact me if you are concerned for the well being of your child. Referral forms are available at the school office.

Finally, I would once again like to express gratitude regarding the positive feedback parents have provided over the last few weeks, especially in regards to the work done by all staff. I have been amazed at their resilience to deal with challenging circumstances and by their overwhelmingly positive attitude. They truly care about each and every student and they will do anything to support parents in providing quality education in a remote learning environment.

Wishing all our students and their families a happy and holy Easter. May the peace of the risen Christ be with us all especially during these times of struggle and challenge.

KINDERGARTEN 2021

Any enrolments for Kindergarten 2021 should be submitted to the school office during the first week of Term 2, as interview planning is currently being undertaken.  Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the school website or from the Catholic Education Office, Wollongong website.

(Principal)