Principal Report

Principal message week one term 4

Welcome back to term 4! What an incredible year we have had. It is hard to believe that after nearly 6 months of remote learning we are finally able to welcome back all of our students to school.

This year feels like we have been on an emotional roller-coaster. Over the course of the year, we have had to grapple with an enormous amount of change. We have had to adapt and respond often within a very limited timeframe.  It was building the plane whilst flying for much of Remote Learning 1.0, which seems like a lifetime ago now, but there were so many wonderful new opportunities for learning and ways of learning that we took away from that first experience. We also learnt how adaptable, flexible, resilient, intuitive and creative we all were; this shared experience shaping what was to become Remote Learning 2.0. 

Throughout all of this, we have learnt a very important lesson and I know that this is a cliché but together we were stronger. And by this, I mean we saw first-hand the power and richness that comes from school and home working in partnership. I have spoken about the importance of this for many years but I think it took this experience to really highlight how powerful this relationship can be for a child and their learning.

As we transition back to school next week re-establishing connections will be a vital component. From the outset of the COVID-19, the wellbeing of our children has been front and centre. As they return it will be essential that we make time to reconnect: children with children and staff with children. Health and wellbeing are foundations for learning and that is why providing a positive and supportive learning environment first and foremost on their return will go a long way in assisting the children to re-connect to their peers and to school. 

During their first week, there will be a major focus on wellbeing and social interactions. The way in which we approach this and the emphasis we place on it is going to be vital to ensuring the successful re-entry of our children back into the classroom, learning and to school. I know and I am confident that the return to school will be approached with the utmost sensitivity and care by staff and that your children will feel nurtured, supported and connected within no time. 

So, it is with great excitement that we welcome back our children to face to face learning. It is something that I know we have been longing for and though it feels slightly surreal at the moment it will be amazing to have children within the school again. Because without children the school is just a building and it is the children, staff and families who make this community so special.

Further information regarding the arrangements for the term 4 return to school during restrictions will be provided in a detailed Flexischools message along with the return to school protocols. I ask that you read this carefully as it will outline the arrangements for drop off, staggered pick-ups, access to the school etc.