From the Principal 

Dear Families,

Welcome back for Term 2.  I hope you and your family enjoyed a restful Easter break and that your children delighted in the joys and traditions that accompany this special time of year.  Students have started with a renewed enthusiasm and it’s wonderful to see and hear their lively interactions.  In the hope and joy that Easter has brought us, let us embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead as we work in partnership this term. 

ANZAC Day

On Monday we commemorated ANZAC Day.  At dawn, we are asked to remember the great sacrifice of the Anzacs, and those who have fought to defend our nation and its values. As a community of faith, we remember the heroic actions of young men and women in the field of battle, many from our Catholic Parish communities.  Our four school leaders; Francesca B, Lottie D, Louis W and Xavier L represented our school at the local dawn service by laying a wreath along with many other schools and community groups.  

ANZAC Day reflection

Monday was a very special day for all Australians because it was ANZAC day. At 5:30am lots of us woke up very early to participate in the memorial service in Eltham, Main St. The service felt very spiritual and it felt like all the ANZACs were with us. Louis and Xavier laid the wreath for our school OLHC. There were a few peaceful instruments being played such as the bagpipes and bugle playing the Last Post at the end. 

The service was very organised and there were a lot of people crowded through the streets.  There were many people in service uniforms wearing their badges.  There were a number of other schools and other local organisations represented who also laid a wreath. We heard from a lady who served in Afghanistan about her experience evacuating people from dangerous situations.  We thought it was a moving experience for everyone.

Lottie, Francesca, Xavier and Louis

COVID Protocols Update

With the start of Term 2, the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) along with the Department of Education and Training, have issued a new Schools Operations Guide for the management of COVID - 19 protocols and procedures as of Tuesday April 26.

The twenty page document maintains many of the usual practices we have been used to but provides for some key changes.  I have outlined these below for your reference:

• Parents, carers and other adult visitors are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine if not performing work or volunteering at the school. 
• All parent helpers, canteen or tuckshop assistants, reading helpers, excursion supervisors, classroom or working bee volunteers, PFOL helpers volunteering onsite in close proximity to children, students or staff, is considered an education worker and therefore must be fully vaccinated (boosted) or have an exemption.
• While recommended, face masks are not required in any school settings, though students or staff members who wish to wear a mask may do so.

Updated approach to managing a confirmed case and close contacts of COVID-19 in schools 

Where a student or staff member is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be taken: 

1. Parents/carers should inform the school by phone or written/email notification - school@olhceltham.catholic.edu.au 
2. Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period. 
3. Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school. 
4. Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they take additional safety measures in the 7 days that would have been their quarantine period - these include
   1. notify the school if returning during their 7 day period;
   2. undertake daily rapid antigen testing five times within the 7 days; 
   3. wear a face covering when indoors (if aged 8 years and above or unless they have a valid exemption);
5. If symptomatic, all students/staff must stay/return home, take a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if a rapid antigen testing kit is unavailable.
6. Staff must report the result of a positive test and must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period. 
7. Where a staff member is a household contact of a positive case they must inform the school. Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they take additional safety measures in the 7 days that would have been their quarantine period. 
8. Principals must notify staff and the school community/relevant cohort through a daily email (where applicable) when a student or staff member has returned a positive COVID-19 test result and had attended the school. 

Mother’s Day Assembly

We will be celebrating Mother’s Day with a special liturgy on Friday May 6 at 9am in the Community Centre.  This will be followed by a morning tea where we can gather and catch up over a cup of tea/coffee. Mothers and significant mother figures of our students are welcome to attend. 

To assist us with our liturgy we invite all families, whether attending this event or not, to send through a photo of our students with their mum or significant mother figure, so we can share a slideshow of images of all the wonderful women who play such an important role in the lives of our students.  

Please send photos to angela.vines@olhceltham.catholic.edu.au by 2pm Wednesday May 4.  For any enquiries about the liturgy and morning tea, please contact Clare Bisby (clare.bisby@olhceltham.catholic.edu.au).

Tuck Shop Helpers

If you are interested in being a helper in our Tuck Shop (Wednesdays and Fridays) please contact our office.  All on site volunteers must be fully vaccinated (i.e 3 times injected).

Federal Election

Read the Australian Catholic Bishops’ 2022 election statement , Towards a Better Kind of Politics, to help you reflect on the good you can do for the community by using your vote for the common good of all. The statement includes a Prayer for the Election and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Download a copy from www.catholic.org.au

On Tuesday this week I met online with our two local MPs Vicki Ward and Kate Thwaites.  Along with other school principals and representatives we discussed ways schools can be supported after the impact of the pandemic over the last two years. Thanks to Vikki and Kate for their time and hearing about our successes and challenges.

Warm regards

Patrick Green

Our first PFOL meeting

Date: Tuesday May 3 see PFOL page for zoom link.

Please refer to our School google calendar for events throughout the year.   

FOUND - Glasses in red case at Dudley Street Crossing this morning.  Liz has them at the office.

Links