Principals Report 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is absolutely wonderful to welcome our students back to face-to-face learning. Some resemblance of ‘Normal’ has returned to our Monivae community. Students and staff are glad to be back and although the delivery of education has changed forever there is still something powerful about their interaction and relationship. The new ‘Normal’ for our College community continues to be a challenge and we are adapting continually as restrictions ease. 

In my welcome address to students earlier in the week I outlined a number of things that would be different as they came back and stressed that if we were going to ensure the best experience over the rest of the year, we needed to create a new culture to enable everyone’s safety and wellbeing. I spoke about 5 key messages and the importance of adhering to these while at school. I have included these messages for your information.

The letter “S” for students will be very Important as you return and frame our Monivae response; 

If Sick – stay home: The most important thing any student can do is, if you are unwell, if you are sick you must stay at home. We all need to be responsible and stay home when we are not well.

Social distance at school: Everyone knows that in this changed world we need to keep 1.5 meters apart whenever possible. You may naturally want to hug your friends when you see them as we come back together - please refrain from doing this. We need to remember that to keep one another safe we must continue to practice social distancing. 

Stay left & Stay Moving: In stairwells and high traffic areas at Monivae we need everyone to stay left and stay moving.  If people stop to talk or gather in stairwells, in high traffic areas and around lockers it prevents others practicing social distancing. 

Sanitise and sneeze responsibly: Hand hygiene is critical to everyone’s safety, as students go to the bathroom, washing your hands properly will be critical. The College will also have sanitiser units in each classroom and we ask that you sanitise as you enter each room. 

Study, Stay Connected, Sleep and nurture your spirit: I could add sport and work and the arts – for your wellbeing we are encouraging balance in all things as you come back.  It has been an unusual and trying time and we want you to stay well. This will be achieved by approaching all this with balance.  Focus on your school week, but do it in equilibrium with the other healthy things in your life. 

As a school community I could not be prouder of the way our students have responded throughout this challenging time.  I recognise that they have missed lots of things, but their responsible actions as learners in this community and in society have played a key role in keeping Victorians safe. 

I would also like to acknowledge the fantastic efforts of the staff, teaching and non-teaching, during this time. Our teaching staff have adapted to the circumstances and challenge of providing quality remote learning to our students and their own learning has been enormous. I thank them sincerely. Our non-teaching staff have also adapted and were redeployed throughout the school. This reinforces to me the strength and willingness of our Monivae community to band together and support each other when required. It is a very special place to work and to belong.

Finally, this newsletter is the first to be sent this term on a new platform. It will enable the College to embed links, provide greater resolution for photographs and be easily viewed on a smartphone. Hopefully it will make your experience a better one. From Term 3 the newsletter will be published once a month rather than fortnightly. 

Kind regards,

Jonathan Rowe

Principal