DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Masks are Important

We find ourselves back in the physical classrooms this week, masked up and ready to learn. Thank you to the many students who have quickly adapted to the reintroduction of wearing masks. Certainly this is now a school expectation but it is important to note that this mandate comes from the State Government. 

• School staff and secondary school students aged 12 or older must wear a face mask indoors at school, unless an exception applies. Face masks are required to be worn outdoors at school where physical distancing of 1.5m cannot be maintained.
• For the purposes of communicating, teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching, but those who wish to do so, can.
• Face masks are mandatory for all school staff and school students aged 12 or older when travelling to and from school . Source: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au

On the first day out of remote learning last week we were required to wear face masks and over 100 students came to school without a mask. On Monday it was about the same and on Tuesday we distributed around 60 masks. It is good to see a reduction as this cannot be sustained. Our supplies of disposable face masks are for emergencies only and the expectation is that all students have their own face mask, preferably reusable. If students prefer to use disposable masks they should have a spare with them. Face masks can be sourced locally, online or can be handmade. Reusable masks are better for the environment and are less likely to break. We are asking all students and families to make sure they are equipped with a mask each day. Whilst they may not be the most comfortable thing in the world, we should keep in mind that we are acting in a way that supports our community - it is not about me, it’s about we. 

Student Forum Ration Challenge Update

The Student Forum invites students and families to join the 2021 Act for Peace Ration Challenge to raise awareness of challenges faced by those people who are seeking asylum or are refugees. Catholic Social Teaching holds that any person who is forced to move to preserve their lives or human dignity has a moral claim on the hospitality of others. When a person’s right to life and their right to conditions worthy of life are threatened by poverty, injustice, religious intolerance and armed conflict, they have a right to freedom of movement to seek safety and protection. Pope John XXIII wrote 

“ Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence within the confines of (their)  own country; and, when there are just reasons for it, the right to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there. The fact that one is a citizen of a particular state does not detract in any way from (their)  membership in the human family as a whole, nor from his citizenship in the world community.”  Because every human person, regardless of one’s legal status or geographic location, has a transcendent dignity that must always be respected, people on the move should enjoy the full range of human rights, and others (we) have a duty to see that they are respected, protected and fulfilled.  In undertaking the challenge our students and staff are seeking to recognise the rights of refugees. We are also seeking sponsorship. 

The money we raise will help save lives by providing emergency food, healthcare and life-saving support for the people who need it most. People on the move in vulnerable situations are also at greater risk of going hungry from the impact of coronavirus and the lockdown. More than half of the world's 26 million refugees and 80 million internally displaced people live in countries and communities that, even before the current pandemic, experienced high levels of food insecurity.

$220 can fund a referral to a medical centre for 10 refugees, enabling them to access life-saving treatment.

$600 can provide Covid-19 kits for 10 refugees containing essential hygiene items to help protect their families against the spread of Covid, including face masks, soap and hand sanitiser.

$1,872 can provide food rations (the same food you will be eating during the challenge) for a refugee family for an entire year, ensuring they have enough to eat.

So far we have raised $3,000.  If you would like to donate please go to our school page https://schools.rationchallenge.org.au/t/smmcsh 

Students who would like to join our team, it is not too late! Please email Grace Scott, Otto Conlan or any of our School Captains.