Principals' Message
From our Principals - Alison & Greg
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been an extraordinary time, filled with uncertainty and apprehension. As you know from last Thursday the school has operated on a reduced staff, with many of our teachers, support staff and administration personnel working from home. We really appreciate the efforts of our wonderful staff who have worked tirelessly to create home learning opportunities for our students. We are all now planning for Term 2 in this area. Please ensure you look at the videos in the 'Focus on Learning ' part of the newsletter.
We would like to extend our appreciation to all of our school families who have been able to follow the advice from the Premier in relation to students attending school. We fully understand that for some essential workers this is not possible; gratitude to to our staff who have endeavoured to provide a calm and supportive school environment for those students in our care.
Thank you for your encouragement and support during these difficult times. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Please ensure that you read the important note regarding school fees from our director Mr Chris Smyth.
Supporting our families through COVID-19 with regard to School Fees
Dear Parents and Carers,
COVID-19 has reshaped how our world looks for the foreseeable future. As a result, with the support of the Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Armidale, each school has introduced new support for our families during this time.
Throughout the recent bushfire season and the ongoing drought, some families from our diocese have been more affected than others. This is also likely to be the case in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we need to ensure that the right support and assistance is directed to where it is most needed. If families are affected by job losses, business closures or other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to speak to your school principal as soon as possible, so that we can quickly determine the level of assistance required and provide that relief immediately. We appreciate how difficult it is for parents/caregivers to come forward with financial concerns, but we assure you that our schools will ensure that each case is managed with respect and absolute confidentiality.
The following initiatives have already been adopted:
No reminders for school fee payments will be sent out to parents/caregivers prior to 30 June 2020.
Families receiving the Coronavirus supplement from Centrelink will not receive a bill for Term 2 2020 school fees. Please inform your school principal as soon as possible if you are receiving this supplement.
Families not receiving the Coronavirus supplement from Centrelink will be able to apply individually for assistance with school fees. Please discuss this with your school principal as soon as possible.
Drought relief school fee subsidies are still available as in 2018 and 2019. We encourage all families who suffered—and may still be struggling—with financial difficulty due to the ongoing drought to contact their school principal to discuss fee relief.
Excursion fees and sports levies already paid will be applied against future school fees.
We want to assure you that, in line with our long-held principle, no child who meets the enrolment criteria will be refused a Catholic education or be disadvantaged because of a family’s financial circumstances. Therefore, we can also assure you that all currently enrolled students are assured of their continuing enrolment in our Catholic schools.
If you require a Direct Debit, Centrepay or similar authority to be cancelled, please contact your school. Staff will ensure the payment is cancelled as soon as possible.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide further information about school fees as the future becomes clearer.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Smyth
Director of Schools