From the Principal

God of All

We pray for protection as we work to conquer the anxiety that surrounds us.

God of all, you are our refuge.

Protect our children and our community.

Cover them with your wings and allow them to feel your arms around them.

Let your loving mercy and goodness surround us each day as we work in partnership to bring them to full flourishing.

We place our trust in you and hold onto your consoling words;

Be not afraid, for I go before you always

You are God who walks with us.

You are our light on our journey.

Amen 

We are All in this Together in Term 3, 2020

A special message of hope and care from our Staff to students and parents. 

Get well quick Cooper from all of us at St Francis de Sales.

You have got this! 

We warmly welcome our children and families back as we commence Term 3. This year, 2020 has certainly been a very different year and has provided the world, our country, our school and families with many challenges. These challenges are certainly ever present as we commence this new term at St Francis de Sales. We have to cope with the uncertainty and the hidden dangers of a pandemic that seems difficult to suppress in Victoria. We are, if we can, all back working from home and in Melbourne back to remote learning! Our experience of doing this before is certainly helping us,  as we implement the program a little wiser from our Term 2 experience. It is great to have all the positive feedback about adjustments we have made, like releasing the learning the night before and providing schedules for Google Meets. A BIG thank you to our teachers who have again shown agility in shifting gears, professionalism and commitment in the programs planned. It is the great partnership between the school and the home that will again ensure successful learning for our students. 

At St Francis de Sales we passionately hold the care, safety, wellbeing and learning of our students as our central and fundamental responsibility. We want the very BEST for each individual child trusted in our care. 

The numbers of cases in Melbourne is a concern and this week sees us all wearing face masks. It looks quite different at school as we attend meetings and do yard duty. Students who attend primary school for onsite supervision, including students who are aged 12 by Year 6, will not be required to wear a face covering. The Victorian Chief Health Officer has advised that it is not practical to require some primary school students to wear face coverings while others are not required to.

Parents and carers will be required to wear face coverings whenever they leave the house, including for school drop-off and pick-up.

Students or staff who have a medical condition – including problems with their breathing, a serious skin condition on the face, a disability or a mental health condition – are not required to wear a face covering. 

We are all in this together, so if it helps, then it is worth the effort. This new normal makes us appreciate and value the small things that we often take for granted, like a smile and a hug, gathering as family and even going to work or school! So as we pause and breathe, there is a lot to be grateful for despite the uncertainties we are currently experiencing.

The start to this new term is by far the most challenging one our staff, our school families and indeed that I have faced. It has been a confronting and distressing time for us all. There was no easy way to hear the news last Friday. The lifting of suppression orders late on Thursday night was out of our control but added complexity to an already stressful  and distressing situation.  I am eternally grateful that none of our children have needed to be interviewed and none of our students are part of the investigation. We do keep the children, families and schools who are directly impacted, in our thoughts and prayers.

If you have any ongoing concerns about this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. The investigators while maintaining the integrity of the investigation are liaising with the schools. Information they give us which can be provided publicly to parents and students will be promptly shared.  If you or your child requires further support, please contact me to access support. Alternatively please contact Maureen our school chaplain or Rachel our Wellbeing coordinator.   

The curriculum focus this term across the school is health and we plan to work with students and staff on protective behavior strategies and increase the awareness  around cybersafety. There are many resources to support us and one great resource is the esafety website. I encourage families to check the child friendly resources to help support this important learning. Please also refer to the wellbeing news in our newsletter each week. Please be assured that the welfare of our children is unequivocally our highest priority.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

We pray that we are all  back to school and work before too long.