Principal Team Editorial 

When are students coming back to school onsite? It’s a great question that I wish I had an answer for. For most of us, we want school back now, today, tomorrow as quick as possible. It’s obvious that remote learning is not the perfect substitute for learning in person, despite all members of our community doing their best under different and difficult circumstances. 

The delta variant appears more transmissible and harder to get under control. Schools have already been significantly impacted with a number needing to close and many members of the community infected. You would think that under those circumstances, health officials will be reticent to send students back to school before outbreaks are under total control. Even as I wrote this editorial, I received an invite for an immediate briefing from VCAA about the plans for the GAT, exams and assessments for Year 12s. Events are changing rapidly and it’s easy to get a sense that things are out of control. So what can we do?

It’s apparent that the fastest way out of the worst of our current situation is through vaccination. I have taken control of my own circumstance and ensured that I am vaccinated. I have received both jabs and have now been fully vaccinated for at least three weeks. I am one of the lucky ones because vaccination as we know has not been available for all community members and it will still be some time before it is an option for all. I believe and trust in the scientists and experts that have been studying and working in the area of infectious diseases and immunology for decades and I trust that by getting the vaccine, I am keeping myself safe, as well as those I love, those that I work with and those that I may come in close contact with. 

It’s important that for those who are fortunate to be in positions as community leaders, that we stand up and encourage as many people as we can to take similar measures of protection. And, whilst I will continue to encourage students, staff and parents to get the vaccine, I do not have any extraordinary powers that allows me to overrule the individual rights of students or parents, no matter what misinformation some might read elsewhere. We need to minimise the risk of anyone in our community being infected with COVID, which could tragically lead to many in our community getting COVID. And beyond existing lockdowns and remote learning, vaccination is the best way to get there.

Part of our role as teachers is providing students with the skills to separate fact from fiction, to do their research, to engage with primary sources of information. Hopefully this will allow our students to make an informed choice about why its important to be vaccinated and how it can protect them, the ones they love and others. Unfortunately we live in an age, where misinformation is present and spreads easily. This can lead to dangerous outcomes. We can’t afford for this to happen. I want students and staff back onsite. Today and tomorrow. The quicker we’re vaccinated, the quicker we can get there.

Kevin Murphy

Principal