Principal News

A Prayer to Combat the Coronavirus Pandemic

Most Merciful and Triune God,

We come to You in our weakness.

We come to You in our fear.

We come to You with trust.

For You alone are our hope.

We place before You the disease present in our world.

We turn to You in our time of need.

Bring wisdom to doctors.

Give understanding to scientists.

Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity.

Bring healing to those who are ill.

Protect those who are most at risk.

Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.

Welcome those who have died into Your Eternal Home.

Stabilize our communities.

Unite us in our compassion.

Remove all fear from our hearts.

Fill us with confidence in Your care.

(mention your particular concerns and prayers now)

Jesus, I trust in You.

Jesus, I trust in You.

Jesus, I trust in You.

Amen.

Short Litany to Our Blessed Mother

Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted, pray for us.

Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for us.

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us.

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us.

Amen

Dear Parents and Students

Welcome back to Term Two! 

The current Covid-19 pandemic has presented everyone with a set of challenges that we have never experienced in our lives before. Like you, we hope and pray that a vaccine is soon created and that the safety restrictions placed on our lives are lifted and life can return to as normal as possible. We pray for all who are suffering and those that are putting themselves at risk to protect the lives of others.

Online Learning Weeks 1 & 2

As previously communicated, Weeks 1 and 2 of schooling will continue to be conducted online, however the College is open to students who cannot currently remain at home. These students are completing the same work as their online counterparts and we thank the staff who have volunteered to supervise their learning.

Week 3 - May 11 Onwards

The NSW Government announced last week that due to the current COVID statistics, students will commence a gradual re-entry to school from May 11th (Week 3). The College Leadership Team has been consulting with CEDWW and as result of those discussions, we have established a student and staff re-entry plan. 

The health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and students are paramount and as such we ask that students and parents please follow the plan provided. Students will return on specific days of the week, allowing us to support their ongoing learning in a face to face capacity. On the days that students are not rostered to attend School, online learning will continue as normal. For those students who are unable to attend School for medical reasons, online learning will continue and as previously stated, the College will remain open to all students that are unable to work from home.

Aside from Year 12 students, on the days that students attend School, they will still be undertaking the online activities set by their teachers. Being at school will allow for more teacher feedback and important socialisation to occur, supporting the wellbeing of our students who have now been isolated for a number of weeks.

Attendance Schedule

The current schedule for student return: Week 3 until further notice.

As restrictions are relaxed from May 11 onwards, the number of times each year group can come to school should increase and this will be communicated to you when we are notified.

Uniform

On days of attendance, senior students are expected to wear their full College winter uniform and juniors may wear either sports uniform or full winter uniform.

Roll Marking

With regards to attendance and absence recording processes for weeks 3 onwards, teachers will mark their rolls each lesson for classes on site. Details concerning students working from home will be clarified by CEDWW soon and you will be notified accordingly.

Canteen

The canteen will be open with a limited menu, which will be online each day. 

Buses/ Student Drop Off and Pick Up

Buses will be operating as usual and parents are requested to remain in their cars at the Drop Off/Pick Up area.

Health and Safety Protocols

Following medical authorities advice, if your child is experiencing any cold or flu like symptoms, we ask that you keep them at home. If a child presents unwell to school, they will be asked to go home. This is to ensure the health of all on our campus. Each class will have access to hand sanitisers and our College is being thoroughly cleaned each day, however, we ask that students practice good hygiene to limit the chance of transmission.

As you are aware, community response to Covid-19  is evolving quickly and we will continue to communicate with you to provide updated information on our procedures during this time. 

We thank you for your support and understanding.

Welcome to new staff member Adam Cavanagh. Mr Cavanagh will be replacing Miss Clare Mitchell, taking all her classes for the term. Adam is an ex-student (Yr 12 2011). Being a local, he knows our College and the community well. Adam is also qualified to teach PDHPE and Science as well as Religious Education.

Many thanks to Clare Mitchell for her work in Term 1. Miss Mitchell will remain on our casual replacement teachers list, so we will no doubt be seeing her again sometime in the future.

Finally, my thanks to parents, students and our staff for the incredible work you are all doing in these extraordinary times we are living. No doubt, we are all learning new ways to “live and learn” and despite our sufferings let us continue to remain positive and believe that when we all return to living our lives “normally” we will appreciate what we have and work towards living better, fuller lives into the future.

Peace and Best Wishes

Principal 

Alan Le Brocque