Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Welcome back for Term 4! On my desk I have a calendar of daily quotes from the writings of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. She was a prolific letter-writer, corresponding at length with her far-flung Sisters and with many notables of the day. If she lived now, she would no doubt have been a social media influencer. Her writings are full of inspired comments, and it is often surprising how apt the quote of the day is. This Monday 12th October’s quote is We are all in the loving hands of a good God (11.10.1871). Her loving faith in the providence of God remains an inspiring example for us all.

Monday is Resumption Day, when all students return to classes here at school. I am sure everyone is very excited to be coming back. Within that excitement, there may also be some anxieties. Broadly speaking, people’s anxieties about resumption could fall into three categories: there may be concern about learning, in terms of how much progress has been made or perhaps lost during remote learning. There may be concerns about returning to the social dynamics of life at school, after many weeks of comparative isolation. Lastly, there may be concerns about staying healthy and avoiding catching or spreading the virus. These anxieties are likely to present in everyone, students and adults alike, to either a greater or lesser extent for each person. The College Leadership and Staff are working hard to make sure that all are addressed as we resume on-site learning.

On Monday, Resumption Day, we will commence with a virtual assembly led by our College Captains. This will be followed by an extended homeroom/pastoral period, during which each sub-school team has planned suitable activities to help everyone settle back in. All six lessons will run for the day – Monday Week 2, but with shortened times to fit them all in. The Wellbeing Team have prepared an excellent program of resources to build wellbeing and support students, please look over them and encourage your child(ren) to try the activities.

Teachers will be approaching the Resumption of classes as a chance for a fresh start in Learning. It is an opportunity to bring classes together and to provide new work, including all the activities that have been harder or not possible to conduct in remote learning. For the Year 12's, teachers have been remotely preparing them for their practice exams, which run next week.

We are also planning as best we can for our Year 12's to celebrate the coming end to their schooling. This will largely depend on what the restrictions allow. The College and Senior School team have been consulting with the student leaders and the Parents & Friends Association. We will write separately to Year 12 families about this. 

The College will continue with our extensive precautions regarding hygiene to reduce the possible spread of the virus. A summary of the actions is printed in this newsletter. Those who are interested may view our full Covid-19 prevention plan on the College Website, along with a summary of the arrangements.

I want to highlight two specific actions for your attention. Until further notice, temperature testing of all students will continue every morning. Students should report to Pioneer Hall on arrival in the same way they did last term. The other is mask-wearing. All students are still required to wear a mask for the whole of the school day, and to and from school, including on the buses. We had excellent co-operation from students last term, and we ask families again for your co-operation and support with these measures. Our intention is to keep everyone as safe as we can.

Wishing all our families continued health and happiness.