From the Principal

Recess and lunchtime

As a child recess and lunchtime were my favourite times of the day! As Principal, they remain a big part of my day. Meeting with staff at morning tea and then wandering the school grounds and chatting with students over lunch invariably are highlights.

When I get back to my office, I am often much better placed to manage complex issues. The incidental contact with students and staff, assist in fulfilling my role more effectively. We have great students and staff.

In the last few weeks, that part of the routine has been largely missing. A huge part of our John XXIII College community is the engagement we have with students, staff and parents. That will certainly be a focus in Term 2 as we will need to be creative in designing opportunities for interaction.

We have previously communicated the importance of Homeroom and subject teacher video calls from the start of Term 2 in the Secondary school. Our Primary staff has also been very creative in engaging with our students in the initial phases of remote learning.

In challenging times, we can often see the very best of humanity. Elsewhere in this Newsletter there are reflections on COVID-19. My prayer for our community is that we find small ways to show kindness, compassion and understanding. Holy Week is the perfect opportunity for prayer and reflection as we celebrate the very essence of our Christian faith.

In a recent prayer, Pope Francis read from a passage in the Gospel of Matthew which tells of how Jesus and his disciples were struck by a sudden storm while sailing on the Sea of Galilee. He said, ‘We have realised that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.’ Let us continue to be people of hope as we row together.

Robert Henderson

Principal