Yiramalay students in Melbourne 

At the end of Term 3, it had been hard for our Melbourne students. Jason, Banjo, Tonheya and Abby as they all wanted to go home for the September holidays, but to do that they would have to endure another two-week quarantine. They decided it was worth it, took a deep breath and organised an adult who would be their quarantine chaperone. During the holidays, Melbourne COVID-19 case numbers had grown, meaning they would likely face another quarantine to get home at the end of Term 4. Under the circumstances, they all opted to remain in WA and attend their remote classes from there. This was not without its sacrifices – the Vic/WA time difference had meant the first period started at 5:30am! Although it’s been challenging to maintain momentum and motivation, they all dug deep and persevered wonderfully by logging on to classes and working on study tasks. When face-to-face classes resumed in Melbourne, the online lessons finished, but they doubled their efforts and began an intensive online self-study phase.

These wonderfully talented students have shown amazing tenacity, drive and positivity during this extraordinarily demanding time. While their end-of-year exam outcomes are as yet unknown, they have matured and developed as diligent and hard-working individuals – qualities they will benefit from in spades.