Principal's Report

Welcome Back

Just on two months ago, I wrote the following in the first newsletter of Term 2.

"As we begin this term of remote and flexible learning, I am proud to look back over the last four weeks and acknowledge the significant amount of hard work and planning that has been done by College staff members to prepare for this significantly different way of learning and teaching."

I wrote the following to staff last week: “We are on this journey together, we will make mistakes together, will have wonderful victories together, we will celebrate many successes together, we will carry each other through difficult times together and at the end of this journey we will celebrate all that is good with joy and gratitude together.”

I extend the same comments to families and students as we start this Term together. I have to admit there have been times over summer and in recent months where I felt that the word 'unprecedented' was well and truly overused and, quite frankly, I was becoming tired of hearing it. I am not, however, becoming tired of hearing the word 'together.' That is because I believe that it is a word that Jesus would have liked us to have been using more and more frequently as our response to His call to ‘Love one another as He has loved us’. It is perhaps fitting that these new ways of teaching and learning are implemented in the week following the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection; who knows what learning and teaching will look like on the other side of this pandemic?

Whatever it looks like, and whatever our successes and failures over the coming weeks, I can assure you that each and every staff member at St. Joseph’s College is committed to doing the very best that he or she can, to ensure that quality teaching and learning continues to take place. We are determined that when we look back and review Term 2,  2020, that we will look back with as much satisfaction as possible that we got it as right as possible with the gifts, talents, knowledge and resources we had at the time.

We are determined that we will be able to review Term 2, 2020, positively and that one of the highlights was how staff, students and families worked TOGETHER to make it successful.

Bouncing Back with Respect, Commitment and Gratitude

These are the values underpinning our School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports. Just as the transition from school-based Learning and Teaching to flexible and remote learning was challenging for all of us, so too will the transition back from flexible and remote learning to school-based learning. For all of us: staff, students and families. 

I know from reading feedback given in the recent surveys that there is a wide range of mixed feelings about this second transition amongst all sections of our community. Some staff are delighted to be returning to on-site teaching. Some are fearful for a whole raft of reasons. Some students cannot wait to be back on-site. Some are expressing reluctance, again for a whole raft of reasons. Some families cannot wait for school to return to some semblance of the way it was. Others will miss aspects of the increased time together.

Respect calls us to try to understand that all these various feelings are legitimate for each individual and it is not for anyone to be judgmental of another’s views. We are entering another uncertain period of transition. We need to be gentle with each other as we transition to a different ‘normal’ school day.

By far the underlying theme amongst all groups was a Commitment to the safety of every member of our community whilst maintaining a high-quality learning and teaching program. We need to maintain that commitment as we now face the challenge of returning to face to face learning and teaching whilst acknowledging there is still a long way to go before we feel fully relaxed about our ongoing safety.

There was also a large amount of Gratitude expressed for the hard work that has been done to get us to this point. At a Government level, Australians are being thanked for the way that they have responded to the measures implemented to keep us safe. At a school level, there is a wonderful amount of gratitude from students and families for the work done by staff. As staff members, we are grateful for the support we have received from students and families to date. We will be working hard to maintain that positive relationship.

Looking ahead we can commit to putting this year’s College theme into action in all the little things we do around the College. 

Assume Responsibility - play your part, stay apart, sanitise

Seek Unity - We’re in it together, have the courageous conversation – speak to peers when they are too close or not helping us all 

Restore Reason – When we respect each other, we stay healthy.

I also wrote in that first newsletter of Term that at the end of this journey we will celebrate all that is good with joy and gratitude together.”

Whilst Friday 26th June may not be the end of the journey, it will be end of Term. At the end of Term 1 we started holidays early under a massive cloud of uncertainty as to what flexible and remote learning would mean for each of us. At the end of Term 2 we will start holidays early with a sense of celebration that we have done good work together and can go into the holidays with a real sense of celebration. Thursday 25th June will be a Student Free, report-writing day (postponed from June 10th) and Friday 26th June will be a no-school day to relax and reflect on the term that was Term 2.

Best wishes everyone.

God bless.

Michael Delaney