Dear Parents and Friends,

What an extraordinary time we are in at the moment. It is hard to believe that only a few months ago we were praying for the devastating fires that ravaged much of our state and indeed the entire east coast of Australia. Back then, I was sure the fires would be the defining event for 2020. But no! Now we find ourselves in a global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new normal now includes; social distancing, isolation, no cinemas, no parks, no beaches, no gatherings of more than 2 people and the list goes on. However, the resilience of the human spirit prevails and from the many restrictions to keep us all safe we see innovation as we try to connect to one another in creative ways.

One of the biggest challenges for many of us has been the directive to work and learn from home where possible. Thank you to all of the families who have been so supportive during this time and are keeping their children home to learn. By doing this you are helping all Victorians stay healthy and safe. Our essential workers are doing a tremendous job on the front line and for that, we are very grateful!

Learning from home is not easy! As most of you would know, I have four boys. Thankfully, only two of them are in school with one of them in grade 3. We are trying to continue his learning at home while my husband and I take turns working from home. It is not easy trying to motivate an 8 year old while the distractions of TV and toys are here. However, we are making progress now... I think.

A new form to fill in for those of you who meet the criteria of sending children to school will be sent out to you on Wednesday. Please fill this in so that we may organise our staffing for Weeks 3 and 4.

While it is not easy to parent and teach, I take my hat off to the teachers who have put together the learning tasks in such a short amount of time to enable children to stay home and safe. The staff at St Therese's Primary School are absolutely brilliant! They have worked tirelessly to ensure that learning continues despite the challenges that working remotely poses.

Each week, I will be looking to include some photos or short video clips of what learning at home is like at your place. If you would like to share please email your photos or videos to your teachers who can forward them to me for the newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the artwork that Mrs Hogan organised for the Year 3/4 children last week. (Featured above)

This Easter, which would normally have been spent with loved ones celebrating the risen Christ was like no other. Instead, we kept our distance from family and friends and if lucky, were able to see them using some kind of technology.

Pope Francis' homily given at his televised Holy Mass gave a message of hope and courage.

Pope Francis said, 'The Lord goes before us, he goes before us always. It is encouraging to know that he walks ahead of us in life and in death; he goes before us to Galilee, that is, to the place which for him and his disciples evoked the idea of daily life, family and work. Jesus wants us to bring hope there, to our every day life... Today, as pilgrims in search of hope, we cling to you, Risen Jesus. We turn our backs on death and open our hearts to you, for you are Life itself.'

I've included the LINK HERE for Pope Francis' full homily.

I hope you have a good week with your family and above all stay safe and remember WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

Yours in partnership,

Michelle Bruitzman

Dates to Remember ...

Term 2, 2020