FROM THE PRINCIPAL
TERM 1 - WEEK 11
To the St Nicholas School Community
Today we commence The Easter Triduum with Holy Thursday. Easter is the cornerstone of the Church’s liturgical year, though has not been spared by the Coronavirus pandemic. Times of live-stream and broadcast Masses over Easter can be found in the 'Our Faith' section of this newsletter. While the physical doors of churches around the country will remain locked, please remember the church is not only bricks and mortar, it is the people.
This is also true of St Nicholas Primary School. For the last few years we have celebrated the amazing facilities we have at St Nicholas. We are proud of our facilities, which are the envy of many of our city cousins. We should be proud of them too.
St Nicholas Primary School is an educator of choice for the Tamworth region. While we are appreciative of our facilities, and they certainly support a contemporary education, we are viewed so highly in the Tamworth region because of our people. Students, parents and staff who are committed to education, where each child can develop the foundations to reach a vast potential.
While the Coronavirus has brought with it enormous challenges, as a Catholic Professional Learning Community, St Nicholas Primary School can be enormously proud of how we have accepted this challenge. Our communication to parents has been consistent:
Stay calm.
Look after your own wellbeing. As parents, if we fall apart, so will our children.
Love our children.
A school-wide response, supported by our system of schools, towards learning during the Coronavirus pandemic. With a school-wide response, significant autonomy has also been given to individual grades and teachers, as we recognise teachers know their students best and learning must look different across grades.
Learning will be different during the pandemic. St Nicholas School will not attempt to replicate a school day to be completed at home. Learning (L.I.F.T-OFF Learning) is based on 2-3 hours of quality learning experience.
Learning (L.I.F.T-OFF Learning) will evolve. While we can be proud of what has been achieved to date, we can also be proud of how it has evolved. This evolution will continue, for as a school we have a culture of improvement.
Again .... stay calm. If you are struggling with the learning platform (L.I.F.T-OFF Learning) you do not need this stress. Close the device and encourage your child to read. When this pandemic is over, and it will be one day, feel comfort in knowing teachers are experts in identifying where each child is in their learning journey. We will then provide them with the right learning opportunities and care to ensure they reach their potential.
As circulated in our daily communiques, I have instructed staff not to provide any student with work over the Easter break. Now more than ever, it is important as individuals and families we stop. Our children must have a break to ensure they are ready to go again in Term 2.
While we are unsure what Term 2 will look like, as a school community we can rest easy. We are ready for the challenge it presents. Our children will feel loved and will learn in Term 2!
Have a happy, holy and safe Easter.
John Clery
PRINCIPAL