Principal's Report
A lot can happen in schools over a short period of time. This is definitely true of Warrnambool College as term 1 has catapulted us through a plethora of learning opportunities from sporting events, year level excursions, the first round of ‘CATs’ and ‘SACs’ for student assessments and various academies starting up. And of course we have our year 7 and 9 camping program, school athletics day and open night to come in the next fortnight. Life in our great secondary school is always busy and packed chock full of possibilities to grow and develop.
Since school started though, it’s not just our school that has experienced significant events and change. We are living in interesting and challenging times as the world comes to grips with the outbreak of the coronavirus and the impact this is having on billions of lives in essentially every country on the planet. Australia, Victoria and Warrnambool are not immune to the physical, mental and social effects of this virus. Australia is well placed to cope with the challenges that this disease will present and, as I write this, there are still very few cases of confirmed coronavirus in Victoria and none in the Warrnambool area. However, I want to assure our school community that we are taking the prudent steps to develop contingences for teaching and learning should we be placed in a scenario where the Department requests that schools be closed for any period of time. Despite news reports to the contrary, at this stage there is nothing to suggest that schools in Victoria will be significantly impacted on a mass scale, but we are planning for any eventuality to ensure that student learning is not compromised at Warrnambool College. As information and advice is provided to us by the Department of Education, we will act on this accordingly and ensure that our entire school community is informed via a variety of communication methods (SMS, Facebook, email, etc.). The advice we have currently received is to encourage and ensure that staff and students are using effective and appropriate hygiene practices. This includes regular washing of hands with soap (particularly before eating), not sharing food or drinks and coughing or sneezing into your shoulder (and then immediately washing your hands). Obviously we are asking everyone to be cautious with respect to any cold or flu-like symptoms they might have and to see a GP and stay away from school while receiving medical advice. If you could reiterate these points to your child at home, it would be appreciated so that we can work proactively together to minimise risks of virus exposure in our community.
It is a difficult place to exist in an environment of unknowns. When mass events are cancelled (such as the Grand Prix and possibly other sporting events), it’s natural to feel fearful and anxious. Our leadership team will take every precaution and respond to health advice immediately to ensure that staff and student’s health and wellbeing is placed as the number one priority. Yet there are a number of exciting school events that we will continue to plan for and be involved in because learning and our wider lives can’t stop just because we’re worried about what might be. We’re really looking forward to opening our school up to the wider community for open night on Wednesday 18th March and sharing with prospective parents and students just how amazing our school is. We’re excited for the athletics carnival on 20th March at Brauerander Park. And the year 7 and 8 camping program in the last week of term will no doubt create lifelong memories for those involved.
As we all navigate these challenging times, please know that the Warrnambool College community will continue to offer fantastic learning opportunities for every student, every school day and will support one another in whatever means are appropriate.
Kind Regards,
Dave Clift - Principal