Dear Parents/Guardians

It is with great sympathy for all our families, that I write this special bulletin to inform you of the latest arrangements with regards to our student's education. I am sorry that this bulletin is coming to you so late when you have to make such important arrangements so hastily. However I want to make sure that the information I give you is accurate and is in accordance with our Premier and therefore Catholic Education Melbourne's directives.

As you will all be aware, the Premier announced a state of disaster for Victoria yesterday. Unfortunately we are in very serious times that require drastic measures. As a result of this the Victorian Government has made some more significant announcements about the introduction of new measures that will affect the numbers of students who are attending school on site.

Firstly, tomorrow Tuesday 4th August has been declared a holiday for all students. All our teachers will be preparing learning for the increased number of students who will now be working from home, and for the now lengthened duration of this "distance education". Please be aware that your children will not be contacted by their teachers tomorrow and that they will not be required to complete any work.

The criteria for students who can attend school has changed and is far more rigid than previously.

Children whose parents are permitted workers. The Victorian Government will provide further advice about this over the coming days (and I will present this information to you once it is clarified)
Vulnerable children in out of home care, children known to child protection and other agencies and children the school identifies as vulnerable

These past two weeks, all students whose parents were working and were unable to organise suitable supervision were able to attend our school. As previously, I must stringently follow the directions as clearly outlined by our Premier and ask that once the "permitted workers" category is explained, that only children of those workers attend school.

As a parent with a son who is doing his VCE, I am under no illusions as to how demanding this next period will be for all our families. I am also aware that as the health and allied health workers, police, army personnel and supermarket workers work under incredible duress, as a community we need to also play our part to help bring our wider community back to normality. I want to thank all our families for their continued cooperation and working with us during these unprecedented times.

Please stay safe.

Yours sincerely

Mark Tierney

Principal

Sacred Heart Primary School Newsletter

Students are at the Heart of everything we do!

Special Bulletin 12 · 03 Aug 2020

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