Wow, what interesting times we live in!  2022 is shaping up to be a year like no other; already this year we have seen a late start to the school year due to COVID and now this week, we have been challenged by school closures due to the series of extreme weather events. I hope that you and your family have managed to stay safe and dry.

Thank you for your support and co-operation this week as we navigated these uncertain times together. Together we are strong!

As the Principal, I will always put the safety and wellbeing of your children and my staff first and will follow the advice and directives provided by the relevant authorities. I will also ensure that I communicate, in a timely manner, all important information to families. Just a reminder that we will only be communicating positive COVID cases in our community through our regular Schoolzine channels, once a week, as either part of our Bulletin or Newsletter. This contact is designed to help us remember the importance of appropriate and safe community practices. Be assured, we continue to have increased cleaning and safety protocols in place across the College

Next week, we will excitedly see the return to some of normalcy, thanks to the easing of COVID restrictions across the State from 6pm this evening, March 4^th. This will mean a return to normal practice for us here at school. In particular, excursions and assemblies may, for the first time this year, commence. From Monday, students and staff will not be required to wear face masks at school unless they choose to do so, with our full support.

Our extra-curricular sign-ups have taken place over the last few weeks and activities will be commencing shortly. It made me incredibly proud to watch our students’ enthusiasm, patience and respect as they waited in line to place their name on particular activities’ rolls. As I have said so many times before, the benefits of extra-curricular activities are enormous. The benefits range from increased social opportunities, to improved self-confidence, to the exploring of interests and unlocking of passions, to creating broader perspectives. Who would not want their child to reap these kinds of benefits? We encourage all students to select at least one extra-curricular activity to participate in each year.  I would like to thank our staff for providing such a broad and rich range of extra-curricular activities for our students, some of which will run before school, during lunch time and after school. Please encourage your child to check their notices daily for information relevant to their extra-curricular activity of choice.

I look forward to next week, knowing that both our staff and our students will return with renewed energy and enthusiasm to re-engage with learning and teaching. Our staff have been busy this week ensuring that learning programs and assessments have been reviewed and adjusted, if needed, to ensure that students are not disadvantaged in any way from the weather-related school closures.