PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Parents and Carers
“…greatness of spirit is manifested in simple everyday realities. It involves striving untrammelled for all that is great, better and more beautiful, while at the same time being concerned for the little things, for each day’s responsibilities and commitments.”
Pope Francis, Rejoice and Exult
I hope you are all well as we enter the last 10 days of the school term. The Pope’s simple and direct message is all the more powerful as it affirms the day to day realties that make up our lives. It suggests that greatness does not lie in amazing achievements or holding a lofty position (as amazing as those achievements may be), but rather in living out our relationships with others, and the responsibilities that come with those relationships, with hope, faith and love, and with courage and patience.
Undoubtedly, this is a difficult and stressful time for all families, and I appreciate the fact that it is not at all easy managing home learning and managing your own jobs. These are difficult times. Daily reports of cases appear, in Canberra, to be fluctuating a great deal. This makes it difficult to assess whether or not the lockdown will continue into Term 4. The holiday break provides an extra buffer and period, increasing the chance of a return to face-to-face learning. Even with the holiday period, however, remote learning may continue. The Catholic Education office will follow the advice of A.C.T Health, as it does in all matters to do with public health, especially where schools are concerned. CE is in close contact and relationship with A.C.T. Health. If the A.C.T. Government continues the lockdown, we will follow directions accordingly. Accordingly, next week members of the Leadership Team are meeting with grade teams (online) to discuss and work through some issues around the possibility of beginning Term 4 in lockdown.
The staff have been working very hard for the students and have done an extraordinary job. They have been working tirelessly for many hours each day. It is a different experience of teaching – as I imagine so many jobs must be different from their normal experience – and it is a more tiring experience. I am very proud of all the staff and the ways that they have met the challenge of lockdown and remote learning, balancing the usual and expected demands of the job whilst striving to find new ways of meeting the educational needs of the children. This Friday, September 10, there will be no check in after 12pm. The children will still have work to complete, or tasks set by their teachers, but the teachers will spend the remaining time on Friday afternoon preparing for next week’s lessons and work.
I wrote above about the unhoped for possibility of remote learning going into Term 4. To that end, after the morning check in next Wednesday morning, September 15, all teaching staff will spend the rest of the day in collaboratively planning and working together to ensure that Term 4, if remote learning is a requirement, begins as smoothly as possible.
I would like to thank all parents for their continued support of the school, the students and the staff. This is a difficult time for the whole Canberra community, as it is for the country, and the world. That makes even the smallest duties, the smallest acts, even more important and fundamental for our school.
Assemblies in Week 10
A reminder that we have a morning assembly on Monday in Week 10 and an awards assembly on Thursday afternoon at 2 pm.
The link for the Monday morning assembly can be found here:
The link for the Thursday assembly can be found here:
Have a wonderful week with your families.
Best wishes
Cameron Johns
Principal