Dear Parents and Carers

“The first thing a disaster teaches us is that everything is connected. In fact, disasters…are crash courses in these connections.”

‘Hope’, The Guardian Weekly, 24 April, 2020

The above reflection comes from an extended article that reflects on the hope that might come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guardian Weekly is a very fine weekly newspaper but not known for its hopeful disposition towards world events. The author’s insight about the connectedness of the world, and the way the pandemic has brought this into sharp relief, is an affirmation of what our faith teaches us: that we are all connected to each other and in a sense, responsible to each other, in mutual responsibility for the world. The feast of Pentecost, which we have just celebrated, affirms this, with the imagery of the disciples leaving the room in which they huddled, and speaking in the languages of the world’s peoples. It is a metaphor for universal connection and universal relationship. At Sts Peter and Paul, we are conscious of, and responding to, the shifts that the pandemic has brought about, all the while looking for new ways to affirm the children’s connections to each other, the world, and God.

Teacher Quality Institute – Assessor Course

TQI is an A.C.T. government authority that has oversight of the teaching profession in Canberra – Catholic, independent and government teachers are all subject to TQI. All states and territories have a similar organisation. They all serve to assist with the professional organisation of the profession and serve a public good. As well as providing a regulatory role, TQI also strives to assist the growth and development of teachers, in terms of their professional expertise. Yesterday, our Assistant Principal, Sean Rutledge, attended a professional development day on becoming an assessor of those teachers who apply for the title of Highly Accomplished Teacher or Lead Teacher. Both titles acknowledge an expertise held by a teacher. This professional development in itself develops the teaching expertise of the people undergoing the course. The PD that Sean undertook was also the first PD, that any staff have had at the school, that has been off site, another indication that life is slowly returning to normal. https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/

Enrolment Interviews

Much of my time over the next two weeks is spent in enrolment interviews for Kindergarten 2021. It is always a privilege meeting parents and their child or children (we have twins starting next year). The hopes and dreams parents hold for their children is always just beneath the surface of every question and every answer. The interviews are opportunities for the cementing of relationships (or connections, if we continue the theme of the reflection above) that speak to the covenant that we as parents and educators hold in trust: to leave the world a better place for those who come after us, and to teach our children to be for the world, and that the world is for them.

Have a good week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal