Dear Parents and Community Members,
We would normally have celebrated the End of Year Thanksgiving Mass this week at Sacred Heart Church to acknowledge the blessings throughout the year and to farewell our Year 6 Graduating class.
I enclose what I had planned to share with you.
As I reflect on 2020, it has been an extraordinary year for a number of reasons. The most obvious is of course the impact and challenges of COVID-19 but I do not want to dwell on this, but rather, focus my attention on what we need to acknowledge and celebrate as a community. Despite all the challenges, we have triumphed as a community.
The resilience of our students from preschool to Year 6 has been amazing! Students instantly took on the challenge of becoming independent and just settling into school life and getting on with ‘learning.’ Congratulations and thank you! You have certainly demonstrated that you are truly competent and capable learners. Nurturing this level of independence will be an ongoing theme in 2021 and beyond for all students. Students were so eager to return to school to be with their friends and to have the support of their teachers and support staff.
The students have reminded us all of the importance of building positive relationships and connecting with each other. We all matter!!!
This sense of connection is our greatest strength as a community. We have shown that we care for and value each other. This has been demonstrated in the way parents and carers have shown respect and care for our staff – maintaining social distancing, demonstrating a respect for the work and effort of all teachers, valuing the importance of being in partnership, whether that be via SeeSaw, Microsoft Teams, phone, email or Facebook. In partnership, we have truly given witness to ‘raising hearts and minds.’
I am particularly grateful to Helen Clark and Maria Apostolou who prepared staff and students for remote learning. Maria created a website to assist students and teachers embrace the digital world to enhance the delivery of online learning. An amazing effort!
I am so proud and thankful for ALL the staff – teachers, educators, Education Support Officers (curriculum, OHSC and administration), school counsellor, school chaplain, canteen staff, school maintenance staff who without fuss or question just rallied together to ensure that whatever changes needed to be made, whether face to face teaching, learning remotely or a combination of both was undertaken. Their input was important to achieve the continuity of learning and wellbeing of all students as our priority.
Staff continued to focus on the professional learning and building their capacity as educators, committed to continuing the goals outlined in the Annual Improvement Plan.
Our statement of learning informs our practice and guides our discernment in our decision making.
