The noise of laughter and friendship filled the courtyard this week as students who we haven’t seen for weeks began to return to school in the staggered manner we have accepted. It has been fantastic to see our young people and have them engage in routines again.
The presence of face masks and social distancing remind us that we are not out of this pandemic yet and in many ways, the need to follow Covid-safe health directions is more important now as we move towards more social mixing. I have visited many classrooms this week to explain to students the need to follow these rules and I thank families for their support. As of Monday, all staff at St Brigid’s are expected to have been vaccinated once or have booked for their first dose by the 25 October.
As families, you may see your children react differently to the return to school and some may be vulnerable as they reengage with personal relationships and classes. This requires some social and emotional stamina which may manifest in fatigue at home. I encourage parents and care givers to let the school know if your son / daughter is experiencing transition difficulties as we have a strong commitment to supporting families in the learning needs of individual students.
I have enjoyed meeting the College Leaders to plan for the final days of our Year 12 cohort next week. The Year 12s have certainly had a unique experience in their learning over the last two years and I am encouraged by their resilience and positive outlook. In their final month at our College, let us keep these students in our prayers so that the VCE students may perform to the level they are capable of and that the VCAL students find clear direction in their post school pursuits. Due to the need to focus on their exams over the next few weeks, I am interested in hearing from any parent / family member who may wish to work on a small committee to plan for the Graduation evening on 19 November at Coughlin Park. Please email me Principal@stbc.vic.edu.au if you would like to be involved. The Covid restrictions are currently quite limiting, however that may change in the coming weeks.
This Wednesday, 20 October, is the School Advisory Committee’s Annual General Meeting at 7pm. All members of the school community are invited to attend (by Zoom link this year) – if you would like a link to the Zoom conference please email me at Principal@stbc.vic.edu.au
With the staff, the Executive Team have been revising our calendar for the remainder of the year and I will communicate these changes next week.
I look forward to a time when we as a community can celebrate as one.
Stay safe
Gerard Raven
