Life is all about crossroads and change and navigating the new directions that we go.

Today as we celebrated the Thanksgiving Mass for our Year 6 students we realised that it is all about that next step and the latest change for our Year 6 cohort. But it is as relevant to all of us as it is to the Year 6 students who will leave behind their Primary school days.

Change can be exciting – it can be frightening but it cannot be avoided. The attitude that we bring to any change is important. We can sit in despair at what has passed or what is gone or we can celebrate the memories that were made and how they have formed us to be ready for change or we can embrace the opportunities that we are given to try new things, live new ways and take risks to learn new things that can enrich our lives.

We have a wonderful community that will help students and staff to embrace and accept change. It is not always easy but together we can do great things. Life is not always kind but we can always be kind.

Remember if you have to choose between being extraordinary or kind – be extraordinarily kind. That is our mission to be a school of kindness and to help others. We are not a perfect school filled with perfect students, staff and families but I think we are well on the way to recognizing that kindness is a way of life and there is always room for kindness.

Thank you to Mrs Maxwell, Mrs McLeod, Mrs Winsor and Mrs Niddrie for all their efforts in preparing our Year 6 students for today and what is to come next year. We are grateful for their wisdom, patience and gentle strength.

Next week our Stage 3 students depart for their highly anticipated trip to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat. It seems so long since we have been able to have excursions of this magnitude and everyone is very excited. However, there are new COVID protocols that are very challenging to navigate. A letter has gone home today about the expectations around a student or staff testing positive whilst they are away. It has also gone out on COMPASS. I have copied it for information below.

All students attending the Ballarat excursion next week will need to be tested the Monday night of the 28th November and test negative. Attached is a single test for this purpose. Parents will need to grant permission for teachers to test their child if they become symptomatic while on the excursion. If your child tests positive while on the excursion they will need to be collected from the excursion. No COVID positive child or adult will be allowed to travel home on the bus. If your child does test positive while we are away they will be supervised in a separate cabin until the next day when they need to be collected. This may mean a staff member may need to remain for a day if a child was positive at the end of the excursion. It may also mean staff may need to supervise a child overnight whilst they are positive and waiting to be collected. Ballarat will provide us with an isolation cabin for the night if required. The student will have to be removed from their allocated bunk house. It is not appropriate for staff to drive students back when they are COVID positive or at any time per standard processes.

Catholic Education advice has been consistently that this is appropriate as staff cannot supervise children for extended periods and have them return on buses when they are COVID positive. Parents need to be aware of this before the excursion departs. The school will take spare tests for this purpose.

If a staff member is positive they would need to return home, if they are well enough, get collected or stay in accommodation until they are better. Parents must complete the permission slip sent home BEFORE they board the bus on Tuesday morning.

We thank Mrs Maxwell, Mrs Winsor and Mr Barnard for their generous agreement to accompany the students. We pray that it is a wonderful time and incident free.

This protocol will still apply for the Year 8 excursion in Week 10. Parents will also be expected to collect students from Canberra if they test positive over the three days in the nation’s capital.

According to all reports year 10 are having a wonderful time at Work Experience. This is an important experience of the working world that helps shape an understanding of expectations, careers and the adult life. The paperwork to allow this to happen is enormous as we juggle the legal requirements and risk assessments that allow it to proceed. Thank you to Ms Withers and Mr Mahon for all their efforts and to the parents who also support their students in these endeavours.

This week we were privileged to hear the impressive speeches of our Year 9 and Year 5 students who are contending for leadership for 2023. The high calibre of the speeches made it very difficult to discern between the candidates. We are definitely spoilt for choice and the students can be very proud of their efforts and the positive values and attitudes that they demonstrated. We value student leadership and it is very obvious that our students aspire to serve their school community in so many different ways. Unfortunately not everyone will be given a badge but it is pleasing to recognise that there is enormous depth in the student body and that they will always serve our school , regardless of whether they wear a badge or not, with pride and distinction. We will inform the student body of the results of the election on Monday 28 November.

In the final three weeks of school we have so much left to complete. Staff are busy compiling class lists and resources ready for next year. We have confirmed our class structure but have not allocated staff to the respective classes. We have been granted 10 classes for Infants/Primary. We will have two beautiful Kindergarten classes, three classes of Stage 1 groups, three classes of Stage 2 and two classes in Stage 3. We will inform families of teachers allocated to classes at the beginning of the school year. We are also still employing staff but hope to begin the year with a full complement of teachers.

Teachers are also incredibly busy marking and compiling reports that will be released via COMPASS in week 9. At this stage if you would like to meet with a class/subject teacher there will be the opportunity to arrange an interview. Keep an eye out for details closer to the release of reports. Please ensure that you are able to access the reports through COMPASS. If you have difficulty logging in to the portal please contact the school asap.

Once again we acknowledge the kindness and support that has been given to our school community over the last weeks. As we adjust to the changes that it has brought we are humbled by the care we have been shown.

God Bless and in all things be kind to yourself and each other. The world could always do with more kindness.

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal

During Weeks 6 and 7 both Year 9 and Year 5 participated in their Leadership Day. Both groups explored and reflected on the qualities need to be a leader. They unpacked the importance of servant leadership and Jesus being our true role model of Leadership.

Reflection

Jesus is not asking us to stay awake all night, but to live in the present, so that we can recognise the Lord when he appears in our lives. He shows himself in the unrehearsed moments, the interruptions and accidents that can throw us off balance. Staying awake means noticing and being alert. As we take time to pray, we might allow the things we have been too busy to see come to our notice.

Prayer

Teach me, Lord, to recognise your face wherever I encounter you. Amen

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

All families will receive a letter about our Advent Jesse Tree and the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Please support this very worthy and local appeal. A family star will be added to our Jesse tree for all donations.  Donation accepted up until Wednesday 14^th December.