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This edition of the Korovian comes at a time when the whole world has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve moved to distance learning while we continue to navigate the challenges of life in lockdown. Of course, this is not the first time that Korowa has closed. There are striking parallels with the similarly devastating pandemic of a century ago: the misnamed Spanish flu. Masks were also worn at that time in a bid to halt the spread of the virus. The simple act of wearing a mask is a small sacrifice to protect another person. We have quickly come to realise that to get through COVID-19, we must think of others. Our School Captains, Sophie Carne and Kelly Chen are right when they say that friendship, kindness and care of each other have been core to the way in which we have emerged stronger through this experience. We’ve learnt that kindness and compassion drives action and that by working as a team, not as individuals, we will fare better through the tough times.
COVID-19 has created hard times for our families and young people alike, but beyond COVID-19 and 2020, there will be a new future. It might be tempting to think that we can go back to our old lives, but disaster demands a new dawn. There is something that coronavirus has left in its wake and that is something we desperately need, a new sense of unity. In 2020 we’ve become a far stronger community, connecting with those who need us, coming together, masking up and galvanised as a community to get through this together. There will be days to celebrate ahead and all of us look forward to the time when we can socialise and enjoy the contact with friends we’ve missed for many months. We had thought that 2020 would give us the opportunity to celebrate our 130 years of Korowa, but there will be even more to look forward to next year. Helen Carmody Principal
Whilst we haven’t been able to come together at School, classes have continued at a distance, aided by technology. We’ve been able to swiftly move to lessons delivered by video, live class interaction through Microsoft Teams and even live streaming of Assemblies and other School events. We’ve played games, created dance and music performances, competed with each other and continued to have fun even though we haven’t been able to physically be together. In fact, we’ve achieved so much online that, until recently, we wouldn’t have thought possible.
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