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www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
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FRIDAY, July 22, 2022
Good news for CFA brigade members
Charlotte’s dream given wings
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Milawa all set to celebrate 100 years of Sport success
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Flexibility the key to pandemic schooling
STRIKE A POSE STRAP on those roller skates and practise your dance moves - there are still a few tickets remaining for next week’s Roller Disco organised by Wangaratta’s FreeZA group, Spilt Milk. Locals Ruby Bittner and Steph Grant are among those channelling the ‘80s vibe of the event, which will be held at the Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre on Sunday, July 31 from 12 noon to 4pm. There will be a session for all ages (12 noon to 2pm) and another tailored to young people (2pm to 4pm). For more details, see the full story on page 3. PHOTO: Rachel Harrop
STAFF absences due to COVID-19 and other illnesses have continued to be a consideration at the start of term three in local schools, which remain focused on flexible, proactive responses. Galen Catholic College principal Darta Hovey said at the beginning of this week, the school had 25 per cent of its staff (about 30 people) absent, requiring planned information nights to be postponed to run online next week. Mr Hovey said the absence situation had improved as the week progressed and staff returned from isolation periods, and information sent to families on Tuesday was aimed at ensuring the whole school community knew the plans that were in place. This included details of when staff shortages may trigger a “circuit-breaker”, which would require a year level between years seven to 10 to stay at home for a short period. “We want to be crystal clear, rather than people wondering, and be as proactive as we can, and as explicit as we
BY SIMONE KERWIN skerwin@ nemedia.com.au
can, so there is no surprise for kids and families, and I think that’s been well-received,” he said. Galen has postponed nonessential excursions, camps and professional learning to decrease the pressure on staffing, and continues to utilise available casual relief teachers (CRTs), the pool of which has also been impacted by illness. Planning for year 12 students’ final days will see the school’s traditional graduation celebrations switched to mid-October rather than post-exams to cater for any required postponements. Like Galen, Cathedral College Wangaratta has seen gradually increasing numbers of students adopt mask-wearing when indoors, a move which has been “strongly recommended” for those aged eight and over by the State Government, Independent Schools Victoria and the
Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. “We’re providing masks when students are going into chapel and gatherings like that; it’s just a matter of having a mask in your pocket, as you would a hanky or a tissue, for when you need it,” Cathedral College principal Nick Jones said. “We try to focus on the positives - that we are still together and back at school. “We are certainly conscious of (COVID), but we have started this term okay in terms of staffing. “We have a few CRTs in, but we also have some excursions and camps out, running in a modified way. “We certainly still have contingency plans in place. “We all go through waves, but flexibility and adaptability is the key. “If we can all co-operate and work together, we will be at school together. “The kids have learnt to be resilient, appreciative and grateful they’re at school, because they know the alternative.”
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