From the Acting Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Old Collegians,

As I write for this edition of Omnia, all our students have returned to the College to resume their regular learning programs following the COVID-19 isolation period. The past three months have certainly been an incredibly challenging time for everyone in our school community, as well as for society in general. We will all look back on this time in the coming years and recall how our lives were turned upside down.

For history's sake, when someone reads this edition in the coming years, it is important to record the incredible efforts of so many within our community to ensure the learning and teaching programs, as well as the general operations of the College, continued for the benefit of the students in our care.

Our teaching staff, in particular, went to great lengths to plan for and offer a rich and engaging online curriculum that sought to continue the high standards expected of students at the College. The learning experiences for students in the younger years had to be specifically tailored to suit their age group, with several adjustments required throughout this time to accommodate feedback from students, parents and staff. The wellbeing of all our students during this period was a critical consideration in our planning, with tutor groups operating each day as per our standard timetable structure. Counselling continued to be offered to our students, as well as a range of wellbeing initiatives to ensure they continued to remain engaged in their schooling, including daily exercise classes and wellbeing support programs for our senior students.

Support staff either worked from home or on-site, depending on their various roles, ensuring there was contact with our community at all times. The professionalism of our staff throughout our time in isolation is to be commended. I thank each of them for their willingness to support our students and the community.

It is also essential to thank our parents and carers for your contribution to ensuring the success of our online learning program. There is no doubt there would have been considerable difficulties in rearranging home routines to cater for the learning needs of students, and that of other siblings. I sincerely acknowledge and thank each parent and carer for their patience, encouragement and commitment shown in supporting all students throughout this time. As our students return to complete the final two weeks of Term 2, we all must stop to acknowledge the very thing that this time in isolation has revealed to us all: that we are at our best through our participation in community, and in our relationship with others around us, both as a school and as a society in general. I pray that all members of our community enjoy this time of reconnection with as a time of great celebration and joy.

Yours Sincerely

John Crowley Acting Principal