Dear SCA families,

I am so excited to be back amongst our wonderful community. Though my break was not what we planned, I feel refreshed and ready for the final term of the year.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for such a good job of handling the lock-down last term. For parents, students and staff alike, there were challenges a-plenty.

It was great to visit (via Teams) classes yesterday and today, and I am so proud of the resilience and determination shown by students and staff.

As we start this term, our focus is the health and safety of everyone, but our students in particular. This isn’t simply about following Health department advice. It is about what we do as staff and parents together for our children.

Please know that we are ready to talk with you about any concerns you have regarding your child. As always, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, or myself. We will also take special care to ensure children feel safe and supported, whether they are learning at home or at school.

Communication via Compass

Last term we made the move from SZapp to Compass for all our communications. To get maximum benefit, please ensure you have downloaded the Compass App and that we always have your correct email address. (Which you can change yourself via the app.)

If you would like any help with managing your Compass App and Portal, please call our front office.

October

A lot of talking happens in a school. Hopefully there is even more listening. Communication is central to our functioning as human beings. We are spiritual beings and so our communication with God is essential to our fullness as a person. The most obvious form of communication with God is through prayer. Prayer is about building a relationship. In the case of prayer, the relationship is with God.

A treasured prayer in our Catholic tradition is the Rosary, and this month, October, is a time for emphasis on the Rosary. The Rosary is a summary of the life of Jesus. The more we come to know these stories and the more we contemplate the mystery of God becoming human, the closer we come to understand and appreciate the presence of God in our lives. The Rosary provides the most intimate insight into God’s extraordinary love and compassion.

We cannot hope to deepen our relationship with God without prayer. The model of prayer for us is Mary. Praying the Rosary in the company of Mary can lead us towards personal fulfillment and unity with God. For an interactive look at the Rosary take a look at http://www.familyrosary.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary

COVID

I hope that you received my letter sent home in the last week of the holidays.

Since then there are no updates to report about the pathway to resuming on-campus learning.

While remote learning is happening, many of our staff will be working from home. We have in place a “hub” roster, which ensure that only a relatively small number of staff are present at school on any given day. This is to ensure that, should a COVID case come in contact with staff, it will only affect a small number, enabling us to keep the school open.

Our Groundsman, Ray, has worked diligently to replace the locks on many of our classroom windows to ensure they can be opened. Thanks to this work, every classroom has external doors and windows, as well as ceiling fans, to ensure excellent air-flow and ventilation when students return.

2022 Class Groupings

Teachers will shortly commence planning class groupings for 2022 and will consider the following:

• gender balance;

• learning styles;

• learning difficulties;

• enrichment needs;

• work habits;

• social needs;

• health considerations;

• emotional needs;

• behaviour considerations and

• other relevant issues.

The usual practice for this process at SCA is to NOT seek parent assistance or any form of request.

I would like to make the following points:

• We aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics in every class;

• Every care will be taken to ensure that your child is placed in the best situation to enhance learning and social development;

• Part of life is having to deal with people and situations we may not like. We need to build resilience in children, so they can face the reality of life;

• Where appropriate, advice will be sought from the Learning Support Teacher, Chaplain, previous teachers, School Counsellor, etc. during this process;

• Teachers should already be aware of any issues you have;

• Teachers have the main responsibility for placing their current students in the most appropriate class for next year;

• All staff will examine the draft lists to highlight any concerns; and

• As Principal, I will make the final decision on all class placements.

Students will be informed of their class placement for 2022 late this term and the opportunity will be provided for them to spend some time with their new class teacher. For privacy reasons, class lists will not be sent home or displayed. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly on matthewer@cg.catholic.edu.au or make an appointment through the Front Office.

It was once said…

I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I’ll let you know.

Blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal