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Dear Parents,
Welcome to a very different beginning to Term 2! The staff have returned with renewed optimism and with the COVID 19 situation stabilising we look forward to welcoming back our students and transitioning back to face-to-face learning.
Return to School Plan
As from next week Monday 11 May, students from Years K-6 may return full time (5 days a week) to school. This decision is in line with the NSW Premier’s request to return to face to face teaching from Week 3. If for any reason there is an increase in the safety concerns for the students and staff before the 11 May this decision will be reviewed. This means we will no longer be conducting remote learning and moving back entirely to face-to-face teaching in a classroom situation. If for any reason you choose not to send your child/children next week please contact your child’s class teacher so we can discuss their learning needs in greater detail.
As we prepare to have the children return to school, it is essential that measures relating to personal hygiene and the health and safety of all members of our community are known and understood. We will continue to practice extra hygiene and safety practices of regular hand washing upon arrival at school, before recess and lunch and use of hand sanitizer upon entering classrooms. In order to follow and maintain social distancing we ask that you please drop your child off in the morning at the Homer Street entrance gates and wait outside the gates for afternoon pick up.
Thank you to our Families
I’d like to thank all families for taking on a major role in assisting your child at home with their remote learning. It has been a time of great change, upheaval and isolation and we are gradually, but cautiously coming out the other side. Thank you for your unwavering support, patience and optimism in our transition to online learning, particularly with moving to Microsoft Teams. It has certainly been challenging and frustrating at times but we appreciate you for making this necessary change to ultimately keep all our students safe in the online video conferencing platform. We will continue to work with Catholic Education to pass on any technical issues that need improving and I encourage parents to give feedback on the link: cgonlinelearning@cg.catholic.edu.au
We are all missing the students, but love to see their smiling faces in our class daily meets. Huge thanks to our staff who have worked tirelessly to prepare online lessons that are interesting, challenging and varied. Thank you to parents for keeping their children motivated and engaged in the remote learning environment! We acknowledge that this isn’t always easy, but please remember to do what works best for your family situation and do not do the impossible.
Be assured we are in this together, please don’t hesitate to reach out for support from your child’s teacher, we are only a phone call or email away!
Support for our Students
As we welcome back our students we are very conscious and aware that this extended time away from friends and school routine has been very hard for them. We will do our best to ease back into daily school life. Please let us know if you feel that your child/children are experiencing any anxiety about their return. Melissa Bailey our school counsellor is available to any student/family, should anyone need to contact her the email is melissa.bailey@catholiccare.org.au
Remote Learning will continue for the remainder of this week for those students whose parents are essential workers or do not have adequate care and supervision. Please talk with your child/children of the school’s hygiene expectations and continue to check in with them about their impending return to school and what to expect.
Many thanks for your continued support,
Lisa Wilson
In this time of uncertainty and challenge we all need reassurance, support and hope. We thank everyone in our School Community for all they are doing to help our children and families during this trying time.
On behalf of all the Staff, I would like to thank Mrs Wilson for her wonderful leadership while Mrs Baron is on sick leave. Mrs Wilson has worked tirelessly attending zoom meetings and coordinating constantly changing goalposts. Thank you, Mrs Wilson.
Our prayers are with Mrs Baron and we wish her a speedy recovery. We hope she will back at school, fully fit and ready to resume her duties soon.
A Prayer for Remote Learning
God of the one and God of the whole, be with those who are working from home today and those whose work keeps them from home. Be with those who won't go beyond the front porch, and those who stay on the front line. Be with those who must choose between doing a job they know they can do and being the parent only they can be. May we each in our private worry hear your universal call to come, lay down heavy burdens, and find a welcome rest. And then with our burdens lightened, may we help to hold the whole. Amen
~ from the Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland
A Message from Pope Francis – The Rosary
Pope Francis has spoken several times recently about praying the Rosary.
“The month of May is the Month of the Rosary, a time when the People of God express with particular intensity their love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary,” the Pope said. Noting that it is common for families to pray the rosary together during the month of May, he said restrictions in place in many parts of the world due to COVID-19 “have made us come to appreciate all the more this family aspect, also from a spiritual point of view.“
For this reason, I want to encourage everyone to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary at home in the month of May,” he said.
Father George’s Reflection on this Week’s Gospel
“I am the gate of the sheepfold.”
For Jesus we are not just numbers; He has a personal kinship with each one of us. The Gospel is not only doctrine: it is Jesus' personal attachment to us.
A shepherd’s job was to feed his sheep, protect them from harm and patiently guide them on the right path.
Mother’s Day
Have a wonderful Day!
Kind Regards,
Mrs Kate Howe
REC
2021 Online Enrolments will be open as of 11th of May 2020. Our online enrolment form can be found on our website www.spg.nsw.edu.au or hard copies can be collected from the front office during office hours.