Dear Friends,

Welcome to Week 5!  We began this week with a beautiful Prayer Celebration recognising the life and service of Mary MacKillop. It was also wonderful to share Mass together last Friday with St Peter and Paul for our Parish Feast Day. A special thak you to Emily Capper and Fr John for all their organisation and care.  Kinder and Year 5 /6 gathered together on Tuesday for a class Mass at the Parish, and it was a proud moment when some of the parishioners commented to our staff at how reverent our students were during this.  Fr John also made mention of our students in the Parish Bulletin as follows: 

"Earlier today I gathered with our two parish school communities for two Masses at St Peter & Paul, Garran (firstly with the infants and later the primary students). The prayerfulness of the students was a credit to them and a reflection of the commitment of their teachers and the beliefs and values of their homes.  Children 'get it'. They can teach us a lot. "

LATEST CORRESPONDENCE FROM CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE 

Given the challenges currently faced in Greater Sydney and some regional areas of NSW, I
write to update you on the measures in place to manage the impacts of the pandemic across
our schools. Please be assured that the health and safety of students, families and staff is our
top priority.
Catholic Education's protocols and management within schools are based on NSW/ACT Health
advice and learnings over the past 18 months. Our schools continue to comply with the
requirements of Government and Health Authorities and these requirements are outlined on the
Catholic Education website.

I am confident we are well prepared in the event of heightened restrictions or a mandated
lockdown. These measures include processes to follow if a student, or staff member, tests
positive to the virus where any impacted school may close for a short period, while NSW/ACT
Health investigate the matter and the school is cleaned appropriately. Students and staff
identified as close contacts of a case will need to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. Any
decision to close a school will be based on NSW/ACT Health advice.
Catholic Education has been working with all our Principals to ensure each school's plan for
remote learning is ready to action should the need arise.
Parents and carers of children with an existing medical treatment plan may wish to review their
plan with their child's GP and notify the school if there is a change to the plan.
Where can I go for more information?
The community is urged to keep up-to-date through:
• Catholic Education website - updated daily as relevant to our System schools.
• NSW Health
• ACT Health
• The National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.

Mental Health and Wellbeing
The current situation can have a negative impact on our mental health and wellbeing. If you are
looking for further information and support about mental wellbeing in the context of COVID-19 for
your family, you may wish to explore the following dedicated resources:

• Beyond Blue - Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service
• Headspace in Schools information for young people
• Information for young people
• Information for family and friends
• How to Cope with Stress related to COVID-19 (Information for young people)
• Responding to Family Conflict
• Balancing Online Schooling and Working from home

Further to these supports, Catholic Education provides a student counselling service to our
schools. You can explore whether school counselling might be of benefit for your child by first
speaking with your child's teacher, school Principal or relevant pastoral staff member.
It is our hope that our students, staff and our school communities remain safe as we continue to
navigate these challenging times. We are mindful there is still potential for considerable
disruption to school life due to the pandemic, and Catholic Education will continue to prioritise
the safety of our school communities. Should the need arise, teaching and learning will
continue for all students following the success of remote learning implemented last year. We
will continue to work with Principals and school leadership teams to communicate with you as
developments occur.
Yours sincerely
Ross Fox

Please also note, if ACT were to go into lock down, Catholic Schools in the ACT will be granted two pupil free days to prepare and enable families opportunity to adjust.  With these two days, we will be offering care for essential and emergency workers' children at both our ELC and Kidsbiz. 

We wish Isabelle M every success tonight at the semi final of Rostrum.  We also look forward to celebrating tomorrow morning our Term 3, Week 5 awards winners .