Principal’s blog – 1 September 2022

Dear parents, carers, students and staff

The Year 12 students were very fortunate to be able to participate in their Retreat last week at Collaroy. Additional processes around COVID-19 minimisation were put in place to ensure the safety of all and it appears to have been successful. The Retreat is a significant event as we prepare the students for their transition to the next stage in life. The activities undertaken enabled the students to reflect, to acknowledge and to plan for their future. A big thank you to Year 12 Coordinator, Sue Carroll, Acting Liturgy and Spirituality Coordinator, Fiona Debenham, and all the staff that accompanied the group for a most memorable and meaningful event.

Parent-Teacher interviews are scheduled for Thursday 8 September 2022. Parents have been informed of the sign on processes and are encouraged to book in as soon as possible.

Last Friday, Catholic Education facilitated a special meeting of key personnel in the Archdiocese to begin the process of developing a gender inclusive education policy. Two experts spoke on the topic of ‘Christian Anthropology and the Church’s pastoral response to fostering and celebrating the dignity of the human person’. A draft policy has been compiled for discussion and operational guidelines will be developed to assist schools in ensuring students are welcomed and supported and is aligned with Church’s teaching.

The staffing situation continues to challenge us in the daily operations of the College. Thankfully we are seeing a reduction in COVID-19 cases which is promising however the flu is still very active and quite virulent. Our teaching staff absenteeism due to sickness has been around approximately 12 per day. Our access to casuals has been very limited with an average of 3 per day, so the shortfall places enormous train on the staff that are on site. The independent learning days have enabled the College to remain open and not enter into the remote learning environment. Teachers are in very short supply—it is a critical situation and I can only thank most sincerely the staff that are doing above and beyond their load to minimise the impact of the disruption. We have been very proactive in our attempts to secure staff for 2023 already and will continue to advertise between now and the beginning of the year.

Best wishes

Paul Carroll

Principal