Principal’s Blog – 17 September 2021

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff

Congratulations to you all for your grit and determination in the face of challenging circumstances.

Students have adjusted and adapted to the remote learning world and developed newly acquired knowledge and skills in a variety of ways. I am also conscious of the fact that there are many that are missing the normal school routines and the daily interactions with their friends.

I acknowledge the efforts of parents who are having to manage the additional responsibilities of having their children at home. Some have the added difficulties of losing their jobs or having reduced hours.

I acknowledge the staff for their efforts in making the adjustments necessary to maintain the learning program under the remote learning world. The intensity of work is very different to the normal face to face environment. All in all, it appears that everyone is exhausted so I hope that there will be an opportunity for rest and relaxation over the coming days.

Arrangements for Term 4

Hygiene requirements

Students and staff are required to wear masks at all times. Hygiene stations will be available throughout the College.

Social distancing requirements will also be in place. The student common room will have significantly reduced numbers that can access the space.

Year 12 students

Year 12 students have been prioritised in returning to school as announced by the Chief Minister. They can return on Tuesday 5 October. The intention is to enable the Year 12 students to sit the ACT Scaling Tests (AST) on Tuesday 12 October and Wednesday 13 October. Year 12 students will have their normal timetable classes in periods 1 to 4 only. Students may leave the College following their last scheduled class for the day, if they wish. They will need to sign out when leaving.

ACT Health has prioritised vaccinations for Year 12 students. Please check the website https://www.covid19.act.gov.au for details.

Year 11 students

Year 11 will continue learning remotely. If students have a class that is a combined class with Year 12 students, they will be invited into the class by their teacher on MS Teams and join the Year 12 students who will be on site. Note there will be no period 5 class each day.

Year 11 students can return to school on Monday 18 October.

Year 7-10 Students

Years 7-10 will continue remote learning for the first four weeks of Term 4. The plan is for Year 7-10 students to return on 1 November.

There will be a slightly different timetable for online conferences given the Year 12 students returning. Students will be informed of the changes when they return for their pastoral class on Tuesday 5 October.

Thank you for your patience and support as we navigate and develop our plans. The health and safety of students, staff and families, remains our number one priority. Public health advice will continue to guide our decisions about the return to face-to-face learning for all students.

Please continue to monitor the ACT COVID-19 website for the most up to date information in relation to restrictions and COVID-19 exposure locations/sites https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/.

For those families living in regional NSW, please also consult the NSW website  https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19 .

Financial Support

Families who are experiencing changed financial circumstances due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, are encouraged to contact the College Business Manager.

I will provide further information before school returns with an update and some reminders.

Best wishes for some downtime and a break from the online world for a few days.

Take care

Paul