Dear Parents

We come to the end of another week. This term has had its distractions again with another stint of remote learning due to COVID restrictions. Now we have the weather to contend with, although rain is something we wish for in regional Victoria. Unfortunately COVID has seen the postponement of School Camp for Grade 5/6 and Winter Sport. We are trying to make alternative arrangements for Term Three, as it is our priority that the students have a camp experience.

In Term Three the school is working to re-establish the School Advisory Board. This committee has not met since the beginning of 2020. Due to COVID restrictions throughout last year it was probably not practical with what was happening in our schedules. The committee members were all standing aside as their tenures had concluded. In the first instance we are looking for parents who are interested in some of the dot points below. The meeting arrangements are seven meetings throughout the course of a full year with each meeting after school (time to be determined) to run for approximately one hour. Any parents or carers who wish to find out more about this committee please contact myself by email and we can work through the procedures. It is a great opportunity to become involved in the school and contribute to our strategies from the Annual School Improvement Plan. Issues discussed include, but not limited to;

• Support the provision of Catholic education in the parish by providing a link to the school community
• Promote the role of community in the life of the school
• Promoting and supporting the Catholic ethos of the school
• Act as a forum for discussion on matters concerning education in the school
• Involvement in policy review and development
• Contributing to setting objectives for the school year, providing advice on budget planning, finance-related matters and preparation of reports
• Supporting the parish school in practical ways, such as ensuring the maintenance of equipment and facilities
• Engaging in local promotion of the school
• Communicating with parents/carers and the school’s parent groups and auxiliaries
• Planning for the future and ensuring that the parish school can accommodate future enrolments
• Facilitate the integration of parents/carers and children new to the school
• Contributing to the selection process for the school principal

As a staff, we continue to discuss, reflect and learn about Child Safety and its standards required at school. On Tuesday we worked in groups and worked out our responsibilities with examples of situations that could happen at school. This includes the duty of care we provide, supervision, emergency procedures, mandatory reporting and supporting families. We also understand the conversations we have to have with the students, this is a current topic that starts with being observant to anyone who may appear sad or not themselves. We aim to look after everyone at St Mary’s. This is our job and part of being involved in a school community.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Jason