Dear Parents

Welcome to the final term of the year. Once again we have been interrupted with lockdowns and remote learning. The school would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your support with remote learning and juggling work and home life. Personally, I would also like to thank our entire staff at St Mary’s for providing support and ongoing learning opportunities as well as the challenges of managing their own families. Thanks to the many emails of support we have received from families. We take all of our feedback very seriously and try to make the best decisions for our children.

With the students beginning to come back full-time over the next two weeks families may have some anxiety about coming back to school. The Royal Children’s hospital provides information that may be helpful to look at home. Please use the website : www.rch.org.au 

Within the website the following pointers may provide some help to parents.

Key points to remember  

• Children look to adults as a guide about how to react in stressful situations
• Stay calm, positive and hopeful when talking with your child about coronavirus
• Keep information clear, honest and age-appropriate
• Limit media exposure about coronavirus
• Give children practical things to do, like good hand hygiene, to help them feel in control
• Make sure you and your child stay physically active
• If you or your child are feeling overwhelmed or stressed seek help from friends, family or your GP
• Try to make time to answer your child’s questions and keep the communication channels open 

St Mary’s has unfortunately needed to cancel many of our events and extra curricular activities during the year. We are still very hopeful of providing an Orientation Program for children commencing Foundation in 2022. We have had some questions relating to the classrooms and where children may be next year. The fact our furniture is on wheels was a decision made in that from time to time our PODS may change in terms of where grades may work from year to year. In 2022 the current Grade 5/6 POD may be the area where Grade 3/4 may work. We hope to discuss this as a staff very shortly. I also hope to send information out next week about Orientation and what this will look like in November. Like last year, we are hoping to provide Orientation on the first three Friday’s in November.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Jason