Planning for the weeks ahead

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

In an eventful week, one of the things I have enjoyed the most is spending time with students. Year 5 were in great spirits yesterday afternoon and evening, in the pool, around the dinner table and around the campfire, even with the boys having had a downpour disrupt their sleep at 2:00am the night before. This morning, at the end of Year 10-12 assembly I had a chance to speak with students about my communication with parents yesterday and answer their questions. The students asked the same questions that staff and parents have been asking, along the lines of school closure, impact on assessments and activities and what sort of plans we have in place. We will continue to follow NSW Health Department advice, but I am of the view that it is more likely than not that school closure will occur at some point in the coming month. We are preparing for this. We are actively considering whether to test our capacity by choosing one day next week for one year group (likely Year 10) to work remotely for the day. We would value feedback from parents about the merits or otherwise of this. Thank you for your ongoing support as we navigate the changing landscape with health and learning in the forefront of our thinking.

Helpful resource for parents – SchoolTV video

SchoolTV has a special video report on how parents, carers and teachers can help children and young people deal with any anxiety they may be experiencing as a result of media coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak. This independent and fact based video from Dr Michael Carr-Gregg of SchoolTV is now available to view.

Click the following link: https://schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-coronavirus

Tim Watson
Principal