Dear Parents & Guardians,

I welcome everyone back to school for term three.  As we start the term, things still remain a challenge as we try to build friendship and fidelity into our school culture, where because of COVID-19 the ways of the past in doing this in many cases are challenging.  We are still unable to have parents on the site, other than to collect their children in the afternoon. Excursions, except for the outdoor field trip kind, are still unable to proceed. Assemblies are only allowed to go for no more than 15 minutes with no parents in attendance.  Large staff gatherings are still not allowed and must maintain the 4 sqm social distancing rule.  This means that these have to largely be done via zoom meetings, which are fine for management matters, but  not necessarily training matters, where active participation is obviously the best way we learn.  So the challenges are still there, but we still try to find ways around this.

Another challenge has been to establish the best way to have a P and F meeting?  I have decided that we will go ahead with the P and F meeting next Wednesday in the Heritage Hall, but due to the 4 sqm rule, it will be limited to 20 attending.  Therefore, we welcome you to come, however, you will have to register your attendance by ringing the office as it will be limited to 20 in number.  I just feel this is the best way to move forward in a way that I am hearing the voice of the community.

In addition to this, the question of the delivery of our curriculum still remains a challenge even with everyone back at school.  Parent and community expectations, teacher backgrounds and experience, school policy, CEO expectations, government regulations, the loss of two and a half hours of teaching time each week due to the staggered dismissal from 2.45 - 3.15, frequently determine what is taught and not taught, and this year the playing field continues to change with regularity.  Yet within these constraints we find ourselves this year, we continue to take all possible steps to devise and implement our school curriculum which gives maximum opportunity for children of very different abilities.

In light of all these challenges that this year holds for us, I continue to learn so much more about your children and the way in which you rise to the challenge as a parent.  One student often will talk to me about his world, sometimes daily.  I must admit there have been times when I needed to attend to things but obviously his story has been important and I ‘ve needed to give him time.  He shared with me a story about how he had helped his dad rebuild a fence in the backyard during remote learning when the students were, in most cases, at home, often challenged by the fact that they were disconnected from school life. For many this caused considerable anxiety.  This boy was in fact a perfect example of this challenge.  Yet, the simple task of working with his dad to complete a fence over a number of days outside, gave him the time to reflect with his dad about his world and what was giving him life, purpose and meaning.  This was largely completed on the weekend, but was not seen by this boy as a job but more of a sacred time that he had with his dad over some wood, some nails and a hammer!  If only I had this conversation with this boy about twenty years ago, I would have been reminded how important such times are and you need to embrace them as you will never get them back.  

The point I’m trying to make here is that COVID-19 is also a time where we need to sit back and learn about the good that each challenge has given us as parents, educators and leaders.  I have only one last thing to say about the story I share with you in this newsletter - I learnt a great deal about myself from the story shared with me by a very wise student.

I leave you with the following thought to consider:

VERY LITTLE IS NEEDED TO MAKE A HAPPY LIFE;
IT IS ALL WITHIN YOURSELF,
IN YOUR WAY OF THINKING.

Marcus Aurelius

Go Gently,

Michael Reardon
Principal

Congratulations

Congratulations to Logan Nightscales, Chloe Payne and Taylor Fairbrother  who have been selected to join the Year 6 Leadership team.

School Excursion Update

We have been waiting for the latest directives about school excursions. At the moment the following continues to apply to excursions which place great limitations upon any actually going ahead at this time:

• Proposed gatherings of students involving two or more classes or exceeding one hour must be discussed with the COVID-19 Operations Room (CEO).
• Day field trips to outdoor locations with no physical distancing requirements (e.g. sport and recreation facilities, trips to local river to collect water samples) are allowed..
• Students may only attend external venues that have a COVID-safe plan.
• Excursions (other than field trips described above) remain suspended.
• School camps remain suspended.

Due to this, there will no overnight camp this year for Year 5 & 6.  However, so that our students do not miss out on this experience the school has arranged for the  following which still may change dependent on future COVID-19 circumstances. 

Year 5 Students will still attend Wedderburn Christian Camp on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 September.  Buses will depart the school at 9:00am and return to school for 3pm pickup.  They will travel each day to and from St Paul's in three class buses for daily activities, as the activities are out doors this excursion can take place in the current climate. Lunch will be provided both days. 

Year 6 Students will still attend Wedderburn Christian Camp on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 September. Buses will depart the school at 9:00am and return to school for 3pm pickup.  They will travel each day to and from St Paul's in three class buses for daily activities, as the activities are out doors this excursion can take place in the current climate. Lunch will be provided both days. 

In addition to this, Year 6 will attend an all day excursion to Canberra leaving St Paul's at 7:30am and returning to school at 5:00pm on Friday 20 November.   This is subject to approval closer to the date and the COVID-19 restrictions at that time. 

Permission notes and further details in regards to all excursions will be forth coming.