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Dear St John the Apostle families,
When restrictions to protect the community from the spread of COVID-19 began, it was our only way to control the spread of community transmission. We had to protect those who were most vulnerable among our families and friends. There was, and still is, no vaccine. As an ACT community we have together been able to keep it at bay.
As a school, where students, staff and families come together on a daily basis it was obvious that the risk factors for transmission would be high and therefore significant operational controls needed to be in place.
We can see from more recent experiences internationally and in Victoria, that we are not out of the woods. Restrictions here have been slowly and carefully eased back. As a result of this careful approach, we have managed community transmission and our lives are beginning to feel very close to normal again. Any easing of restrictions too quickly and we can experience what other countries are, a significant rise in cases and even death.
We are so close to being back to normal that it is feels like everything is actually back to normal. But until we have a vaccine it is not. We still cannot have parents on site. We still cannot gather in large school assemblies and groups. We still have to continuously wash hands and sanitise (a healthy practice anyway). We still have to physically distance in all of our meetings and gatherings. We also have to submit additional plans for approval for all excursions, events and interactions with external providers that come into the school. These are necessary precautions because schools can easily be places of community transmission if not managed well.
With everything 'feeling like normal' it would be easy to think we can all just go back to doing everything like it was before COVID-19. It would be easy to think that we can just catch up on all the events that students missed through the year and put them into Term 4. That's just not humanly possible. Not only because we don't have enough time, but because we actually aren't back to normal. Schools still have a lot of restrictions they must abide by, and will have to, right up until the end of the year, even with the more easing of restrictions to be announced next week.
There are ways you can assist us in making this a smooth time.
Car Park
The afternoon pick up continues to be a significant concern. During restrictions many, many more families chose to pick up their children in the afternoon and to use the drive through. Even with restrictions easing, many families have not returned to their pre COVID-19 pick up arrangements. It still takes a long time and as a result a few parents are choosing very unsafe behaviours that put themselves and other at risk.
With the warmer weather I highly encourage everyone to consider helping their child to ride or walk to or from school. There are many safe and well kept paths surrounding our school. A quick look on Google Maps will show many great options. It is relaxing, healthy and a great way to wind down before getting home. If any parents would like to organise a 'walking school bus' to support younger children please contact the front office and we can arrange for you to be in contact with other local families.
We are also very, very fortunate to have access to more school bus routes than most other schools. The buses travel to many suburbs surrounding our school and we provide supervision until they get onto the bus. I would encourage families to consider their child catching these safe and dedicated school bus services. The bus routes are available on the Transport Canberra website.
End Of Year events (including Year 6)
We have planned ways of undertaking our usual end of year events that match the current restrictions we must abide by. We know that we may alter these plans after the anticipated easing of restrictions next week so we are holding off with the firm details until then.
Our usual Christmas Concert is such a large gathering we know we will not be able to hold it. Classes are rehearsing and Kindergarten are preparing a Nativity and we are hoping to gather in some way at school with our students. We are also looking at how we will record and share the performances with parents.
We have managed to hold a few events this term that are usually earlier in the year including Book Week, NAIDOC Week, excursions and Confirmation. We have had to be more creative about them and undertake additional planning but we have managed to celebrate these events well.
Our plans for Year 6 at present include:
- Friday 4 December - All Day Fun Day and overnight stay with pick up by parents first thing on Saturday morning. Our proposal for fun day will be told to students next week after final approvals have been received.
- Tuesday 15 December - Graduation Celebration - a morning of graduation celebrations where we can have parents attend and students can have a celebration together afterwards.
- Friday 18 December - Candle Ceremony - Year 5 students will receive a candle from a Year 6 student signifying the passing over of student leadership for next year. At this point parents won't be able to attend but we are looking at live streaming options.
The finer details of these days still require approval and may change based on the next easement of restrictions. As soon as we have those, the last details will be announced. We want to maximise the opportunities that will be provided by these.
We are also in the process of planning a whole school fun day for everyone at the end of the year to help bring a close to the unusual school year in a fun way as a community.
In the meantime, please know and trust that we are doing everything we can to ensure the end of year is meaningful and positive for all our students and families with the information and restrictions we have, particuarly our Year 6 students. We have always cared for and enjoyed every one of them and this hasn't changed.
Class placements for 2021
At this time of the year I welcome parent communication regarding any specific needs that they would like considered in placing their own child in a class group next year. Parents wishing to communicate this are asked to email me directly (not the classroom teacher) with the considerations they would like kept in mind as part of the class creation process. These will be treated confidentially and viewed only by me. Specific teacher requests will not be considered. The cut off for communicating these considerations will be Friday 13 November.
Thank you for continually working together to help your child learn and grow.
Matthew Garton
Principal
Catholic Life and Reflection
What we have been learning about.
This week staff have spent their prayer time reflecting on food in the bible. Dates, wheat and honey are all mentioned in the bible. We heard about their connection to the daily life of Jesus and His use of them to connect people to their Jewish heritage. The use of food for offerings, prayer and physical nourishment helps us to remember that Jesus was a human during his ministry. A good Jew who used food in many ways.
Confirmation
Last night we celebrated the first of two Confirmation evenings. Much smaller than usual due to Covid restrictions but that wasn’t all bad. During the laying on of hands Father Kimi and Father Michael were able to bless each child, a double blessing so to speak. The children were reverent, calm, and proud to say Amen in response to receiving the Holy Spirit in the name of their Saint.
An important tradition in the church and one of the first rites of passage towards their adult life.
Please keep them all in your prayers. We celebrate with the second group this evening.
Catholic Life and Reflection
Last week my mum celebrated her 80th birthday. We were so lucky to have several of my aunts, uncles and cousins come to share a meal and celebrate her. As we sat with our cups of tea and birthday cake we reminisced about our time as young kids playing in gardens, climbing trees and bouncing from house to house. We were so blessed! I took the opportunity to make sure I told each of them how much I loved them. How grateful I was for the time I spent with them when I was little and how much I try to do the same for my kids. A few of them were a little surprised, especially the one we fondly call “Dragon Breath” because we got away with ZIP when she was around. I told her that we always knew how loved we were because they were just there for us. Being present for our kids (in my case…your kids too) is so important. Show up, be there, read the book and check the homework.
God is always present for us. Even when we are not aware or pointedly ignore Him.
“…and remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’Matthew 28:20
God bless,
Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator
Notices from the Parish
Happy birthday to Phoebe S, Jansen V, Thomas G, and Marley A who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.
Please note that we ask students to not bring home made cupcakes to share with the class for their birthdays. This is a precautionary measure for health and hygiene. The Canteen offers a number of options to share with the class. Purchases can be made through the QKR app.
Dear Parents and Carers
Information for parents regarding payment of Term 4 fees
Catholic Education is committed to continuing financial assistance into Term 4 to support families who have been financially impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The position of Catholic education is that no child will be denied a Catholic education because of financial circumstances.
Where your family is experiencing financial stress due to job loss, being stood down, reduction in work hours, business downturn or closure resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, full or partial fee relief is available. To discuss fee relief options, please come and see me for a confidential discussion.
Families whose employment situation has not been affected by COVID-19 can support the school by continuing to pay school fees as they fall due. This will support our school to continue providing quality learning in a connected community that nurtures and cares for each other
Your family is an important part of our school community. Your financial circumstances will not compromise the place of your children at our school. If you are experiencing any difficulties, I will confidentially ensure your child is not disadvantaged.
Kind regards,
Matthew Garton
Principal
Wellbeing strategies for parents
The coronavirus pandemic and its associated disruptions are beginning to take a toll on our mental health and wellbeing. You don’t need to look far in your community or social networks to identify a worrying trend of people experiencing a range of challenging emotions including mood swings, despair, anger, sullenness and lack of motivation.
People who usually pride themselves on being able to manage most difficulties that come their way now find themselves suddenly unable to cope, leading to a profound sense of disappointment. A number of people have spoken about feeling guilty for being a less than perfect parent, partner, teacher, work colleague or friend during these times.
This inability to cope is understandable. Our capacity to adapt to acutely stressful situations such as natural disasters has been severely depleted by the long-term nature of the pandemic. It’s common in situations of great uncertainty to feel exhausted and experience periods of burnout. Coupled with this is a sense of loss that many people feel – loss of connection to friends and family, loss of freedom and a loss of a way of life.
There is no handbook for functioning in a pandemic however it’s apparent that we need to accept that our lives will be different for some time. It also helps to expect less of yourself, which is the opposite to how high-achievers and perfectionists ordinarily operate. Feeling comfortable with uncertainty takes some getting used to as most of us have an innate wish to feel in control.
Daily wellbeing treats
Self-care is a proven remedy to most wellbeing ailments, but it’s ironic that for many of us our self-care activities have been restricted by the coronavirus. Coffee with friends, a massage or a visit to the gym and other such activities are out for many people. However, this doesn’t mean that we should neglect our mental health and wellbeing. Instead we need to look closer to home for our regular wellbeing treats. Things that help include regular deep breathing to start the body’s relaxation response, practising moments of mindfulness to shut down mental chatter, finding hidden exercise opportunities to promote mood-enhancing endorphins and spending time each day in calm-inducing green space.
Resilience bank account
During my conversations one person described living in this era as “always feeling a little off balance, like standing in a dinghy in a rough sea and not knowing when the storm will pass.”
Our mental reserves are constantly been called upon, so it’s necessary to build regular practices into our lives that build our resilience. Hopefully, most of us had bulging resilience bank accounts before the pandemic hit but it’s never too late start. Attending to areas such as sleep, good nutrition, regular exercise, relationship-building and self-care help keep our resilience buckets filled up.
Humans are adaptive and can get better at anything with practice, including living through a once in a century pandemic and all the changes it brings to our lives.
Michael Grose
Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s an award-winning speaker and the author of 12 books for parents including Spoonfed Generation, and the bestselling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It. Michael is a former teacher with 15 years experience, and has 30 years experience in parenting education. He also holds a Master of Educational Studies from Monash University specialising in parenting education.