Lockdown extended
As most of you are aware, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, announced an extension of another 14 days to lockdown 6.0 in Victoria until midnight Thursday, 2 September.

All Catholic schools have transitioned to remote and flexible learning from Friday, 6 August. He also announced that if students can learn from home, they must learn from home for these 20 days, that is from Friday, 6 August until Thursday, 2 September. We will continue the process of remote learning for the next 20 school days through a combination of Microsoft Teams meetings and information on class pages on MyPenola.

I know that remote learning is not ideal, but I am proud of the efforts of the vast majority of our students in taking responsibility for their own learning during this lockdown period. I am particularly conscious of our Year 12 students’ anxiety and concerns regarding their assessment and hope to hear from the VCAA regarding any changes with regards to assessment.

Year 12 Assessments
With the lockdown being extended we have decided to change the structure of the timetable for Year 12 students next week with Periods 1 & 2 being designated for cohort assessments and then the resumption of regular classes Periods 3 – 6.

More information has been included in Ms. Vera Treloar’s section of the newsletter so that families are aware of the assessments that are taking place in studies which have multiple classes. The intention is to provide a designated time within school to complete these assessments. There are a range of protocols that have been put in place to ensure that these assessments are conducted fairly and will include students having cameras and audio on to minimize the chance of cheating or inequity.

Year 10 Work Experience Cancelled
The extended lockdown has made it extremely difficult for students and employers to know whether or not work experience could proceed in the first week of Term four i.e., Monday, 4 October – Friday, 8 October. Many workplaces have reduced their capacity, others have been unable to commit and the possibility of all students getting a placement with the appropriate documentation completed, is impossible. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to cancel work experience. For a number of students work experience may occur in late November or early December if possible, with an easing of restrictions.

Year 7 Enrolments 2023
A reminder to all of our existing families that Year 7 enrolments for 2023 close on Friday, 20 August. A number of families applied after the close of enrolment last year which makes it very difficult to accurately plan for the following year, so I ask that you submit your enrolment as soon as possible. Often families assume that we know that there is a younger sibling, I would be very disappointed if one of our existing families missed out on an enrolment due to not submitting their enrolment in a timely manner.

Calendar Changes
There are a significant number of events that were planned for these days which will obviously not run. I have listed these below:

• College Production – Monday, 9 August, Tuesday, 10 August and Wednesday, 11 August. We will attempt to reschedule when students return.
• 2022 Year 11 Subject Counselling - (Monday, 9 August – Wednesday, 11August).
  This will take place in the Week of Monday, 23 August – Friday, 27 August online via TEAMS. Students will be contacted by a staff member to arrange an appointment time for the session.
• 2022 Year 10 Subject Counselling - (Wednesday, 11 August – Friday, 13 August).
  This will take place in the Week of Monday, 30 August – Friday, 3 September online via TEAMS.
• 2021 General Achievement Test (Thursday, 12 August) will be rescheduled.
• Year 10 Reflection days that were scheduled for next Wednesday, 18 August and Thursday, 19 August have also been postponed.
• VCAL Information Night scheduled for Wednesday, 25 August will still take place via TEAMS commencing at 6.00p.m.
• Year 12 Parent Teacher Student Partnership Meetings will take place via TEAMS on Wednesday, 2 September (Changed date) with interviews from 4.00p.m.- 6.00p.m.and the information session commencing at 6.15p.m.

Wellbeing Day – Wednesday, 1 September
This day was already in the calendar as a student-free day. We decided to have a Wellbeing day on Wednesday, 1 September to give both staff and students a reprieve from screens! This will be a mid-term break to allow staff, students, and families time to reflect on what they have achieved to date and prepare for what lies ahead. There will be no classes held on this day and it is my intention to shut the school so that all can take a well-earned break. In conversations that I have been having with a number of staff, they have commented on having sore eyes and headaches which they have attributed to the increase in screen time required of them with remote learning. Parents have also made comment about their concerns regarding the amount of time that their son or daughter is spending on their screens. We hope this time provides you with an opportunity to spend quality family time together and a time to relax.

Year 12 English Date Changes
There was a remote learning day planned for all Year 12 VCE students on Friday, 20 August so that students could complete their Year 12 English Oral Presentations but this will be rescheduled depending on when students return to school.

Homework throughout Remote Learning
I think we would all acknowledge that remote learning is much more difficult than face to face. I would also hope that teachers would recognise the impact that these lockdowns are having on the mental health of our students and their families. As a result, like last year during our extended lockdown, the expectation is to keep homework to a minimum particularly at Years 7-10 to work that they should have completed during class time. We also need to be conscious of not spending the majority of the lesson talking so that students have time to complete tasks whilst they have the support of their teacher.

Our students are spending so much time on their screens throughout the day that to expect them to complete significant amounts of homework in addition to this is both unrealistic and lacks empathy for their current predicament. We are all conscious of trying to ensure that students don’t fall behind but loading them up with too much is potentially even more damaging. I would rather reduce the content and teach it well than continue with the same content and teach it poorly. Obviously, this becomes more difficult within the senior years where the curriculum is prescribed.

Prayer for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Last Saturday, 14 August 2021 was the Feast of the Assumption.

I have included a prayer for the Assumption of Mary:

Woman of Listening,

Mary, woman of listening, open our ears;

Grant us to know how to listen to the word of Jesus among the thousands of words in this world;

Grant that we may listen to the reality in which we live, to every person that we encounter,

Especially those who are poor, in need, in hardship.

Mary, woman of decision, illuminate our mind and our heart, so that we may follow the word of your son Jesus;

Mary, woman of action, obtain that our hands and feet move “with haste” towards others.

To bring them the charity and love of your son Jesus, to bring the light of the Gospel to the world, as you did.

Amen