Return to Face to Face Learning
Our Years 11 and 12 students recommenced face to face learning on Friday, 4 June and the remainder of our students will recommence tomorrow Friday,11 June. It has been great to have staff and students back and we are grateful to all parents and guardians for their efforts throughout the period of remote learning. Year 10 Exams will be face to face on Friday, 11 June if Years 7-10 students resume onsite on this day.

Year 9 PBL
The Year 9 PBL presentation night has been postponed from this Wednesday, 9 June to Wednesday, 16 June 6.00p.m.- 7.00p.m. so that we have time when we return to prepare the teachers and students for this night.

2021 General Achievement Test – to be rescheduled
The 2021 General Achievement Test (GAT) scheduled for Wednesday, 9 June 2021 will be rescheduled to a date to be determined. We expect this to be in coming weeks.

Face masks
Secondary school students aged 12 or older must always wear a face mask at school, including when attending an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program, unless an exception applies. Face masks are mandatory for all school students aged 12 or older when travelling to and from school. To support the health and wellbeing of all students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent handwashing. If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice

Deputy Principal – Head of the Broadmeadows Campus
As many of you are aware, Mr Ernie Pisani has made the decision to retire as of the end of 2021 and we will attempt to acknowledge the enormous contribution that he has made in his time at Penola Catholic College at the end of this year. I have advertised the Deputy position externally on Friday, 28 May. The contract will be for 5 years (2022- 2026). I am hoping for a good field of applicants and will be interviewing for this role in the middle of June.

Ernie is also taking weeks 2 – 9 of Term 3 off as Long Service Leave and Ms Liviana Daniele has been appointed to replace him as Head of Campus during this time.

Staff News

• Ms Erin Bonavia (Year 12 Coordinator) commences her maternity leave on Tuesday, 15 June and we wish her well for the impending birth. Her Year 12 Psychology class will be taught by Mrs Belinda Carbone for the remainder of the year. Erin’s Year 12 Health and Human Development class will be taught by Mrs Katherine Jones. Erin’s instructional coach role will be taken over by Mr Steve Woodburn and her Year 12 RE class will be picked up by Mr Luke Vraca.
• Miss Claire Kennett has resigned from her position as a part-time VCAL teacher as she has accepted a full-time position teaching at Strathmore Secondary College. Mrs Sue Lombardo has been appointed as her replacement for the remainder of the year.
• Ms Erika Caprile has resigned from her position as a part-time Italian Language Assistant. Mr Fabrizio Capigatti has now been appointed as the new Italian Language Assistant.
• Mr James Mein has resigned as one of our Youth Ministers as he pursues a new career as an apprentice electrician. We are not replacing this role at this time as we review our Faith & Mission Team.
• Ms Danielle Prescott has been appointed as Year 12 Coordinator for the remainder of the year to replace Ms Erin Bonavia.
• Mrs Andrea London has extended her maternity leave for the remainder of the year and Miss Natalie Presutti will continue to replace Andrea whilst she is on maternity leave.
• Mrs Photini Zafiropoulos resumes at the start of Term 3 after her Carer’s leave for 2 days a week and Ms Judy Matthews will continue for the other two days a week.
• Ms Jenny Carroll is returning at the start of Term 3 after taking the past 6 months as Long Service Leave.
  
  

Child Information Sharing and Domestic Violence Reforms
Sharing information to support child wellbeing and safety

From 19 April 2021 (Term 2), all Victorian government and non-government schools and centre-based education and care services (e.g. long day care, kindergarten and outside school hours care) will be prescribed as Information Sharing Entities under the Victorian Government’s Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) and Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS).

These information sharing schemes have expanded the ability of schools and services to collaborate and share relevant confidential information with other authorised Information Sharing Entities to promote the wellbeing and safety of children, and to assess and manage family violence risk. Information can only be shared under the schemes by organisations prescribed as Information Sharing Entities.

The information sharing schemes were introduced in response to Royal Commissions, coronial inquests and independent inquiries over the past decade that identified poor information sharing as a barrier to service collaboration with detrimental outcomes for children and families.

Phase 1 of implementation of the schemes commenced in September 2018 and included key services, such as Child Protection, Maternal and Child Health Services and Victoria Police. From 19 April 2021, as part of Phase 2, universal services such as education and health will be authorised to share information using the schemes.

The information sharing schemes complement and expand upon existing information sharing and child protection laws, and do not replace already existing authorisation to share information such as the Child Safe Standards, reporting to Child Protection or Victoria Police, the Reportable Conduct Scheme, and other privacy and information sharing laws.

Further information regarding these whole-of-government reforms can be found on the Victorian Government website: www.vic.gov.au/information-sharing-schemes-and-the-maram-framework

Annual report
The Annual report for 2020 is available on the College website. It provides an overview of the 2020 year for Penola Catholic College with reports from the five key areas of the College namely Education in Faith, Student Wellbeing, Learning and Teaching, Leadership and Management and Community. It also includes a report from myself as Principal and Mrs Alfina Astuto as Board Chair.

Year 10 Work Experience
The Year 10 Work Experience Program was scheduled to take place next week from Monday, 7 June to Friday, 11 June. Unfortunately, this event has had to be postponed until Term 3 due to the uncertainty associated with the most recent lockdown. Many thanks to Felicity Fox, Terry McGann, Elena Natoli, Peter Carpenter and Maria Rullo from the Careers Office for their work in finalising placements for students. Hopefully employers will be able to take on our students in Term 3.

PAVCSS Conference
I had the privilege of being involved with the PAVCSS Conference last week where Dr John Haught presented two sessions on “The Meaning of Faith in an Age of Science”. Dr John Haught is an American theologian and a Distinguished Research Professor at Georgetown University. He specializes in Roman Catholic systematic theology, with a particular interest in issues pertaining to physical cosmology, evolutionary biology, geology and Christianity. Unfortunately, the other two sessions had to be postponed as the announcement about the lockdown was imminent. These will be rescheduled to sometime later this month.

Seven things for a smooth transition back to face to face learning

1. Regular Sleep habits – Sleep changes are a common effect of the recent times. Many of our students have become used to having a little sleep in and a later start to their morning routine. It is time to re-establish a more usual sleep cycle. Depending on how out of whack your daughter’s or son’s sleep has been, they should be adjusting their sleep cycle by going to bed earlier so that they can get up earlier.
2. Reaching Out to Friends – One of the main things that helps us all transition back is knowing there is someone who is wanting to see us. We all look forward to catching up with good people and having some fun. Reaching out and making contact with school friends sets this up.
3. Safe and Certain – The College has changed a number of practices to ensure that students are safe. We have provided hand sanitiser in every classroom as well as wipes and we have cleaners on site constantly cleaning and sanitising high traffic areas. We have set up the classrooms to maximise the physical distancing of students given the constraints of the room size and furniture. We are intent on keeping everyone safe and well and have planned as much as we can. for this outcome.
4. Restart – We are providing a whole fresh start for all students. During these uncertain times, priorities and lives have been restructured. Social connections have changed. This may mean that we need to form new connections and to renew our attitude towards learning and success.
5. Plan for Success – This year has changed more than any of us could have anticipated. We need to plan for success. For Senior Students, the risk is feeling that their year has got away from them and they cannot succeed. Clearly this is not true. Firstly, everyone in the State has experienced the same setbacks. Secondly, there is plenty of time to catch up and succeed.
6. Less is more – It is understandable that people will feel in a rush to make up for the time and opportunities missed in the early part of the year. Given the upheaval of past months, rushing too much or putting too much in place too early is a recipe for exhaustion, disenchantment and disengagement. While we are back in business, easy does it. Taking our time now to slowly rebuild a sense of success will pay off. Take it slow and make it fun!
7. Review – the imminent school holidays gives us the opportunity to reflect back on the process of re-integration. What were the pluses and minuses of the experience, what has worked well (as well as what hasn’t), and a re-assessment of what we think is going to help in the future.

Prayer for the next fortnight
Our country has just celebrated National Reconciliation Week and our world has celebrated International Children’s Day. There are many things to celebrate this week, but in particular, I would like to offer a brief prayer of thanksgiving that I have relied upon heavily, especially throughout the past year as we have suffered as a community, and as a nation, and as a world, in so many ways:

Loving Creator,

We asked for strength, and you gave us difficulties to make us strong.

We asked for wisdom, and you gave us problems to solve.

We asked for prosperity, and you gave us purpose and brains to use.

We asked for courage, and you gave us fears to overcome.

We asked for patience, and you gave us situations where we were forced to wait.

We asked for love, and you gave us troubled people to help.

We asked for justice, and you called us to be just and lead with integrity.

Lord, we have received nothing that we asked for or wanted.

And yet, we receive everything that we needed.

For this we give thanks.