Congratulations
We pass on our best wishes to Annie Forrest and Alistair Templeton who will be married on Friday 27th March. Annie will be taking leave next week as she prepares for the big day.
COVID-19 (coronavirus)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation continues to evolve. As stated in last week's newsletter and the updates I have sent out, we are being provided the latest advice from the Australian and Victorian Chief Medical Officers by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd to ensure that our school practices are helping to keep our school community safe from the outbreak. The current advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer is that schools remain open. This advice is constantly under review and we will update you if it changes. If you choose to keep your children at home, could you please provide the school with notification in writing stating the reason for absence and dates of absence. A letter regarding the decision for schools to remain open is going out today.
I provide the following information from the latest Catholic Education Commission of Victoria update in the hope that it may help families discuss the virus in a calm and informed way.
Conversations with children and young people
Families and caregivers of children and young people should discuss news of the virus with those in their care in an open and honest way.
Try to relate the facts without causing alarm, and in a way that is appropriate for their age and temperament.
It is important to listen to any questions they may have, and to let them know that they are safe and that it’s normal to feel concerned.
If the media or the news is getting to be too much for them, encourage them to limit their exposure.
Resources
A range of key resources, including videos and tips for young people, have been collated for you to share with your staff, students and families to help promote ongoing wellbeing and good health across your school community:
SPECIAL REPORT: Coronavirus – Dr Michael Carr-Gregg developed this video for parents and school staff. Catholic Education Melbourne acknowledges the generosity of SchoolTV in making the report accessible to parents and staff in Catholic school communities
How to talk to your children about coronavirus – ABC News article
Worried about your child getting coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know – The Conversation article
Talking to children about natural disasters, traumatic events, or worries about the future – This Emerging Minds video introduces ways for parents and carers to manage media coverage of traumatic events, and talk to their children about their worries and fears
Traumatic events, the media and your child – This Emerging Minds fact sheet provides guidance on how to support and reassure children during ongoing media coverage of COVID-19.
Reconciliation
In light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, it has been decided to cancel this evening's Sacrament of Penance. Fr John Corrigan and I have decided to be cautious and not go ahead with this special but non-essential gathering at this time. Parents will be informed when this celebration can be rescheduled.
St Patrick’s Day
We had a great celebration of St Patrick’s Day yesterday. Thank you to the P&F for organising morning tea and the special lunch and to Rebecca’s Cafe for the ice cream treat. Special thanks to the Yr 3/4 students and their teachers for preparing and leading us in the St Patrick’s Day liturgy.
Winter Uniform
Children will need to be in winter uniform from the start of Term 2. Please see Beth in our uniform shop on Tuesday mornings or contact her via the school office if you need uniform items. As per our SunSmart policy, hats need to be worn until the end of April.
Pupil Free Day
A reminder that there will be no school for students this Friday, March 20th. All staff will be attending professional development on Big Write and VCOP, a teaching approach that aims to improve children’s writing.
Cybersafety
At St Patrick’s we have a commitment to keeping children safe. This is evident in the efforts teachers go to to teach their students to be safe when navigating social media and the internet. It concerns me that some students have access to apps out of school hours that are not age appropriate. These apps, such as Tik Tok and SnapChat are causing unpleasantness between students through comments that are posted. This unpleasantness then spreads to school and has the potential to escalate. I urge parents to be mindful of what your children are doing online. Please reinforce that any comments or ‘likes’ that they are placing online is forming their ‘digital footprint’ which is with them for life. Practical tips are to check settings in the apps and devices and to set time limits. Tik Tok in particular is a very dangerous app. I refer parents to the eSafety Commissioner website where you will find important safety tips regarding various apps and information regarding age appropriateness. All this information is provided with the intention of keeping your children safe.
Kind regards,
Peter Sanderson
Principal