St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

A recent reflection shared with me by one of my friends that I thought you may enjoy. It certainly helped me to reflect on all that has been and all that is to come. 

For weeks I have heard people saying, “I just can’t wait for things to be back to normal.” I remember even saying that more than a few times myself. But as I’ve thought about our current situation I have realised how much I don’t want things to go back to the way they were. Here are my few reasons:

• I hope the next time a friend grabs me and pulls me in for a hug, I actually take the time to appreciate the gift of their presence and their embrace.
• I hope that when school resumes and I drop my children off, I take the time to thank the staff for the amazing gift of education that they give to my family.
• I hope that the next time I’m sitting in a crowded restaurant I take the time to look around at the smiling faces, loud voices and be more appreciative of the gift of community.
• I hope that when I am at the supermarket I take a moment to acknowledge the necessities of life and the amazing people who work so hard to keep us supplied.
• I hope that I never again take for granted the ability to hop in the car and visit a friend, go to the beach, a restaurant or a movie, etc.

So, the truth is, I don’t want things to return to the way they once were. I hope and pray that I take the lessons and challenges of the past few weeks and create a new normal.

My goal is to appreciate more, love harder, and truly appreciate the daily abundance of blessings that I may once have so easily overlooked just a few weeks ago. If someone tells you they love you, take it to heart!

When we return to school it will feel very unusual for us not to gather as a community. One of our greatest strengths as a school is our sense of community and the way we enjoy coming together. We know that social distancing is one of our best strategies for keeping all of us safe and well. I thank each of you for your openness to these procedures for drop off and pick up. I’m sure whilst it will feel different it will help us to appreciate each other even more when such restrictions are no longer required. We will have a high staff presence before and after school to ensure the children feel safe as they arrive and leave school. We ask that all families respond to your child’s class teacher by Wednesday 20th May with your preferred drop off and pick up zone.

Monday 25th May: 

Pupil Free Day declared by the Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. There will be no school for the children on this day (Remote learning or at school learning). Staff will be preparing for our return to school.

Tuesday 26th May: 

All staff return to school.

All P-2 students return to learning at school.

Years 3-6 students continue with remote learning (For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of onsite schooling will remain in place during the two-week period from Tuesday 26th May to Tuesday 9th June. The current process that we are using to enable parents and carers to indicate the days or part-days for which onsite schooling is required will continue for this two-week period.

Please email me if you require support during this time.

cmason@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au

Monday 8th June:

Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday (no school for children or staff).

Tuesday 9th June:

All students from Prep-Year 6 attending school onsite. 

*** Please note: Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to onsite schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home.

This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact me so we can make an appropriate plan.

Friday 19th June:

Mid-Year Student Reports home to Parents and Carers

Tuesday 23rd June & Wednesday 24th June

Online Parent/Teacher Interviews: 3.30pm-6.30pm

*More details to follow with how to book your parent/teacher interviews. Please note that all interviews will be conducted online. There will be no face to face interviews (where possible) to keep us inline with social distancing requirements.