Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to the final week of Term 3. Hopefully you have all made it safely and kept your sanity at the same time.
Holy God, you see me and you hear me. Through my mask, you see if I smile or if I scowl. Through my mask, you hear me if I whisper a brief prayer or mutter a muffled curse. My friends don’t see or hear or know; nor do my family; nor my colleagues. But you do.Lord keep me and my family close to you. Keep us safe.
Covid 19 - News
Thank you for your support over the past few weeks as we have transitioned to remote learning as part of the ACT’s health response to COVID-19.
Following advice from the ACT Government and Chief Health Officer, remote learning will continue for all Catholic Education primary school students during the first four weeks of Term 4 which begins on Tuesday 5 October. This would mean a face to face return on the 1st November.
Catholic Education will be working over the school holidays to develop further plans for a phased return to on-campus learning in Term 4 when it is safe to do so. Any plans will of course be completely subject to health advice, including in relation to case numbers and vaccination rates.
While I am sure this news will be disappointing to some, the Chief Health Officer has made this decision based on what we know about the COVID-19 outbreak in our community. The health and safety of students, staff and their families, is our number one priority.
Please remember the most important thing you can do is support your child’s well-being. Keep in mind that children can express their feelings in many ways. I encourage you to speak openly with your children about how they are feeling.
If your child requires extra help and assistance, counselling is available through Catholic Care. To access the service, a booking request may be made by contacting (02) 6162 6100.
You can keep up to date with the latest health information and advice on the ACT’s COVID-19 website www.covid19.act.gov.au
I hope your family is able to spend some time together relaxing during the upcoming school holidays.
Postponements and Cancellations
It is with a heavy heart that the school will cancel this year's planned Fete. After seeking advice from CE and following the current Health guidelines it seems inevitable that our wonderful Fete will need to wait until next year.
School Sports ACT has also cancelled all Primary Athletics carnivals.
We will continue to assess events for next term but there is every chance that events planned in October and November will be postponed until further notice.
Well-being Days - Magic Shows
The school's Well-Being days have been received extremely well by parents, students and staff. It will be our plan to continue these days during Term 4's Remote Learning Program. As a boost for all, we are planning on holding some online Magic Shows for our students. Links will be sent out next term, so make sure that your child does not miss out on the fun.
Welcome back Mrs De Rosa
Next term we will welcome back Nina who will be returning in her role as Assistant Principal/Learning Support at SJV four days a week, Mon-Thurs. She has had an amazing time with her son on maternity leave and is excited to return to SJV from Term 4 onward.
The accompanying exciting news is that CE have decided to offer extra support to our school by continuing Mrs Jo Reed to work as acting AP on the Friday and Special Projects Officer through the other weekdays. This AP/Special Projects role will have a focus on Curriculum and Pedagogy at our school.
The extra FTE support in these areas from CE is very much welcomed to help us move forward and prepare for 2022.
God bless everyone and stay safe
Peter Rodda
Principal