A very happy Easter to everyone. May the hope, joy and promise of this season continue to be with you all. 

Tomorrow we mark ANZAC Day, the day that Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli during the First World War. The ANZAC story is about courage, mateship, resourcefulness, endurance and a wry humour in the face of adversity. It has assumed almost mythic status in the history and identity of our country. Why is it so important? I wonder if its value is that it reminds us of the best we can be as human beings, and of the enduring call to love each other, no matter what the circumstances, whether in war or in peace. 

This year we mark ANZAC Day in the shadow of COVID-19. Each day, as we watch and read the news, we witness equally heroic stories of people being the best that they can be. We see the courage and care of the front line medical workers; the dedication of all who work in essential services, and the kindness, good will and collective spirit of all who are staying at home to ensure that everyone remains safe. 

ANZAC Day morning is often very quiet across Melbourne, except for the places where communities gather to remember. It is a time of reflection. Tomorrow, as we remember the ANZACS, all who have fought over time to keep us safe and those currently serving abroad on active duty or as peacekeepers, we might also remember all who are working to keep us safe at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Learning from Home

Thank you to all students and families for the way that you have engaged with Learning from Home. Undoubtedly, this is a challenging way to learn and teach but it is good to see that attendance is good and that students are trying their absolute best. 

On Tuesday afternoon we invited feedback from students around what is working well in learning from home, some of the challenges, and suggestions for further improvement. By this morning (Wednesday) we already had well over 100 responses. 

In the feedback I was struck by students’ appreciation of the work their teachers are doing and their understanding that learning from home is different, a little more difficult than ‘regular’ school but often also very positive. As you can imagine, some students and some staff are more suited to working in this way than others but all need to be congratulated on the tremendous work they are doing and the way they are adapting to the change.

The Leadership Team will look at the feedback on Friday and make adjustments where these are needed. Early issues seem to be around workload (too much), the challenges of communicating with teachers only in writing (email / chat / waiting time) and possibly more breaks in lessons and transitions as being online can be tiring and confusing. 

A number of families have also given us feedback. Thank you for this. We encourage you to stay in touch, particularly with Pastoral Care teachers and Year Level Leaders. In class, teachers use many different cues to pace and adjust their teaching. This is harder online. 

Art Packs: Home Deliveries

On Monday and Tuesday next week, a number of staff will be delivering Art Packs to all the students who are studying Visual Arts. The Years 7 – 9 packs include brushes, paints and canvasses. Year 10 students will receive materials for their printmaking unit. 

Packs will be left outside. Please watch out for them.

Students in Years 9 and 10 Music (instruments), Sculpture (clay) and Visual Communication and Design (skateboards) have already collected materials from the College over the past week. Thank you to all the families who have brought them to school.

Building Project Update

The work on the Wellbeing Centre and changes to the Administration area continues and is on track to be completed in mid-May. The changes to this entrance to the school are very attractive and we will certainly appreciate having a dedicated Wellbeing space and the additional office space. 

Term 1 Interim Reports

These are now available on PAM (The Parent Access Module). We ask that all students and families check these when they get the chance. Families who have misplaced their password are asked to contact the school.

Newsletter

This term our newsletter will be published online only. Families will receive an sms with a link to the newsletter, and students will receive the newsletter by email.

Newsletter Days for Term 2 2020:

Fridays:   24 April     08 May     22 May     05 June     19 June

The newsletter can always be accessed on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au