This week marks NAIDOC week across Australia. NAIDOC week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the oldest continuing culture on our planet.

Always Was, Always Will Be, the theme for NAIDOC week 2020, recognizes that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. It acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact but that the very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists.

Australia has the world’s oldest oral stories. The First Peoples engraved the world’s first maps, made the earliest paintings of ceremony and invented unique technologies. We built and engineered structures - structures on Earth - predating well-known sites such as the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge.

NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of our country – a history which dates back thousands of generations.

I would like to thank Ms Lowe for planning and leading our NAIDOC week awareness raising and reflection activities.

Finishing the Year Well

Students across the school have a range of exams, class tests and assessment tasks which need to be completed over the next 2 - 3 weeks. It’s important that everyone remains focussed and works hard to the end of the year.

As always, students need to be at school each day unless they are sick. Sometimes students will ask parents and carers for a day off towards the end of the year, claiming that things are winding down. This is not the case. The final weeks of the year are a time to put in extra effort, not to wind down. The time to kick back from a break will come with the holidays.

Best wishes

Throughout lockdown online chess has been popular with some of our students. Next week, our chess team will be competing in the SACCSS Interschool online chess tournament. We wish this team of skilled, strategic thinkers the very best as they represent our school.

Graduation and Final Day for Year 10

The final day for Year 10 students will be Friday 27 November. Plans for the day have changed a number of times as we monitor the easing of restrictions. With limited excursions now possible, we are exploring a mix of onsite and offsite activities to celebrate the culmination of students’ time at the College.

Sadly, the Graduation ceremony will be limited to students only, however, we will livestream the event so that families can be part of it from home.

Details for both events will be forwarded to Year 10 families once they are finalised.

Report Preparation Day: Friday 27 November

Whilst assessment and finalisation of reports continue into the last week of Term 4, Friday 27 November is set aside for Years 7 – 9 staff to mark exams and to begin the preparation of reports.

Years 7 - 9 will not be required at school.

Keeping Everyone Safe 

All families and students are reminded that whilst restrictions in Melbourne are easing, each of us needs to do our part in reducing the risk of transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Students and staff need to:

1. Stay home if they are unwell, and get tested for COVID if they show even the mildest of symptoms.
2. Practice good hand hygiene.
3. Coughing into the elbow.
4. Wearing a mask to and from school, and at school.

The advice on masks is that they should be changed after four hours. Families are asked to send students to school with a second mask and a plastic bag for storing the used mask. Spare masks are available from the office if students forget their mask at home.

Enrolment for 2021

If a student in Years 7, 8 or 9 is not continuing at the College in 2021, we ask that their family notifies us as soon as possible. Please email echalmers@crcstalbans.com.au or ring Eileen Chalmers on 9366 2544 with this information.

Your assistance with this is much appreciated as we have a waiting list at some levels and would like to let these families know sooner, rather than later.

Term 4 Uniform

All students should now be in full summer uniform.

Newsletter

In Term 4 the newsletter will continue to be published online only. Families will receive a SMS with a link to the newsletter, and students will receive the newsletter by email.

Newsletter Days for Term 4 2020:             

Fridays:                 27 November     18 December

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