Issue 13 SJC News 2020

Last week the conversation at home turned to what Christmas might look like this year. Someone remarked that “it would be weird to not be able to go to Mass.” The COVID-19 restrictions have disrupted long held habits and patterns of behaviour and Sundays must feel weird to many for whom the rhythm of spiritual life is centred on Sunday Mass. Similarly, sacraments other than the Eucharist are either unavailable or inaccessible in our parishes.

A few weeks ago the Vatican released a document suggesting possible reforms to parish life… while it was in preparation it looks like the global pandemic have reformed it for us! There are some welcome suggestions in the document including that parish structures should be looser and more flexible.

Perhaps the online connection currently available may be a way for us to increase our engagement with our Parish. Perhaps more of us might come to place greater value on parish life and connection and it might feel weird to not be at Mass (in some form) each Sunday, rather than just at Christmas! Things are unlikely to be the same in our parishes post COVID but it is interesting to think of what benefits changes may bring.

In tough times one of the things that human beings value is solidarity. We are one of six schools in Victoria governed by Edmund Rice Education Australia. There are over 40 more interstate some of which have sent those of us in Victorian schools messages of solidarity. https://www.erea.edu.au/messages-of-support-to-our-victoria-schools/

This week is National Child Protection Week. In recent years there has been an increased focus on all matters relating to safeguarding children in our schools. In May this year the College was audited by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority in relation to our compliance with Ministerial Order 870 which places the obligation on schools to ensure the safety of children. I am pleased to report that the audit found that all aspects of our child safe policy and procedures were fully compliant and we are making pleasing progress towards a fully embedded culture of child safety.

As part of developing this culture a Wellbeing lesson will be delivered to students this week. It clearly outlines their rights to safety and wellbeing in their school and home environments. The presentation is explicit in outlining the rights of young people and appropriate responses should these rights be breached. Of course another key element of keeping children safe is ensuring that they are safe online. We are delighted to have the opportunity for families to join the online safety webinar next Tuesday, a flyer about which is attached to this newsletter.

Remote learning is hard work for most of us and almost without exception we look forward to the time when we can safely resume face to face teaching. (At this stage we expect that to be at the start of Term 4 on 5 October). Author Alexandre Dumas writes in The Count of Monte Christo; “All human wisdom is contained in these two words, Wait and Hope” And so we wait for a return to school and hope that the lessons we have learnt during remote learning will hold us in good stead into the future.

Stay well

God Bless.