“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me”

“I am the way the truth and the life says the Lord”. John 14

The above two quotes are from last weekend’s Gospel and once again reflect the spirit telling us what we yearn to hear in our current context. With much of the anxiety and stress around at the moment with the Coronavirus, we can easily be led into a world of despair and sadness. As a people of hope, we are encouraged to look at the light and the positivity of a future which includes the blessings of the Lord. This also brings with it the responsibility of spreading that light to others. As I have watched our students slowly returning over the past week, I am energised by the smiles and the happiness of our young women and men as they start back into a normal routine. In speaking with them, they reinforce their gratitude for friends and the assistance of the teachers that in many cases have been taken for granted in the past. I am sure they also recognise the value and benefit of family in times when they have been isolated from their other supports. In following the light of Jesus, we can be reassured that we need not ‘let our hearts be troubled’ and we can certainly aim to walk in the Truth of Christ (Ite In Veritate).

In the newsletter last week and in a number of letters directly to parents and students, I outlined the transition of the return of students to face to face teaching. This week has been a very positive experience with students in smaller numbers having direct contact with their teachers. This has allowed the teachers to gauge what has worked well and get feedback on where the students are up to. The current advertised process will continue next week. For week 4, the main delivery of lessons will continue to be online for Years 7 – 11 however, students will have the opportunity to access staff on their nominated days by attending the College. The summary is again included below: 

As soon as we have advice regarding week 5 onwards, our community will be advised.

One of the results of the COVID 19 pandemic has been for us to review our current practices around our sick bay. Whilst the care and health of our students will always be paramount, we have been advised to remove the beds in sick bay as they pose a possible health threat. These beds have been replaced by vinyl wipeable chairs. I ask parents to be aware that whilst the College support staff are trained in first aid, they are not health care workers. Students who present to sick bay will be assessed as either needing to go home or able to return to class. Parents are asked to assist by collecting sick students when notified.

I have been asked by a number of parents about safety with regard to bus transport to and from the College. We are aware that our bus suppliers are ramping safety and cleaning efforts in line with Transport NSW advice. For further questions, please feel free to contact the bus companies directly.

As a result of Coronavirus restrictions, public masses have been cancelled around the country Bishop Brian Mascord has launched a YouTube channel where the faithful can watch him celebrate mass with us, and on our behalf. The link to this mass is here. Please log into this site each weekend and join Bishop Brian online for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Mr Steve Lo Cascio