Further to Mr Lo Casico’s comments above, I too would like to extend my own welcome back to the new school year. While nobody could have predicted how 2020 would have unravelled as we commenced back last January, we remain optimistic that 2021 will see a continued return to normality as the COVID-19 situation continues to improve. 

As is the case at the start of any new year, we have more parents choosing to drop our, normally younger, students off to school each morning and collect them of an afternoon. Over the coming days and weeks, can I please encourage all parents to continue exercising patience and caution when moving through the parent carpark of a morning and afternoon so that we can continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students. 

I also remind parents of students who catch a bus of a morning or afternoon that face masks are now mandatory for students over the age of 12 while the current public health order is in place. I also remind students and parents of the three very simple measures that remain in place to ensure the ongoing health and wellbeing of all members of our community:

• Keeping your child home when they are unwell, even with very mild symptoms.
• Informing the school immediately if your child is self-isolating or undergoing testing, and informing us of the result as soon as possible.
• Following sickness with flu-like symptoms, ensuring your child is free of symptoms and can present a negative COVID-19 test, before they return to school.

Wishing you the very best for the year ahead.