Over the course of the past 12 months, bus companies were somewhat flexible in terms of the requirement for students to tap on/off their services using an Opal card, simply to avoid queuing around the doors of the bus. We have received communications this week stating the return to the pre-COVID expectations of tapping on and off. While drivers may exercise their discretion from time to time, they note that “repeat offences may lead to travel suspension of up to 10 weeks, in line with Transport for NSW’s Student Codes of Conduct, which will result in parents being responsible for getting their children to and from school”. Additionally, tapping on/off provides important data regarding patronage on each service which is used to coordinate various routes based on the demand in our local area.  I encourage parents to have a conversation with your children to ensure that they have a valid Opal card. 

Last Monday night, the College was inundated with visitors for our Year 7 2022 Information Evening. Further to what Mr Lo Cascio has mentioned above, I too would like to thank all our visitors for their cooperation with the various COVID directives that were in place, especially to those who queued for a second round of the presentation once the Champagnat Centre had reached its COVID-safe capacity of 400. I also thank the more than 80 students who voluntarily gave up their evening to act as tour guides, presenters and advocates for the College.

Once again this week, I remind all parents and students about our COVID-19 processes. These include: 

• 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.

Thank you for your ongoing understanding, support and timely communication of such issues.