This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday. This is the moment when Christ entered Jerusalem riding on a Donkey to the shouts of joy and acclamation of those who witnessed His entry. The laying of palms on the road before Him were symbolic of support and the hero status in which He was held. In less than a week following this dramatic and triumphant entry, He would suffer the Passion and humiliation of Holy week, Good Friday and His eventual crucifixion. As we know, three days after His death, He rose again under His own power to show His divine nature. The resurrection of Christ is the major feast and the most important event in the Christian Church. There are however, many important markers along the way to this feast. The fact that Jesus entered the Holy City on a donkey was hugely symbolic of His humility and links to ordinary humans. He did not enter on a fine stallion surrounded by guards and riches. He followed this with a meal at Passover with His close friends and washed their feet at the start of this. Jesus prayed to the Father in His time of need but accepted that whatever happened was to be for the ultimate glory of God. As we prepare for the celebration of Holy Week, we can reflect on how we support our friends by our service and talk with God in our times of need. Later in this newsletter are further reflections on Holy week and the mystery of Easter.

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 on the weekend and join Bishop Brian online for the celebration of the Eucharist.

As you are now aware from my letter earlier today, the last week of term 1 will be Pupil Free days. This means that whilst the College will still be open for supervision of students who need it, there will be no online lessons set and no work expected to be completed by students. This means that in Week 11, no new lessons or classwork will be posted and students are not required to undertake remote learning at home or at school. This will allow students some respite and a chance to refresh physically, emotionally and spiritually before Term 2 begins and for our teachers to focus on planning and preparation.

As we approach the Term 1 holidays, I would like to remind students and parents of the importance of taking a break and spending fruitful time together. Whilst it might seem paradoxical, sometimes being locked together can actually force people further apart. Where the opportunity arises, take time to read together, play and pray together and just spend quality time talking. Our staff will also be encouraged to take their normal breaks over the term 1 holiday. I ask you to understand that they are committed to the best outcomes for your children but they will have commitments to their own families as well. Please continue to make contact where appropriate but understand that they will also be taking time with their families.

There have been a number of enquiries about the start of term 2 and our expectations around uniforms. At this stage we have been given no directives regarding learning for term 2. When we are notified, we will inform parents as to our direction. Given the current uncertainty, we will be allowing some flexibility with summer uniforms depending on our circumstances. At this stage, I ask parents to please not be concerned if your child does not have the correct winter uniform. If there is not sufficient time upon return for you to organise this, we will understand the difficulties and give some flexibility around this. I will confirm our requirements when the circumstances become clearer.

Finally, I would once again like to formally and deeply thank our staff for the work they have undertaken over the past few weeks. The work they have done and continue to do is very time consuming and extremely valuable. As I stated in my letter earlier this week, please communicate with our staff with any concerns or congratulations around our move to online learning. We will continue to keep you informed as we become aware of directives.

Mr Steve Lo Cascio