Dear Parents/Carers,

Well we are in a far different world to the one we were in last week when I wrote the newsletter. There has been a lot of correspondence from me over the last week so I will keep this brief.

We will be begin remote learning next Monday. We are saying it’s a trial as we anticipate that there will be changes made to how it happens as we learn from the experience of each sessions and feedback from the students and parents.

Teachers will be in touch with their parents tomorrow to let you know what will happen from Monday and what you need to do to have your child ‘remote learning’ ready. We have spent many hours working together over this week to plan for this transition. I’m am so proud of how our teachers have met this challenge, of turning their whole teaching world upside down. No other profession has been impacted in quite as big a way.

There has never been a more important time than now for us to have accurate and current contact information for all families. If you change a phone number, email address, postal address or emergency contact, you must inform us immediately.

Our primary and most effective form of communication is via the Schoolzine App (SZapp). Emergency announcements, all information, etc, will be communicated via the app.

As many of our families are at home, here is a great opportunity time to connect with your child in a way that we often don’t have time for. We are encouraging the playing of board games, reading interesting stories, playing card games, doing some craft, doing some cooking, watching a movie or documentary, researching a favourite topic, or writing an amazing story/play or screenplay. Seize the opportunity and make the most of this time.

We are keeping spirits high my knowing that we will soon be back in visual and audio contact with our students. Tomorrow, for a little bit of fun, we are having a stripes day. We want all our children (along with parents and carers) who are working at home to wear something with stripes and to send us in a photo of how they are "learning in stripes". We will put these on our newsletter.

I would also like to say that kindness certainly prevails here at St Thomas the Apostle. I have had some parents bring in donations of cash and supermarket vouchers to help out families who are doing it tough. They were keen to share with others who are not in as good a position as them. Thank you for you kindness and generosity. Thank you also for the many emails and phone calls of thanks, support and encouragement that are coming to the teachers, the office and to me.  They make such a positive impact on our day and they are very much appreciated.  

May God bless you and your families and may he keep you all safe.

Ursula Jamieson
Principal