Dear Parents

As is often the case, the fear of something happening can be more daunting than the reality. As you all are aware, we recently had a COVID case linked to our school. I was informed on Sunday and immediately sought guidance from DOSCEL (Docese of Sale Catholic Education Limited). We moved quickly to complete all of the COVID requirements, including informing all families directly involved, all school families and staff, thorough cleaning and contact tracing. This was all completed on Sunday to enable us to keep the school open on Monday. This meant that we did not need to take a school day to complete all of the requirements and could instead offer normal schooling for our students from Monday. I understand the confusion this raised for some families when they knew of other schools closing for a day while ours did not, however I assure you that all of the work that would normally be completed on the Monday was done on the Sunday. I am so grateful to Sandi, our administration officer, and Jackie, our cleaner, for the support they gave me on Sunday. I could not have completed all of the work that needed to be done without their generosity and support. This amazing display of teamwork and dedication is the reason your children had the opportunity to attend school on Monday. We have received the results from the children and staff of the class involved and all tests are negative.

On a positive note, now that we have had a case in the school, we know that our processes and practices are working well and that we have a clear pathway should it happen again. While I cannot assure you that we will not have any cases in the future, I can assure you that we will do everything we can to support your child and your family to enable us to continue to provide the quality of care and learning that we feel your children need and deserve.

As always I am available to answer any questions you may have and to provide support to you and your family. As a staff we completely understand your concern and hesitation at this time and we will support you and your family as you engage in school life, are in remote learning, or are transitioning back to onsite learning. We are all in this together and, with your continued support and our commitment to your family, we are able to continue to create a positive, safe, happy learning environment for your child. I feel extremely proud of our school community as I engage with families as you are approaching conversations with understandable concern, but also with respect and support for all we are trying to achieve.

We have decided to continue with our Monday school closure ahead of the Tuesday Melbourne Cup day off as this is a wonderful opportunity for families and our staff to have a well earned break, perhaps have a little holiday, and come back ready for a wonderful, busy, exciting end to the school year. We are hopeful that, with the easing of restrictions, we will be able to enjoy some exciting opportunities to compliment the focus we have on rich learning for all of our students. The staff of St Mary’s continue to show how talented and dedicated they are as they deliver high quality learning and support for all of our families. I shared the attached quote with our staff at a particularly challenging time and thought it might be appreciated by our families as well.

We continue to pray for each of you and for those who are impacted directly or indirectly by COVID-19. We also pray for our essential service workers who so generously give of themselves in support of our communities. We ask God to pour out God’s blessings on all of our families and the wider community. It is times like these that our faith can be such a strength and comfort.

Have a wonderful weekend with your families and we look forward to seeing you all back at school soon.

Kind regards
Lisa Broeren