It is great to have everyone back onsite here at school from yesterday. We are fortunate to be able to be together as Term 3 starts and for students and staff to be able to meet with one another in new elective and pathway classes and in those other studies that continue this semester.

In the absence of the regular Sunday Mass which I have participated in for 50 years, I have found that parts of the liturgy echo through my thoughts at strange and unusual times. Today, as I sit writing the first newsletter of a new term, the words of the introductory rites of the Mass come to mind “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Grace, love and communion/community are all concepts that sustain me. This blessing used at the start of Mass references St Paul’s greeting to the Corinthians (2Cor 13:14). One of the challenges of our present time is to ensure that grace, love and community are the lived expressions of life as part of Damascus College. That we are not overwhelmed by fear of harmful viruses, bushfires, division, hatred or violence. My prayer for this uncertain time is that we are able to find God’s sustenance through one another in grace, love and community to embrace the challenges that we face.

Over the holidays our community was touched by the premature death of Mrs Kerryn Wehrung. Many of our student population would have had contact with Mrs Wehrung as a casual relief teacher or short term contract teacher.

Kerryn was a beautiful person, who loved this community and the students, staff and families of it. We remember Mrs Wehrung and pray for her children Nathan, Dan and Abbey, her Mum and sister and her extended family. We ask God, who is our comforter and our friend to bless our community in our time of loss, and bring us peace and hope in the time ahead.

We ask this in Jesus name

AMEN.

Our Lady of Mercy Chapel is open for student reflection, and there are school cards and writing paper on the bench inside the Chapel if students want to write a memory or send a note to Mrs Wehrung’s family. Students can go to the chapel any time this week if they want to leave a message and we will make sure the family receive it.

If Mrs Wehrung’s death brings up feelings of loss for students please encourage them to talk with their TA, House Leader or contact the College counsellors for support.

It seems a defining feature of the last two school holidays has been a changing social climate and spikes in COVID cases, I imagine it has been difficult for everyone to switch off with the escalation of community concern and the restriction on Melburnians and Victorians as a result of the growing number of cases. It is all part of the challenge that 2020 is presenting.

As we return this week, we are continuing to be vigilant in social distancing and personal safety here at school. We are currently fortunate in Ballarat, but that has been achieved through the responsibility of the broader Ballarat community and may change.

I ask that families please continue to communicate with our young people about the importance of social distancing, personal hygiene and sanitising. The priorities for the Damascus community throughout the pandemic continue to be;

• Maintaining the safety of the entire Damascus community
• Ensuring we remain connected and support one another
• Ensuring continuity of quality learning and teaching
• Being willing to adapt, change and try new things, recognising that we will make mistakes at times.

We have continued to work to educate the student population to the 5 S’s and we need family support with this messaging at home.

Metropolitan school's are having thermometers rolled out this week to temperature check students. This is not expected of schools outside the metropolitan and Mitchell Shire areas. Damascus College is not temperature checking at this stage.

There has been a substantive change in the media commentary around the use of face masks. There is no expectation that they be worn by students or staff, however if staff or students feel safer wearing them, then they are encouraged to do so.

As a staff team we are looking at what worked well and what were our challenges through last term’s period of remote learning, we are also looking back to the feedback that we collected from students and families to inform what may occur in the future. We are hopeful that we will not need to revert to remote learning, but we must also be realistic that the prevalence of the virus and the situation in Melbourne means that there is a chance that this may occur. I will obviously maintain communication if there are any changes to the current government policy.

In this period where regional and metropolitan Victoria have different frameworks for operations, we are keeping our priority on safety and trying to contain our educational activities to our community as much as possible. For the immediate future we will run sporting opportunities within the Damascus community, however on the advice of the Catholic Education Commission, we will not participate in BAS Sport. We are currently working up a schedule of activities and we will share that with students over the next week. Sports Coordinator, Nikki Hexter will communicate with students the inter-house opportunities that will exist.

One of the significant risk minimising factors that we continue to adhere to for the safety of our community will be prioritising students and staff on campus. Our advice specifies the importance of limiting adult to adult contact, so I ask that parents not exit their car when onsite. If you believe there is a legitimate need to come into the College office, please contact the office via phone, and we will work through the specifics of your need individually. Attendance on campus by non-essential visitors and parents will be limited.

Our senior drama students are currently finessing their ensemble pieces and they will perform these to select drama students next week. We wish them well with this critical piece of assessment. The College will record these performances and make them available to families.

The canteen remains available to supply lunch orders utilising the app or online ordering. Orders can placed up to 9.30am daily through www.quickcliq.com.au. More information can be found here.

If Year 12 students have study lessons at the start or the end of the day and can get to school safely, we will continue the opportunity for them to arrive later or leave early for the immediate future. If students come late or leave early they must sign in or out through the office and still connect with TA in the morning.

Supervised study spaces are available for all students onsite. If students sign out, they must go home. Those students who abuse this privilege will be denied the opportunity, although our experience last term was that our senior students treated this very responsibly.

The safety of the Damascus community is the key priority in this period of time. It sits alongside our commitment to continuing our provision of quality education and maintaining a connected and supported community. In ensuring we are able to provide the support families need, please contact fees@damascus.vic.edu.au if your family is experiencing financial duress. Young people’s education must not be a victim of this global pandemic and we are here to help.

It is great to be back, until next week …

MATT