From the Principal
08 June By Mr. Matthew Byrne, Principal
In the Mercy Administration wing entrance here at school is a carved statuette of the Sacred Heart by renowned Melbourne religious artist, Mrs Leopoldine Mimovich, who passed away during lockdown last year. The Sacred Heart has an important place in the Damascus story. It is the feast day for which one of our buildings is named, and it is the name of one of the founding schools that the Sisters of Mercy nurtured. The Sacred Heart wing is home to the classrooms that most of our senior classes occur within. For 140 years, the Sacred Heart of Jesus has guided the work and activity of this community and has held special significance to our Sisters of Mercy.
This Friday (11th June) is the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and it speaks directly to the Damascus community as a celebration of the living presence of Jesus in our daily lives. The artistic impressions of the Sacred Heart see the heart aflame with the light of Christ. This heart aflame inspires the College motto ‘to live by the light of Christ’, and we are invited to respond to that call in our work as a Christian community.
Staff and students have transitioned back to school positively following this most recent lockdown. I thank families and students for their compliance with mask requirements. We are wearing masks all the time at school, as the social distancing requirements are impractical to monitor. The Chief Health Officer has advised that masks remain a strong barrier against any potential spread of illness, and with the diversity of bugs going around at the moment, the protection is helpful. Masks will no longer be issued to students from the College as of Wednesday June 16.
Many aspects of school life have returned to normal. It is a busy time for staff and students as they prepare to begin exams tomorrow for Year 10 and Year 11. All year levels have assessment tasks due, and the change over to the new semester for Early Start will occur on Monday 21st June (delayed from Wednesday 16th June). The end of the semester can be a time of challenge within learning communities as young people grow through submitting work and preparing for tests and exams. Feelings of pressure are not uncommon, and we hope young people recognise that learning to manage their time and implement study routines is all part of the learning experience. If you feel your young person is unduly pressured, please speak with your TA or House Leader regarding strategies for support and growth.
Next Tuesday, 15th June, is a student-free day to support staff in their preparation for the new semester. The College office will be open on Tuesday.
We are again required to limit the number of visitors to the school site. I ask that parents only attend the office when necessary. If you have a query, please call ahead, and our generous administrative team will work with you regarding the necessity to come onsite. If you are required to come onsite for an essential reason (including picking up students), please ensure that you sign in via the QR code that is displayed on each entrance to the Mercy Administration wing.
The current restrictions again require that we postpone or cancel a number of events. The Year 9 and 10 formal was listed to be next Friday, 18th June. Under the restrictions as they stand, we are planning to postpone the formal until next term. The limitation of visitors to the site and the mask requirements make this activity untenable at the moment. If things change over the next week, we will revisit the decision. A number of students have purchased tickets already, and we will hold these credits and refund if we are not able to proceed.
Our community guest speaker, Luke Kennedy, has also been postponed. While we could proceed with a virtual opportunity, our preference is to try and find ways to bring people together, so we are exploring alternate dates again in Term 3. We are thankful for those families that engaged with the Bright Futures Breakfast with guest speaker Jocelyn Bignold. This event has been moved to Thursday, 19th August, and we again hope that this important cause can elicit a strong response from our community.
It is pleasing that our VCAL students are returning to work placement today. VET students are being advised by Applied Learning Coordinator, Belinda Dwyer whether classes are back onsite or remote.
At this stage, we have not received any confirmation of a date for the rescheduled General Achievement Test or GAT for students studying a VCE Unit 3/4. As that information becomes available, we will share it with students and families.
We pray for all those who grieve and for those who are isolated by this lockdown and pandemic.
Enjoy your long weekend! Until next week…
MATT