Unfortunately, a shorter week does not mean a shorter newsletter. It is a very busy place here at school, with students undertaking key assessments and finishing off work for Semester 1. Students will commence their Early Start program next Monday, 21st June.
A timetable for the new semester will be on SIMON for students from Friday afternoon. Please encourage your student/s to log into SIMON and check that their PE days have not changed. Pathways and elective subjects will change over Monday, and it will be important for students to note these changes. Students who are changing electives or Year 7 students’ changing their pathways subjects are encouraged to bring along the resources for those subjects. For example, if your student has textiles in the second half of the year and they kept their textiles kit at home early in the year, now would be the right time to send it along. VCE and VCAL students will make the transition into Unit 2/4 on Monday. I acknowledge the enormous amount of work that goes into our timetabling by Melissa McLachlan, Chris Grant, Ashwin Pillai and the Learning Area Leaders.
It is an exciting time for Year 10 students next week as they move into specific pathways to support their movement into VCE or VCAL. This is a new initiative for the College, and we hope it will enable students a more thorough preparation for their final years.
As families, it is quite reasonable to recognise that as the term break approaches, we may experience some fatigue from our young people (and recognise it in our own behaviours too). This can manifest as anger, tears or frustration, and it will regularly come about through some almost trivial challenge; Have you finished your homework? Can you pick up the towels off the bedroom floor? For the umpteenth time, could you please unstack the dishwasher? You may be getting an insight into the domestic disharmony of our family home, but my intention is to bring recognition to the need for us as adults to pause in our own response and consider what may really underpin the behaviours of our young people.
As is broadly recognised, the last 15 months have been unprecedented, and the further we are along life’s journey, the more able we are to reference this experience as abnormal. For young people, they have less life experience to reference their experience against. So as families, we continue to provide the buffer for the media saturation of all that is wrong in our world. It is important that we continue to express gratitude, love and highlight the things that are going right in our lives.
Continuing to take time to be present to our young people and families is important. Engage with your student and ask if there are any elements of their school work that they are worried about, and if concerns present – talk with your TA about what support may be available. We are pleased to be at school, but we recognise that there is still a lot that is not normal, and the Damascus community is here to support those experiencing challenges over this time. I encourage you to please reach out if you feel your family needs support in your educational journey; our support of one another is at the heart of what it means to be a Catholic Christian community.
Can I continue to implore families that if your young person is not well, please keep your student/students home until they are symptom-free for everyone’ safety. Also, we need families support in making sure young people have masks so that they can wear them at school. It is a requirement that we are obliged to follow up. Damascus students, on the whole, have been remarkable in their adherence to mask requirements, and I thank families for your support.
We are welcoming a number of new staff to coincide with the new semester. Laura Kimm, returns from Parental Leave and will be teaching Maths, HPE and Assistant House Leader of McAuley whilst Isabelle Miller is on Parental Leave.
Maureen (Min) Myers will be teaching Year 9 and 10 French for Semester 2. Min is a former staff member, and we appreciate her returning to enable Alysoun Smalley to take up a semester two appointment to the Leadership Team. Carley Young, who has been with us before, is now joining the ESTEEM team, teaching Year 8 ESTEEM and Year 7 Science for Semester 2. Carly is enabling Sarah McKnight to also take up a role on the College Leadership Team for second semester.
Jennifer Casey begins at the College today, having taught at Salesian College most recently. Jennifer will be teaching English and RE for Semester 2, backfilling Isabelle Miller, who commences parental leave.
Sarah Ruddick commences next week, teaching Food Technology for Term 3, backfilling Angela Hoban’s Term 3 Long Service Leave.
Leighanne de Zoete-Spiero, will formally start from next term, teaching English and Humanities at the beginning of Term 3, for Semester 2, backfilling Ashleigh Brown whilst she is on Parental Leave.
Leanne Perks, who has been with the College casually, will commence teaching Foundation English and will be part of the Student re-engagement Tutor program for Semester 2. Leanne’s appointment allows Rebecca Chadwick to continue and import strategic English and literacy projects undertaken by the College.
This week we have opened tickets to the College production of Spelling Bee. This first offering of tickets is consistent with current restrictions, and we hope to make more tickets available if restrictions are eased. I do ask families to be mindful of the limited number of seats available when booking.
We received the sad news of the death of Sr Rosemary Kelly RSM. Sr Rosemary (Sr Basil as I knew her in my youth) was a key contributor to the education here as St Martin’s in the Pines transitioned to Damascus. She lived here on site for a number of years. We remember Sr Rosemary, her family and her Mercy Sisters as they celebrate her life and grieve her passing.
We also remember the family of Isaac (Year 8) and Caleb Inglis (Year 9) on the loss of their grandfather. We keep them in our thoughts and prayers at this time.
Until next week…
MATT