Dear Parents & Friends of St Clare’s

Welcome to our first newsletter for Term 3 2021.  I hope all in your family are safe, fit and well as we traverse together the challenges that the pandemic continues to place on our lives.

As a school community we share the frustration and disappointment that postponements and cancellations can have on students, parents and staff.  As always, our aim is to keep people safe and to ensure that the core business of the school, the learning and teaching of our students, is able to continue, face to face, on a daily basis.

On Monday, at our ‘virtual assembly’ held over the school’s PA System, I reminded all listeners of the guidelines published by Director Gerard Mowbray…

Any staff member or student who is unwell should get tested, be symptom-free and provide a negative COVID result prior to their return to school.

Right - Finlay O'Connell, Year 12 Environment Leader - Speaking at the 'Virtual Assembly'

The St Clare’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Parent Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 4 August at 6:30 pm in the Josephite Centre.

Local suppliers have been invited to attend and display devices that meet the minimal specifications outlined in the St Clare’s BYOD policy.

In addition, an online supplier, Next Technologies, has been invited to attend and outline the benefits of entering into an agreement to purchase a device, with guarantees regarding repairs and battery life.  We have included this option for families who would like to take a more flexible approach to the buying and upgrading of devices for parents or students from Years 7 to 12.

The enrolment process for Year 7 is well underway.  Staff have completed a significant number of interviews and our enrolment numbers for Year 7 are very healthy.  If you have a neighbour or family member who has yet to complete paperwork or make an appointment for an enrolment interview, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible.

A small group of community members met via zoom on Monday evening to discuss the status of the St Clare’s Parents & Friends Association.  The Association has served the St Clare’s community well over a long period of time, but over the past two to three years has struggled to find office bearers and hold regular meetings due to a lack of a constituted quorum.  Following discussion, the decision was made to “windup” the Parents & Friends Association and adopt the PEG model of parent engagement.  Before this process can be completed, the P & F must audit its books, a process that will be completed in the next few weeks.  The guidelines for the operation of a Parent Engagement Group can be found on the link below:

My thanks to Cath Garrett-Jones, CSO Officer for Parent Engagement for her chairing of the meeting and to the parents who were able to attend.  I also thank the many parents and friends of the school for their excellent service and care for St Clare’s High School over the long history of the Parents & Friends Association, which has left a lasting legacy in the school’s development.

Over the holidays, Monique Singh, daughter of staff member Barbara Singh and St Clare’s student from 1996 – 2001, took her final vows as a member of the Canossian Daughters of Charity Nun.  The order, founded in Italy in 1808 by Magdalene of Canossa is present in 32 countries and is dedicated to supporting the poor and marginalised in society.  We congratulate and ask God’s blessing for Monique and wish her well as she strives to be the change she would like to see in our world.

Monique & Barbara Singh

St Clare’s staff are working hard to keep the daily activities undertaken at the school as “normal” as possible and revising the COVID guidelines regularly to ensure that the activities we undertake are within Health Department orders.  As it is recommended that students wear a mask at school, the school does not have a supply of masks to give to students while they are at school or to allow them to travel home by bus.  The circumstances of what we can and cannot do may change, but you can be rest assured that we will continue to offer an excellent learning environment for your sons and daughters that is stimulating, challenging and supportive of the young people in our care.

God bless

Peter Nicholls
Principal