St Clare's High School Taree eNewsletter

Principal's Report

Dear Parents & Friends of St Clare’s

During this COVID pandemic, for many of us our anxiety levels have increased dramatically and perhaps even had the feeling of despair or a fearfulness of what’s next. Some have lost their precious lives, some have lost those whom they love, some have suffered through the debilitating effects of this illness, some have lost their jobs, their income, and most have encountered much disruption to the normal flow of their daily lives.

These past two years and the continuation of the pandemic we are all grappling to adjust to life and some of us are probably finding it easier than others. If your head is spinning trying to make sense of it all – you are not alone. The Lenten season coming up may be the perfect opportunity to take time to pause and reflect and reconnect.

Jesus during his time talked about “life to the full…”. That sense that life, death, and new life are inextricably linked, and that life will find a way!

Life has and always will throw things at us, but we can all find a way to live our lives to the fullest and move forward especially from this pandemic. As restrictions are slowly lifted, we have the opportunity to re-engage, grow and aspire to become the person we want to be.

We can reconnect as human beings in loving relationships built around respect.

We can embrace the opportunities for personal growth through positive self-talk, self-education and spiritual connections.

We can show loving concern for each and every person, especially the ones that are still struggling.

We can remember and celebrate the uniqueness of the loved ones we may have lost.

We can engage in respectful and honest conversations with others that help with our personal growth and wellbeing.

We can also possibly use these questions below to reflect on, where we have come from and where we want to go.

What can I take from this pandemic that will help me grow as a person?

What have I learnt about myself as a person?

What do I want to change to help me be a better person?

What opportunities are there to make a positive difference in my life and in the lives of others?

What have I got to be thankful for?

As a school community we are committed to allowing our students to engage in as many opportunities for personal growth as we navigate through this pandemic. Some examples include:

Year 12 participated in the annual Senior Retreat at Bonny Hills, with very positive feedback from all students and teachers.

Year 7 will soon attend their first secondary school camp at Toukley.

Students across year groups will have the opportunity to participate in representative school sport, including swimming, touch football and netball to name a few.

Years 7-11 will continue to participate in the daily CLARE wellbeing program.

Year 12 have just started a stress relief course conducted as part of their daily CLARE wellbeing sessions.

These are just a few examples of our commitment to the growth and development of the students under our care alongside our commitment to each child’s development academically.

Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing and/or learning.

Finally, I would like to finish with the following quote from St Mary MacKillop and a short description of her as a person.

“Never see a need without doing something about it.” – Mary MacKillop, 1811

The strength of Mary MacKillop was her genuine openness to others, hospitality to strangers, generosity to the needy, justice to those unfairly treated, perseverance in the face of adversity and kindness and support to the suffering.

Regards

Mr Phil Gibney
Acting Principal

COVID Guidelines Update - Summary

From Monday, 28 February:

Masks no longer mandatory in high schools: masks no longer mandatory for staff or students in high schools.

NOTE: Staff, students, parents, and guests may still choose to wear a mask.

Visitors on school sites: visitors to school sites can attend regardless of vaccination status.

Note, anyone working on a school site, including volunteers, contractors, and students on placement, are still required by the Public Health Order to meet vaccination requirements.

An end to cohorting: schools can reduce or remove cohorting.

Changes to surveillance testing

Regular surveillance testing will continue until Friday, 25 February.

From Monday, 28 February, schools will align with community settings of ‘symptomatic testings’ and will be provided:

8 tests per student and staff member in schools

Students and staff can use this allocation of RATs at their discretion, such as if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

Beyond that, symptomatic students and staff should continue to access PCR tests and store-purchased RATs.

A new batch of RATs are due to arrive at St Clare’s and information regarding their dissemination will be posted on Compass.

For reference, the following media releases are also available: