Embracing Responsibility with a Positivity Mindset – The Basics of Responding to Coronavirus.

During our first meeting in late January this year, our Principal Jamie Madigan in his welcome address to staff, made the now ill-fated pronouncement: “In 2020, let’s just get back to basics.” But pandemic and basics are two words not often contextualised together.

This morning during a conversation, we recalled that January message and chuckled ironically through our face-coverings. We couldn’t be any further from ‘the basics’, even in our wildest imagination. The distance between pandemic and basics is a lot further than 1.5 metres.

Since then, the staff have had to embrace the responsibility of planning, strategizing, organising, communicating, and responding to the ever-changing, omnipresent crisis which has consumed everyone’s daily life. Now, every decision made by the College is referenced through a coronavirus lens, which assumes even more importance and responsibility to get it right. Many family’s lives depend on it. It is that…basic.

There have been myriad different responses to the crisis. On a continuum, the poles could be represented by those who have shut themselves off completely from the world, and those who selfishly abrogate responsibility, ignore health protocols and place themselves and others at risk.

The College is very conscious of its responsibility to student safety and mandate to conservatively position itself. Systems and procedures have been introduced that strictly follow the advice from various authorities including the State Government, appointed health authorities, the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) and the Department of Education & Training (DET). This was evidenced by the thorough and collaborative response to last term’s positive case.

Lately, much of the focus for people seems to be on the numbers and Premier Daniel Andrew’s begins his 11:00 am press conference everyday with the latest set. We hear the total new cases for the previous day quoted repeatedly for the rest of that day. For many, this figure has superseded normal stimuli and become the pivotal affecting factor for mood and subsequently, a contributor to the general malaise of our broader community.

Currently, the numbers are simultaneously tragic, alarming and saddening. We are consistently breaking records, for all the wrong reasons. Each new peak is a new rock-bottom. Often during the winter months anyway, students, families and staff can become more tired, grumpy and unmotivated. We can tend to be more future-focused on the warmer months ahead, and day-dream of being on languid school holidays. We can tend to hit our own rock bottom and it is no coincidence that the combination of cold weather, less sunshine and less daylight feeds these responses.

Michael McGirr, in his book ‘Finding God’s Traces’, recalls a line from Psalm 139: “The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” We are always presented with contrasts in our life: night and day; right and wrong; flight or fight; mask or no mask. But the essence of our humanness is that light always prevails and the spirit will always triumph. ‘Light’, Michael McGirr notes ‘is one of the strongest symbols of our Christian faith.’ In Baptism, we receive the light of Christ and are urged to walk as children of the light.

But we always have choices to make and they are part of an inner struggle that everyone faces. Christopher Gleeson, a Jesuit, refers to this in a North American First Nations story about a warrior telling his grandson that this battle is between ‘two wolves’ within us. One is Evil. The other ‘wolf’ is Good. His grandson thought about this and then asked, “Who wins?” The old warrior replied, “The one that you feed.” (From The Front Page – Everyday Ignatian Spirituality, P. 83.)

So, now we are presented with another choice: we can sink within ourselves and wait six months, 12 months, two years for a cure to arrive; or we can find the positives and new learnings, accepting the new ‘normal’ Gracefully and know that if we all commit to doing the right thing, we are a good chance to navigate through this unprecedented time successfully. Only then can we embrace the optimistic truth that from now the days are growing longer, the sun is rising earlier and setting later, and every living thing will begin to start some cellular preparation for the coming months ahead of which we are an integral part.

I choose to remain positive, optimistic and student-focussed, and undertake my Christian and civic responsibility by looking out for others; wearing a face-covering; social distancing; leaving the house for only the right reasons; maintaining health hygiene and noticing that on my daily drive it is just that tiny bit lighter when I leave and when I return home. I’m sure that every member of our beautiful Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs community will feel compelled to do the same, for the sake of everyone and particularly our loved ones. It is basic really.

Term 3 Whole School Remote Assembly

Students ‘returned’ to schooling on Monday and during an extended homeroom were able to watch our first ever remote whole school assembly, welcoming them back to the new term. They were presented with addresses from the College Leadership Team; wonderful messages of hope from our College Captains; as well as two fantastic music performances. We recognise the ever-important need to remain connected during remote learning and hope you can click on the link below and enjoy the presentation.

Click here to view the Term 3 Whole School Assembly