I hope that you and your families are keeping safe and well in this difficult time.

As you would be aware, the state government has made some significant announcements in relation to arrangements for schools in Victoria for Term 3. I recently outlined these changes in my Principals Video Message at the following link:

Principals Message to Parents 17-07-2020

Based on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, students in Prep to Year 10 in schools in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will enter a period of remote learning from Monday 20 July until at least 19 August, The purpose of these changed arrangements is to reduce the number of students and families moving across metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The College office and reception area will remain open throughout this remote learning period from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day. Students who need to access their lockers to collect their books and other resources can continue to do so throughout this week.

Earlier this week, the Victorian Government announced that those in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire must now wear a face covering when they leave home.

All secondary school students who are attending onsite for Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) or onsite supervision will need to wear a face covering, including when travelling to and from school.

Parents and carers will be required to wear face coverings whenever they leave the house, including for school drop-off and pick-up.

The Department of Health and Human Services website has advice about face coverings (click on link), including:

• which types can be used
• how to make your own
• how to safely wear one
• how to safely remove it.

As a College community, we are fully committed to working to provide our students with the best possible learning opportunities during these challenging times. The systems and procedures that we have already put in place at the College will continue to ensure that productive and effective learning will still take place remotely for students this term.

In order to continue to support students and parents through this process, we have updated the 'Remote Learning Guidelines for Students and Parents’ and the 'Frequently Asked Questions'.

I encourage you to read through these documents with your child and re-acquaint yourselves with the remote learning processes and procedures, paying particular attention to the new Homeroom attendance procedures using MS teams.

If you would like further information from the Department of Health and Human services, you can visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

Once again, I thank you for your patience, support and understanding in these very unique circumstances. I assure you that all staff at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs are doing their utmost to support your child and we will continue to provide the best possible learning outcomes for all.

Student “Catch Up Day” - Monday 3 August

On Monday 3 August we will have a scheduled "Catch Up Day". No formal timetabled classes will be held on this day; instead, students are encouraged to use this time effectively to "catch up" on any work they may have. This can include work that a student may have fallen behind with, or revision of work covered over the last two weeks to consolidate learning. The Catch Up Day was very much appreciated by our students in our last round of remote learning, providing them with some much-needed breathing space and extra time to consolidate new knowledge, catch up on incomplete tasks and ask questions for clarification. The Catch Up Day is not regarded as a school closure day, so students who currently attend school onsite may continue to come into school on this day.

All teachers will be available on the Catch Up Day to be contacted by their students through direct message, so it is important that students use this day as intended, and reach out to their teachers for additional assistance where required.

Staffing News

We welcome back this Semester from maternity leave Physical Education and Mathematics teacher Joanne Jilbert and we wish Hayley Code all the best as she begins her maternity leave.

May God bless you and your family.

New College Website

Over the school holidays our College website has been replaced by a new and updated website. Please take the time to navigate the website and familiarise yourself with its new functionality.

I would like to thank all staff who were involved in the process to get the new website up and running. I especially would like to thank Elise Nowak, Learning and Teaching Leader and the Technology Advisory Group for their work on the coordination of building this new website.