Dear Parent/Carers,

I hope you and your families are safe and well. It has certainly been a very challenging and difficult time for the Caroline Springs and surrounding local communities over the past few weeks, with many exposure sites at CS Square and other close by locations. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected families within the Caroline Springs community.

Please see the Principals Video Message below:

I would like to inform you that presently there are still no confirmed COVID cases at our College.

The Victorian Government has released an updated list of exposure sites in Caroline Springs and surrounding suburbs (see link below). Please note that the list of exposure sites, dates and times at CS Square and Taylors Hill locations are regularly updated and now includes additional shops and CS Square in general during the last two weeks. If you, your child, or a family member were at any of these sites at the times and dates listed, you will need to contact the College and follow the formal Government health advice, depending on the relevant exposure site tier level.

For the full list of regularly updated exposure sites, and tier level exposure site advice visit the Government website at the link below:

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites

Essential workers and onsite learners

If parents meet either Criteria A or B criteria of an essential worker, or if their child meet the vulnerable category, then they must complete the onsite supervision form, in the link below, by 5:00pm Friday 20 August.

Application for Onsite Supervision (19 August)

Category A

Children where both parents and or carers are considered authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an essential provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made:

• Where there are two parents/carers, both must be essential workers, working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision
• For single parents/carers, the essential worker must be working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision

Category B

Children experiencing vulnerability, including:

• In out-of-home care deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home

• Identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable, (including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)

Please contact the College if you have any concerns for your child, or if you have any questions regarding eligibility for onsite learners.

‘Wellness Day’ Thursday 26 August

I am sure you will agree that Term 3 has been challenging for all of us. Staff and students have generally coped well under very difficult circumstances and have worked diligently to ensure remote learning has been a success. However, current studies are showing that moving in and out of remote learning has also been very demanding and tiring for families. The reliance on technology and being ‘online’ all day is not good for young people as we know. There always needs to be a balance in life to promote mental health and personal wellbeing. We are in our second full week of remote learning and there are two more weeks ahead of us after this one. If we return to school by the scheduled 3 September, that will have been six out of eight weeks juggling home life with online learning.

As you may know, numerous schools are balancing the extended remote learning period by choosing to give staff and students an opportunity to take some additional time to focus on their overall ‘Wellness’.

Therefore, a ‘Wellness’ tech-free day has been scheduled for next week on Thursday 26 August. There will be no scheduled remote learning classes. Students and staff will not be required to log-on for the day. This day will provide an opportunity for students and staff to rest, refresh and re-energise for the next period of remote learning. The College office will also be closed for the day. Remote learning classes will resume on Friday 27 August.

We have achieved outstanding attendance rates, with 95% of students logging in to their scheduled remote learning classes. This is an exceptional result and a credit to our students, staff, and our families. The key now is to continue to attend all scheduled lessons this week and to ensure all set work is completed. However, if your child is experiencing difficulties with workload or mental health, please contact a teacher, Year Level Leader or someone from the Wellbeing Leadership Team.

Once again, I would like to congratulate our students, staff and families for the manner in which they have entered into this unique period of time and for their ongoing commitment to remote learning.

A reminder of the following College arrangements that are in place as part of the recent state-wide lockdown for Victoria:

• From Monday 16 August to Thursday 2 September, homeroom will be conducted on MS Teams and classes will be conducted remotely, which may include a combination of Microsoft Teams and SEQTA coursework (this information will be communicated by the subject teacher)
• From Monday 22 August the College offices and reception will be operating from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day
• A ‘Wellness’ tech-free day has been scheduled for next week on Thursday 26 August. There will be no scheduled remote learning classes
• Students can access the Remote Learning Guidelines & Microsoft Teams instructions through the Student Portal on SEQTA
• At this stage it is anticipated that all students will return onsite Friday 3 September. However, further information and updates will be provided next week.

Please contact the College if you have any concerns for your child. Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to navigate through this period of change.

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Pope Francis, on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, referred to the day when man set foot on the moon, saying phrase that became famous, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. He went on to explain that in essence, humanity had reached a historical goal. However, Pope Francis explained that in Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, we celebrate an infinitely greater conquest.

"The Madonna has set foot in paradise: she went there not only in spirit, but with her body as well, with all of herself. This step of the lowly Virgin of Nazareth was the huge leap forward for humanity". Pope Francis

He further explained that, "With God, nothing is lost! In Mary, the goal has been reached and we have before our eyes the reasons why we journey - not to gain the things here below, which vanish, but to achieve the homeland above, which is forever. And Our Lady is the star that guides us. She went there first. She, as the Council teaches, shines “as a sign of sure hope and solace to the People of God during its sojourn on earth” (Lumen gentium, 68).

In the Gospel the first thing Mary says is, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). We have often become used to hearing these words, and we possibly, no longer pay close attention to their meaning. Pope Francis says, "To 'magnify' literally means 'to make great', to enlarge. Mary 'aggrandises' the Lord, (not problems, which she did not lack at the time). How often, instead, we let ourselves be overwhelmed by difficulties and absorbed by fears! Our Lady does not, because she puts God as the first greatness of life. From here the Magnificat springs forth, from here joy is born not from the absence of problems, which come sooner or later, but joy is born from the presence of God who helps us, who is near us. Because God is great and above all, God looks on the lowly ones. We are His weakness of love, God looks on and love the lowly".

During these current challenging times of COVID-19, we are reminded in Pope Francis words to ask ourselves - do we remember to praise God? Do we thank Him for the great things He does for us? For every day that He gives us, because He always loves us and forgives us, for His tenderness?

Pope Francis further explained that, if we forget the good, our hearts shrink. However, if like Mary, we remember the great things that the Lord does at least once a day by 'magnifying' Him, then we would take a great step forward. He reminds us to at least one time during the day to say, “I praise the Lord”, to say, “Blessed be the Lord”, which is a short prayer of praise. This is praising God. With this short prayer, our hearts will expand, joy will increase. Let us ask Our Lady, the Gate of Heaven, for the grace to begin each day by raising our eyes to Heaven, toward God, to say to Him, "Thank you!”.

Let us invoke Mary's intercession for all the situations in the world that are most in need of hope for peace and justice, and for the courage to live a dignified life.