Principal's Log

There has been a surge of energy this week as we have welcomed back our Year 2-10 students into the College. Staff and students across Prep – Year 12 have been excited to reconnect with each other. Students have seamlessly settled into their learning which is a credit to them, their teachers and parents for the continuity of learning that has been sustained through the online learning phase.  

We wish Charles Box all the best as he prepares to take part in the International Future Problem Solving Competition next week. Instead of travelling to the United States as originally planned, Charles, as one of approximately 35 Australian students, will join and compete against people from around the world online to consider the issues around Terraforming. We congratulate Charles on his success so far and thank Mrs Jo Belchamber, Miss Adelle Byerlee and their team for the guidance and support of all of our Future Problem Solving members.

Middle and Senior College students and teachers are adapting quickly to changes from vertical pastoral care groupings to year level-based house groupings known as Pastoral House Groups (PHG). Pacific Action Group meetings, which involve students from different year levels, are occurring online through Teams. Instrumental music students of all ages are continuing to meet with their tutors online. Through all of these changes, staff and students are adjusting quickly to optimise their relationships and learning and to take advantage of opportunities that emerge. 

We continue to plan for the return of Outdoor Education, Sport and Music ensembles in line with the changes to broader community restrictions as set by the government. Some of the detail of changes to events are listed later in the newsletter. Next week we will recommence onsite enrolment tours whilst maintaining strict protocols around gatherings, social distancing and hygiene. 

In relation to the new guidelines for student illness, a number of parents have asked for clarification around children with sniffles or other respiratory symptoms. At this stage, any student or staff member who presents with respiratory symptoms, including sniffles, must stay at home. Where families believe this is due to allergies, they will need to have written communication from their doctor explaining this and giving them permission to attend school. We have appreciated parents notifying us when family members are being tested for COVID-19 and we strongly encourage all families to do this.

An email has been sent today outlining changes to exam conditions for Year 10 students and arrangements for Middle College exams. Students and parents can also access this information in Nav, under Notices. 

Thank you to our parents for the way you are adapting to changes around student drop off and pick up. It has gone very well for the first week with everyone back and more students travelling by car. Parents are asked to time their arrival at school to the time their oldest child finishes to reduce congestion around pick up time. For Prep – Year 2 students this is at 2.50pm, Year 3-5 is 3.00pm and our Year 6-12 students is 3.15pm. Younger children will be supervised by staff until older siblings join them. As a reminder, families with children in Prep – Year 2 and older siblings should use the P-2 car park. We will continue to refine our drop off and pick up procedures to make this process as smooth as possible for families. Updates will be communicated to parents via email.

Finally, we remind families that tomorrow, Friday 29^th May, is the Caloundra Show Holiday and as such the College will be closed.

May God grant us the faith and courage to be the best we can be.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal