Acting Principal’s Message

By Acting Principal, Mr Stephen Hill

What we are learning from remote learning

While remote learning has forced all of us to adapt to many new challenges, it has also provided the environment for us to explore new and creative solutions to previous practices that we possibly considered fixed or unchangeable.

Our current Years 9, 10 and 11 students and families have experienced this first-hand in recent weeks with the entire 2021 subject selection process shifting to an online model that was run through the Pastoral Care structure. The outstanding leadership and work of our Director of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Julia Petrov, has ensured that this major change to our historical practices was a well-planned, highly-resourced and very well received change to a program that has not altered in any truly meaningful way for many years.

The same is also true of this week’s Parent/Student/Teacher interviews. The rapid shift from face-to-face meetings to online MS Teams was again very well planned for and implemented. Consequently, we have received a number of very positive comments about this significant change from parents. I would like to thank the team of St Patrick’s staff who were able to bring Tuesday’s P/S/T meetings together so quickly and so effectively.

Monday’s student-free day

This week’s student-free day provided staff the opportunity to be present to and for each other in prayer and reflection. During this time, my thoughts were immediately drawn to the mostly unknown needs and concerns of a number of the staff, students, parents and members of the wider St Patrick’s community.

As our week concludes and the reality of remote learning and our work comes to an end, can I ask that you to give your thoughts and prayers to those amongst us….

· That have recently experienced the loss of a loved one

· Supporting a spouse or children with serious health issues

· Dealing with their own significant health issues

· Experiencing very challenging and difficult family or personal circumstances

· Caring for the needs of aging parents or siblings

· Responding to the very challenging issues of unemployment or family disconnect as a result of COVID-19.

Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life. Amen