August 2 – College update on COVID-19

Dear Staff, Students, Parents, Carers and Guardians of St Patrick’s College,

It is with great sadness that we now find ourselves in a position where we must once again prepare for a period of remote and flexible learning due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s announcement by Premier Dan Andrews that all students at all schools in Victoria must move to a remote and flexible learning model on Wednesday, August 5, will concern some and will present a series of new challenges, particularly for our staff and Senior School students.

As it always has throughout this crisis, St Patrick’s College will continue to abide by the directives of the State Government, through both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education and Training.

This means that all students will be able to attend the College on Monday, August 3 (wearing appropriate masks or facial coverings) and will be required to take home all their belongings at the conclusion of the school day.

Students must clear out their lockers, ensuring they have all textbooks, IT devices and chargers and everything they will need to support their learning for at least the next six weeks.

Tuesday, August 4 will be a student-free day at the College, enabling staff to prepare for the transition to remote and flexible learning.

On Wednesday, August 5 classes will be held in a Microsoft Teams environment with students studying from home and following their usual Wednesday timetable.

For boarding students further, detailed correspondence will follow in due course and as a matter of priority from Director of Boarding Mr Mike Silcock.

It is expected that this period of remote and flexible learning will continue until at least Sunday, September 13.

As occurred in Term 2, the College will provide on-site supervision to students who meet one of the following criteria as outlined by the DET.

• Children on days when they are not able to be supervised at home and no other arrangements can be made. This will be available for children of parents who cannot work from home, and vulnerable children, including:
• children in out-of-home care;
• children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm;
• children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health service and children with a disability).

Should your son meet the above criteria and needs to attend school on-site from Wednesday, August 5 you MUST fill out the form at this link by 2pm on Tuesday, August 4.

We understand there will be many questions and concerns about the coming weeks and, as in Term 2, the College will work over the coming days to compile a document which will provide as many answers as possible.

This in an incredibly confronting and challenging time for all in our community as this evil virus continues to wreak havoc on the Victorian community. However, be assured that in all we do at St Patrick’s our first and foremost priority is the health, welfare and education of your son and we will continue to work towards providing the best possible outcome for him, even under the most difficult of circumstances.

We thank you all for your ongoing understanding and support.