March 26 – College update on COVID-19

Dear all parents, carers and guardians of St Patrick’s College,

It is important as you read the following email that you take some assurance from the fact that, at time of writing, the College has not been informed of any member of our community being diagnosed with COVID-19 coronavirus, nor have we been informed of anyone in our community in isolation after having close contact with someone who has returned a positive test.

It is also important to remember that the following key points are to be read in the context that, at this point in time, we are preparing to return to commence Term 2 with students expected in class on Wednesday, April 15.

Of course, there remains the possibility that will change quite dramatically in the coming days and weeks and we will continue to provide updates as changes occur.

But for now, at least, we hope the following key points will provide some clarity around activities around the College during the coming term break.

Lockers: All students have been asked to empty their lockers and ensure all schoolbooks, stationery and devices are at home in the event that the College is closed and we move to an online learning environment. Any students who are yet to empty their locker must do so before 2.30pm on Friday, March 27. The College will shut for the term break after this time and students will not be able to gain access.

Communication with teachers: Parents seeking to communicate with their son’s teachers should follow normal procedure and direct all first inquiries to your son’s pastoral care teacher. All teaching staff are available on email. All staff email addresses are comprised of the staff member’s initial, surname and @stpats.vic.edu.au. For example, Elizabeth Ryan is eryan@stpats.vic.edu.au and Hamish McCrum is hmccrum@stpats.vic.edu.au

In any other case of emergency please contact the following people:

For any queries related to the College’s IT services please email helpdesk@stpats.vic.edu.au

For student and staff matters call Mrs Elizabeth Ryan on 0428 138 945

For enrolment or boarding inquiries please call Mrs Caitlin Bennett on 0409 004 324

For matters relating to College buildings or property please call Mr John Resuggan on 0459 020 988

For matters relating to fees and finance please call Mr Andrew Ballesty on 0409 010 583

For Old Collegian or media enquiries please call Mr Paul Nolan on 0418 307 377

Shop/reception: The College Shop is now closed and College reception will close at 2.30pm on Friday, March 27. At this stage we hope to re-open both on Monday, April 6.

School reports: Interim term reports are being completed and will be available through the Parent Access Module (PAM) at the start of Term 2. Parents are reminded that all access through PAM remains unchanged.

In an uncertain time there remains many unanswered questions – most of which centre around how the College will operate in the event of lockdown/closure.

If, and when, that occurs, we will provide further specific communications around issues such as timetabling and online learning.

For the time being however please know that our staff are working hard to prepare for this possibility.

Our preferred platform for online learning will be Microsoft Teams and your son will have had classes already exposing him to this app. Please encourage him to continue becoming more proficient in using MS Teams when he can. Please also encourage your son to check and clear his school email account regularly.

At this stage we would anticipate that your son’s online learning will be structured in a way consistent with his normal timetable. He will be required to connect with his pastoral care teacher twice a day, and with his subject teachers as timetabled. If your son has a maths class timetabled for session two and a science class for session three, this remains unchanged.

Families concerned that they may not have adequate internet services at home to facilitate online learning are urged to either email Director of Studies Mrs Julia Petrov at jpetrov@stpats.vic.edu.au or complete the form found in the information at this link.

In an online learning environment, the College expects that professional standards of dress and hairstyles remain consistent. Students will be expected to wear their College polo top or any other piece of College-branded clothing when attending online classes.

A comprehensive online safety kit for parents and carers has been provided by the Federal Government’s E-Safety Commissioner and can be read at this link.

The College has also published a list of online resources and links should students feel the need to access mental health support at this time. This list can be found at this link.

Finally, there is understandable growing concern among many families enduring financial hardship as a result of the ongoing medical crisis. I encourage you to read this correspondence from our governing body, Edmund Rice Education Australia, which will provide some comfort at this time and assure you that we will engage in further communications around these issues in the coming days and weeks.

We thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this difficult time.

We also wish all in our community a happy and restful Easter holiday with your family.