Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for your continued patience, understanding and flexibility as we continue remote learning in a very challenging environment. You have been magnificent, supporting your child/ren in their learning during this period, and staff have been incredible in the way they have adapted to provide a remote learning program.

I appreciate that many of you are dealing with a lot. Some of our families have lost income, some are adjusting to working from home and supporting children with remote learning, and all of us are working hard to maintain our mental wellbeing. It is normal to be worrying about the virus during this time of uncertainty.

As a faith community, we are better equipped than most to support each other and overcome this difficult period of our lives. Please reach out to one another and pray for each other. Please also pray for other communities who are less fortunate than our own.

With the current lockdown in place until Thursday 2nd September, please be assured that I am in regular contact with Catholic Education who provide me with up-to-date information from ACT Health and Government directives. The situation in the ACT has become incredibly serious and concerning and we all have a part to play in keeping our community safe. The case in Gold Creek School (and the impact it has on Holy Spirit School) and St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in West Belconnen, is too close to home. The consistent message from the ACT Government is to stay at home.

Given this information, we are strongly encouraging all students and staff to stay off site and work from home. As a school, we have asked staff to work remotely. As a result, only a small number of staff will be on site each day during the lockdown period to support our students and to prioritise the health and safety of our students and staff. Staff are working in two teams, with two days at school and then two days working from home. We are grateful to our staff for their flexibility and dedication to student learning and wellbeing during these most challenging of circumstances.

Please remember the onsite supervision is for students who are:

· vulnerable and/or

· their parents/carers are essential workers and/or

· they cannot learn from home.

The purpose of this territory-wide lockdown is to minimise the mingling of people from various areas, to thus reduce transmission of infection.

We have been incredibly grateful to our St Benedict’s families for adhering to the ongoing restrictions, and we ask you to continue to be vigilant. We understand working from home and supporting your child with off-campus learning is challenging, but we are all navigating this situation together, and doing what is best for our school community. Please keep in touch with your child’s teacher about ways in which we can support you and your family. We will certainly keep you updated should we receive further updates from ACT Health, the ACT Government and Catholic Education.

Teachers will continue to connect with their students and colleagues via Teams, email, Google Classroom and Seesaw. The work your child’s teacher sets is important, but your family’s wellbeing is more so. Try to keep a routine, and a dedicated space for school work, but don’t forget that much valuable and memorable learning takes place in “real world” situations.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

We are all thinking of you all and praying for your safety and wellbeing during this challenging time.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal