Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for your ongoing understanding and support during this challenging time in our world. Your continuing support and appreciation of all we are doing, has helped to ensure staff continue to be enthusiastic about the road ahead and the new challenge of remote learning.

I find it ironic that the more we are separating and social distancing, the more we seem together and connected now. We are anxious together, sad together, collaborative together and hopeful together, and now communicating and teaching more on-line together!

Thank you for your understanding and support around the minor access issues we had with the online learning platform over the weekend. From the feedback that teachers are receiving, these appear to have been reduced and our students are now enthusiastically enjoying this new way of learning.

I came across this on social media;

“Parents, you are not 'homeschooling'. You are providing a safe environment for your children to learn what we are still teaching them. We are working hard to ensure the continuity of academic care and direction. You cover the mental health, we'll keep the school stuff coming!”

‘Home-schooling’ is a choice of education where the parent is the educator. You have, however, chosen to send your child to a main-stream, coeducational Catholic Primary School - so we will guide you! What we have is an unprecedented emergency in our world. What we are doing in providing ‘remote learning’ is more like ’distance education’ – St Benedict’s School of the Air!

Right now, all of us are having to adapt and change in ways that are completely new and this can cause anxiety for us all, especially our children. As adults, we have the ability and capacity to bring comfort to and relieve anxiety in our children. At this stage of the term, doing some learning at home that students have been sent is great, but please, do not stress! If they are feeling safe, happy, relaxed and completing some set work - that is the most important thing at this stage.

My advice is to relax…. don’t have students stress about work and don’t get stressed about their work too. Arguing or pressuring your kids to complete work is the last thing they need right now… they need to know they are safe and happy. Ensure they have some downtime, watch a movie, play a game, make a cake, do a puzzle, get some exercise!

This thing we are all part of, is living history. We are all part of this and it will be talked about for generations to come. Schools are empty; sports are cancelled; people are social distancing….. on a GLOBAL level. One thing you can do as a family is keep a journal over the coming weeks. Handwritten, typed, in photographs or drawings….. record events, day to day activities, fears and feelings. Make a video journal if that is the media you prefer. Interview each other; ensure everyone is part of it. When this is all over save it/store it in a safe place and then in years to come it can be shared with future generations. Help your family create a tangible, primary source of your history.

Lent and Holy Week
At this most difficult time, we are also in the Season of Lent and we are preparing for Easter. Lent is a time when we journey with Jesus as he faced fear and anxiety leading towards his ultimate death on the Cross. The resurrection and new life that followed is what we celebrate at Easter. Similarly, we are on a journey of fear and anxiety and praying and hoping for new life and a return to normality soon.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal