Dear Families,

END OF TERM 2: 12.30pm Friday 24th June

Well done to everyone on making it to the mid-point of the year.  At times we individually and collectively have staggered and sneezed our way through some weeks but we have arrived it seems quickly at the end of June.

Although it is easy to blame that pandemic-thingy for many of the world's problems, it has been both interesting and exciting to see how productive our classrooms have been.  The way the students have settled into this school year is a credit to the parents and staff, while our children deserve praise for the way they have raised the level of their learning stamina.  In the post remote-learning world we really need every student taking advantage of every moment of every school day, and while we acknowledge protocols dictate students might need to be away it will be so important next term that all students lift their attendance rate.  On PAM parents can check each of their children's attendance statistics for the semester and we encourage you to keep an eye on this important indicator of school success.  If at any time you need support in this area please reach out to me personally for assistance.

Yesterday we had an interesting start to the day in the administration area when our air filters detected an anomaly before we then smelt an odd smell we guessed from our heating units.  We ended with taking a very cautious approach in having a soft lock-down by having all students remain in their classrooms while the very competent crew from the Morwell Fire Brigade gave us the all clear.  In terms of communication on the day we were able to use our primary communication tool, Schoolzine, to send out a DO NOT BE ALARMED type message.  It is a timely reminder to families to make sure they are subscribed to this service for newsletters and other updates because in emergencies this will be our first tool.  Fingers crossed we do not have any future emergencies but pandemics, mine fires, floods, storms and bushfires are not always the most convenient beasts we have to deal with here in the Latrobe Valley.

Tonight we have a highlight of the school year when Bishop Greg visits our parish to lead our Confirmation Mass.  Can I take this opportunity to offer my blessings and congratulations to this group of young people from our Year 6 cohort.  In the short time I have been at St.Vincent's these children have been terrific ambassadors of our school and I've enjoyed connecting with them.  I am so proud to accompany them as their school principal tonight as they celebrate this important stage of their faith journey.

So finally, rest up and have a terrific break from the rouintes of school.  I look forward to sharing Semester 2 with you all - Remember to take a look at the school calendar in this newsletter and on PAM.  We look like we will be very busy - how exciting!

Take care and stay safe, Dave