The COVID–19 pandemic is testing our resilience as a school and as a community like nothing else before. But despite the challenges faced by so many of us, over the last month we have truly seen the best in our people, and this has permeated many areas of school life.
Some of my highlights have included:
- welcoming the Term 2 holidays with a performance of Chicago by our senior students. Filled with great energy and enthusiasm, we were so proud of all those involved in bringing the production to life against the odds
- welcoming back onsite our ELC, VCE and IB students and those children of essential services workers
- seeing our teachers once again embrace the challenge of online learning, expertly taking on board the feedback that was conveyed during our last period of remote learning
- the overwhelming number of families reaching out to support those experiencing financial hardship through the Carey Student Fee Support Fund
- the innovation and creativity our staff have shown in sharing ideas and knowledge around new approaches to teaching and learning to better support our students.
This term, we would like to continue to emphasise the importance of connectedness. We know that one of the best ways to support our own mental health is through connection and by maintaining and nurturing our relationships.
For our youngest children, we can support them by helping them to understand their feelings and how feelings can influence their actions. In the middle years, we need to support our students to recognise when something doesn’t feel right. By creating a safe environment for them to be honest about their experiences, we can empower them to respond appropriately to these experiences, and to treat others as they would like to be treated. For our senior students, it is important for them to not feel overwhelmed by stress. Encourage them to stay active in the absence of sport, be creative in the absence of co-curricular activities like music or theatre and be sure they take breaks from social media. We need to ensure our young people understand that in practising physical distancing, they can still stay connected to their peers.
It has never been more important for us to focus on connectedness and ask for help when we need it. By staying mentally healthy, we invite more positives and growth opportunities into our lives.
Jonathan Walter
Principal
