Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community
The Times They Are A Changin' so sang Bob Dylan in 1964 in the song written by himself and Pierre Delanoe ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WD_ats6eE). While Dylan presented the song as a deliberate attempt to create an impetus for change in the society of the time, and while it has been used for many calls for change since, some of which were political, I use it here in quite a different sense, which I assure you has no political agenda.
The Times They Are a Changing or are they? Last week, the State Government announced what many would consider an easing of the restrictions at the time with the use of QR codes in schools, the removal of density limits and then from midnight tonight the removal of the requirement to wear face masks indoors in secondary schools. These changes were indeed welcome and an indication of the reducing number of positive cases. Surely this is an indication that slowly we are returning to an operational campus similar to that of pre- COVID19.
At about the same time, the State Government directed schools to continue participation in the “at home Rapid Antigen Testing program (RATs)” until at least the end of Term 1. The College will continue to be supplied with and will continue to distribute RAT kits to our students. Students who test positive or who are household contacts of those who test positive must continue to isolate at home and inform the College as soon as such evidence becomes evident.
With all this in mind, we at the College believed that slowly things would open up and indoor whole College events would be possible. This is not the case. While we still wait to be issued with operational guidelines, which the Department of Health must approve, we are told we must do a COVID-19 risk analysis for every event associated with the College which includes camps, excursions and assemblies. Risk assessments must consider space available to the community, the numbers of positive cases within our community who have been positive while on campus, as well as the mixture of attendees and the concepts of groupings and bubbles. \
Accordingly, we still move or change, cancel and postpone where possible College events. Over the last fortnight we have seen both McAuley and Barak Campus Information Nights as well as VCE and VCAL Information Nights held successfully via Zoom. At present, we are now planning our Top Achiever’s Assembly in a different way, with Year 12 students present and socially distanced in the Doyle Centre and the rest of the College joining via zoom. Other events like the Community Mass, which has previously been postponed, will unfortunately need to be cancelled. As soon as new operational guidelines are available I will update you and include information about future events.
Having said all of the above, I want to thank the community for their ongoing support during these constantly changing and interesting times. Please continue to support the whole MLMC community by doing the right thing and continue to use RAT tests twice a week and isolate when needed.
College Deputy Principal, Mr John Rodgers, has been supplying me with constant updates on students who test positive and he is enjoying his new-found skills in data presentation. Yesterday, he supplied me with this data:
Furthermore, I must inform you that we are blessed at MLMC to have a vast array of talent and dedication among the College leadership and staff. I am proud of their commitment to the safety and learning of our students and the work they do. I thank them for their versatility in these times of great change.
I may have previously told you that one of my favourite authors is Charles Handy, who wrote a short story called The White Stone in which he refers to a verse in the Book of Revelation: “To anyone who prevails, the Spirit says I will give you a white stone, on which is written a new name which no one knows except he who receives it”.
Each Monday morning, we have a tradition at MLMC whereby a staff member gives to a colleague the Well Done Award as recognition of all the unnoticed work that they do. This award is like my white stone as each week I do not know who will get it, but it helps me appreciate the talent and work of those who walk our corridors.
And lastly, I did have the pleasure of seeing Bob Dylan live at the Myer Music Bowl in 1977 or 1978, but that story is for another time.
In the Spirit of Catherine
God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal
