Dear members of the MLMC community
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful autumnal weather, with clear cold nights and clear warm days. We know change is on the way, but still the days offer us great opportunity to interact with others. I hope all have returned to Term 2 after a wonderful holiday and Easter. It is certainly great to see the staff and students interacting so positively on campus.
There are several items that I wish to discuss with you today:
(1) COVID-19 update
As you will already know, the past few years has seen a regular change in regulations surrounding COVID-19. The following information is the latest information that has been made available to the College by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV). We share this with you so that you are aware of the guidelines under which we are required to operate:
- Parents, carers and other adult visitors are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine if not performing work or volunteering at the school. Consequently, the College will no longer be conducting vaccination certificate checks. Volunteers are deemed to be engaged in work at the College and must show evidence of vaccination
- While recommended, face masks have not been required in our College setting from 11.59pm 22 April 2022. Any students or staff members who wish to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk. This is especially the case when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Household contacts
- Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the College. Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they take additional safety measures in the seven days that would have been their quarantine period
- Household contacts are required to inform the College that they are attending during the seven-day period. Household contacts are required to test negative using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on five days of the seven-day period (with tests spaced at least 24 hours apart). The College can supply students who are household contacts with extra Rapid Antigen Tests if required.
As mentioned in previous communications, we ask if your child is feeling unwell, please keep them at home.
- Household contacts attending school must wear a mask in class unless they have personally tested positive to COVID-19 within a 12-week period of the latest household positive case or have a valid exemption
- Masks must be worn when traveling on public transport, taxis or rideshare vehicles
- Face masks may be used as an additional temporary risk-mitigation measure in exceptional circumstances, for example, if a school experiences high levels of or prolonged transmission
- All students are expected to attend onsite unless they are formally registered as being home-schooled or are COVID-19 positive. Parent preference is not an approved reason for students to be absent due to COVID-19
- Students who are required to isolate or quarantine will be supported by the College in the same way as students with an extended absence due to illness or injury, with learning materials provided to support their continued learning
- The College will continue to provide Rapid Antigen Tests for the first four weeks of Term 2. Some students have been collecting but inappropriately disposing of their tests instead of taking them home. If your household does not require a test, please ask your child to indicate this to Student Reception and to not collect them.
What do I do if my child tests positive or is a household close contact?
To assist the College in managing notifications of COVID-19 in households, we ask that you utilise the Parent Access Module (PAM) to inform the College of any student absences. This can be done by logging on to PAM via our website and clicking the Parent Notified Absences button and then including your child’s details and the reason for their absence. For your convenience, please find instructions on how to save PAM to your smartphone. PAM can then be used as an app. Instructions for both iOS and Android phones are included below.
If you are unable to access PAM, please email administration@mlmc.vic.edu.au with any student absences. This will allow the College to best assist you should there be a need. Once you have reported a positive case of COVID-19 in your household, staff can then place work covered in class on Google Classroom pages. As always, families are welcome to contact staff to clarify work if instructions are unclear.
Informing the College of a positive test result enables the College to:
- support students academically and pastorally,
- record that they will be absent while in seven-day isolation, and
- let the rest of the College community know there has been a positive case onsite so that they can monitor their children for symptoms.
All positive reports will be treated confidentially.
If anyone is confused by any of these guidelines, please feel free to contact the College through Administration and your questions will be directed to the correct person.
I again thank you for continuing to work with the College to ensure the safety of all in our community and to help us to continue on campus learning.
(2) The Federal Election
I am sure that you all would be well aware that the Federal Election has been announced for Saturday 21 May 2022, with all major parties in the full swing of election mode.
There are several pieces of communication that I have been asked to share with you for your reading pleasure and to keep you informed.
The Australian Catholics Bishops Conference
Firstly the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has released its statement for the upcoming federal election. It takes the theme ‘Towards a Better Kind of Politics’ from Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti.
While not endorsing political parties, the document identifies some key issues that the bishops believe voters should consider in casting their vote.
The statement was prepared with reference to the key principles of Catholic social teaching, which are outlined in the document.
You are all invited to read the Australian Catholic Bishops’ 2022 election statement, Towards a Better Kind of Politics, to help you reflect on the good you can do for the community by using your vote for the common good of all. The statement includes a Prayer for the Election and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Download a copy from www.catholic.org.au or click on the document below.
The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC)
The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has worked with stakeholders to identify several national priorities for the upcoming federal election for Catholic education.
This flyer lists the national priorities and can be shared with others if you so choose.
The NCEC has developed a range of materials to support schools and families to engage with members of parliament (MPs) and candidates during the 2022 federal election campaign. This includes a guide to the priorities (which you can read by clicking HERE), which will assist with any conversations about the key issues you might choose to have with your local candidate.
Once again this is provided to you as information which you may choose to read.
(3) Archbishop Peter’s Easter Message
Although Easter Sunday was a couple of weeks ago we are still in the Easter season and I hope Easter has reinvigorated you to your way of life. Please find a link to Archbishop Peter’s Easter message, ‘rediscover our God-given identity, find our personal tasks, and work for our common humanity’.
Let us embrace the challenge placed before us.
(4) ANZAC Day
Finally, Day 1 of Term 2 started with ANZAC Day and a whole College commemoration focusing on Gallipoli and World War I, the ‘war to end all wars’. Although the College ceremony was not at dawn, which is when the attacks at Gallipoli began, on ANZAC Day itself MLMC was well represented at the Lilydale dawn service and many other services across our district.
We remember the great sacrifice of the Anzacs, and those who have fought to defend our nation and its values in any type of war or conflict.
May they rest in peace.
And at this time of conflict in the world, may we never forget.
In the Spirit of Catherine, may God bless each and every one of you.
Philip A Morison
Principal
