Weekly Wrap

Dear all,

 

Welcome to week 3. There is no doubt this week has been a tough one in Melbourne.

 

The news around Covid cases has been hard to hear and on behalf of College Council, I truly hope all our families are staying safe, staying healthy and staying strong.

 

This has been an incredibly difficult period for all of us to navigate. It has put pressure on our community like nothing I have ever seen in my lifetime. I remain humbled and proud by the way our students, parents and staff have stuck together and stayed strong. This has been a trying time with our community having to spend much more time online than we normally would, fatiguing us all.

 

To that end next Thursday 6 August we have provided the opportunity for students and staff to catch up on any work they may have fallen behind in, or get ahead of their work if possible. Formal classes will not run that day, and all staff will be working from home. It is a chance to restore the balance. Get away from your computer and take the time to exercise. It is a chance to do some yoga at home, or some meditation, devote some additional time to healthy food preparation, and reinvigorate those healthy habits that enable us to all thrive in tough times.

 

Let’s keep sticking together and doing everything we can to keep ourselves and our community safe. For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

 

College Council Update

This week we held our monthly College Council meeting. Our Student Parliament has been lobbying for some changes to uniform items. Over the last few months we have collected feedback on a range of items, including a beanie, scarf, puffer jacket and hoodie. Council made the decision to hold over adding a puffer jacket this year, and will continue to look for one that is priced well and of high quality, with a view to introducing it for winter 2021. The College already has a scarf and beanie option available and have also called for some different design options for both items. Council was in favour of all three items, and look forward to being presented with a range of designs in the coming months.

 

 

Council has made the decision to introduce the hoodie that is currently worn by students in Academy, as a uniform option for all students. We are hoping this design will be able to be purchased in the coming weeks. This is an exciting innovation and we thank all members of the community who provided feedback on this.

 

Student parliament also sought to have some amendments to rules around piercings and hair colour. Council made the decision to seek feedback on these proposed amendments and at this stage no decision has been made to either accept or reject these proposals.

Council were pleased to receive the proposals, and congratulated the students on the way they had represented themselves in presenting these proposals. Parliament representative, Gabby P was a wonderful ambassador for the Parliament and spoke at the Council meeting with dignity, class and maturity.

 

Car Parking and Traffic flow

I have noticed that many more parents are electing to pick their children up from the school, and I completely understand that.  We have noticed most parents are doing the right thing and either using the Hawthorn Road drop off zone, or parking in dedicated parking bays. However, there are a handful of parents who are not parking in dedicated parking bays on the Mahoneys Road driveway. This is causing a significant hazard, as they negotiate the driveway –  for themselves, pedestrians and other parents in cars.

 

If you cannot park in a dedicated parking bay, please exit the driveway and park outside of the premises. I understand that it can be difficult securing a park on Mahoneys Road, but the safety of our community must not be compromised. I look forward to your cooperation on this matter.

 

Canteen Set to Re-Open

The College is excited at the news that Café Oggi will be the new operator of the College Canteen. They have been working with us to develop a menu and online ordering system so our students will have the ability to once again access a high-quality Canteen. Staff are conducting a trial of the online ordering system this coming Monday and Tuesday, with a view to launching an online ordering system to students by the end of next week. Once the trial has proved a success and any glitches ironed out, we will issue you all with instructions on how to place, pay for and collect a lunch order.