This week we held the parent/teacher/student interviews. It was a bold step to hold them all via Zoom with pastoral advisors speaking with parents for the day. I appreciate the preparation all pastoral advisors did so that they could provide some helpful and relevant feedback to you about your daughter’s progress. I know some spent over four hours online speaking with parents and girls on Tuesday. I also extend my thanks to parents. Once again, you have had to be agile in your adjustments and accommodate the changes. Thank you for your flexibility. We had just over four hundred Zoom meetings across the day with less than five difficulties. I apologise to those who experienced a problem, but I must acknowledge the IT team and the pastoral teams who were extraordinary in their planning and execution of the day. Your feedback through the survey will be very informative, thank you.

With the Westview project now completed, we are making preparations for the next development which will be a designated kiss and drop off zone on St John’s Road and the site security. With this in mind, we are preparing to increase the security and safety of the girls when there are cars moving through the site. From Monday, we will be policing the entry of cars on site from Gate 1 of St John's Road and ensuring there is only one way traffic through the site to the exit through the MSC carpark. Staff will be there to stop any person trying to exit back out on to St John's Road. This will be enforced in both morning and afternoon drop offs. If we are unable to stop the unlawful exit, against traffic back onto St John's Road, the gates will be closed and there will be no drop off on site. We don’t want to wait until a student is hit by a car before we stop entry on to the site. Your support will be needed with this strategy.

Each year Non Government schools are required to send to the Federal Government information on their enrolments. This is a requirement of our funding. I have included with this edition of the Inside Out a copy of the Privacy Statement from the government for your information. This information is treated with the utmost security and is not sold on to any further parties. If you have any concerns please contact me at the College.

On Thursday 2 July we will be taking a commemorative photo for our 180^th anniversary on the top oval. All girls and staff will be part of this photo. Girls are to come to the College that day in school uniform to be part of the photo, not sports uniform. Regrettably girls in sports uniform will not be included in the photo.

The Premier announced this week significant reforms, with a new school curriculum to be delivered over the next four years, including:

• stronger foundations in literacy and numeracy with new English and Maths syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 2 by 2022
• more time for teaching essential knowledge and skills in each subject by 2022
• Year 11 and 12 learning will be better linked to future work and study with new key learning areas and career pathways by 2022

The reforms are based on the recommendations of the NSW Curriculum Review led by Professor Geoff Masters - the first significant review of the NSW curriculum since 1989.

This review has been in the making for two years and it is good to see many of the recommendations will be accepted by the government. Hopefully the workload and the changes to be developed over the coming years before the anticipated implementation will be fair and reasonable. I am sure we will hear much more about this in the near future.

Next week we will be holding Benedict Day celebrations in our community. We have developed a program which is mindful of the restrictions yet will still be joyful and celebratory for the community. It includes a liturgy, talent quest and some creative activity on the top oval which will have the girls moving. A focus of the day has always been to raise funds for the ministries of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. Girls will be able to wear sensible mufti clothes for the cost of a small gold coin as a minimum and will be able to vote for their favourite talent act on the day. We hope each girl is able to enjoy the day with all in the community.

This is the last edition of the Inside Out for the term. Wishing you a wonderful break in the coming week. Thank you again for your support of the College. I will leave you with a short reflection on Rest.

Rest is important to all of us. The scripture is filled with God’s promises to provide rest when we seek Him. God is an endless source of peace and strength and He created us to need Him. So I encourage you to rest over the coming weeks and open some space that will allow our God to enter and nurture your spirit.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

“ Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”

Matt 11: 28-30