DEEPEST CONDOLENCES

Our love, thoughts and prayers are with Judith Hurley and her family at the sad passing away of her younger brother, Gerry Dwyer, in Canada.

Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide to recognise the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children. This day celebrates fatherhood and male parenting. Fathers’ Day is a day of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. 

Pope Francis reminds us that “a good father knows how to forgive from the depths of his heart. Certainly, he also knows how to correct with firmness: he is not a weak father, submissive and sentimental. The father who knows how to correct without humiliating is the one who knows how to protect without sparing himself.”

Dear Lord,

Bless every father and every grandfather with the best of your spiritual blessings today. Let him know he is not alone in the tasks you have given him to provide for and support those under his care. Show him how much you delight in his work, and affirm the value of whatever You have given him to do—both as a father or grandfather and as a child of Yours. Confirm his worth daily so he has no reason to doubt whether he is loved in the eyes of his Heavenly Father.

Create in him a deep sense of trust in You, knowing that He can count on You to help him lead and protect those dependent on him. Let him know that every unselfish act of love and encouragement he has offered has been a gift that You receive gladly.  Amen

COVID-19 UPDATE

The escalating numbers of COVID-19 cases in Wollongong is very concerning. Two students at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish Primary School, Warrawong, have tested positive for COVID-19 and the school is closed today for deep cleaning.

I urge all families to please follow the Public Health Orders and to stay at home. This is not a time to be complacent as the health of our St Brigid's community is paramount. It is not time for going to public places to play and meet people.

To our parents who are essential workers and rely on the staff at St Brigid's to supervise your child to complete their online remote learning, please DO NOT send your child to school with even the mildest of the following symptoms:

• Fever 
• Coughing 
• Shortness of breath 
• Sore throat 
• Loss of smell or taste
• Headache                            
• Muscle or joint pain             
• Runny nose                           
• Fatigue           
• Nausea
• Vomiting or diarrhoea 
• Loss of appetite

During this current outbreak we urge you to please keep your child at home if you are working from home. Our students, who are not vaccinated, are vulnerable and we must do everything we can to protect them.

The 2021 theme for National Child Protection Week is calling all people to play their part to build communities that support every child and young person to thrive.

A lot of great research is helping us understand more and more about what children need to thrive. Children and young people need to both ‘feel safe’ and ‘be safe’. National Child Protection Week 2021 will be an opportunity to translate this knowledge into action. All skillsets, all people, and all communities are assets in this important endeavour.

Many of you are already playing your part every day – as individuals, as community members, as volunteers and as workers – to help create safe and supportive communities for children and young people. When we do this together we can give ‘every child, in every neighbourhood, a fair go’.

What is CEDoW’s approach to Child Safety Education and building Safe and Supportive School Environments?

CEDoW Life to the Full - A Framework for Respectful Relationships, Child Safety and Human Sexuality in a Catholic Context acknowledges the importance of a ‘big picture' approach towards creating safe and respectful school environments across our CEDoW schools.

As part of this framework, we acknowledge the importance of a sustainable approach towards explicit child safety (child protection) education, as well as creating safe and empowering school environments. National Child Protection Week is a great opportunity for schools to play their role in maintaining child safe environments through teaching and culture.

This week, schools are called to reflect on their implementation of sustainable child protection education and review how their role can be fulfilled in this space. National Child Protection Week can be used as a catalyst for meaningful planning and conversations at a school level to support the implementation of CEDoW Life to the Full - A Framework for Respectful Relationships, Child Safety and Human Sexuality in a Catholic Context.

SCHOOL ROADMAP

The NSW Premier has revealed the state’s return to school roadmap, which outlines when students will be able to safely return to school for face-to-face learning in a COVID-safe way.

 The most important details of the roadmap are:

• All schools in NSW will follow the same roadmap. 
• The return to face-to-face learning will be staggered, with different years returning at different times from 25 October 2021 (see timeline below). The start of the staggered return to face-to-face learning depends upon at least 70% of the state’s eligible adult population being fully vaccinated.
• If stay-at-home orders are lifted in an LGA or region before 25 October 2021, all students living or learning in that area will return to face-to-face learning at that time with a level of COVID-safe restrictions in place.

ALL SCHOOL STAFF TO BE VACCINATED

The NSW Government has announced that a TGA-approved COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for all school staff from 8 November 2021. Put simply, if we work in schools we must be vaccinated.

The St Brigid's staff are on track to all be fully vaccinated this deadline. I thank the staff for their committment to the health and wellbeing of all the St Brigid's community. 

ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN THE COMMUNITY