The challenge for schools to stay on task
Above: Jacinta with St Margaret Mary's Kindergarten students. Photo taken March 2021. As we start a new term, it feels like we are going back to the future with New South Wales and Victorian schools returning to remote learning due to the current COVID-19 restrictions.
The weekend news focused on the plight of this year's HSC students and whether they would face the same challenges as last year's cohort. Some newspapers ran stories about the difficulties for parents faced with home learning, and the wellbeing of students and staff was also high on the agenda.
These are important issues facing our school communities and the ongoing disruption to students, staff and families is significant and requires our schools to be agile and creative in their response to these challenges.
As I contemplate our fifth lockdown in Victoria, it seems that COVID, and future global challenges, will never be over and done. There will always be some disruption, event or even a disaster that requires our immediate attention.
However, it's also critical that we don't lose sight of the bigger picture, particularly in the vital work of educating future generations of students.
At a time when many industries and businesses are trying to 'pivot' to ensure their ongoing sustainability and success, education is also required to look to the future and see how we will better serve our students to face a world that is increasingly changing and uncertain.
As Catholic schools, an integral part of that work is to form our students in faith to be hopeful about the future and to contribute meaningfully to a just and peaceful world. In the same way, we are responsible for providing an excellent education and access to opportunities for our students so they are equipped to live, work and serve in the world.
As we go about our work this term, and in the face of the constant challenges that are thrown at us from COVID and other factors, I encourage you to find some space with your colleagues to focus on the incredible importance of your role as teachers, leaders and support staff.
Find some time to tune into what's really important and what will make the biggest difference to your students' learning and formation. And, most importantly, create opportunities for connection within your communities to recognise each other and the grace of God in our work.
Jacinta Collins
National Catholic education executive director