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On the weekend all families received correspondence from me in relation to the College’s approach to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Tenison Woods College is taking this issue seriously, urging an alertness and careful attention to hygiene issues, within the context of a modified school program, as required, but at all times refraining from a panic approach.

On the weekend I asked our community to intentionally adhere to our simple HHDL (Health, Hygiene, Distance, Learning) Four Point Plan. The victory is not in merely knowing the plan, but deliberately acting and taking responsibility as part of the College community:

Monitoring Student Health
• Do not send children / adolescents to school if they have cold or flu like symptoms including, but not limited to: a sore throat, temperature, sneezing, running nose or coughing.
• Staff will monitor student health when they monitor attendance.
• If a staff member notices a student who presents with symptoms of a cold or flu at school, the staff member will ask the student to report to the Front Office where the Office Team will measure their temperature and make an assessment of the child’s health.
• If it is deemed that the child is ill and a risk to others in our community, a Leadership Team member will contact parents / carers and ask them to collect the child from the school.

Good Hygiene
• Parents and staff will accentuate and monitor deliberately good hygiene practices with our children and adolescents in relation to hand hygiene, coughing and blowing their nose.
• Staff are wiping down / disinfecting surfaces and appliances in common areas such as: class phones; workroom phones; kitchen appliances; communal computer keyboards and mice; and door handles. Staff are considering appliances that are communally used and offering the most risk of compromising student and staff hygiene.

Physical (Social) Distancing
• Staff will remind students of physical distancing, as is practical in the school context, so that they minimise the risk of contracting and passing on germs to others • Body contact is strongly discouraged at this critical period.

Continuity of Learning
• The College respects the decision of parents to keep their children at home, given the specific health contexts in each respective family.
• The College will endeavour to provide the best possible continuity of learning for all students in the current situation, whether they are able to attend school or not.
• The College staff are fast tracking our approach to implementing SEQTA to facilitate our delivery of an online learning environment and the continuity of our learning for our students.

COVID-19 Information Translation Assistance - Click here.

Parent / Teacher / Student Interviews
Interviews scheduled for Thursday 26 March and Tuesday 31 March are a very good example of how we are enacting the Tenison Woods College HHDL Four Point Plan, minimising contact, but facilitating the critical communication in relation to student progress. Our approach will be as follows:

1. Teachers will contact parents via phone at the prearranged time to talk about student progress
2. The teacher will contact the first parent contact, as per the school enrolment form
3. All interviews will occur in the ten-minute window scheduled
4. If parents miss their scheduled appointment (3 minutes after the scheduled time) but would still like to discuss their child’s progress, they will contact their child’s teacher directly via email to reorganise a telephone call or to exchange progress information by email.

I ask that parents and staff respect and adhere to the process to ensure all families can have their allotted time as required and entitled. The success of the process will depend on our collaborative and disciplined approach.

SHINE Bravely in 2020

If you have particular concerns about how your child is responding to information about COVID-19, please contact your classroom or pastoral care teacher initially, who will be supported, according to the specific needs, by our Wellbeing Coordinators, Counsellors, Heads of Sub-School and Director of Wellbeing. Jennie Sanderson, Assistant Principal, Student and Staff Development and I, as your Principal, are also very happy to discuss any issues of concern for you as parents and carers during this time.

Thank you for your efforts so far in these unprecedented times. I have appreciated your efforts, also anticipating that there will be more challenges, uncertainty and vulnerability to come. While we may not be aware of what is ahead of us, I ask you to enact the HHDL (Health, Hygiene, Distance, Learning) Four Point Plan, as a way to minimise the impact of COVID-19. I am confident that this year we will learn deeply and express boldly at Tenison Woods College what it means to SHINE Bravely.

A Letter to the Catholic People of the Dioceses of Adelaide and Port Pirie

Bishop Greg O’Kelly wrote to the Catholic People of the Dioceses of Adelaide and Port Pirie following the Prime Minister’s announcement that non-essential indoor gatherings are to be limited to 100 people and outdoor events of more than 500 are prohibited. The letter can be viewed here. Given the serious nature of the coronavirus, the Bishop, in consultation with the Consultors and Vicars General of the two dioceses, the following actions have been directed:

• The temporary suspension of Masses and public liturgies until further notice
• All other large gatherings are suspended

For further clarification please refer to the diocesan websites or contact your local parish office. The principal church in each parish will remain open and the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adoration at times determined by the local parish priest. Adoration at times determined by the local parish priest. The Catholics of the dioceses are dispensed from their Sunday obligations until further notice, and the Bishop encourages prayer time and reading Scriptures in the home. Details of online and televised Mass services are available at www.adelaide.catholic.org.au and may help deepen devotion on the Lord’s Day.

Priests will celebrate Mass daily by themselves, offering their prayers for the intention of the faithful and the healing of the present crisis. Priests and deacons will also be available to visit individuals, especially those who are isolated, unwell and vulnerable. This includes administering Viaticum, the Anointing of the Sick and individual Reconciliation, while observing social distancing protocols.

As Bishop Greg indicates “All would be very conscious these measures are being taken during the Season of Lent. We are going into something of a spiritual desert, and must support each other. The foregoing of the Eucharist is a severe deprivation for a Catholic. We understand that they will cause pain to many, and we put before ourselves at this time the suffering of Jesus. We pray that appropriate medical solutions will be found for this pandemic and we pray for peace of Christ among all Christians.”

I also note that preparation and celebration of First Confirmation, First Eucharist and First Rite of Reconciliation will be deferred until further notice.

Archbishop for the Archdiocese of Adelaide Announced

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Patrick O’Regan, current Bishop of Sale, as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Adelaide. The letter from Bishop Greg O’Kelly can be found here. Bishop Greg O’Kelly continues as our Apostolic Administrator until the installation of the new Archbishop.

Board Annual General Meeting and a Taste of Gilap Wanga

Given the current COVID-19 context and our commitment to mitigate the risks of the pandemic, we are suggesting that the Tenison Woods College Annual General Meeting be live streamed from the Pam Ronan Centre Lecture Theatre. We suggest that you attend from the comfort and security of your homes. To watch the AGM, please click here.

The link will was also sent via email today for interested parents and carers.

The meeting will commence at 7:00pm with the same exciting agenda:
• 7:00pm - AGM Presentations:
          • Gilap Wanga Learning Approach for 2021 and beyond – Scott Dickson and Nick Patzel
          • ACYF 2019 Contingent - Chloe Shanahan
          • Communication in our College Community – Jessica Herring
          • 2019 Annual Report
          • Ratification of the 2020 Board

I look forward to your participation through the live stream.

Enrolment of Students

I am very pleased to see that the College is experiencing significant demand in relation to enrolments. To assist with our medium and long term planning I encourage parents to lodge an enrolment form with the school as soon as they have made a decision to enrol their child at the school. For some families this decision is made very early in the newborn’s life and contacting the school at this time, no matter how early it may seem, will assist us to plan in the best possible way for your child’s experience of education in our College community. Should you wish to discuss this further please contact our College Registrar, Tracey Davey (tel. 8725 5455, or davet@tenison.catholic.edu.au).

Need a tutor? Studiosity is our free online tutoring service

I remind families that students of Tenison Woods College in Years 8-12 have access to a free online tutoring service. Students are able to connect to expert tutors for live, one-to-one conversations about homework, assignments and exam preparation from 3:00pm – 10:00pm Monday to Friday. Give it a try – I know you will appreciate the service offered by Studiosity!

God Bless,

David Mezinec | Principal