Executive Director’s Update to Principals #31 - 23 June 2022
Prayer
God of pastures and God of lambs, these new-born creatures of spring know nothing of the worry
or anxiety of our last month.
They know instead of
the earth beneath them
and the sky above,
and a mother who cares for them daily. May we who are more experienced remind each other of
the steadiness of your providence,
the instinct in your protection,
the simplicity of your love.
And may we then with confidence
find our footing in this new-born world.
Amen.
Update
Within this update:
- Circuit Breaker Long Weekend template correspondence for families
- 2023 Draft Calendar
- Vaccine Mandate Template letter
- Further resources to support Vaccine Mandate changes
Circuit Breaker Long Weekend template correspondence for families.
As introduced in our remote Leadership gathering meeting last Thursday, June 16th, schools are encouraged to take the opportunity for a mid-term three break to support other well-being initiatives to combat the fatigue experienced as a result of the pandemic.
Schools are not compelled to take the long weekend, but the opportunity exists and the attached correspondence outlines the rationale for the break. In the face of a COVID-19 environment in combination with an atypical peak flu season, this initiative is intended to assist workforce management.
To try and achieve consistency, the first preference for the circuit breaker weekend is August 12 – 15. In line with your assessment of what is beneficial for your community, you are able to determine whether it is a 3 or 4 day break, and you will need to adjust the correspondence accordingly.
If that weekend does not work for your community, then the next weekend August 19 – 22 would be desirable. Schools that are in towns with other Catholic schools should liaise with their colleagues before any announcements are made.
If you have any questions about the circuit breaker weekend, please liaise with your Education Consultant.
2023 Draft Calendar.
The attached draft calendar has been prepared to support planning for 2023. At this stage, it is a draft calendar and includes all the current available CEB dates. Principals may not recognize some of the professional learning activities, but we would appreciate your critical feedback on potential clashes by 4PM 31 July to Kerrie Zammit - kzammit@dobcel.catholic.edu.au. Following the end of July we will simplify the calendar for respective audiences – schools and CEB staff, however we wanted transparency of the full range of activities in the developmental stage.
Vaccine Mandate Template letter.
The attached template letter may assist schools to communicate with families regarding the changes to the vaccine mandate in preparation for next term.
Further resources to support Vaccine Mandate changes.
As discussed yesterday, Principals are encouraged to speak with their Ed Con in the first instance if they have staff returning from the leave following the lifting of the vaccine mandate. Following yesterday’s conversation, we are working on some further resources to support Principals who have staff returning from the vaccine mandate.
- Slides from yesterday’s Principals presentation.
The slides from yesterday’s presentation are attached here. These slides are not intended for general distribution. They have been prepared with the limited information that we have available. - Video recording from yesterday's Principals presentation.
- Vaccine Mandate Q&A.
The attached Q&A has been modified by CEB from the Department of Education guidelines and may not fully reflect the CECV position. Again, this information is developmental and offered for your support, and is not for sharing. We are still following up on whether there will be an updated Operation Guide.