Dear families,
I pray you are all managing to find your own ways of getting through this extended lockdown.
It is great to hear from teachers that the majority of students are engaging in the online meetings and submitting required work. Teachers will be following up more stringently on students who miss days of online learning. We are still required to mark the roll and note students who are present online or onsite. If your child will not be present and completing work on a particular day, please ensure you are filling out the online absence form as you would for any day. That way our teachers will know not to expect any work from your child.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, Remote Learning is one of those things, alongside uniforms and homework, that we will never be able to meet every single person’s preferences. The model of Remote Learning we have ultimately come to adopt is one based on the feedback that was received from families across the first 3 lockdowns. This current version has more online meets/contact with teachers as it was what many parents wanted/requested. Some families will want more and some will want less. From our feedback, this current model suits most families.
This model does allow us to be able to cater to particular needs/requests. Many families have already approached their child’s teacher wanting more/less assistance, which in most cases has been able to be accommodated. If you feel your child needs something a little different than what is being offered, please know you can contact your child’s teacher to try and arrange some reasonable changes that better meet your and their needs.
I’m sure you’re all awaiting to hear what the next few days will bring regarding the easing of restrictions. Whatever comes, we can do this!
Please reach out if we can help in any way.
Stay well, stay safe.
Sonia
To be eligible children must be Victorian residents, aged 4 to 18 and named on a valid Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, as well as Medicare card.
Additionally, special consideration also applies for children named on their own valid Health Care Card or are residing in Care Services as well as temporary or provisional visa holders, undocumented migrants or international students. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for more information.
The Get Active Kids Voucher Program helps eligible families get their kids involved in organised sport and active recreation activities by reimbursing the cost of membership and registration fees, uniforms, and equipment. Eligible children may be able to receive up to $200 each.
Sporting pursuits, swimming lessons and outdoor active recreation programs are examples of eligible activities under the Program.
The Program encourages kids to re-engage or to participate for the first time in new activities by reducing the cost of participation which can be a significant barrier to participation.
The Program is being delivered across four Rounds until 15 April 2022.
Applications for vouchers in Round two of the program open 31 May 2021 and close 30 July 2021.
For Round two of the Program, you can claim eligible expenses which were incurred between 1 January 2021 and 30 July 2021.
You can claim one voucher per eligible child, per round.
To find out if you are eligible, how to apply, what costs are covered and more, visit
www. getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers
Here's how you can get involved and make a difference:
“It makes no difference how old you are, whether you still work or not, whether you are alone or have a family, whether you became a grandmother or grandfather at a young age or later, whether you are still independent or need assistance,” he wrote. “Because there is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to your grandchildren. You just need to set out and undertake something new.”
Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, chair of the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement, said “In honouring them, we honour their lives and journeys, and open up a richness of experience to draw from. The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly gives the Church a chance to more deeply celebrate the role older people have played in forming us as people and as believers.”
We cannot gather as we would usually this coming Monday for the feast of Sts Anne and Joachim, our annual Grandparent's Day celebration, but we hold our older generations closer in our hearts at times like these and we make a commitment to trying to host an event later in the year when safe to do so.
Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor
Leader of Religious Education
mtaylor@smaltona.catholic.edu.au