What a week!  The spread of the Covid-19 virus is rapidly changing the environment in which we live.  I have been communicating nearly on a daily basis with families this week, as have staff, so I hope you have had a chance to take in all of the changes that are happening at St Joseph’s. 

There will also need to be changes in keeping with social distancing requirements, how visitors/parents access staff and our school.  You have been so accommodating with adapting to the many changes and I thank you for your continued support. 

The best way to contact teachers is via email or phone.  If you have to come into school we ask that you do not come to the staffroom or into classrooms, but rather present to the office.  You are still welcome to discuss issues with your child’s teacher in person, we will just enforce social distancing. I know that our school is small, but we do need to make sure that these protocols are now in place, the health and well-being of students and teachers is vital.

I would like to take this opportunity to sing the praises of my staff who are currently putting in countless hours of preparation above and beyond what they normally do or what is being expected of them.  I am not sure that it is fully understood the extra pressure and expectations on teachers in our country at the moment, and the way in which all of my staff have embraced these challenging times is nothing short of amazing.  Whilst we need to transition to a different form of learning, St Joseph’s is well and truly on the way and I am so pleased with the learning that has been prepared for all students.  Whilst there are many predictions about what the future will hold for schools ie whether they will remain open, we will use the next three weeks to iron out any glitches that may occur.  I again thank you for your patience whilst this is happening.  Any questions regarding your child’s learning staff and myself will be happy to answer, however if you are taking a little time to get familiar with the online platform that is quite OK, I am confident that our students will make the transition easily.

Another gentle remind that I must have in writing if you are keeping your child at home till the end of the term.  Office staff will contact you today if you haven’t already done so.

Stay safe and have a great week.