The school term has reached the halfway mark and despite the challenges of COVID19, St Michael's Nowra is still providing a normal school experience for all students. As I circulate around the school each day, I see happy students engaged in their lessons, which are well prepared by their teachers and taught accordingly. I see school support staff working with small groups and individual students, within classrooms and at times outside. I see optimistic and well intentioned staff engaging positively with the students and each other. For this and many aspects of St Michael’s daily school life, I am very grateful. As a Catholic school, we continually strive to provide a safe and caring environment for all of our school community and unreservedly use the example of Jesus to guide our words and actions. 

Last night, parents of students in Year 2 who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Penance through ‘Reconciliation’ in a few weeks, gathered together in a COVID19 safe environment in the school hall. I was pleased to see so many parents in attendance for the final night of preparation to support their children. This same spirit of optimism and genuine interest in the sacrament was present last night. I would like to thank our Year 2 staff, Mrs Mathieson, Father Joseph and all parents who attended last night. We all have much to be grateful for. At times, when I am interviewing new families for enrolment in the school, I ask them why they are enrolling in a Catholic school and their answers are varied, but usually refer to receiving a Catholic education with good values and respectful behaviours. From next week, Year 3 will commence preparing to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist through their ‘First Holy Communion’. This sacrament will be received in the first weeks of Term 4. Please keep all of our Year 2 and 3 students in your prayers. 

Due to COVID19 challenges, the school has had to once again review how we will conduct our NAIDOC Remembrance celebration in 2021. The celebration will now be videoed over the next couple of weeks and will be shared with all families and students before the end of term. Our usual celebration through prayer, dance, songs, music and student voices will be provided through a video link. These various segments will be individually videoed and put together as we did in 2020. The students have been preparing various presentations and the finished product will be something that we will all be proud of. Thank you for your patience. 

The school is continuing to prepare the teachers for the possibility of a lockdown sometime this term. We will be fully prepared to move into remote learning if required and will be open for the children of essential workers. Please continue to pray for our school to remain fully open as we have so many support programs for individual and small groups of students that would be difficult to conduct through remote learning. As an educator, father and grandfather, I am fully aware of the pressures that families in lockdown are presently experiencing, as well as the 12-14 hour days that most teachers are working to provide decent remote learning. We have much to be presently grateful for in the Shoalhaven!!