Dear Monsignor, Fathers, Deacons and staff members,

I am sure you are aware of the very welcome news that restrictions on our churches will begin to be relaxed from midnight tonight. 

In summary, the following will now be permitted in churches or other parish properties:

• Private prayer for up to 10 people (in addition to door attendant)
• Liturgies or prayer groups with up to 10 attendees (in addition to celebrant, ministers, door attendant, etc.)
• Funerals indoors with up to 20 attendees (in addition to celebrant and funeral staff)
• Funerals outdoors with up to 30 attendees (in addition to celebrant and funeral staff)
• Weddings with up to 10 attendees (in addition to bride, groom and celebrant)

In all cases, the following requirements apply:

• Distancing of at least 1.5m between attendees
• Signage at the church door specifying the maximum number permitted at any time, allowing 4 square metres/person
• A register of attendees, including: name, phone number, date & time of attendance
• Reasonable time between events to allow for cleaning
• Cleaning by wiping with disinfectant:
• Frequently touched surfaces (at least twice/day)
• Whenever a surface is visibly soiled
• Immediately after a spill

I have attached relevant parts of the official regulations for your reference.  The full document is available on the following website: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/state-emergency

I am very mindful that opening churches to only 10 people is problematic, especially on Sundays, and I provide the following by way of advice and suggestion:

• The canonical limit of celebrating no more than three masses/day continues to be relevant
• It may be helpful to ask parishioners to book in advance, preferably by a web-based booking service like TryBooking, Eventbrite or Calendly or by phone or email, with an advertised cut off time, say late the day before
• Ensuring the contact register, attendance limits and cleaning regime are enforced will require an attendant whenever churches are open; therefore, you should probably advertise particular periods of time when your church will be open, with intervals between for cleaning
• As not every parishioner will be able to be accommodated, we need to continue to be mindful of keeping contact with those who are not physically present

I wish you and your people every blessing as we begin to gather again in person for prayer and worship.

Yours in Christ

Fr Peter Slater

The Victorian State Government has announced that Victorian school students will begin a phased return to classrooms. Monday, 25 May 2020, will be a pupil free day to support all school staff to prepare and complete the necessary planning for a successful transition back to school.

This means that from Tuesday, 26 May 2020, all Foundation (Prep), Grade 1 and Grade 2 students will return to on-site learning.

Students in Grades 3 to 6 will continue Remote Schooling at home until Tuesday, 9 June 2020, except for:

• children of parents who cannot work from home;
• children who are not able to be supervised at home and no other arrangements can be made
• vulnerable children.

On Tuesday, 9 June 2020, all students will return to face to face classroom learning and will be expected to attend school as normal. 

This decision has been made to give staff, schools to and families time to prepare for the return to classrooms and will give the Victorian Government and the Chief Health Officer time to monitor and evaluate the effects that the phased return to school has on the increased movement of people and transmission within the community.

I wish to reassure you that the safety and wellbeing of our school community will remain our highest priority with physical distancing provisions being made for the safety of students and staff.

I appreciate that Remote Schooling has been a challenging time for all and I thank all our parents, guardians, carers and the wider school community for their hard work and support during this time.

Further information is currently being prepared to facilitate the return to classroom learning and will be provided to you as soon as possible. 

If you require assistance or additional support, please contact school on 5623 7222 during school hours or email admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

NO SCHOOL BUSES

As all Victorian schools now have a mandated student free day on Monday 25th May, there will be no school buses running in the Drouin Network on this day as students will not be at school.

With the return to school and adjustments to Drouin Secondary’s assessment cycle, Drouin Secondary will postpone their June 5th student free day until the last day of term, Friday June 26th.

Special provision will be made for students needing bus transport on Friday 26th June if the bus co-ordinator’s Elisa or Maureen from Drouin Secondary are notified in advance, otherwise the Drouin Network buses will not operate on Friday 26th June.

If any bus travellers require transport to/from school on Friday 26th June please email Elisa to advise of your requirements: Elisa.Fitzsimmons@education.vic.gov.au

HEALTH CARE CONCESSION CARD

For any families that have recently received a Government means-tested health care concession card, please forward a copy of your card to the office to check your eligibility, as a fee concession may apply. The card must be in the name of the parent/fee payer for a fee concession to apply. admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

2021 SIBLING ENROLMENT FORMS NOW DUE

Foundation enrolments for the 2021 school year are now open & we request all existing St Ita’s families with a sibling due to commence school next year, to please complete an enrolment form and return to the school office by the end of May.

Unfortunately, due to COVID -19 and remote learning we are unable to have parent - student meetings and tours of the school at the moment, however they are still part of the enrolment process and will be conducted at a later stage. 

Enrolment forms are available on Care Monkey, via email or collection from the office or if you would  prefer a form to be posted out to you, please contact our Admin staff via email on: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au during school office hours; Monday – Friday between 8.30am – 3.30pm and we will get one sent out to you. 

Any friends or new families to the school that are looking to enrol a Foundation student next year are  requested to contact the school office this term, preferably by email and the enrolment information will be sent to them.