Principal’s Update – 1 June 2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

Re: Year 9 students – Thursday 2 June: School Closure

Since the commencement of Term 2, the College has been juggling a reduced workforce as a result of COVID cases and the flu, which are widespread across the community. We are pleased that up until now this term we have managed normal operations with only Year 10 thus far having to be closed for one day. We acknowledge the teaching staff have continued to be allocated additional classes to cover gaps and have been generous with their time.

However, we have exhausted all contingencies in our efforts to manage the staffing at Coolock this Thursday. The College has consulted Mercy Education Ltd and Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd and it has been determined that the Year 9 students will be asked to stay at home this Thursday 2 June. This does not include the Year 9 students already at camp.

As the College was having difficulty allocating appropriate levels of teaching staff across the campus, the decision to preclude one year level from onsite attendance allows the Year 9 teachers to be reallocated. Students are encouraged to continue with their own personal study. Please understand that online delivery is not currently permitted within the guidelines.

If your child is unable to remain at home, then they may attend the College where their private study will be supervised. There will be no scheduled Year 9 classes.

At this stage, Friday 3 June will be a normal day, with all students attending onsite, except of course the Year 9 students who are currently on camp.

Unfortunately, these closures could well become more common and are already growing more frequent across all educational sectors. The lack of replacement teachers across the board is a massive issue and we are working hard to ensure normal operations for our students.

We apologise for this inconvenience and thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely

Brian Turner, Principal