Principal's Blog 3 SEP 2021

Dear Parents, Carers and Young Men of Marcellin,
The announcement this week from the Victorian Government means that our Home Learning Program will continue through to the end of Term 3. As ever, the College will continue to do all we can to support our young men. The news will be difficult for many to hear and I ask that we join together and keep in our prayers all those who are finding things particularly difficult at this time; confident in brighter days ahead and the support of one another.
 
As further information is released by the Government, we will communicate updated plans. For now, please note the following:
 
Plans for Unit 3&4 Students
The GAT is now scheduled to take place on Tuesday October 5.
Our scheduled Trial Examinations can no longer take place onsite. The College will now move to enact our plan to undertake these at home. This plan replicates our successful Trial Examination process of last year and includes: 

• All Trial Examinations will be posted home to students on Tuesday 14 September 
• An updated Trial Examination timetable will be published 
• It is recommended that students complete their Trial Examinations under examination conditions at the times scheduled for their subjects to replicate the experience of sitting examinations at different times of the day. 
• Students should return their Trial Examinations to the College on Thursday 30 Sept; a contactless drop off will be implemented. Teachers will provide feedback on the examinations in the first week of Term 4. 

• To support preparation for Unit 3&4 examinations the final day for Unit 3&4 classes with move to Thursday 21 Oct, providing additional time for students to undertake intensive revision with the support of their Unit 3&4 teachers.  

There are several considerations available for our Unit 3&4 students: 

1. Consideration of Educational Disadvantage (CED) (see information provided in email 30/08) is provided to all Unit 3&4 students through the VCAA who identify that COVID and related lockdowns have impacted them or their family. Additional information 

1. Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) is available to all students applying for tertiary places in 2022 who have been impacted during their VCE years. If there have been circumstances that have made it hard for students to do their best this should be considered. Additional information  

1. Special Provision – Special Examination Arrangements are provided by the VCAA, this includes provision and support arrangements during Unit 3&4 examinations for students with a current health diagnosis. Students who have engaged with health care professional during lockdown, in particular for mental health support should consider this support. 

 
Timetable and Day Structure
Our timetable and day structure will continue until the end of term as outlined in the Message from Student Services on August 19. In short, lessons for Years 11 & 12 students will continue to run for the normal 53 minutes duration, while lessons for Years 7-10 students may run for 40 minutes to allow for a 15-minute break between classes. Where possible, staff will endeavour to run activities that include a mixture of direct instruction, collaboration and self-directed learning to vary the screen time of our boys.
 
Absentees
Regular attendance processes will continue with an absence SMS to be sent to parents/carers of students who have not signed into morning classes. Parents are reminded to notify the College if their son is absent from online classes for any reason.
 
Reminder
Please remember that no classes will run on Friday 10 September in order to facilitate Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences.
 
Your Son’s Wellbeing
College staff are continuing to call families and conduct wellbeing check-ins. At this time, the wellbeing of each young man remains our foremost priority. We will also continue to undertake the weekly check-in surveys through the Pastoral program to further support us to identify students who may require extra assistance or intervention. We encourage parents and students to be in communication with their Pastoral, House and Subject teachers should they have any concerns. Counsellors will continue to operate via Microsoft Teams and students who wish to engage in this service will need to e-mail counsellors@marcellin.vic.edu.au to arrange an appointment. Should you have any concerns about your son’s wellbeing, please contact his Pastoral and/or House Leader who will be able to support him in this area.
 
As always, we are all advised to take frequent movement breaks, drink plenty of water and ensure we spend time away from screens. I encourage you to avail yourselves of our Daily Prayer on MyMC via the News section. Other wellbeing links and resources are also available on the Pastoral Care page and individual House pages on MyMC.
 
Access to the Campus
We ask that if your son needs to access onsite learning for one of the permitted reasons, that you please complete this form prior to having him attend the College. Please remember that appointments to seek IT support can be arranged by emailing ITsupport@marcellin.vic.edu.au. Should your son need to attend the College to collect a necessary resource, he can contact Student Services to arrange a time, preferably outside of scheduled classes, between 8:00am – 4:00pm. A further reminder that when accessing the site, usual COVID-safe protocols apply, such as signing in, mask-wearing and physical distancing.
 
My sincere thanks to all members of our community who are going out of their way to do all they can to be of support to others. The Christian message of hope encourages us to draw strength from such compassion and perseverance, and my prayer for each of us is that we can draw strength from gratitude for one another and all our blessings.