On behalf of the Roncalli College staff, I would like to thank the students and their whānau for engaging with, and supporting remote learning during the lockdown period. We were pleased overall with the high level of student participation as we know that households were busy, and sometimes hectic places, trying to accommodate everybody’s individual needs and schedules. And we also accept that remote learning was a struggle for some of our learners and their families. We are fortunate and grateful to get such tremendous support from our community. Thank you.

I would also like to acknowledge my staff who continued to show care and concerns for their students while also managing their own busy families. I know one teacher who had to resort to teaching in a broom cupboard to escape the domestic chaos! No, it wasn’t me. While it was a bit of a juggling act for some of our teachers, they remained positive, professional, and compassionate.

It has been great to see staff and students arriving back on-site this week and getting reacclimated. I believe that remote learning has a shelf-life and that most of us are eager to reconnect face to face and get back to some sort of normalcy. Personally, I have been missing my barista made coffees from the foods room.

Finally, I want to thank you for supporting us with the staggered return for our senior and junior students. The students and staff I have spoken with were pleased not to feel overwhelmed and pressured on their first day back to on-site learning.

"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King