Principal’s Message | Dr Michael Carroll
Dear Members of the Terrace Family,
It has been a relief to complete a full week at Terrace that bears some semblance of normality. Last week was one of the most unusual I have encountered in my many years working in education. The frequent changes, lack of consistent messaging and the speed of action at a Government level certainly kept the Terrace Family on their toes. I thank families for their understanding, ability to mobilise, and willingness to help others through a very challenging week. With only three weeks until the end of term, we hope to have an uninterrupted run into Easter.
Although it has been a more regular week in terms of school routine, we need to remember that many in our community, and certainly within the wider Brisbane community, continue to deal with despair and hardship following the loss of so much in recent weeks. A reminder that if you require any assistance, including food supplies, please contact our Care and Concern Group: CareandConcern@terrace.qld.edu.au
Last week, I shared photos of the flood’s impact on our Tennyson playing fields. Although the flood levels were not as high as those of 2011, it is fair to say that the facility has been significantly affected. Fortunately, there has been no contamination of the fields, but most structures and buildings will require significant reconstruction. As I have shared previously, we have already engaged insurers, builders and architects, and work has commenced.
The rebuild will likely take some time, and in fact, it may be several months before Tennyson will be fully operational again. Although the ‘Terrace Mud Army’ wasn’t required last week, there will be a need to mobilise helpers once the building work is completed. I will keep the Terrace Family posted on further developments at Tennyson. There have been several photographs of the damage at Tennyson posted on the College’s social media and we will continue to update the community this way. Sadly, it appears very unlikely that any further Cricket matches will be hosted at Tennyson for the remainder of this season. Only limited Rowing activities from the boatshed may be possible.
As has already been communicated, the GPS Swimming Championships were postponed from Friday 4 March to today for our Under 13 – Opens swimmers. The Junior GPS Championships (Under 10 – Under 12) will be held on Thursday 17 March. We wish our swimmers all the best for tonight.
In other GPS news, the Head of the River has also been postponed until Saturday 19 March.
Amidst the chaos of last week, the impact of COVID took a back seat. The restrictions imposed on schools have now been lifted, which means the mask mandate has been removed, large school gatherings are now permitted and online learning has been suspended. COVID remains present in our community with 29 students isolating and nine COVID positive. We have zero staff currently COVID positive. With rule relaxations now in place, it is even more vital that we stay vigilant with our hygiene and social distancing practices, particularly as we head into the Term 1 exam period.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have highlighted student stories in our College community. This week I would like to share the Friday Morning Roll Call at Waterford each week. The morning commences with a BBQ breakfast from 7am and is followed by staff working with students to revise work covered in classes during the week. While there is an academic focus at Roll Call each Friday, there is also a strong pastoral and relational focus that further enhances Waterford's unique experience for our Terrace students. The photo below captures the value of the Friday Morning Roll Call program and further highlights how a strong relationship between staff and students is key to the strength of the Terrace Family. Thank you to all the staff and students involved.
Finally, this week, I again thank all members of the Terrace Family for the support, flexibility, understanding and resilience that has been displayed throughout Term 1. It has been challenging to develop the familiar rhythm of school life so far this year. We remain hopeful that some predictability over the next few weeks will allow for re-establishing these important routines.
Have a great week and stay safe.
God Bless.