As each of the College Leaders have touched on in their pieces throughout this edition of the Buzz, this week saw great excitement as we finally had all our students and our staff back onsite together again.

There is a general sense of excitement across the College (diluted only slightly with the normal fatigue that comes with trying to re-establish routines and get used to leaving the house after a lockdown period!) as well as a sense of gratitude for being together again. The impact of the past 18 months has looked different across each industry, but you’d be hard pressed to find a group more grateful than teachers to be getting off Zoom or Teams or similar, and back to sitting with our students, face-to-face, helping them learn and develop.

Come Monday, we’ll be doing our best to get back to ‘normal’. Both campuses will be running to normal timetables, buses will run as usual, and our Tuck Shop and Food Van will too. Normal processes will apply and ‘life at Braemar’ can get back to what we know and love.

Mr Horne and Mrs Shipp (in their pieces in this Buzz) spoke about routine and rhythm and the challenges that can come with trying to re-establish them, but also how vital they are to the flow and quality of school life. We hope that, by working together, we can all settle back into these routines seamlessly but we ask–once again–that you be kind and respectful to yourselves and others, and reach out if you need any support.

In recent updates from Mr Deer, you’ll have seen him reference the ‘three Vs for COVID-safety in schools’: Vaccination, Ventilation, and Vital COVID-safe practices. These are the essential criteria that we need to ensure are met throughout the College to keep our community safe and our school open.

• Vaccination:
  The mandatory directions regarding vaccinations are now in place in schools. These are not guidelines developed by the College, but we are required to follow them.
• Ventilation:
  As Mr Deer mentioned in his introductory piece to this Buzz, an audit has taken place across both campuses to ensure adequate ventilation is available in all spaces. Ventilation units have also been ordered to support this.
• Vital COVID-safe practices:
  There are a number of processes and practices in place around the College to keep us COVID-safe. The most relevant for families to remember are below.

Signing/checking in

We continue to limit the number of non-staff visitors to the College and we ask that wherever possible, those who do need to come onsite refrain from entering buildings.

All essential visitors are required to sign in using both the Vic Gov QR code and the standard sign-in system at reception, they must also be prepared to show vaccination status.

Students continue to use Roll Call on the bus each day as their means of signing in (or reception as normal should they not arrive on the bus).

Sanitiser/general hygiene

Hand sanitiser continues to be made available throughout the buildings on each campus and we encourage all staff and students to use it regularly.

Face masks

Following the most recent changes to mask-wearing mandates, all students and staff are required to wear a mask at all times (with the exception only for those with a documented medical exemption and during PE class).

We ask for your support in reminding students to have masks with them and encouraging them to be respectful of staff when enforcing the rule.

They did it! Our wonderful and inspiring Year 12 Class of 2021 officially finished their time at Braemar (their formal classes) this week. With written VCE examinations starting with English on Wednesday, we hope that the whole group have enjoyed some rest and celebration over the past week and this weekend, before the busy schedule of exam prep and study recommences!

This cohort has experienced disruptions and challenges the entire way through their VCE (year 11 and 12); we couldn’t be more proud of the determination, adaptability, and resilience that they’ve shown as they’ve supported one another through their final years of school in these challenging times.

We spent this week celebrating their achievement with a range of activities and treats planned to ensure they had an opportunity to enjoy this time together. The end of Year 12 is filled with so much emotion; we hope the students enjoyed being able to reflect, reminisce, and feel proud together. We’re so glad that they could finish their final year by being back onsite.

As Mr Deer referenced in his piece in this Buzz, some of our Year 12 cohort have already commenced their final examinations, with performance and language oral examinations starting over the past fortnight. Practising performance pieces (whether music or drama) and oral/conversational language skills has been especially difficult throughout the periods of remote learning. Well done to those students–and their teachers–for their hard work and dedication.

Not long ago, we called out for messages of support from our Braemar Community for our Year 12s. These messages have been shared with the students to encourage them through their final months. Over the last few weeks, as they’ve been gradually back on site, they’ve been able to see some of them displayed around the VCE buildings as a constant reminder of the supportive community they are – and will always be – part of.

A collage of some of the kind messages is available here.

Congratulations Class of 2021, we wish you the very best of luck for your examinations and can’t wait to continue the celebrations with you at the end of the year.

In the middle of next month there are two scheduled immunisation sessions; one for Year 10 students (meningococcal vaccine) and one for Year 7 students (HPV vaccine – second dose). These routine sessions are scheduled to go ahead as planned, however we want to remind all families that these immunisations are not compulsory. It is standard practice that these sessions are run throughout each year, providing opportunities for students to receive immunisations against a variety of illnesses; our local council (Macedon Ranges Shire Council) is the administering body for these sessions.

This year, as many young people have received their COVID-vaccine, there may be concerns or questions from families regarding co-administration of vaccinations. Click here to read a document issued by the Australia Government and addresses these concerns, citing that a minimum seven-day period interval should pass between the COVID-19 vaccine and any other.

If you have any concerns or queries regarding these immunisations, please consult your GP.

It’s that time again…time for the annual VCE Art Exhibition!

This year, our P&F Association (P&F) are once again hosting a virtual event to showcase the wonderful artworks of our VCE students. After great success last year, the P&F are running the art exhibition virtually again, paired with an at-home wine tasting presented by Mount Towrong Vineyard.

For the past 11 years, the P&F have had an annual Art Acquisition Prize where one artwork from the VCE submissions is chosen and purchased by the College, supporting the student and allowing us to create a historical collection of student pieces. This year (like last year) you are invited to attend this virtual evening and have your say in the piece that should win this year’s prize.

This year’s event is scheduled for Monday 15 November, from 7:30pm.

Tickets are available now via trybooking (click here to book now) – your selection will be delivered to your door prior to the event and you will be emailed a Zoom link to attend.

Click here for the event poster.

Note: this event is not a fundraiser, we simply hope to create an enjoyable opportunity to share the brilliant work of our VCE students, while supporting a local Mount Macedon business.