Some Catholic schools will close for two days next month for a "circuit breaker" long weekend to help reduce staff and student absences due to COVID and flu, and allow for families and staff to recharge.
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The Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL) has given schools the opportunity to close on Friday August 12 and Monday August 15 to create a long weekend - which would be the only long weekend during term three.
In the Wimmera, this would include St Brigid's and Marian College.
"The first six months of this year have, in many ways, been more difficult than the first two years of COVID," Catholic Education Ballarat executive director Tom Sexton wrote in a letter to school families.
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"The circuit breaker hopes to provide the school communities of the Wimmera and Mallee regions an opportunity to reduce both staff and student absences, helping counter the impact of ongoing pandemic and influenza related disruptions going forward.
"The not knowing who will be available to work and who will turn up to be taught on any given day has been, and will continue to be, very demanding on all. This is compounded by the shortage of teachers that many schools are facing.
"As we move into the second half of the year, we are seeking to be proactive in the interests of students, families and staff by creating a planned opportunity to pause. We appreciate that there may be some concern about lost learning time with the inclusion of a brief pause in term three, but we know that healthy educational communities optimise learning by being deliberate about wellbeing and planning proactively."
Mr Sexton said modelling indicated that schools would continue to face high levels of illness - including COVID, influenza and other respiratory illnesses - with a peak likely in August/September.
"We are very hopeful that this circuit breaker will reduce staff and student absences in the long run and to ensure any further pandemic and influenza disruptions are reduced," Mr Sexton wrote.
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