Dear Parents,

We have completed Term 1, are in the second week of Term 2, and are enjoying the benefits of being back on the GJS campus for the past five weeks!

I have come to recognize how deeply I have missed the daily engagements that were not possible during online and Home-Based Learning. I appreciate even more that which makes our school such a special place. This past week I have more than ever enjoyed feeling the positive energy and engagement that we feel when:

• students come together,

• faculty and students engage together,

• our academic programmes are further complemented by activities involving student creativity, action and service.

Do we have creative students? Yes, of course, we do! Action can be fun! Why not? Service can serve more than one purpose? Sure it can!

Three activities taking place in/around our campus highlight the positivity brought into our week:

Firstly, I have been approached by a team of CAS students seeking to solve what they see as a combined GJS student concern while also addressing the need for broader community members who require support, particularly amputees who cannot afford prosthetics. These entrepreneurs have identified a niche market to develop on our campus, have done the leg work necessary to build a viable plan, have met with concerned stakeholders and are readying to launch their initiative. While I will not steal their thunder with a premature announcement of what they plan to do, I will say I have been taken by their professionalism, focus, concern, and out-of-the-box thinking. They have modelled so well that we seek our students to become caring, principled thinkers and risk-takers.

Next, a group of teachers and students representing our Primary Environment Committee seek to expand their role and see how they can be at the epicentre of more impactful action. This aligns perfectly with one of our Schoolwide Action Plan strands, specifically Sustainability and becoming "greener" as a school. Ultimately this pathway would lead us to be recognized, nationally and internationally, for our "green" school initiatives. At the heart of this, we find a strong desire by faculty members and the GJS student body to increase their positive impact on our school, the community we serve, and beyond.

Finally, I applaud the efforts of the Secondary Student council, who planned and executed the Halloween Dress Up Day and Movie Night on Fright-day, Oct 29th of last week. These types of events, ones that raise student AND school spirit, as live on-campus events, have been absent for well over 20 months. It was tremendously satisfying to see staff and students partaking in the event, appropriately physically distancing and abiding by health protocols. IT LIFTED MY SPIRIT.

What I recognize is that these engagements are not only valuable to me but also to all others who are partaking in them. As we continue our on-campus efforts, as we gain approval to expand the number and duration of our learner engagements, as we can increase capacity for the number of on-campus students, we will see this energy and positivity continue to grow exponentially.

Please see below for current updates, information and reminders.

Updates:

GJS continues its operation during Blended Learning with:

• classrooms limited to 50% classroom capacity (max class size of 5 in Early Years, max class size of 18 for all other Year levels)

• reduced length of the academic day

• NO face to face PE or after-school activities.

We are anticipating the publication of clarifying guidelines detailing allowable duration and variation of activity during on-campus teaching and learning for schools at Level 2 or Level 1 status. While we continue to hold planning discussions at the school level, once guidelines are communicated by authorities we will consult parents, our covid task force and share our updated Blended Learning guidelines, along with the corresponding timeline for implementation, to our community. Please note that these next steps do not mark a full return to face-to-face learning on campus. What we are anticipating is a step towards increased allowable duration and variation of activity during on-campus teaching and learning.

Odd and Even Week Rotations:

Odd and Even weeks of on-campus attendance continue as previously communicated. Please see the tables below, which details our information for the remainder of Semester 1 and the start of Semester 2.

PLEASE NOTE: We have planned a "circuit-breaker" week for when we return from Semester Break. During the week of January 10 - 14, all classes for Kindy through Year 12 will be delivered in the Synchronous Home Learning (SHL) format, i.e NO ON-CAMPUS ATTENDANCE during this week for any students regardless of their odd / even on-campus participation. This will afford us certainly that when we resume Blended Learning on campus that all community members, those who may have travelled either inside or outside of Indonesia, have completed quarantine if required, secured negative covid test results and are clear and safe to return to campus.