Dear Members of Kildare College
We hope that this letter finds you safe and well, as we all prepare for a new way of living as a result of COVID-19. The health and economic consequences of this pandemic have had an immediate impact on our society and on the livelihood of thousands of people, as well as affecting the emotional and mental wellbeing of individuals and the community. In all this uncertainty, we would like to reassure all families that Kildare Ministries, together with the Kildare community have been discussing ways to best support our families and staff.
Each Kildare Ministries school is confident that the infrastructure and resources are in place to ensure the continuity of learning for their students. The Kildare Education Ministries Board, the Principal and the staff have made the health and safety of the community their first priority and you would have received communications from Tina Neate for these special arrangements. As parents or guardians you are called into partnership with us in a new way. You will have a greater part to play in ensuring the learning is continued at home and this might prove difficult for some families, dependent on their special circumstance. Further, the emotional and social wellbeing of your daughter/s also needs monitoring as the current situation will isolate them from their friends and the increased reliance on social media and digital platforms might reveal other issues.
These are unchartered waters for schools as well, so it is very important that you keep in touch with your daughter/s teachers and hopefully issues that arise can be worked through.
Importantly, there will be families in our schools who are now facing a lack of employment security or who are already unemployed, with far reaching consequences on the family income and lifestyle. We would like to categorically assure you, that if this is the situation you find yourself in, your child is valued above all else and her enrolment is not in jeopardy. What is important is that your daughter/s education remains stable and secure and that as a community we stay connected through open lines of communication, albeit electronically for a while.
Please do not hesitate to contact our Business Manager, Lil Mader at lmader@kildare.catholic.edu.au or 08 8369 9999 if you currently find yourself in this situation. This also applies for the coming weeks and months. Kildare College has process in place that will support families in these unprecedented times.
We ask that families who are still able to meet their fee obligation continue to do so. It is important that the College remains financially viable and your regular contribution to school fees, if you are able, will be an essential element.
In recent weeks we have come to understand that we are facing the most significant challenge in recent memory and if history teaches us nothing else, we know that staying connected, looking after our neighbour and being kind and compassionate towards one another will make the burden more manageable.
Remember that Kildare is a place of support and care, so please make contact and stay in touch with your daughter/s teachers. We pray that you all remain safe and well and that normality will return to our lives in the not so distant future.
Yours sincerely
Rosemary Copeland
Co-Chair Trustees
Maree Marsh
Co-Chair Trustees
Louise Cleary
Chair of the Board
