Welcome to 2021 at Scotch College

Welcome back to all returning families, and a very special welcome to students and families joining our community for the first time. I sincerely hope your journey is everything and more than I have experienced since my family joined this great community in mid-2011.

I hazard to say that none of us saw the 2021 school year starting, or should I say stalling, with a total lockdown and no school. Having said this, most of us are now well versed in dealing with a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) environment since we first entered the world of COVID-19. I would like to acknowledge the strong positive support we received from the community regarding this week's staggered rollout of teaching and learning programmes across the school; mindful that our Early Learning students resumed classes this week.

While it was a non-preferred commencement to the school year, spare a thought for the many families who started last week in the safety and comfort of their family home and now face the uncertainty of no home and everything which that brings. My father had a saying, 'But for the grace of God go I'. Last week certainly reaffirmed this simple message and all that it means.

At times like these, it is important to call on our strong Christian Celtic foundations to give us resolve and understanding, no matter how challenging the circumstances we may face. As David Perrin notes '… in Celtic spirituality God, or perhaps more accurately, the Divine presence, was recognised intensely in the workings of nature and was easily discerned in the landscapes of Ireland, Scotland, and England. For the Celts, there was a sacredness to everyday place.' We need to focus on our own 'sense of place' and appreciate how lucky we are to be together in the Scotch community, looking forward with a positive outlook to all the great things 2021 will no doubt bring for us all.

Once again, welcome to the 2021 school year. I look forward to meeting your sons and, in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, daughters, and your family. As always, if you see me at the College or in the community, do not hesitate to come up and say hello.

Have a great, in-situ start to the year,

Dr Alec O'Connell
Headmaster