This week has been a very positive time as we have welcomed various cohorts of students back onsite at Leslie Road. In preparing for their return, we have been thinking particularly about how we can keep the girls safe, and I have been impressed with the ways in which all students have embraced the various safety measures in place to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. Of course student safety is not just something we think about when there is a pandemic. It is something that is regularly at the forefront of our minds. Recently, the School has been completing an audit for the Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority that had us look specifically at the ways in which we implement the Victorian Child Safe Standards, provide education to our community about the reporting of child abuse and also how we support students who are at risk of anaphylaxis. I am incredibly proud of the policies and practices we have in place to fulfil these obligations and feel confident that our girls are, indeed, incredibly safe at Lowther Hall – physically, emotionally and socially. It is also the time of year that we complete an audit of the registration of all of our teaching staff through the Victorian Institute of Teaching – a process which ensures that all those working directly with students have up to date police checks and appropriate qualifications. Also, our Occupational Health and Safety Committee, which is comprised of staff representatives from across the whole school has met this week to update our Air Quality Policy in light of recent changes of procedure associated with COVID-19. All of these different regulatory and compliance procedures combine with our world class pastoral programs and our caring and committed staff to mean that we know we are welcoming our girls back into an incredibly safe and positive school!

Ms Elisabeth Rhodes
Principal