WelCom April 2022
In a message to Catholic Education leaders and staff last month, Dr Kevin Shore, CEO for the New Zealand Catholic Education Office, acknowledged the pressures school communities are experiencing due to the ongoing Covid pandemic.
‘The New Zealand Catholic Education Office is very aware of the pressure our school leaders and staff are under currently as the wave of Omicron crashes through our school communities. We have talked to a number of our principals recently who are having to manage a situation which is evolving in front of them on a daily basis. Some of our Catholic schools are having to operate remotely, some are rostering home year levels and using a hybrid model of remote and face-to-face learning while others are managing their schools in ways unique to their context. Bless you for the work you are doing on behalf of our wonderful school communities across Aotearoa. We recognise how hard it is currently and the personal cost and sacrifice so many of you are making.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow – DO GOOD ANYWAY. This statement which is just a small part of a larger piece attributed to Teresa of Calcutta struck me as capturing the challenge for our staff in schools. Many of you will be working very hard to protect and nurture your communities but you will not necessarily be recognised fully for it – but you continue to do it anyway. NZCEO appreciates as servant leaders you are currently in the trenches and your actions of love, compassion, patience and commitment are making a difference. Bless you in this work and let us hope that the challenges you are experiencing are over as quickly as possible.’
Dr Kevin Shore, Chief Executive Officer, New Zealand Catholic Education Office