Principal's Report 

~ Positive Education for Life ~

Every Child Known, Encouraged, Challenged and Supported

Dear Parents and Friends of St Brendan’s,

It is with great pleasure that I write our newsletter this week. As we continue to navigate Covid Safe protocols, there is so much for us to celebrate as a school community.

KABOOM SPORTS and WELCOME PICNIC

Last Thursday evening, we were excited to welcome all families back to St Brendan’s for a Welcome Picnic and Kaboom Sports evening. It was so heartwarming to see our Sports Captains embrace their new roles with energy, leadership and kindness. It was delightful to see our students join wholeheartedly in the fun. I really enjoyed meeting with so many parents as the staff engaged with students. It was the first strong sign that the St Brendan’s community is alive, well and living in Somerville!

HOLIDAYS DURING SCHOOL TERM

If you are planning to take a holiday during the school term, please be advised that there is an absentee form that we require you to complete. I have sent a 'how to' reminder out to all parents and carers on Skoolbag today.  Please also be aware that we do not provide school learning tasks for students who are absent on holidays during the term. We recommend that children engage fully in their holiday experiences by discussing them with their parents and the friends they travel with. We strongly recommend that children spend some time each day reading. As well as this, children may:

• Keep a travel diary
• Calculate distances between towns
• Calculate the cost of holiday expenses - meals, admission prices, petrol etc
• This link outlines curriculum for every year level. Learning tasks in all curriculum areas can be found here: 

https://sites.google.com/education.nsw.gov.au/learning-pack-2022-year1-2-t1/home

FIRST ASSEMBLY

We held our first assembly for 2022. Our School Captains; Tilly Black and Khaya Grimaldi and Vice Captains; Brydie Burns and Jesse Zdziech capably organised and led the event. We announced our Student Representative Council (SRC)members and congratulated them on their roles. 

Our SRC Leaders for Semester One are:

Foundation B: Jessica M and Jack D

Year 1/2H: Willow G and Massimo A

Year 1/2MK: Madeline G and Duke P

Year 1/2 T: Charlotte S and Henry C

Year 3/4C: Willow D and Hunter D

Year 3/4T: Taylah B and Chace G

Year 3/4V: Tilly B and Casey S

Year 5/6B: Lyla W and Matthew C

Year 5/6C: Skye S and Will R

Year 5/6R: Sienna M and Aedan J

 I thank Mrs Marg Van Der Peet who will work with the SRC in 2022. Please watch out for the wonderful work they will do.

HALF COURT BASKETBALL COURT

After waiting for what felt like for the longest time, we finally had our glass backboard and ring installed last week. This completes our half court basketball court. The students are so excited to have this wonderful new court as part of our playground. The children are eagerly awaiting their year level’s turn on the weekly roster.

I would like to sincerely thank the Fitzgerald family (Rowan Year 6 2021) for their amazing generosity in donating the court to St Brendan’s school. A plaque has been installed to acknowledge their generosity. We will welcome the Fitzgerald family back to St Brendan's to view the court in coming days.

NEW TABLE TENNIS TABLE / NEW COLOURED GAMES and LINEMARKING

You may also have noticed that we have a new table tennis table available for students to enjoy during their recess and lunch breaks. Thanks to our wonderful P.E. teacher; Mrs Ange Seaburgh for organising this great addition to our playground. 

Over the summer break, we also had all lines remarked and two new games painted on our asphalt. I’m sure you’ll agree that these are a colourful addition to our playground.

QUIET PLAY ALMOST READY TO REOPEN

Our quiet playspace is a popular spot at recess and lunch  times for many students who find the open spaces of the playground a little overwhelming. Bean bags, plants, new instant turf, new workbench and stools all contribute to providing a space where children can chat, read, draw, play Lego and just generally relax. Please feel free to walk through in the morning for a look. We now just await some art work to adorn the space. 

ST BRENDAN’S EDUCATION BOARD

This year, the  St Brendan’s Education Board will adopt a new name. It will now be known as the St Brendan’s School Advisory Council. The change of name is due to all Catholic schools becoming compliant  under the new umbrella of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (M.A.C.S). A formal letter of explanation will follow this newsletter. Please be advised that the Board will meet once per term and twice in Term Four. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Council, please contact me to discuss your interest. At this stage, we have at least one vacancy for a new member. 

SCHOOL UNIFORM

I would like to thank all parents for responding in such a positive manner to my communication regarding the  wearing of full and correct school uniform.  Any child who is not now wearing the correct school uniform, will receive a Uniform Infringement Notice.

As we all follow our theme of ‘Our Personal Best’, I would like to acknowledge our students and staff for giving just that in the first four weeks of the school year.

LONG SERVICE LEAVE

Next week, I will be away from school for one week. I am lucky to be travelling to Kangaroo Island in South Australia with my husband, daughter, son-in-law and their children. In my absence, Bernie Turner will capably lead St Brendan’s School with the assistance of our Leadership Team. I thank her for making this wonderful opportunity possible.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK.

Decreasing Separation  Anxiety

‘With separation anxiety, the longer the goodbye, the longer the anxiety will fight for you to stay. Our children need us to lead them into BRAVERY and ultimately, into CALMNESS. But first, there will be ANXIETY.

What to Do…..

When you know they are in safe hands, let the goodbye be loving, quick and confident.

When you leave, your child’s brain and body will start to adapt. The brain will neutralise the surge of fight or flight neurochemicals that is making your child feel so awful. Then, their brain and body can rest and they can get on with their day.  KAREN YOUNG  ‘Hey Sigmund’

Please don’t hesitate to contact me  should you need to ask a question, need a chat  or to provide me with some feedback. I am always available to connect with our parent community and will do so at my earliest convenience.

Yours in partnership,

Sue