Principals Report
Sue Carr
Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of St Brendan’s,
Welcome back to Term 3.
It was wonderful to see all of our students return to St Brendan's and settle so well into their learning. This is an important term requiring full focus across all curriculum areas as we build on the excellent progress made in the first half of the year.
Sacrament of Confirmation
Please keep our 13 Year 6 students in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday, 1 August at St Brendan’s Church. In a beautiful celebration of our wider Catholic community, they will be joined by 5 students from St Mary’s Hastings, St Joseph’s Crib Point, and the broader Western Port Parish. The sacrament will be conferred by Father Andrew, Episcopal Vicar for the Southern Region.
We extend our appreciation and gratitude to our Religious Education Leaders, Erica Hudson and Daniela Ruberto, as well as our dedicated Year 5/6 Team: Kylie Edgar, Kim McKeown, Loren Kondarios, Margaret VanDerPeet, Sarah Bagshaw, Sandra Smith, and Sharon Christensen. Thank you all for your exceptional support and guidance in preparing our students for this important next step in their faith journey.
Loving God, we thank you for the teachers, parents, and sponsors guiding our Confirmation candidates on this sacred journey. Equip our students with the Holy Spirit's gifts, inspiring them to live out their faith through kindness, leadership, and integrity in our classrooms and playground everyday. Amen.
Term 2 School Review Update
We are pleased to share that an excellent review process was successfully completed in Week 10 of Term 2. As we continue to refine our practices, our leadership team eagerly awaits the upcoming Dialogue and Feedback session with our reviewer, Kylie Graham, and our MACS Senior Manager, Jenny Hawkins, which will take place on Tuesday, August 4. We look forward to sharing the valuable insights gained from the review with our school community.
Playground and Facilities Update
Due to recent wet weather, we have asked our students to play carefully and sensibly while we experience muddy conditions on the oval and soccer pitch. Your support in reinforcing this at home is greatly appreciated.
On a more exciting note, we cannot wait to share the official start dates for our upcoming capital works, which include major drainage improvements for the oval and the construction of new student toilets. We hope to go to tender for these projects in September and will keep you updated on our progress.
Week 2 Assembly
Thank you to Year 3/4D and Mrs Jess Dankert for their wonderful assembly presentation yesterday. It was fantastic to see the students share their learning and presentation skills so confidently with our school community. Thank you to the many parents, grandparents and special visitors to St Brendan’s who attended yesterday.
Religious Education Symposium
This week, Bernie Turner, Erica Hudson and I will be attending the Religious Education Symposium at the Melbourne Convention Centre on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd July. During our absence, our school will be in the capable hands of Camille Rossouw and Justin Barry, who are both valued members of the St Brendan's leadership team. Please do not hesitate to contact them through the school office should you require any assistance.
CSPV Parent Newsletter.
I would like to bring to your attention the Catholic Schools Parents Newsletter which can be found at www.cspv.catholic.edu.au
New editions are produced quarterly. The latest includes information on:
Introductions for the CSPV Chair and Executive Officer
NAPLAN Results Are Coming Home – What do they mean for your child?
Parenting in the Digital Age
Webinar – Understanding AI and New Online Risks for Children – presented by the eSafety Commission.
Open Communication
As always, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers if you have any queries or concerns regarding their learning or wellbeing. Bernie Turner and I are also always available if you need to speak with us directly.
Have a great week.
Warmest regards,
Sue Carr
