Principal's Message

Term 4, Week 7

It is wonderful to connect with our St Brigid's families as we transition through this busy time of year, celebrating both past achievements and setting a focused course for the weeks ahead. At the heart of our community is the commitment we share to the wellbeing and academic growth of every student. We have seen tremendous evidence of this collaboration recently through the dedicated work taking place in our PSG meetings, where school staff and families are partnering to set meaningful goals and pathways for student success. This vital connection between home and school is the foundation of our supportive school culture.

Our commitment to continuous improvement extends to our leadership team. Myself, along with Keena, Petrina, and Mariah, recently attended the School Improvement Network Day, dedicating time to refining our strategic focus. I also spent two days at a Principals Network meeting, discussing best practice, MACS vision, compliance, and the innovative use of AI in education, including planning around the new VCEA agreement. This collective professional learning ensures that our school is not only operating smoothly today but is being strategically managed for a thriving future. Please note that I will be taking long service leave next week. During this time, Petrina O'Grady will be serving as Acting Principal. She can be contacted for any urgent matters pogrady@sbgisborne.catholic.edu.au.

Swimming Program

Over the last two weeks, the energy and engagement across the school have been truly fantastic! Our students demonstrated resilience and spirit during both the Senior Swimming Program and the Prep Swimming Program. It was a joy to see the older students developing their skills while our youngest learners gained essential water confidence, a testament to the value of hands-on program learning.

2026 Playground Project

We are equally excited about the incredible community engagement surrounding our new 2026 Playground Project. Thank you to all the families, teachers, and students who participated in the recent voting process! This project is about creating the best possible environment for play, movement, and social development, and we value having the community's voice shape this outcome. The successful collaboration on this project highlights the wonderful school culture we share, where everyone has a part in building our future. We will announce the final design soon!

Parent & Student Device Information Session

We are excited to invite all families of our 3/4 and 5/6 students to attend a Parent & Student Device Information Session. These sessions are designed to ensure that both students and parents understand our expectations for responsible use of school devices at school and at home.

Families of our Prep and 1/2 students are also very welcome to attend. In fact, we encourage you to do so if available, as you may find this information valuable for understanding how your young person uses a device at St Brigid’s, as well as for supporting safe device use at home.

Session Details:

• Wednesday, 3 December: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
• Thursday, 4 December: 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Who Should Attend:

• Parents and their child (3/4 or 5/6 student)

Why Attend:

During these sessions, we will cover:

• How devices will be used at school and at home
• Responsibilities for students: bringing devices home and back charged, and caring for them
• How students will use their devices for homework, creative projects, and STEAM activities
• Safety measures and restrictions on the devices, including approved apps and website access
• Guidance for parents on monitoring and managing device use at home
• Expectations for both Chromebooks (3/4) and Windows 11 laptops (5/6)
• How to support your child in building responsibility and digital skills in preparation for Year 7

Important:

During the session, both parent and student will receive a new ICT Agreement. This agreement must be signed before students will be given access to a school laptop in 2026. We encourage all families to attend to ensure students are set up for success with their devices, both at school and at home. Thank you for supporting your child as they develop their responsibility, creativity, and digital skills.

Daniel Garcia

Greater Western Water's Poster Competition

A huge congratulations to Harper Formosa in Prep PJ who was awarded 2nd place in the Prep/Foundation category in Greater Western Water's Annual National Water Week Poster Competition. This is an incredible achievement given the amount of entries from over 40 schools and kinders in our region. 

Harper created a beautiful and engaging poster that reflected this year's theme "Water Heroes: Save Every Drop" and the effect that our care for this precious resource can have on our world. 

We are so proud of you Harper and we hope you continue to share your artistic and imaginative creations with us and the wider world. 

Middles Orienteering

What a fantastic afternoon we had at Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon! We were blessed with stunning weather as we wrapped up our maths unit on location with some orienteering. Students put their mapping skills to the test out in the bush, turns out “Which way is north?” is much easier to answer when you’re standing in the great outdoors with Mt Macedon looming in the background. Despite our teacher instincts telling us it was a little wild to let the kids roam through the reserve, every student returned on time, mostly unscathed and full of excitement. Their enthusiasm, teamwork, and independence were brilliant to watch. A huge thank you to Miss Glasson for organising the excursion and to our wonderful parent helpers, Lis, Natalie, Maree and Brett for supporting us on the day. The kids were amazing!

St Brigid's Twilight Netball

A group of grade 5 and 6 St Brigid’s students recently entered the MRNA Twilight Netball competition, playing a quick 30 minute game every Tuesday night for 6 weeks.

Cleverly naming themselves The Bee Stingers, the students jumped into the competition with bags of enthusiasm. Coached by Brendan Schneider, the kids took to the court at 5.50pm every Tuesday afternoon and showed some great skills and ability. With a mixture of wins and loses, the competition was a bit of fun, and a great way to get some fresh air and exercise.

The team would like to give a big thank you to Brendan for taking the time to coach and mentor the kids, and Miss Glasson and Miss Mel for the use of the school netball uniforms and courts for practice.

Warm regards, 

Mel Daly 

Principal