Principal's Report

Dear families,

Our “Year of Hope” is already well underway with the Yr 12 Retreat and Year 7 Camp successfully completed. I was blessed to spend a few days with our brilliant senior leaders in Halls Gap as we discussed their hopes. It was wonderful to see many new families join us at the Year 7 Welcome BBQ last week. As a community, we are always looking for ways to include families into our events and activities. I would like to canvas support from families who may be interested in attending broader community events, either locally or further afield, such as a visit to the Lume Gallery to see the new Vincent van Gogh exhibition and other cultural celebrations. 

Last year, our Parent Reference Group was a great way for us to receive feedback regarding plans and ideas we have over the year. Unfortunately, the chair, Amanda Carracher, and other key personnel are unavailable this year due to the busy nature of life. We are considering other ways that we can provide an online option for feedback from parents that may be more accessible and less demanding for families. If you would like to be part of this new online version of the PRG, please email prg@stbc.vic.edu.au so that we can collect contact details.

I would like to announce that in addition to Vanessa O’Loughlin chairing our School Advisory Committee (SAC) this year, Mr Binesh Tholath has joined the team. I am sure the experience and wisdom of Binesh will enhance our deliberations. The other members of our SAC; Andrew Sostheim, Amanda Carracher and Vicki Thomas, will also act as advocates for the College community and I thank them for their time. Mr Tim O’Farrell is the Catholic Education Ballarat representative on the committee and can be contacted at Ph 4344 4350 .

In today’s newsletter I have included a letter outlining a project we are undertaking to better understand our current Catholic identity and where the school community might like to see itself in the future. You will soon receive an email requesting your feedback on what St Brigid’s current Catholic identity is and where we should be going. This survey is referred to as Enhancing Catholic Schools Identity (ECSI) and, while I understand the pressures on your time,  I ask all families to take the time to complete this survey to provide us with the valuable data on how we can best serve you and your child. Together we are making great strides as a community.

Kind regards,

Gerard Raven