Principals Report

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of St Brendan’s,

Welcome to our first newsletter of the new school year. I am delighted to warmly welcome all students, those returning and our new students and their families as valued members of our school community. I am delighted by the wonderful start the children have made to the new academic year. 

I would like to thank all parents for preparing their children so well to come  to school for their very first or their subsequent year of learning. I would like to sincerely thank our wonderful administration team of Wendy Ziino and Louise Street for the warm and helpful manner in which they have assisted families and staff to settle comfortably into the new school year. I would also like all members of the parent community to know just how proud and grateful I am to work with the teaching staff of St Brendan’s. The welcome and support they offer your children each and every day is to be commended. Finally, I would like to thank the Leadership Team of St Brendan’s School for the skills they use to execute their roles. They are  the people who support me each and every day to do what I do as I play my part in leading our school.

Please know that this newsletter is one of the ESSENTIAL communication tools that we use to keep you informed. This newsletter will be sent to you every second Tuesday of school terms. Please play your part in our partnership by reading it and by recording important dates into your diary. 

Congratulations to Our Beautiful New Foundation Students

What a wonderful start our newest students made to their first very important year of school. We are immensely proud of the way they have settled into the wonderful and occasionally, daunting world of school! I would like to congratulate their parents for their friendly and supportive presence in our school. I would like you all to know that you are most welcome in our community and that we are delighted that you and your children are here.

Welcome to Our Other New Families

I would also like to welcome the following families whose children have joined us in other classes across our school. I wish you and your children a strong sense of welcome and belonging as you all settle into your new community.

We welcome:

• Thomas M (Year 1/2B)
•  Isabella M (Year 3/4 O)
•  Robbie F (Year 3/4 V)
•  Noah H (Year1/2B)
•  Jade S (Year 5/6 R)

Off Site Displan Drill - Friday 9 February 9.45am

On Friday February 9, all students will be escorted off site for an emergency evacuation practice. We are conducting this activity to comply with Occupational Health and Safety requirements, as part of our emergency evacuation training and to help us to provide a safe learning environment for your children. All children will walk in class groups from our school to the grassed area alongside the car park opposite Somerville Rise Primary School. All teachers and Learning Support staff will be in attendance. We will explain to the children that they are not in any danger and that this practice is to help keep them safe.  The entire exercise should take approximately 60 minutes.

Parents who are new to St Brendan’s will have received an email yesterday requiring them to login to Operoo. You will then receive a permission slip for this activity from Operoo. Please do not ignore this alert. Please grant permission when you receive it. Please always respond to an alert from Operoo otherwise it will keep reminding you until you take action. Thank you for your support in this matter. 

Whole School Mass Wednesday 14 February 9.30am

All parents and grandparents are warmly invited to join with students and teachers to attend our St Brendan’s Parish Ash Wednesday Mass which is being prepared by our Year 3/4 teachers and students. Please come to Mass to celebrate with Father Shymon and the entire school/parish community the beginning of the Season of Lent. At this Mass, ashes will be distributed to those adults who wish to receive them and to all students as we pray for God’s blessings as we journey towards the great celebration of Easter. Please come and join as we pray as a community and grow together in faith, hope and love. You are all most welcome and we look forward to seeing you there. On this occasion, please note that Mass is at 9.30am. Please also note that our Opening of the School Year Mass will be celebrated on Thursday 22nd February at 11.30am.

Meet the Teacher Tuesday 13 February 3.30pm - 6.00pm and Wednesday 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Each February, we hold ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions so that parents are provided with an opportunity to meet their child/children’s teacher/teachers. These brief ten minute meetings provide an excellent opportunity for you to share any important information about your child with their new teacher/teachers. Please be aware that your child’s teacher will not give you an academic report at this early stage of the year but will be able to tell you how they believe your child has settled into their new class. This is an excellent opportunity to build a positive relationship with your child’s  teacher.

Please note the early finish time of 1.00pm for students on Wednesday 14th of February. Children can be booked into Their Care Out of Hours School Care should you require it. You should have received an email regarding booking an appointment yesterday. If you are not available during the allocated times please make alternative arrangements with your child's classroom teacher.

Learning and Teaching the St Brendan’s Way

Our theme for learning this year is ‘Learning and Teaching the St Brendan’s Way’. This year, we will embed approaches from ‘The Science of Learning’ and ‘The Science of Reading’ as we seek to use research based, evidence based practices to ensure learning entitlement for all students at St Brendan’s. Each fortnight there will be further information in our newsletter explaining the approaches we are embedding across our school from Foundation to Year 6. 

Next fortnight, you hear more about the teaching of reading and mathematics. We look forward to sharing with you information and explanations about these new approaches.

High Expectations Are Key to Creating Respectful, Kind and Engaged Students

We have high expectations of every person who is a member of our learning community.

We expect that our students will:

• Speak politely, kindly and respectfully to others
• Engage in their learning and give their personal best effort in every learning area
• Wear full and correct school uniform
• Contribute to their school community in positive ways that are age appropriate

Parents, please note that we insist that our school uniform policy is adhered to. Please note that the following are not part of our policy:

• Coloured sports shoes with school uniform other than sports uniform
• White socks with school uniform other than sports uniform
• Socks with logos such as Nike etc
• Coloured and extreme hair styles
• Hair below shoulder length that is not tied back
• Jewellery other than simple sleepers, studs and watches. Please save other jewellery for the weekend.
• Makeup, nail polish

We understand that occasionally, your child may be out of uniform due to a number of reasons including broken school shoes, wet washing, lost jumper etc. If this is ever the case, please write a note of explanation to your child’s class teacher. We will always remind children when they are out of uniform and if, after a reminder, the situation is not remedied, we will issue a uniform infringement note reminding you that you need to act. It is our strong belief that wearing a school uniform provides a ‘level playing field’ for all students and it sends a very clear message to those in the Somerville community and beyond that we are proud of ourselves and proud to belong to our school. Thank you for your support in this matter. 

St Brendan’s School and Classroom Rules

Our rules at St Brendan’s are written in very clear and simple language. They are uniform across our school. The rules are:

• I listen carefully.
• I speak respectfully.
• I move and act safely.
• I treat all property and the environment with care.

When speaking with children about behaviour, these are the rules we teach and make explicit, using age appropriate language and examples, at every level.

Class Representatives 

Each class at St Brendan’s will ideally have two parents who are willing to be class representatives for the school year. This is not a difficult role. We simply require people who are willing to be a liaison person between the teacher and the families of children in a particular class. The tasks you might do include:

• Organising a contact list of parents who are willing to share their phone numbers with other parents for the purpose of play dates etc
• Purchase a gift for the teacher and Learning Support staff for birthdays or Christmas on behalf of interested parents 
• Be a point of contact and connection for parents of that class

If you feel that this is something you would like to do, please phone the school office and leave your name and the class you are offering to represent. Thank you for your engagement and support.

Social and Fundraising Helpers

I am interested in meeting with any members of our school community who may be interested in helping out with the social and fundraising aspect of our school. I would love to meet and work closely with any person who feels that they can be involved, even in a very small way, in some of the activities we hold each year. You may have new ideas that you wish to share. Some of the events we have each year include:

• Easter Raffle
• Mother’s Day Stall
• Father’s Day Stall
• Christmas Raffle

Please don’ t be shy. Call the office and let Wendy or Louise know that you are willing to help with one or more of these events. We will never ask you to do more than you feel you can. It is a great way to meet people and to really contribute to your child’s school in a positive way. Thank you in advance.

Coffee with Sue

Next Monday afternoon from 1.45pm to 3.15pm, I would like to invite all parents who wish to drop in to school for a coffee and an informal catch up before the children finish their day. This is a great way to connect with me and to get to know other members of our school community.  I look forward to meeting you.

As we begin another school year, I want to let you know that I am looking forward to working with everyone in our community to ensure a happy and successful year for all students. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require assistance. My email address is scarr@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au

Have a great week.

Warm regards,

Sue