Principal's Report

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

Welcome to Week Two of Term Two. I trust you and your families shared a lovely Easter and enjoyed the beautiful Autumn weather we were lucky enough to enjoy.

Thank you to the families who joined me at Hastings on Anzac Day to honour and remember the men and women who served in our armed forces to keep our country safe and free. Thank you also to other families from our community who paid their respects at the Dawn Service at Somerville. Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank our School Captains, Paula A and Ailbe D, and Vice Captains, Grace N and Tyler R who prepared a respectful and beautiful ceremony for all staff, students and families to participate in when school resumed last Wednesday.

I would also like to thank all parents for presenting their children looking wonderful in their Winter uniforms on school photo day. Your support and cooperation is wonderful.

My Leave

I have informed the School Advisory Council that I will take two periods of leave this year. The first period of leave will consist of Long Service Leave and school holidays. During this time, I will travel with my husband to the United Kingdom and then to Italy. I will leave school on Friday 9th June and return to school on Monday July 31. I will leave our school in the very capable hands of Mrs Bernadette Turner and the Leadership Team.

Later in the term, I am privileged to have the opportunity to travel to Spain with a number of other Catholic school principals from the Peninsula Network. We will walk part of the Camino pilgrimage walk. The dates for the pilgrimage are September 4 - September 15. We will walk from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela (127 kilometres) over twelve days as part of our personal and spiritual development and our professional learning. I hope to share my journey with the staff, students and the wider school community during my time away and on my return. Once again, I am indebted to Bernie Turner for leading our school during my absence. I will return to school for the commencement of Term Four.

Mother’s Day Mass, Stall and Breakfast

One of the truly joyful moments in the school calendar is Mother’s Day. We warmly invite all mothers, carers, grandmothers, and special women to join us for Mass on Thursday 11th May at 11:30 am in St Brendan’s church. The Mass is being lovingly prepared by our two beautiful Foundation classes. We are delighted that Father Shymon will celebrate the Mass for us.

On Friday 12th May, we will host our Mother’s Day breakfast and Mother’s Day stall. All mums and grandmothers are invited to join us for breakfast from 7.30 am. This breakfast will be prepared by St Brendan’s staff. It will be held in the Multipurpose Room.

Later that morning, our students will have the opportunity to purchase a gift for their mum at the St Brendan’s Mother’s Day stall. This stall is organised by Natalia Pigeon (Diesel Year 4 and Duke Year 3), and Cindy Bryant (Catherine Year 5). They are supported by many other mums who help to make this event such a treat for our students. If you are able to assist, please call the school office to add your name to the list. We are extremely grateful to all who volunteer their time to assist.

Year 1/2T Assembly

I would like to extend my congratulations and thanks to Year 1/2T and their teacher, Ms Julie Thomas for the wonderful presentation of their learning at assembly yesterday. Thank you to the parents and grandparents who were able to attend. We are very proud of our students who presented their learning with confidence and pride.

School Uniform

We always allow some flexibility when transitioning from one type of uniform to the other. Please ensure that all children are wearing their full Winter uniform by Monday 15th May. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Something from Social Media.

Last week, I saw these two posts. They both struck a chord with me. I thought I’d share them with you all.