A message from our Principal
Dear St. Brendan's School Community,
As we come to the end of Term 2, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the strong learning growth and community engagement that has taken place across the term.
Last year, our school was honoured to receive the Social Justice Through the Arts Philomela Billington Scholarship, which is supporting the creation of our Sacred Indigenous Garden—a space for story, ceremony and connection at the heart of our school. In the past fortnight, work has begun on an exciting garden renovation project in the centre of our school. Families visiting at drop-off or pick-up will have noticed the temporary fencing and clearing works on the west side of the O’Connor Building.
The clearing of the space sparked great curiosity and excitement among our students, who have begun imagining the possibilities for this significant place. Our Year 6 leaders have been instrumental in this process, designing and facilitating engaging workshops with every class. Through these sessions, students learned about Yorta Yorta Country, its symbols and culture, before contributing their own thoughtful and creative ideas for the garden design.
Next week, our student leaders will begin the important work of reviewing and synthesising these ideas to help shape a design that reflects our shared learning, respect and connection to Country. This week, the design process has continued as our Year 6 FIRE Carrier leaders refine their thinking and explore how this space can support us to live out the FIRE Carrier message in our daily lives.
A special congratulations to our students who represented our school at the Regional Cross Country. Alex Ralston and Sylvia Dickins both ran exceptionally well, finishing 40th in their respective races.
We are especially proud of Isaac Yel, who has qualified for the State Cross Country Championships. In a highly competitive regional field, Isaac placed 12th out of 47 runners—securing the final qualifying position. He will now compete at the State Final on Thursday 16th July at Yarra Glen Racecourse.
A reminder that Term 2 concludes this Friday with an early dismissal at 2:20pm, and bus services will run one hour earlier than usual.
Term 3 will commence on Tuesday 14th July, with Monday 13th July designated as a staff Professional Learning day. Uniting Care will offer limited supervision on this day; families requiring this service are encouraged to contact Maddie McAuliffe via email at maddie.mcauliffe@vt.uniting.org.
Thank you to our students, staff and families for their continued support throughout the term. We wish everyone a safe and restful break.
Staffing Update
At the end of this term, we farewell Mr Jhett Cooper, who has been working with us since 2023. During his time at St Brendan’s, Jhett has worked closely with classroom teachers to provide general classroom support for students and has also taken on responsibilities delivering targeted intervention programs such as MacqLit and MiniLit Sage. While working in his Learning Support Officer role, Jhett commenced his teaching qualification through La Trobe University and has now been offered a Permission to Teach position at Gowrie Street Primary School. We wish him every success in this exciting next step and thank him for his dedication, care, and contribution to our school community.
I would also like to share that we have appointed a replacement for Ms Beth Seccull, who will be commencing maternity leave early in Term 3. We warmly welcome Gabby Cook, who will be shadowing Beth during the first few weeks of Term 3 as she becomes familiar with our school. Gabby comes from an early childhood background and is looking forward to bringing her skills and knowledge into her role as a Foundation teacher. I know you will all make her feel very welcome when she commences in Term 3.
We also share our best wishes with Mrs Shinae Parris, who will be commencing maternity leave at the end of this term. We congratulate Shinae and Sarah, as they prepare to welcome their new addition and wish them every joy during this special time.
Our New Website Is Live!
We’re excited to share the launch of our new school website!
👉 https://www.sbshepparton.catholic.edu.au/
The new site has a fresh look and makes it easier to find important information, news, and upcoming events.
We encourage all families to take a look and check in regularly to stay up to date.
School Uniform Reminder
All students are expected to wear their full winter uniform each day. This helps ensure students remain comfortable, warm, and presentable.
Please also note our Sport Days:
Foundation, Year 1 and Year 3: Monday and Wednesday
Years 4, 5 and 6: Tuesdays and Thursdays
We encourage all families to clearly label all uniform items with your child’s name to help us return any lost property promptly.
We also encourage families to check our full uniform requirements by clicking on the uniform list link provided in this newsletter.
For families needing support:
Second-hand uniforms are available from the school hall
If you require items urgently, please contact the school office. Please note that students are not to wear hoodies or other non-uniform jumpers in place of the school uniform.
The uniform shop is open most Thursdays after school
Thank you for your support in ensuring all students arrive at school dressed appropriately and ready for learning.
School Care Clinics Term 3 Dates Now Available
I am pleased to share that we have recently partnered with SchoolCare Clinics, a community focused GP service providing bulk‑billed healthcare for students across the Greater Shepparton area. SchoolCare Clinics offers child‑focused doctors who work with students from Prep through to Year 12, supporting both physical and mental wellbeing.
As part of this partnership, Dr Zann will be offering two morning clinics at our school on:
- Tuesday, 4th August
Tuesday, 1st September
All appointments are bulk billed.
If you wish to make a booking, please contact me via email at principal@sbshepparton.catholic.edu.au, and I will provide you with an appointment time.
Please note that places are limited.
Services available through SchoolCare Clinics include:
- Flu vaccinations for students at no cost
- Asthma action plans
- Referrals for ADHD assessments
- Allergy management plans
Mental health care plans, if required
We look forward to offering this valuable service to further support the health and wellbeing of our students and families.
Upcoming Events
Term 2
Friday, 26th June Last Day of Term 2 – 2:20pm Student dismissal
Term 3
Monday, 13th July - First day of Term (Student Free) Staff Professional Development Day
Tuesday, 14th July - First day of Term 3 for Students
Friday, 24th July - Year 2 Excursion to Bendigo
Tuesday, 28th July - Parent/Teacher Learning Conversations
Wednesday, 5th August - Staff Professional Development Day (Student Free day)
Friday 14th August - Year 5 Excursion to Melbourne
Friday, 4th September - Athletics Day
Friday, 18th September - Last Day of Term
Thank you for your continued support.
Joel Brian (Principal)