Principal's Report 

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

Welcome to our final newsletter of the 2023 school year!

We have entered the Season of Advent. A time of anticipation as we await the coming of the baby Jesus; the Saviour. He is the one who reminds us of our earthly purpose. He reminds us to be joyful, grateful and peace filled people who fill our world with love. It is important that amidst the excitement and at times, stressful build up to Christmas, that we, as the grown ups in our children’s lives, remember to practise patience and kindness. We need to help our children to do the same as the inevitable and beautiful excitement of the Christmas season builds in them. The children are excited and tired. We need to support them to cope as the school year comes to a close.

During these final days of the school year, I want to thank each and every one of you for being part of our beautiful school community. I want to thank you, our wonderful parent community  for the many contributions you have made to the life and function of our school. Without you, we would not be the vibrant, energetic and supportive community that we are. 

I would like to mention in particular, the many wonderful grandparents who do a multitude of things to support their grandchildren on their educational journeys. Whether you drop off or collect children, attend assembly, buy raffle tickets or do anything at all that supports your grandchildren, we are always delighted to welcome you to St Brendan’s.

At this time where we draw things to a close, I’d like to sincerely thank the members of the School Advisory Committee for the energy and dedication they have shown in providing thoughtful input and support to the decision making processes in our school. I would like to thank our Chairperson, Paul Bryant (Catherine Year 5), Sam Bright (Molly Year 3), Trevor Gilbert (Ella Year 4),Dave Goble (Macie Year 3 and Ellie Foundation) and Mel Scott (Leila Year 5) for their work on our team this year. After a recent request for  involvement,  some new SAC members will join our committee next year. I feel certain that these new members will bring energy, drive and commitment to their role as members for 2024. I look forward to contacting them in the coming days.

It is important to mention the wonderful teaching and learning support staff of St Brendan’s School who work with dedication and love to provide a stimulating and caring environment in which all children can learn and grow. I feel honoured to work among them each day. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Mrs Bernie Turner for the outstanding way she led the school during my two absences this year. I am indeed blessed to share the leadership of our school with such a talented and dedicated professional. I’m sure you will agree that St Brendan’s would not run without our wonderful administration team of Wendy Ziino and Louise Street. I am glad to work closely with both of them each day. We are blessed to have Father Shymon as our Parish Priest. I thank him for the warm, gentle and loving way he leads us all in the development of faith. 

Finally, it is important to acknowledge our beautiful students who are the reason we work and strive each day. They fill me with joy as I interact with them and learn so much from them. I would like to thank all student leaders for the important role they have played in making our school a child centred and wonderful place to learn and grow. In particular, I’d like to mention, Paula and Ailbe (School Captains) and Grace and Tyler (Vice Captains) for hosting so capably our school assemblies and leading many other school events.

Finally, thank you for entrusting your children into our care. They remind me daily of the privilege it is to be a principal. I wish each and every member of our school community a safe, joy filled and happy Christmas. I look forward to welcoming everyone back to St Brendan’s to start a bright and prosperous 2024.

Warmest regards,

Sue

Dear wonderful St Brendan’s Community,

I hope that you are all well.

I would like to let you know that I will not be returning to St Brendan’s and have recently handed in my resignation. I have had ongoing health issues and havedecided to take a step back and concentrate on getting myself back to being onehundred percent. I would like to thank all the staff members at St Brendan’s for their unwavering support and understanding – they are an incredible team and were always looking out for me and checking in with me.

The decision to leave was a very difficult one for me to make. My association with St Brendan’s began twenty-one years ago as a parent before becoming a staff member in 2015. St Brendan’s has been an incredibly large part of my life and my time there extremely fulfilling. I have genuinely enjoyed working with the children, getting to know them and you, their families. I have made countless friends and gathered thousands of happy memories. Quite often I have said to my family and friends that it is a true gift getting paid to do something that I love - it has all been so amazing! St Brendan’s is a truly special place. I am honoured to have been a part of the school and will dearly miss being there. Thank you very, very much for having me.

Kindest regards always, 

Mrs. Clark