Principals Report

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

My Family's Excitement and Joy

It is lovely to be back at school this week after taking some carer's leave to support my daughter and her husband as they welcomed their third child, beautiful Bowie Rose Tomasino.  Bowie is our ninth grandchild and she has already brought great joy and excitement to our family. Please enjoy some photos of our beautiful little girl. I want to extend my heartfelt  thanks to our wonderful Deputy Principal, Bernie Turner  and our leadership team for taking great care of our school in my absence.

End of Semester One

It is difficult to believe that  this is the final newsletter for the semester. I am proud to say that we have had a wonderful first half of the school year. Our students have worked extremely hard and have shown great progress towards their learning goals. Our wonderful teachers and Learning Support Officers have engaged in so much professional learning as we move towards our new way of teaching at St Brendan’s. You, our parents and carers, are a wonderfully connected and supportive group. I thank you all for your support of our school. Our standing in the wider community is at an all time high as reported by the many parents who are seeking to enrol their children in our school for the 2025 school year. I believe that all students will be well and truly ready for a relaxing Winter break at the end of June. I look forward to seeing many of you as you wait for parent-teacher interviews, or at the school discos on Thursday afternoon and evening. Thank you for your ongoing feedback and support.

Administration of Medication at School Policy

It is important to remind all parents and carers of the MACS Administration of Medication Policy for MACS schools. We can no longer administer medication at school without a written and signed Medical Administration Form (MAF)

Please be aware that this policy applies to : 

• The principal, all staff, including casual relief staff and volunteers
• All students who require any form of medication (over the counter or prescription) to be administered at school or during school activities
• parents/guardians/carers of students who require medication to be administered during the school day or during school activities

It does not apply to:

• The provision of medication for anaphylaxis which is provided for in  the St Brendan’s Anaphylaxis Policy
• Specialised procedures which may be required for complex medical care need

Please note:

• The principal or their delegate requires written advice about the administration of all medication within the school environment and during school activities (including over the counter or prescription) via a Medical Authority Form (MAF), This document must be signed by the parent/guardian/carer and where required, also by a medical practitioner.
• Parents/guardians/carers have a responsibility to provide all medication in the original packaging with the original label including the name of the student (for prescription medication), information on the dosage, storage requirements, method, and time to be administered.
• Parents must complete a St Brendan’s Medication Authority Form before any medication can be administered to a student.
• Should you child require the regular administration of medication at school, we need to develop a Student Health Support Plan that will be aligned to the medical management plan  and must be developed by the school in consultation with the student’s parents/guardians/carers to ensure that practices and procedures are in place to facilitate access and participation in educational programs

• Medication such as aspirin and paracetamol will not be stored or administered for first aid purposes as these medications may mask symptoms of serious conditions

Thank you for your support in attending to these changes in protocol. Please complete the MAF (emailed to all families ) should you require one.

School Discos

I want to extend my thanks to Jess Webb (Declan Year 3 and Caitlyn Foundation) for her generosity in organising the Semester One school discos. I also want to thank the many parents who have offered to assist with supervision at both events.

• The theme: Dress to Impress
• Junior Disco starts at 4.30pm and concludes at 6.00pm
• Senior Disco starts at 6.30pm and concludes at 8.00pm
• Please note, there is strictly no technology (mobile phones) permitted at the event
• No student will be permitted to leave the multi-purpose room unless accompanied by a staff member or by me.
• Please ensure you arrive on time to collect your child from the event.

Many thanks for your cooperation and support in these matters.

I wish each and every family a wonderful Term Two holiday and I look forward to welcoming you back for Semester Two on Monday 15th July 2024.

Warm regards,

Sue Carr