Miss Mel's Message

Term 4, Week 3

Thank you for the lovely welcome back, there have been so many exciting things to celebrate upon my return!

World Teacher's Day 2024!

Today, we recognise and celebrate the dedication, passion, and hard work of our educators across the whole community: our leaders, our teachers, our learning support officers, our administration and wellbeing teams, all who inspire and nurture the minds of tomorrow. At St Brigid's, educators go above and beyond to create engaging and inclusive learning environments where every student is encouraged to thrive. This World Teacher's Day, we thank our educators for their unwavering commitment to shaping a brighter future and making a lasting impact in the lives of our students.

New Building & Renovated Spaces Blessing

I would like to thank community members who were able to join us today for this special occasion. Thank you to Bishop Terry for presiding over the event and performing the blessings, thank you to our invited guests, including Honorable Mary-Anne Thomas, members of Rodine, Smith and Tracey and MACS.  

This is a significant moment for our school and our broader community and I was deeply honored to officiate the opening of this new building as the current principal. I’d like to acknowledge our previous principal, Maree Morris, who played a pivotal role in the planning and design of this project which began in 2020. Unfortunately, Maree couldn’t be with us today, but her vision has certainly shaped the outcome we see before us.

This project would not have been possible without the support of the Victorian State Government capital grant and our local community. It has been quite a journey to get to this point. Like all building projects, we’ve faced our share of challenges. However, everyone involved has generally worked together with the best interests of the school in mind. While a few details still require attention, I am hopeful these will be resolved soon. 

Today, however, was about celebrating the official blessing and opening of these new spaces, which are already making a significant impact on student learning. 

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our staff and students, who have shown remarkable resilience, collaboration, and positivity throughout this process. The Advisory Council who have supported me to no end. Thank you to Emma, staff and students who worked together to coordinate and prepare for this special event. Thank you to the Rodine building team, Smith and Tracey Architects, and our MACS representatives, whose collective contributions have provided these spaces. 

This project is a testament to what we can achieve as a community. The upgrades not only meet the needs of today but ensure the future of St Brigid’s as our enrolments grow and our community continues to thrive. We look forward to more enhancements and developments in the coming years.

Reflections Connecting Brigid Into Our Learning Spaces

We chose today to focus on Brigid, our patron Saint. Brigid was truly a blessing to this world and we are so fortunate to have such an inspirational role model to look to for guidance. As part of this new beginning for our school, many of you will notice new elements that draw our attention to the incredible way in which Brigid lived her life and consequently has the power to still inspire our thoughts, words and actions with relevance today. Today we highlight four aspects of Brigid’s life represented by four symbols displayed within our learning community. 

Firstly, you have all been part of creating a representation of Brigid’s cloak which is proudly displayed in our Learning Street. Legend has it that when Brigid was trying to find suitable land to build her monastery and care for her community, she approached the King of Leinster requesting the land on which to build her monastery. The place she selected in Kildare was ideal. It was near a lake where water was available, in a forest where there was firewood and near a fertile plain on which to grow crops. The King refused her initial request but Brigid was not put off by his refusal. Rather, she and her sisters prayed that the King’s heart would soften. She made her request again but this time she asked, “Give me as much land as my cloak will cover.” Seeing her small cloak, he laughed and then granted this request. However, Brigid had instructed her four helpers each to take a corner of the cloak and walk in opposite directions – north, south, east and west. As they did this the cloak began to grow and spread across many acres. She now had sufficient land on which to build her monastery. The King and his entire household were dismayed and amazed and realised that this woman was truly blessed by God. The King became a patron of Brigid’s monastery, assisting her with money, food and gifts and he followed in Jesus’ way, inspired by Brigid and her mission. 

Traditionally the people of Ireland place pieces of cloth out in their homes on St. Brigid’s feast day to ask for her protection and guidance. We too hope that our cloak, will also invoke Brigid’s protection on our community. It is adorned with the blessing “Brat Bride Ort” which means may the cloak of Brigid be upon you. 

Brigid built her monastery in Kildare which in Irish is Cill dara - which translates to ‘Church of the Oak’. At St. Brigid’s, we too are blessed by mighty oaks that offer shelter and protection and remind us of nature’s mighty power and presence. Our Senior students captured images of different aspects of these oak trees to display as reminders of this symbolic representation of Brigid and her love of nature and her dedication to protecting and nurturing it. 

The oak tree represents the cyclical nature of life. Strong roots firmly grasping the earth, represent our past and present whilst its leaves and acorns symbolise the future and the potential for growth and change. Just as the oak tree sheds its leaves in the autumn only to sprout new growth in the spring, so too do we experience cycles of growth, change, learning and renewal throughout our lives.

The strong and mighty oak tree reminds us of our inner strength to stand strong and steadfast in our truth, faith and courage, just as Brigid did. Its sprawling branches are symbols of arms wide open ready to embrace new learnings, opportunities and relationships. 

The Oak tree is also a powerful symbol of Brigid herself, strong and unwavering in her faith and belief in Jesus, powerfully committed and steadfast in her care of her community, purposeful in her connection to nature and protection of it for the sake of generations to come, a towering force always growing, learning and adapting in service of others. May you look at these oaks, feel their presence and power and be inspired to live as Brigid did. 

Brigid is famous for her cross. In her homeland of Ireland and now all around the world, people weave crosses as both tangible expressions of their faith and hope for love, protection and blessings of God and Brigid. 

The story of its origin is legendary. St. Brigid was visiting an old pagan chieftain who was extremely sick and enduring his last moments on his deathbed. The servants had called upon Brigid to soothe and calm him. She sat beside him, talking to him while picking up rushes from the floor—a common material of Irish homes back then—and then weaving them by hand into a cross. The chieftain noticed the cross and asked her about it. As she weaved, she explained that the central hub represented God, his love and teachings and the four arms extending from the central part symbolised the spreading of God's message and protection to the four corners of the earth.  She used it to describe the four key elements of the Paschal Mystery of Christ which focuses on his Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension as essential to God’s plan for our salvation. Brigid explained that each woven strand symbolised the intertwining of human efforts and divine grace, reminding us of the enduring strength that faith in God provides in difficult times. Each woven straw is seen as a layer of protection from God, creating a symbolic barrier against harm. She spoke of it as a symbol of hope In times of uncertainty and challenge and that even during the harshest seasons, hope can be woven into the fabric of life if we are unwavering in our faith and belief in him. Brigid, her cross and its meaning and the symbolism of its hope and protection in the face of the adversity he was facing, captivated the chieftain so much that he was baptised and converted to Christianity right before he died.

Throughout history and still today, the symbolism, meaning, timeless values and message embedded in the woven threads of St. Brigid’s cross has resonated with generations of people and remained relevant and powerful. Traditionally, each year for St. Brigid’s Feast day, Irish people gather together and pray for Brigid’s love and protection for their home, the people in it and the year ahead.  Today in our school we ask for both God’s and Brigid’s blessing and protection of our school and the people in it and of those yet to come. May we be unwavering in our faith just as Brigid was that we are loved and protected by God. 

Brigid celebrated, nurtured and was inspired by the gifts and talents of others. She created both spaces and opportunities for others to gather together as a community to share and develop their skills, knowledge, talents and expertise. Today in our learning community, we celebrate the talents of one of our gifted students whose depiction of Brigid powerfully represents Brigid’s inner strength, her connection to nature and her love and protection of others represented by her famous cross. 

The beautiful flowers that adorn her face are symbolic of her inner beauty and strong heart coming to the forefront. Izzy, we truly thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us and we know this beautiful creation will be an incredible legacy that will invoke Brigid’s spirit as we gaze into her soulful face journeying from one space to another under her watchful eye. 

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