Principals Report

Planning for 2027 and Beyond

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

Welcome to Week Four, an exciting week where we welcome Mrs Kylie Graham; our school reviewer back to St Brendan’s to deliver her report. I look forward to sharing the key findings and future direction for St Brendan’s in coming weeks as we work to prepare our new School Improvement Plan that will guide our work for the next four years.

Planning for 2027 and Beyond

We are currently in the early stages of planning and budgeting for 2027. Like all schools, we are reviewing our budget in response to the rising operational costs and other financial pressures to ensure we remain sustainable for the long term. At this stage, we are still in the process of determining the 2027 school fees and program offerings. Please be assured that our absolute priority remains delivering a high-quality Catholic education for every child. We are working closely with MACS throughout this process and will keep our parent community fully informed as planning for 2027 is finalised.

A Special Celebration - the Sacrament of Confirmation

Last Saturday evening, our parish community gathered at St Brendan’s Church for a deeply beautiful and spirit-filled celebration as the Sacrament of Confirmation was conferred upon our Year Six students. Our candidates were joined by their proud families and sponsors, and we were also delighted to welcome celebrating students and families from St Mary’s Hastings, St Joseph’s Crib Point, and the wider Westernport Parish. The sacrament was conferred by Father Andrzej Mądry, Episcopal Vicar for the Southern Region, alongside our own Parish Priest, Father Shymon. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful Religious Education Leader, Erica Hudson, and our dedicated Year 5/6 team of teachers and learning support staff, whose hard work and guidance ensured our senior students were well prepared, reverent, mature, and beautifully presented on the night. Finally, a sincere thank you to the parishioners of St Brendan's, whose warmth and hospitality made all visiting families and students feel incredibly welcome in our church.

Year 5/6 MK Assembly and St Brendan’s Choir Performance

Our school community was treated to another excellent assembly presented by Year 5/6 MK. The senior students from 5/6MK led their assembly with great confidence as they showcased their recent learning in Religious Education and English. They also entertained the community with an interesting and engaging song about angles sung to the tune of Y.M.C.A by The Village People. I thank them for sharing their learning. I also thank their teachers, Kim McKeown and Loren Kondarios, for their dedication and support of our students.

 A true highlight of the assembly was the beautiful performance by the very young St Brendan’s Choir, who sang and danced with energy and joy as they performed Look for the Silver Lining. I want to acknowledge Mrs Robyn Keeley, our Music teacher for working with our very young and very dedicated choir members. I feel sure that this will be the first of many wonderful performances. Congratulations to all.

School Uniform - A reminder to all.

As I shared with students at our assembly yesterday, members of any great team wear their uniform with pride, and every single student here is an essential member of the St Brendan's team. Wearing our full and correct school uniform daily is a powerful reflection of our shared school pride, collective identity and sense of belonging. Beyond representing who we are to the wider community, the uniform creates an even playing field for all students, removing social pressures and ensuring that everyone stands together as equals. I ask all families to support us in maintaining these high standards by ensuring your child is dressed in their correct uniform each day, helping us foster a focused, unified, and respectful learning environment. We understand, however, that family life can be busy and unexpected circumstances sometimes arise. If your child is out of uniform for any reason on a particular day, please simply send them to school with a brief explanatory note for their classroom teacher. Thank you for your continued partnership and support in keeping our St Brendan's team looking its best.

Have a great week.

Warm regards,

Sue Carr