Principal’s Message

Term 3, Week 3

Dear Families, 

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope the holidays provided your family with some time for rest, connection, and renewal. It’s been a vibrant start to the term at St Brigid’s, with students settling back into learning routines and many exciting opportunities unfolding across the school.

This term brings a renewed focus on faith, leadership, and wellbeing - as seen in our recent staff development days, upcoming sacramental celebrations, and continued investment in student support. I’m grateful for the strong partnerships we share with families, staff, and our wider parish community as we work together to help every child thrive.

Thank you for your ongoing support and trust. It’s a privilege to lead this wonderful school.

Advisory Council 

We recently held our School Advisory Council meeting, where we had the opportunity to thank and farewell our outgoing members: Brendan Schneider (Chair), Nicole Grech (Secretary), and parent representatives Toni Bloodworth-Barker and Iva Jeselnik. We are deeply grateful for their generous time, care, and commitment to the growth of St Brigid’s.

We also warmly welcome our new council members: Kylie Slee, Gufran Mohammed, Patience Weston, Bec Baber, and Samantha Turner. We look forward to the fresh insights and ideas they’ll bring as we continue shaping the future of our school together.

Faith and Mission

Some important parish leadership changes were announced this week. Fr Vincent will be relocating to Dandenong due to health reasons, and we sincerely thank him for his dedicated service to our community. We look forward to welcoming Fr John Healy as our new parish priest and Fr Wahid Riad as assistant priest from 19 September.

Earlier this term, staff joined over 800 regional educators for a faith formation day, deepening our understanding of Religious Education and Catholic identity across the Outer North West Zone.

Meanwhile, our Year 4 students are preparing to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist, supported by a special Reflection Day supported by our parish. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue their sacramental journey.

Learning, Leadership & Professional Growth

This term, we’re investing in learning and leadership through several key conferences:

• Lead the Way Conference (12–13 Aug): Petrina, Gufran and I will explore trauma-informed practices, wellbeing, and inclusive leadership.
• Australian Catholic Education Conference – Cairns (18–22 Aug): Keena Lane-Kerton and I will attend this national event focused on Catholic identity, teaching excellence, and inclusive leadership. While we’re away, Petrina O’Grady will lead the school, continuing into the following week as I take a few extra days of long service leave.
• MACS Flourishing Learners Conference (8–9 Sept): Staff including Mariah, Brodie, Keena, and Petrina will attend workshops on responsive teaching and academic growth strategies.

These learning opportunities ensure our staff stay up to date with best practice and bring back fresh ideas to benefit all students.

Wellbeing Matters

We continue to strengthen our approach to student wellbeing. Our Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative is now well aligned with our existing team, including our school counsellor, Tome. We’ve also been refining how we identify and respond to student needs through improved data-sharing and referral systems.

Lunchtime engagement has been boosted with new clubs, including a dance group led by Justine Garcia, and parent-paid Jujitsu program and music lessons. 

There is also a new app recently released by the Raising Children Network, a government-funded, non-profit organisation created to support families:

The Raising Healthy Minds app is a free, personalised, pocket resource to help parents and carers raise confident, resilient children. Co-designed with parents and experts and funded by the Australian Government, Raising Healthy Minds aims to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based information. You’ll find information on topics like dealing with worries and making friends, as well as ideas for day-to-day life, like creating family routines, looking after yourself as a parent, and building strong relationships.  

The app offers a mix of quick-read articles, videos and animations aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-12 years. You can tailor information to the age of your child and opt-in to receive helpful tips. Raising Healthy Minds provides simple-to-use information at your fingertips with clear actions you can start today. Download from Google Play or the App Store or go to raisingchildren.net.au/rhm to learn more and raise a healthy mind.

Child Safety Update

On Tuesday 22nd July, our whole staff team took part in a Team Teach training day, focused on student safety, de-escalation strategies, and behaviour support. This shared learning ensured consistency across our classrooms and built our collective confidence in supporting all students with care and dignity.

Canteen Update

As of Monday 4th August we will be trialing Canteen 5 days a week.

Tuesday will be Subway. 

Thursday will be sushi, rice paper rolls, noodles, fried rice, fried chicken, drinks and snacks. 

Monday, Wednesday and Friday will have a full canteen menu. 

Counter sales continue on Friday’s with items starting from 50c.

Camp Communication Reminder

While students are away at camp, our staff's priority is to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and supervision of all children throughout the day and evening. Please understand that teachers do not check phones or emails regularly, as their focus is on caring for and supporting students. Should any important information need to be shared with families, the school will make direct contact. We appreciate your understanding and support in allowing staff to remain fully present with the students during this valuable experience.

Middles Camp

This week, our Middle students travelled back in time during a three-day, two-night camp at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. After a short bus trip on Monday morning, we stepped off into a swirl of dust and wind, ready to explore life on the goldfields.

We began with one of our most memorable activities, The Labyrinth of Gold. This underground experience plunged us into the dark, winding tunnels beneath Sovereign Hill. For a few of us (teachers included!), it was a little nerve-wracking, but there were brave hands held, deep breaths taken, and lots of awe as we imagined the lives of miners deep below the surface.

That evening, we ventured out again for the incredible Aura Night Show, which brought the history of gold and its impact on Victoria to life through light, sound, and storytelling. We returned to our cabins at 10:30pm — tired, cold, but completely spellbound.

Tuesday was jam-packed with experiences, including watching boiled lolly making, old-fashioned ten pin bowling, and an unforgettable gold pouring demonstration, where students witnessed over $500,000 worth of real gold smelted and cast before their eyes. The education sessions helped deepen our understanding of the gold rush era, and our wanderings through the living museum gave students a vivid picture of what life was like on the goldfields for people from all over the world.

By Wednesday, the early wake-ups had taken their toll, many of us heard the first bunk-bed thuds and giggles as early as 5:30am. We ended our camp with the Red Hill Mine Tour, another powerful underground experience that left us with a real appreciation of the dangers and determination of miners in the 1850s. We also saw a soldier demonstration, admired the horse and carriage, and chuckled at the funny characters working around the site, as we took one final stomp through the muddy, slushy streets after some overnight rain.

Free time back at the cabins was a highlight in its own way. Some rooms looked as if a gold rush had happened inside them — clothes, shoes, and snacks scattered in every direction. Students ran up and down the central corridor playing energetic rounds of ding-dong-ditching (until it was banned!). They also made the most of the giant playground and slide. New friendships were formed, and on the final night, the kids curled up with cookies and Milo to watch a movie, a rare moment of quiet after days full of action.

The weather mostly behaved itself, the food had mixed reviews (some kids loved it, others may have arrived home starving), and our campers returned home tired, happy to see their parents, and covered in goldfield dust.

It was a rich, hands-on learning experience full of history, humour, and resilience. The students were wonderful, and the teachers? Well, tired and just a little bit grumpy — but very, very proud.

Prep 100 Days

Last Friday our Prep students celebrated their 100 Day of School. This year we morphed into ‘Hungry Caterpillars’ and ‘Beautiful Butterflies’ to symbolise our incredible growth and change throughout this beginning period of their school journey. It was a lovely opportunity to celebrate each and every one of our beloved Preppies and the incredible impact they have had on our community and in the lives of each other. Together they have learnt, played, explored, built friendships and supported each other through challenges and triumphs.

Throughout our day of celebration we ate all the delicious food from the story, made hungry caterpillar inspired crafts, played games and just had an all round awesome day of fun and connection. A big thanks to all the parents who helped us set up our caterpillar garden and support all our activities throughout the celebration. We simply couldn’t have done it without you. 

Warm regards, 

Mel Daly

Principal