Principals Report

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

As we move through Week 8, it continues to be a busy and rewarding time at St Brendan’s. Our students are engaged in rich learning experiences, and it has been wonderful to see their creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm across classrooms. This week, we also celebrate some exciting developments in our school, including the opening and blessing of our new Art and Science/STEM learning spaces. 

NAPLAN

Over the past two weeks, our Year 3 and Year 5 students have completed their NAPLAN assessments for 2026. We are very proud of the way they  approached the testing period, coped with some interesting disruptions, demonstrating focus, resilience and a positive attitude as they did their very best in each assessment. NAPLAN provides a snapshot of student learning in literacy and numeracy and helps schools to reflect on their teaching and learning programs. We thank our teachers for the careful preparation and support they provided, and we congratulate our students for the calm and responsible manner in which they completed the assessments.

New Art and Science/STEM Classrooms

We are delighted to share some exciting news with our school community. Our new Art and Science/STEM classrooms are now complete and ready to be enjoyed by our students. These beautiful learning spaces will support creativity, curiosity and discovery, allowing our students to explore their God-given gifts and talents through creative expression and hands-on learning.

To mark this special occasion, we will hold a blessing of the new classrooms on Tuesday. As a faith community, this is a meaningful moment for us to gather in gratitude and ask God’s blessing upon these spaces, that they may be places where wonder, learning and collaboration flourish.

Families are warmly invited to visit and view the new classrooms after school on Tuesday. We hope you will take the opportunity to walk through the spaces, see where students will be creating and discovering, and celebrate this exciting addition to our school.

Welcome to Graduate Teachers Mass

Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending the Welcome to Graduate Teachers Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral alongside our wonderful new graduate teachers, Abbey Wiedeman and Sarah Besley.

This special celebration brought together graduate teachers from across Catholic schools to acknowledge the important beginning of their vocation in Catholic education. The Mass was a meaningful opportunity to pray together, give thanks for the gift of teaching, and ask God’s guidance and blessings as these educators begin their journey of nurturing and inspiring young people in faith and learning.

We are very proud to have Abbey and Sarah as part of our school community. Their enthusiasm, dedication and care for our students are already shining through in their classrooms and into the wider school.

Please join us in keeping Abbey and Sarah in your prayers as they continue their teaching journey, and we thank them for the energy and passion they bring to our school each day.

Parent Meeting – Social and Fundraising Ideas

We warmly invite our Class Representatives, along with any parents who may be interested, to join us for a meeting to share ideas and help shape the social and fundraising activities at St Brendan’s School.

This is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community, discuss ideas, and explore ways we can continue to build strong connections while supporting our school through social and fundraising events.

Date: Monday 23 March

Time: 2.00pm

Location: Staff room

Whether you are a Class Rep or a parent who would like to contribute ideas, your input would be greatly valued. Many of our most successful events come from the wonderful ideas and enthusiasm of our parent community.

We hope you can join us and look forward to working together to create some enjoyable and meaningful opportunities for our school community.

Absence From School

I will be away from school from Tuesday 24 March as I attend the Victorian Catholic Primary School Principals Conference in Lorne, which runs from 24–27 March. I feel extremely privileged to be attending the conference and also presenting a workshop this year. I am looking forward to the opportunity to share and learn alongside colleagues from Catholic schools across the state. Following the conference, I will also be absent for the final week of term as I undergo wrist surgery. During this time, St Brendan’s will be in the very capable hands of our Deputy Principal, Bernie Turner, along with our Leadership Team. I thank them for their continued support and leadership. As the term draws to a close, I wish all our families a safe, restful and blessed Easter, and I look forward to reconnecting with everyone at the beginning of Term 2. Thank you for the ongoing support you show our school. I am proud of the strong partnership between families and staff. It is through this partnership that our community continues to flourish.

Have a wonderful week.

Sue Carr

Rome Quinn Cooper arrived on Wednesday the 11th of March, weighing 3.5kg. Congratulations to Nicola and Jayson of your gorgeous baby boy. We can't wait to meet him.