A message from our Principal
Dear St. Brendan's School Community,
Welcome back to Term 2! We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break. We're excited to see our students return with fresh energy, ready to learn, grow, and take on new challenges. This term promises to be full of engaging activities, meaningful learning experiences, and continued support from our dedicated staff.
Speaking of, today our Junior Years Learning Community enjoyed an exciting excursion to Kyabram Fauna Park, where students had the opportunity to get up close with a variety of native animals. Everyone had a fantastic time exploring the park, asking questions, and observing the unique features of different species. This excursion beautifully supports their current inquiry topic in Biological Science, where students are learning to group animals based on observable features and understand how living things meet their needs in their natural habitats. Through hands-on experiences, they’re discovering how the features of animals help them survive and thrive in their environments.
Last week our staff returned to school on Tuesday for a three-day professional learning experience with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a teacher-turned-neuroscientist, who delivered an intensive workshop on the Science of Learning. This approach underpins our Magnify learning and teaching initiative. We’re excited to continue applying this knowledge to further enhance student learning outcomes.
New Classroom Furniture
This week brought an exciting development for our Junior Years Learning Community with the arrival of brand-new furniture for our Junior Learning Spaces. The new setup supports the creation of purposeful learning zones within each classroom, inspired by David Thornburg’s “Campfires, Waterholes, and Caves” theory. These zones encourage a mix of collaborative learning, independent reflection, and peer interaction. Importantly, the new layout also enhances our ability to deliver explicit direct instruction by providing clearly defined spaces where students can focus, listen, and engage during whole-class teaching moments.
We will continue to adapt and embed Thornburg’s learning space theory across all learning areas in our school, ensuring that our environments support a consistent approach to learning and teaching. As part of this transition, we are rehoming our previous furniture. We’ve already partnered with Rumbalara, who have kindly given our Junior Years furniture a new life in their community. If any families know of other community groups or organisations that may be interested in receiving school tables and chairs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
School Uniforms and Smart Devices
A friendly reminder to please ensure your child is wearing the correct school uniform each day. You can review the full St Brendan’s Primary School Uniform Guidelines here.
Sports Uniform Days:
Foundation to Year 2: Monday & Wednesday
Years 3 to 6: Tuesday & Thursday
Uniform Reminders:
Earrings must be simple studs or sleepers.
Hair longer than shoulder length must be tied back with a green or black hair tie.
Smart Devices: Smart devices (including phones and smartwatches) are not needed during the school day. If your child brings one for after-school use, it must be dropped off at the school office before school and collected at the end of the day.
UPDATE: In week two students can begin transitioning into winter uniforms. From Week 3 Students are to be wearing their winter uniforms.
Reminder for Parents: Consent Required for Upcoming School Activities
We kindly remind all parents to regularly check PAM and provide permission for upcoming organised school activities. Currently, we are awaiting parent consent for the Pilgrims of Hope Walk.
Please note that students who do not participate in these activities will need to remain at home, as there will be no supervision available at school on those days—all staff will be involved in these school activities.
Barker Ave and Knight Street Gates - Child Safety Update
For the safety and security of all students, we will be closing the Barker Ave and Knight Street gates at 8:55 am each morning. Any students arriving after this time will need to enter the school grounds via the front office. If you are picking up your child during the day, please ensure you visit the front office and sign your child out via the iPad system. The gates will be reopened at the end of the day for home pickup. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for all students.
Open Day
We are excited to announce our Open Day for 2026 Enrolments! Our Open Days will take place on Tuesday, May 6th, and Wednesday, May 21st, with sessions at 9:15 am, 10:15 am, and 4:30 pm on both dates. To register for an Open Day session, please follow this link.
The event will begin in the school hall with a welcome and a brief presentation, followed by a guided tour led by some of our Year 6 leaders. Please feel free to share this link with any new families who may be interested in enrolling their child at St Brendan’s Primary School.
Existing families can now enrol online via the following link please have enrolments in by Friday, 30th May.
Upcoming Events Term 2
Junior Years Excursion- Kyabram Fauna Park Thursday, 1st May
Catholic Education Week Monday 5th-9th May
Mother's Day Morning Tea and Reading, Thursday, 8th May
Pilgrims of Hope Pilgrimage, Friday, 9th May
Open Day Tuesday, 6th May (9:15am, 10:15am and 4:30pm)
St Brendan’s Feast Day Friday 16th May (Mass at 9:15am – All Welcome)
Open Day Tuesday, 21st May (9:15am, 10:15am and 4:30pm)
Kings Birthday (Public Holiday) Monday, 9th June
Feast of the Sacred Heart Mass 10:15am Friday, 27th June
Thank you for your continued support. Looking forward to seeing you all around our school.