Principal's
Message
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all."
— Dale Carnegie
Welcome back to Term 3. It is an exciting time for the College as the Connolly-Williams Building is now open and operating as a fantastic new facility. The feedback from students about finally having a canteen has been deeply gratifying, confirming that a real need has been met. I am sure you have already heard stories from your daughter regarding these upgrades. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Mr Frank Van Bokhoven, our Business Manager, for his hard work behind the scenes to ensure this project was completed. This is just a reminder that the library is open until 5.00pm on Monday and Wednesday evenings to allow students to study in our fantastic new space. This has proved popular so far.
The College has also undergone fresh painting, and I am over the moon to share that our rust-stained wall has finally been restored. We will continue painting both the interior and exterior of the school over the next two years. Our next priority is upgrading the front office area to create a more welcoming entrance to the College. Alongside this, Sydney Catholic Schools is repairing the wall at the rear of the property. Once our electrical substation upgrade is complete, we can begin plans to air-condition the Cullen Hall. These spaces and refurbishments make a difference to the look and feel here at Brigidine.
As you may be aware, I recently returned from overseas after helping our daughter set up for her university exchange. It was wonderful to spend time with family and relatives abroad. To make this trip possible, I am deeply indebted to all staff who worked extra hard in my absence. In particular, I would like to thank Mrs Julie Norman (Acting Principal) and Ms Monica Ribeiro (Acting Assistant Principal) for their leadership, which ensured our students continued learning seamlessly.
Our teaching staff continue to advance curriculum reform by programming all new courses in accordance with the latest NESA guidelines. As a College, we are also progressing our Framework for Excellence, including the updated Faith perspective, MAGIS. This will be finalised by the end of this term for presentation to staff, ahead of implementation in 2027.
The College has celebrated remarkable success in co-curricular activities.
Our College production of Shrek was an outstanding opportunity for our students to shine, and shine they did! There were exceptional performances across the entire cast, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback speaks volumes about our students' immense talent. Congratulations to Ms Jacqui Hanniffy, Ms Tayla Whiteman, Ms Jen Lau, Ms Sophia Lapi, Ms Jasmine D’Arcy, and their band of helpers for putting together such a grand production.
In sport, congratulations to our Intermediate Netball team, who won the Sydney Catholic Schools Archdiocesan competition and were crowned the best netball team in Sydney Catholic Schools! Congratulations to all of our other teams who performed extremely well. Further results can be found in the sports section of the newsletter. Congratulations also to Audrey P (Year 8), who represented NSW in AFL and won Silver at the National Championships, an outstanding achievement.
Congratulations to Mr Tony Munguia and his wife Claire on the arrival of their third child, Gigi Rose. The family are doing well!
Finally, this is an exciting period for Year 12. They will soon complete their Trial Examinations and finalise all outstanding coursework before celebrating their Graduation on Wednesday, 16th September and their Formal on Friday, 18th September. Afterwards, they will begin their final study preparations before the HSC examinations commence in Term 4. I look forward to celebrating the end of compulsory education for Year 12 this term. Be BRAVE, be Brilliant and be Brigidine.
Adrian Eussen
College Principal