A message from our Principal

Dear St. Brendan's School Community,

It has been a wonderfully busy week at St Brendan’s, and as we enter an important time in the Church’s calendar, our community has gathered in meaningful ways to mark the beginning of Lent.

On Tuesday we celebrated Shrove Tuesday, and it was a pleasure to be in the Hall flipping pancakes alongside our generous volunteers: Briannah Wilkinson, Ross Threlfall, Caylee Mackintosh, Katherine Byrne, Nisha Chudji, Ollie Gibbs and Ewa Zurawski. Moments like these remind us of the joy that comes from community, service, and shared tradition.

The following day, our students participated reverently in Ash Wednesday Liturgies and Mass at our Parish church. Receiving the ashes offered us a powerful reminder of our call to reflect, renew, and prepare our hearts throughout the Lenten season.

Tonight, we look forward to welcoming you all to our Hello Night. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child/ren to proudly tour you around the school, introduce you to their teachers, and share the learning spaces they call home. We invite you to stay and enjoy music and a sausage in the courtyard as we continue strengthening the partnerships that support our students.

We will also have second-hand uniforms available for purchase, should there be any items your family requires.

In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find key updates and reminders, including:

Open Day & 2027 Foundation Enrolments
Volunteers Needed for Morning Reading Program
NAPLAN
Downloading the PAM app
Term 1 Events

Open Day & 2027 Foundation Enrolments

Our School’s Open Day Tours will take place on Wednesday, 19th March and Thursday 25th March with sessions at 9:30, and 4:00 pm.

Please click on the link below to register your interest. The event will begin in the School Hall, with a welcome and a brief presentation about our school, followed by a guided tour by our school leadership team.

Please feel free to share this link with new families who may be interested in their child attending St Brendan’s Primary School.

To register for an Open Day Tour or to submit an Enrolment Application, please click on the links below:

NAPLAN 2026 Years 3 & 5

All Year 3 and Year 5 students will participate in NAPLAN this year. We have included a Parents and Carers Handout with this message to provide further details about the assessments, how they work, and how the results help guide student learning.

Naplan - Information for parents and carers.pdf

Our students will complete the NAPLAN assessments on the following days. All tests will begin at 9:15am, so please ensure your child arrives at school on time and is ready to begin.

NAPLAN Test Schedule

Wednesday, 11th March – Writing Test
Thursday, 12th March – Reading Test
Monday, 16th March – Conventions of Language Test
Tue, 17th March – Numeracy Test

Before‑School Library Opening & Volunteer Reading Program

Beginning next week, our Library will be open each morning from 8:30am. Families are warmly invited to drop in so children can borrow books or enjoy some quiet reading to start their day.

We are also seeking parent volunteers to support our morning reading program that will be launched later in the term. Volunteers will help by listening to children read during this time. If you are interested in being involved, please complete the Volunteer Registration form and we will review your registration form and provide you with an online school volunteers module to complete prior to volunteering.

This program will be overseen by Heather Woodman, who will also provide group training for parents participating in the before‑school reading sessions.

Please Download PAM App

We are pleased to let you know that access to the SIMON Everywhere App has now been restored for our school.

For families who are new to SIMON Everywhere, this app provides easy, streamlined access to PAM (Parent Access Module), allowing you to view student information, permissions, notifications, and more all from your mobile device. We strongly recommend that all families have the app installed to ensure you receive the most up‑to‑date school information.

Getting Started

Download or update the SIMON Everywhere App: Please make sure you have the most up‑to‑date version installed on your device.
Enter our School Code: 143875, You will be prompted to enter this when first setting up the app.

Follow the Setup Guide

A step-by-step guideis available here to support you through the process:

This guide includes instructions on:

Downloading the app on iOS or Android
Logging into your school
Navigating key features such as notifications, PAM access, timetable viewing, and more.

If you experience any issues with access, please contact our school office for assistance.

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Friday, 27th February, Solidarity Walk 9:00am
Friday, March 6th Opening School Mass 9:30am
Wednesday, 11th March NAPLAN Writing Test Year 3 and 5
Thursday, 12th March NAPLAN Reading Test Year 3 and 5
Monday, 16th March NAPLAN Conventions Test Year 3 and 5
Thursday, 17th March NAPLAN Numeracy Test Year 3 and 5
Friday, 27th March: School Photos
UPDATED: Tuesday, 17th March & Wednesday 18th March -Parent-Teacher Learning Conversations
Friday, 20th March: Harmony Day
Last Week of Term Holy Week Liturgies

Thank you for your continued support.

Joel Brian (Principal)