A message from our Principal

Dear St. Brendan's School Community,

This week has been full of great learning and positive momentum across the school. With Lent now underway, we continue to focus on small acts of reflection and kindness that strengthen our sense of community and remind us of the hope, compassion and renewal this season brings.

This week we held our first two Open Day Tours, where we welcomed families of future Foundation students into our school. These tours provided a wonderful opportunity for families to see learning in action, meet our dedicated staff, and explore our facilities. It was a pleasure to showcase the rich, warm and engaging learning environment that makes our school such a special place for children to grow.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Harmony Day, one of my personal favourite days in our school calendar. Harmony Day is a time when we acknowledge and celebrate the diverse multicultural community that enriches our school. It is always a highlight as we gather in prayer and then come together for our Harmony Day Parade, recognising the many cultures that contribute to the spirit and identity of our community. We encourage all members of our school to dress in cultural dress or wear orange and join us for our morning assembly under the shelter shed, beginning at 9:00am. Our staff have planned a vibrant day of cultural activities that we know students will thoroughly enjoy.

This week we also held our Parent–Teacher Learning Conversations, which offered families a valuable opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher/s, hear about their progress, and learn more about the wonderful things happening in classrooms. These conversations play an important role in strengthening the partnership between home and school, and we thank all families who made the time to attend.

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
Term 1 Events

Open Day & 2027 Foundation Enrolments

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

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 link below:

Celebrating Our Year 3 and Year 5 Students

We are incredibly proud of our Year 3 and Year 5 students who participated in this year’s NAPLAN assessments. Testing concluded on Tuesday, and throughout the entire period our students demonstrated calmness, resilience, and a positive attitude toward each task.

A massive thank‑you to Mr Nathan Secchi, Mr Anthony Andornaco, Mrs Emma McNamara, Mr Dom Poppa, Mr Shamus Le‑Gassick Searle, Mr Chris Quinn and Mrs Millie Hutchins for their coordination, preparation and support. Your collective efforts ensured that students felt confident and ready to do their best.

Despite a technical hiccup last Wednesday during the Year 5 writing assessment, the calm and professional response by our staff and students meant all learning continued smoothly and students remained settled.

Well done to everyone involved; students and staff alike. We are very proud of the way our community approached NAPLAN this year.

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 available at: https://www.sbshepparton.catholic.edu.au/how-to-be-involved 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.

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Friday, 20th March: Harmony Day
Friday, 27th March: School Photos (Please return envelopes to school by Wednesday, 25th March)
Monday, 30th March to Thursday, 2nd April - Last Week of Term - Holy Week Liturgies

Thank you for your continued support.

Joel Brian (Principal)