Cohort News

Year 7 Pastoral Care

Throughout this term, year 7 has demonstrated a great work ethic and determination in completing their assessment tasks and classwork. As your daughter receives this valuable feedback I encourage you to assist your daughter in engaging with this feedback by reading over it together and discussing comments that have been given. This process of reflection will help promote an understanding of how she can improve her future work and develop constructive learning practices. As always, if your daughter has any questions or queries about her feedback, she is able to seek clarification from her classroom teacher. 

Sport

As you will have received in communication from Ms Norman, some of our sports activities and venues have changed to provide variety for our students:

• Aquinas and Brigid Houses are participating in OzTag activities held at Baker Park
• Delany and Regina Mundi are participating in Acrobatics, on-site at Brigidine
• Winifred and Xavier are learning some Hip Hop moves and routines, on-site at Brigidine.

From many reports, the girls are thoroughly enjoying the sporting activities and are doing a fantastic job!

I would also like to take this time to mention the Representative sporting teams. Well done to the students who have been competing in the SCS inter-school sport. This term we have quite a few teams competing in Soccer and Netball. The teamwork and sportsmanship of our students are to really be congratulated and admired!

Lockers

Lockers have arrived!

Your daughter has now been allocated a locker for her to store her belongings in. It has been much anticipated by students and teachers alike and we are very happy to see Year 7 finally settled in. It has been fantastic to see our students organising and arranging their spaces with bright colour-coded copies of their timetables for easy reference. 

I personally, would like to say thank you for your continued patience and understanding around the arrival of our lockers. 

Social Media

Lastly, I would like to reiterate the importance of having a discussion with your daughter about her social media use. As I outlined in my email to you all, social media plays a large part of the lives of our year 7's. Please see my communication titled "Social Media Concerns" in your email for more information and strategies on having open and honest discussions with your daughter on this issue.

I hope that you continue to have a great term.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Monohan 

Year 7 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 8 Pastoral Care

Amidst all the events that go along with College life, it has been so great to see Year 8 students engage in these events. It is heart-warming to finally see a sense of normality after such difficult times. These Year 8 students participated in our Ponytail Project: Daisy Herr and Sophie Thompson, both of Xavier Pastoral Care class. Well done!

What they contributed to others shows how important it is that our sense of generosity for others is effective in their wellbeing. Those acts of charity allow us access to these wonderful positive emotions. I would suggest that you encourage your Year 8 daughters to continue engaging with the Brigidine Community as it heads towards certain vital events throughout the Year.

Additionally, it has been so wonderful to continue to work as Director (while also being their Year Coordinator) with a group of Year 8 students, including our two Year 8 Leads in Sienna Simons and Annika Lindin in Matilda: The Musical. Their dedication to work around their studies and passion for how the arts can be ways to tell powerful stories are commended. These girls have the potential to be the leaders of the future and, by participating in this process, have gained so many unquantifiable skills that they can only learn through creative subjects.

We look forward to showcasing this soon. Watch this space as tickets are released.

I will always remind you that please contact your daughter's Pastoral Care Teachers for any concerns or questions. In addition, you are welcome to contact me at brenton.fletcher@syd.catholic.edu.au

Take Care,

Brenton Fletcher

Year 8 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 9 Pastoral Care

Hi and welcome to the second half of Term 2. We are well into the swing of things. We are currently finishing off assessments for most subjects as we move closer to the halfway mark of the year. For sport this term we have some students representing the College in Netball and Soccer. The rest of Year 9 participated in House Sport, where we played Netball at Heffron Park. This was a great opportunity for students to have some fun in a sport that they really enjoyed. They were not only playing Netball but they were also organising themselves and refereeing as well, which demonstrated how mature Year 9 are becoming. During the rainy days we reverted to the wet weather program where the girls did a combination of Just Dance and Pastoral activities.

I have included below a few pictures of Year 9 participating in sport and wet weather activities so far this year. 

For the remainder of this term Year 9 will be playing Tennis and attending The Titans Gym in Coogee for Thursday sport. 

I’d like to congratulate them on the way they have approached sport and the wet weather activities this year so far and encourage them to maintain this positive approach. 

Regards, 

Mr Tony Munguia

Year 9 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 10 Pastoral Care

Dear Parents and Guardians of Year 10,

May I start by  introducing myself, my name is Jon Campbell and I am your daughter’s new Pastoral Care Coordinator. I have been a teacher here for close to ten years and have had various Coordinator positions in the past and I am very much looking forward to working with Year 10 through this year and beyond.

I addressed the girls last week in our first year meeting of the term. I outlined my goals for this year group,  what they should expect of me and what, in turn, I should expect from them. I explained to them that my primary role is to provide pastoral support for all students and for them to feel that they can trust me in this regard. I also explained to them that with that trust also sees them having responsibilities in terms of respecting not only themselves but their peers, the school rules, the school environment and the wider Brigidine community. I stressed to them the importance of respect for self and others when in a community setting and how important this will be this year and as we move forward towards their senior studies. Finally, I told them that I will be there for them every step of the way throughout this journey.

Below is some other information that you may find helpful throughout this term:

Uniform

We are now in full winter uniform. Please refer to the uniform policy in College Diary on page 10a if there is any doubt. I have given the girls a ‘grace period’ throughout  last week to fix up any discrepancies and the Pastoral Care Teachers have been directed to issue any demerits involving uniforms from now on.

Sport

For the rest of Term 2 all Year 10 students who are not representing the college in external sport will be at Heffron Park and participating in various activities. Students will be dismissed at 2.45pm and will have to make their own way home from there. 

Absences

All absences can be notified using Compass. If you would like to submit a doctors certificate your daughter can bring it in to the front office on her return.

Process for leaving early: Students can either bring a note in and have it signed by me and use this note and present it to the front office at the time of departure to be signed out. Alternatively you can log this on Compass and email me in the morning on the day of the partial absence. She still needs to present to the front office to sign out but there is no need for a note if the email has been sent to me.

If there are any unexpected or extended absences after logging it on Compass please notify her Pastoral teacher or myself. All requests for leave in advance still go through our Principal, Mrs Sharyn Quirk. These leave forms are available from the front office. 

If you are experiencing any problems with logging into Compass please contact the front office to reset your login. 

Point of Contacts

In order to address any concerns or enquiries efficiently please continue to contact your daughters Pastoral teachers or myself if you have a wellbeing or Pastoral enquiry. If there are any subject specific questions or concerns, especially around assessments, the classroom teacher or Head of Department should be your first point of contact. Their contact details can be found below. 

Please do not hesitate to make contact with me if there is anything you would like to discuss with me, or any questions or queries you may have and need clarification on. 

I look forward to meeting you all at some stage on this journey.

Mr Jon Campbell

Year 10 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 11 Pastoral Care

As Term 2 progresses, there is a need to recognise how far we have come as a community. Year 11 students have nearly progressed mid point into their preliminary work of study as they now understand the demands of each of their courses. We need to pursue the need for balance, resilience and face the challenges that lie ahead. Each student needs to have a short term plan for each particular week, coupled with note taking and revision of concepts alongside with taking an active part in extracurricular activities.

This term is one of consolidation of knowledge, consistent revision, note taking and ensuring there is a continuous pattern of focus and study. Our College library is open until 6:00pm Monday through to, and including, Thursday. Students could take the opportunity to complete homework and pursue some form of revision and develop sound study patterns. UNSW could also be an avenue to complete some study and revision as our students could then have an idea of the path ahead at university. Pursuing excellence and solid study and working to one’s potential is one that we all hope for each of our Yr 11 students.

These next few weeks will be pressured as there will be assessments in English, Mathematics, Sciences and the Humanities. Please keep your daughters’ grounded as they work through these tasks and remember to keep in mind that if they become ill, you complete a Misadventure form alongside a Doctors certificate.This will provide support for the task to be taken at a different time as your daughter then will be able to complete the task as best she can.

Year 11 Student Council Representatives Eliza Cooke, Yasmeen Janschek, Emily Livisiannis, Charlotte Blackett and Isabella Mathis have been organising the Year 12 Jerseys. After several meetings and discussions, they have brought forward their design brief to the form which now needs to be taken to the College Executive. It is paramount that they take ownership of both the process for the development of these jerseys. I know the final result will be an amazing, collaborative and creative one.

Ms Jamie Lee Wood, our Director of Religious Education and Mission, has spoken with Year 11 about our Retreat which is held at Benedict XVI Retreat Centre. She has led our community in outlining the objectives of our retreat and our students are looking forward to replenishing and a renewal of their personal goals and commitments towards themselves. In Week 9, Aquinas, Delaney and Brigid and Week 10, Winifred, Xavier and Regina Mundi will be attending the centre for this time away from our busy routines. We are all looking forward to this experience as it will provide a sense of spiritual and personal fulfilment amongst a beautiful idyllic backdrop of the rural agricultural landscape of Richmond.

I wish every family a safe and successful start to our Winter season and this is my inspirational quote for us all:

"People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did,

  But people will will never forget how you made them feel."

  Maya Angelou

God bless,

Adriana Parsons

Year 11 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 12 Pastoral Care

Whilst it is true that the Class of 2022 has a busy assessment period approaching, there are also many enjoyable community events on the horizon with the HSC and Careers Expo, Founders Day, Year 12 Retreat and Formal just around the corner. Key dates will be provided to families shortly.

Pastoral Care Update

In our most recent Year Meeting, Year 12 received pertinent information regarding the University Admissions Centre materials relevant to their impending University applications. In this session, Mrs Zafiris our College Futures Coordinator addressed Early Entry and the processes involved and the Education Access Scheme and Schools Recommendation Schemes. Each student was also provided with their own UAC Guide, which encompasses all University Courses available in 2023. 

Schools Recommendation Schemes are one way institutions make early offers to current Australian Year 12 students who have applied for undergraduate admission through Universities Admission Centre (UAC). They are used by institutions to make offers of undergraduate admission using criteria other than (or additional to) ATARs’.

Education Access Schemes help students who have experienced long term educational disadvantage (at least 6 months) as a result of circumstances beyond their control or choosing to gain admission to university. EAS are offered by most of UAC’s participating institutions.

In this meeting, students were also provided with information regarding their upcoming visit to the HSC and Careers Expo on Friday, 3 June. Students were shown how to register for Seminars and provided with instructions on how to best approach the day to maximise its benefit. With over 100 exhibitors, this event provides Year 12 with an excellent opportunity to explore their post-school options, obtain career and employment advice and speak with industry professionals. 

Sport Update

As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, please be reminded that Year 12 will be participating in House Sport from Week 6. Students will be attending Paine Reserve and will be dismissed from the venue at 2.45pm. It is essential that you discuss and arrange transportation home with your daughter. 

Learning Update

With Year 12 fast approaching their next assessment period, each student should be implementing a personal plan to maintain a healthy wellbeing during what we know is an expected moment of heightened stress. In proactively planning for this period, the girls can reduce unnecessary stress, avoid impossible deadlines, “all-nighters” and loss of motivation. This plan should include ample planning time, sleep, exercise, revision, organisation and strategies such as collaborative peer teaching and learning practices. 

Additionally, during this period it is important to remind our young people that their value and worth is not dependent on their results but rather on their effort, relationships and on being a good person first and foremost. 

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Winston Churchill

God Bless.

Amy Borg

Y12 Pastoral Care Coordinator