Cohort News

Year 7 Pastoral Care

Term 1 is quickly flying by for our Year 7 students. With so much learning and activities happening each week, Year 7 and I cannot believe that we are already halfway through our first term together.

Big Sister/Little Sister Week

During Week 4, our Year 7 students engaged in a range of activities with their Big Sisters from Year 11. Our students enjoyed participating in a variety of activities run by their Big Sisters that focussed on how to seek support, build communication, solve problems and challenges they may face. The Big Sister/Little Sister program aims to assist our Year 7 students to learn from an older student’s perspective on a range of issues and provide another source of support within the school, should Year 7 ever need a friendly face to talk to. Thank you to the Year 11 students for being wonderful role models for our Year 7 students.

Pastoral Care 

Throughout the term, our Pastoral Care program has been exploring the themes of emotional literacy, mindfulness, coping strategies and self-regulation. The knowledge and skills learnt in these lessons will assist in further developing the values and traits that will strengthen the positive experiences our girls will encounter in their coming years at Brigidine College and throughout their life.

Setting Strong Foundations 

With our Year 7 students settling in well to their learning environment, it is important to ensure we have set routines in place to enable them every chance of successful learning. Students are reminded to bring their College diary to school each day and to each class. The diary is where homework and assessment tasks are recorded and it is also a tool for reflection each week during Pastoral Care. Students and parents are encouraged to set up homework and study routines at home including set times for homework, device-free times and zones within the house and creating a timetable for work/life balance. If your daughter would like more information and support in setting these strong foundations, please contact me.

Uniform and School Expectations

A reminder that the following are important aspects of the Uniform Policy that can be found in the front of your daughter's diary:

• Makeup - foundation, mascara, fake eyelashes, fake tan or bronzing products or similar - must not be worn with the uniform.
• Jewellery - A student may wear: one small plain gold or silver earring in each earlobe, a wristwatch, a small religious icon or cross on a thin chain worn inside the uniform and sitting below the uniform’s collar or top button
• School Hat - must be worn to and from school 
• Students who choose to wear non-regulation items of jewellery will have these items confiscated. They will be stored in the College safe and returned to the student at the end of that school term.
• The College school bag is the only bag permitted.
• No writing or graffiti is to appear on any item of the College uniform or diary 

Thank you again for your ongoing support. Please reach out if you have any wellbeing concerns.

Brenda Doran 

Year 7 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 8 Pastoral Care

I hope this newsletter finds you and your families well. As we head into the second half of Term One, we wanted to provide you with an update on what Year 8 has been up to in this busy start to the year.

Firstly, I would like to commend our Year 8 students on their hard work and dedication towards their studies. It has been a pleasure to see their enthusiasm and passion for learning, both in the classroom and beyond.

However, as we know, academic success is not just about hard work but also about effective study habits. As many assessment tasks are due for our Year 8’s over the next couple of weeks, we encourage them to be adopting healthy study habits that can help them achieve their goals. Here are a few tips that may be helpful:

1. Establish a routine: Encourage your daughter to establish a routine that includes regular study sessions. This can help her manage her time effectively and avoid last-minute cramming.
2. Set goals: Help your daughter set realistic goals for her academic performance. This can motivate her to work towards achieving her objectives.
3. Take breaks: Encourage your daughter to take regular breaks during her study sessions. This can help her to stay focused and avoid burnout.
4. Seek help: If your daughter is struggling with a particular subject or topic, encourage her to seek help from her class teacher directly.
5. Stay organised: Encourage your daughter to keep her study materials organised and to maintain a clean study space. This can help her to stay focused and avoid distractions. Removing her phone from her study area may also be helpful in minimising distractions.

Throughout this term, our Year 8 students have also been busy with extracurricular activities. House Sport has seen our students step outside their comfort zones a little and challenge themselves in the Learn to Surf program. It has been very rewarding seeing our students become more confident in the ocean and standing up for the first time on the surfboard! At Paine Reserve, our girls are also developing their teamwork and motor skills by learning to play cricket and softball. 

This term has also seen the Introduction of the Brigidine BRAVE Pastoral Care Program. In our Pastoral Care groups, we have been exploring respectful communication both in the online world and personally, through understanding empathy and how that contributes to respect between individuals. Please ask your daughters about these lessons and what they learnt.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Monohan

Year 8 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 9 Pastoral Care

We are well into our first term of the school year and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the progress and achievements of our students in Year 9. It has been a busy and exciting start to the term for all of us, and I am proud of the dedication and hard work shown by our students. 

Throughout the term, our Year 9 students have continued to develop their skills and knowledge across a range of subjects. From English and Mathematics to Science and Humanities, as well as the first 5 weeks of their new interest electives the students have engaged in a wide range of learning experiences designed to challenge and inspire them. 

Outside of the classroom, the students have also had the opportunity to participate in a range of extracurricular activities, including sporting teams and music ensembles. I am always impressed by the commitment and passion shown by the students in Year 9 who participate in these areas, and I believe that these activities provide valuable opportunities for our students to develop important life skills. 

Congratulations

I wish to congratulate Evie Bowi, Amelia Byrne, Niamh Lynch and Emma Haley on being selected to represent Coogee Surf Lifesaving Club at The Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships. This is an outstanding achievement and I wish them all the best with this endeavour. 

Class Goals

The Year 9 Pastoral Care classes have been busy planning and beginning to achieve their Pastoral Care Class goals. These goals were set individually by each class and the students are aiming to achieve these by the end of the semester. If you would like more details on these goals, please email the relevant Pastoral Care Teacher. Each class goal is below.

If any parent/carer or student in Year 9 has any good news stories to share about your child I would love to hear from you so I can help celebrate all Year 9 girl and their successes at the college. Thank you again for your ongoing support of the Brigidine Community, and I look forward to working with you and your child throughout the rest of the year.

Nikki McWhirter

Year 9 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 10 Pastoral Care

In Week 2 of this term, we had our College Swimming carnival at the Botany Aquatic Centre, where a lot of our students participated in the races and supported their peers throughout the day. As it seems to be with the weather whenever we have an event it rains. This forced us to end the carnival a little earlier than expected. I would like to congratulate the girls for their flexibility and maturity at the end of the day when the weather turned and thank them for assisting us in the smooth departure. 

Shout out to Zali Summerauer 

Our very own Zali has been practising and perfecting her skills in ski racing since the age of 7. She has recently returned from training in the northern hemisphere, where she spent 8 weeks with the Vernon Ski Racing Club in Canada. While she was there she participated in a Downhill Ski race in her age category and was placed first! This is an amazing achievement and I am also advised that it is likely that Zali will represent Australia in the Whistler Cup; a further update on her success will be posted later in the year. Below are some photos that her mother has kindly shared. Congratulations Zali!

As we are now past the halfway point of the term, the first round of assessments for the year is coming up. I am including the process for any missed tasks and the people that need to be contacted. 

Assessments: Illness and Misadventure

If your daughter is away for an assessment it is important that she/you contact the classroom teacher to advise of this on the day. An illness/misadventure form will need to be completed and returned when your daughter returns to school. Please attach the required medical documentation to this and submit this to her classroom teacher or front office. 

All subject-related enquiries should be directed to the subject teacher as the first point of contact. Their details are available on the subject Compass page. Illness/misadventure forms are processed by Ms Fox and Ms Agazzi in conjunction with the Headteachers. For any assessment or general subject enquiry please contact Ms Fox at natasha.fox@syd.catholic.edu.au or Ms Agazzi on eleonora.agazzi@syd.catholic.edu.au

Regards, 

Tony Munguia

Year 10 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 11 Pastoral Care

Year 11 have made an excellent start to their senior studies this term. Reports from a variety of teachers have indicated that the girls have settled in very well and are working hard. There will be a number of assessments coming up near the end of term that will test them however the hard work that is going on in many of the Year 11 classrooms should see positive results for many.

Year 11 has also immersed themselves in the “Big Sister/Little Sister” program that sees each Year 11 student buddied up with a new Year 7 student. The program gives the girls the opportunity to move into their new role as senior leaders of the college by being role models for the new Year 7’s. This will continue throughout Term 1 and 2.

I would like to finish with a friendly reminder regarding uniform. As the girls now wear the college kilt to school it is a requirement that skirt lengths are just above the knee. It would be appreciated if parents and guardians could check this skirt length at your earliest convenience and make the necessary alterations if needed. 

Jon Campbell

Year 11 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 12 Pastoral Care

Dear Parents and Carers,

"Education is not about knowing things or taking lessons but about being able to use three lingos: those of the head, the heart, and the hands... learning so that you can think about what you feel and do, can feel what you think and do, and can do what you feel and think. Unity within a person."  Pope Francis

This theme from Pope Francis really underpins what we want for our Year 12 students as a community. Our students witness a dynamic learning environment that has the BRAVE theme at its core and as parents, we need to nurture, promote and support our daughters in the best possible manner. Brigidine fosters a strong sense of creativity, leadership and resilience in their approach towards facing their assessment tasks and managing day-to-day challenges. We provide our students with many opportunities in order to promote responsibility, and accountability in order to learn in a culture that is transformative, empowering and possesses the values of compassion and justice.

Essentially, we all look forward to a future filled with opportunities for our young women- enabling them to be independent in thought, compassionate for the marginalised and supporting one another in their academic pursuits.

The Year 12 Examination period commences on 22 March 2023. It is essential that each student is present for each examination. If a student is ill, a parent needs to contact our office and then provide medical documentation on the day of their return. The Illness/Misadventure needs to be completed alongside this documentation. Students will be present 20 minutes before the start of the examination and they are only allowed to bring their essential writing materials (in a clear plastic pencil case) including one approved calculator.  No apple watches are permitted. The examination timetable will be released shortly.

I wish every student every success in the preparation period for these upcoming examinations. Consistent revision, thorough preparation, outlining individual outcomes and completion of past HSC papers are the key factors to academic success. Also, Meditation, good nutrition, daily exercise and some positive reinforcement from family members of achieving their best within each student's capabilities are important factors in facing the challenges of Year 12. Please do not hesitate to contact me or your daughters’ pastoral care teacher if you need any further support over the next few weeks.

Yours sincerely,

Adriana Parsons

Year 12 Pastoral Care Coordinator