Assistant Principal Report

The start of the 2023 academic year has begun smoothly here at Brigidine. Our girls have returned this year with excitement, passion, diligence and vigour as they commence the year. With an array of activities to kickstart this year, it has been pleasing to watch such energy as the girls demonstrate both their commitment to our College and their commitment to considering their own personal goals as they take on 2023. 

You may have noticed that this year we have a new College diary. In this new diary, you will notice that each week encourages self-reflection - time for our girls to evaluate their week and dive deep into their behaviours. I encourage you to familiarise yourself with your daughters diary so that through active discussions you may discuss with your daughter where she is headed and assist her to make adjustments as necessary in order to fulfil her semester goals. 

Behaviour at Brigidine

Here at Brigidine, we believe that working together in a positive school climate supports learning and wellbeing. The development of positive relationships and consistent high expectations, enables all stakeholders to accept responsibility for their learning and wellbeing in a safe and supportive environment. Learning is enhanced through a whole school approach that cultivates a safe and supportive environment, emphasising positive emotions and building an enriching environment. 

The College expects that all Brigidine students will:

• develop and model positive behaviour to other students
• communicate politely and respectfully with all members of the College community
• comply with and model College values
• behave in a safe and responsible manner
• respect self, other members of the College community and the College environment
• actively participate in College life
• not disrupt the learning of others and make the most of the educational opportunities
• be punctual to all classes and College activities
• follow a pathway of ‘Strength and Gentleness’, as they live out the charism of St Brigid each day.

A reminder about demerits & detentions:

• 3 x Demerits automatically trigger a Friday afternoon detention 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm 
• Mobile Phone use/ inappropriate use of technology automatically triggers a Friday afternoon detention 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm 
• Failure to attend a Friday afternoon detention will result in two subsequent detentions issued by the Pastoral Care Coordinator
• Failure to attend a detention the second time will result in a meeting with the Pastoral Care Coordinator and the Director of Pastoral Care 
• If a student receives three afternoon detentions in a term, parents will be notified and asked to attend a meeting with the Director of Pastoral Care and the Assistant Principal. This is a serious infringement and may result in an internal suspension.
• Demerits are reset to zero at the beginning of each new semester.

New Bell Times 2023

Procedures for leaving the College early.

A reminder that the following applies to any girl wishing to leave the College early. No girl under the age of 16 is allowed to leave the College on their own. Students who are under the age of 16 must be picked up by a parent, guardian or emergency contact, listed on Compass. If another person is to collect your daughter, we ask parents/guardians to please email the College and advise the College of the person’s full name so that we can add the contact to Compass.

Upcoming Dates:

3 March - College Photo Day 

School Vaccination Program 2023

This year our vaccination dates are as follows:-

- Friday 28 April (Year 7 Vaccination plus any Year 8 who missed a dose in 2022).

- Friday 23 June (Year 10 Vaccination + Plus any Year 7 or 10's who have missed out on their last vaccination).

- Friday 3 November (Year 7 Vaccination Dose 2 - Plus any year 7 who missed a 1st dose).

As part of the NSW School Vaccination Program, students in Year 7 are offered free vaccines to protect them from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). In Year 10, students are offered the free meningococcal ACWY vaccine.  

Parental consent is required for your child to receive routine vaccinations at school. If your daughter is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, you can now provide this consent online using this LINK 

Vaccinations will only be provided at school if consent has been received. 

How to provide consent:

1. To complete online consent for your daughter's school vaccinations, visit: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school

2. Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one. 

3. Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required. 

4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your daughter(s). You will need to:  a) Enter your child’s personal details 

b) Provide the Medicare card details for you and your daughter  

c) Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement 

d) Provide consent  

Additional Information: 

From February 2023, only one dose of HPV vaccination is required to be fully vaccinated.

This change has been endorsed by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) based on the latest evidence showing that one dose provides the same level of protection against HPV as two doses.  

If you have already consented to your daughter receiving two doses of HPV vaccine, she will only receive one dose. 

If your daughter is in Year 8 or above and previously missed their second dose of HPV vaccine, they are now considered fully vaccinated and do not require a second dose. 

A small number of students who are immunocompromised are still recommended to receive a three-dose course of HPV vaccine. If your daughter is immunocompromised, it is important to discuss her immunisation needs with her GP.  

If your daughter misses a school vaccination clinic, the school immunisation nurses will try to catch them up at their next visit. Alternatively, you can speak to a GP or pharmacist about catching up on vaccination. 

For more information on school vaccination visit: health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination or if you have any questions, please contact South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit on 9382 8333 (Ext2).

Julie Norman

Assistant Principal