Cohort News

Year 7 Pastoral Care

Brigidine College was very excited to welcome our equally excited new students on Tuesday. Our young ladies started their week with introductions, getting to know each other and their wonderful Pastoral Care Teachers. Throughout the week, they have learnt how to effectively use a diary, read their timetable, find classrooms and navigate their daily schedule.

On Wednesday they explored our College's history and Charism. Year 7 learnt about the work of Daniel Delaney and the Brigidine Sisters in our heritage and then connected to our Brigidine community by writing letters to the Sisters who are currently in lockdown.

On Thursday, students learnt about the importance of organisation and gathered some tips and tricks for staying organised while managing all their new classes.

Extra curricular activities in music such as choir, orchestra and the school’s musical were explored and it was evident that year 7 is musically gifted by the number of interested faces!

On Friday, our young ladies discovered some mindfulness techniques to help regulate and calm their emotions and also participated in a self acceptance activity where they decorated their own versions of a Kintsugi bowl, learning about perceiving our mistakes or flaws, not as deficiencies but as either opportunities for growth or practicing self-kindness. 

Some highlights for our year 7’s so far include:

My favourite part of school so far is having the opportunity to make so many new friends. I also loved the talk about camp and what to bring. The tour was also really fun because we got to see all around the school. 

At the start of school I was excited but also a little nervous. I was excited about meeting new people and was nervous because I thought I was gonna get lost. At the moment I feel fine and have made so many new friends. I am really excited for camp and what's to come. I am looking forward to starting classes so I can learn new things. - Zara 

When I first came to Brigidine I was excited and nervous, I only had one friend in Brigid, and was frightened by the fact that we would have to meet so many new people, but now a few days later I have made so many new friends already and feel much more comfortable talking to people and asking questions. I loved the boot camp. It gave us a chance to meet so many new people. During the bootcamp we did so many things like play funny games, meet new people and get ready for next week when we start our classes. The thing I am looking forward to the most this coming week is camp, where we will get to meet even more new people and I'm sure we will have so much fun too! - Amelia

I loved every day of boot camp. Every day was a different activity and it never kept us bored. If i had to choose a favourite part though it would be the first day where we made a birthday calendar on the wall.

At the start of boot camp I was really scared and nervous because I didn’t like the feeling of being in a new environment but now I am getting used to it and even though I don’t really know many people (apart from school friends) it is getting to a point where I am feeling comfortable in my homeroom.

I am looking forward to knowing everyone in the class as well as I knew everyone in my primary school. I am also looking forward to knowing all the teachers and the camp!!! - Lola 

Rebecca Monohan 

Year 7 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 8 Pastoral Care

And so it all begins again!

The College can be a lonely place during the holiday period, so welcoming your daughters back to the College has been an absolute joy over the past few days. 

I extend a warm welcome to our new students and families joining our Year 8 Community this year. This year is not without its challenges as new classes and teachers means the development of new relationships and a deeper level of learning. But as I expressed to Year 8 at their Year Meeting on Day One: “Great things never come from comfort zones.” I ask that Year 8 look to the future with a Growth Mindset to take on the mistakes as learning opportunities and challenges with perseverance. 

Our PEEC Curriculum is now a regular occurrence each morning with a carefully mapped out sequence to cater for the Year 8 cohort’s needs. Please continue to engage with them about their learnings during the week and particularly ask them about the goals they have set for the beginning of the year. Checking in with them will not only validate the process but is a wonderful opportunity for you to engage with them with their schooling. 

I would finally like to welcome the new staff to our Pastoral Care Team, including Matthew Dunne, the teacher for Aquinas, and Bedelia Melville, the teacher for Winifred. For further information here is the full list of teachers for Year 8 Pastoral Care and their contact emails: 

Blessings from me to you for the new year and I look forward to continuing to support Year 8 to achieve their best through the challenges of 2022. 

“Fall down seven times,

get up eight.” 

Japanese Proverb

Brenton Fletcher 

Year 8 Pastoral Care Coordinator

brenton.fletcher@syd.catholic.edu.au

Year 9 Pastoral Care

Welcome to Term 1. It was great to have met all of the Year 9 students this week. Our first couple of days gave us the opportunity to do our administration and set ourselves up in Pastoral Classes and for the schooling year. 

We were able to meet as a year group and I had an opportunity to speak to the girls about the importance of working towards a goal as opposed to just moving towards something or letting the time slip by. I stressed the importance of them being in control of what they are doing and to have input for their learning or personal goals. This year is the first time that they will be taking classes which they have chosen. So it is important that they understand where they are on the continuum of their learning journey and make the most of their time and seek the support of their teachers when it becomes necessary. 

We also discussed the importance of having a growth mindset which is a way to positively adjust your attitude towards any given task in order to find the process that works for you to achieve your goals. Research has found that goal setting and using a Growth mindset is an important way for students to be in control to achieve their best; whether it’s an academic, a personal or a social goal, and as a Pastoral team we will guide and support them through this process as we will continue to work on goal setting throughout this year.

This year begins the Stage 5 journey which helps lay the foundation for Stage 6 and their HSC. I am looking forward to being a part of that Journey to 2025 and will continue to encourage them to work towards achieving their goals. 

Below is the list of the Pastoral Care teachers for the Year 9 team for 2022. Your first point of contact for any wellbeing concern should always be your Pastoral Care teacher. 

To best support the transition to Stage 5, I have provided a link below that includes a survival guide for Year 9 and outlines helpful tips and information that can be used throughout the academic year. 

Link: Year 9 High School Survival Guide

Wishing you a great start to the year and I look forward to working alongside each of you in support to achieve your personal and academic goals.

Tony Munguia

Year 9 Pastoral Care Coordinator

marco.munguia@syd.catholic.edu.au

Year 10 Pastoral Care

Welcome back to school and I hope you all had a great holiday. My name is Catherine James and I am the new Year 10 Pastoral Care Coordinator. I am looking forward to getting to know all the Year 10 students and having a great year.

This year the girls will be having sport on a Thursday afternoon. The girls this term will be playing a variety of sports such as Tennis, Handball and Soccer.  If you can please make sure that their sports notes are in as soon as possible and please note that they will be dismissed from the venue they attend.

In their pastoral care classes this term, in the first instance the girls set their goals for this term. These were both educational and personal goals. We will be revisiting them throughout the term to see how they are travelling and support them to attain their goals.

When determining their goals we will also look at character strengths and what is required of them to reach their goals. We will also look at the road blocks that they might face (i.e too much screen time) and how they can overcome these. We will also have a look at their support network and who they have around them to help them achieve their goals. They will be, setting goals every term this year. This is an important skill we hope will help them throughout their life.

Catherine James

Year 10 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 11 Pastoral Care

Welcome to our Parents/Guardians and to our new Senior Year 11 students. It was such an amazing start to our year when greeting each of our Year 11 students these first few weeks. As we commence our new school year, the Year 11 catchphrase (which we have had since Year 8) is to “Be the Best Person I can Be”. It is my wish for every single student to be valued, respected and by participating in our rich College life along the way, they as an individual and as a cohort develop a strong sense of belonging to our College community.

Our PEEC program has commenced this term with goal setting- which aims at encouraging the academic growth of every student with the underlying principles of individual care in order to find the best practice models of learning across our diverse range of learning modules.

Our Year 11 Pastoral Team, Ms Nadia Evdokimova 11 Aquinas, Ms Tess Waterhouse 11 Brigid, Ms Clare Rose 11 Regina Mundi, Ms Maya Mabey 11 Winifred, Ms Karen Bataille 11 Delany and Mr Gus Lyons 11 Xavier have really supported and nurtured our students in these past few weeks. Our new house Delany (pink house colour) has replaced Patrick and this takes us back to Bishop Daniel Delany who was monumental in the spread of education for the young people in Ireland. The Year 11 Pastoral team are assisting our students to be inspired, to possess the skills of confidence, compassion, resilience and gratitude. These aspects of life are paramount as they help guide and support every individual on a day to day basis. The aim of Senior Years is that we as teachers need to challenge their thinking and strive for excellence in their chosen fields.

As a cohort, we have addressed some important issues. Being organised, planning tasks and homework and having the drive for continual revision and skills improvement. Meira Jackson Year 12 College Captain and Cynthia Liong stressed the importance of trialling diverse ways of learning and using time effectively. They also highlighted the need for social and sporting commitments and to be able to have a good work-life balance. Strong study patterns, good sleep habits, nutrition and self-reflection are key themes to one’s individual success. Each student will receive an A3 size wall planner which will provide a clear outline of when tasks are due and forward planning will assist in the completion of these tasks. It is simply a larger calendar where each student needs to map out their homework and their assessment tasks in order to assist in everyday planning. As a parent/guardian, you can follow their commitments and encourage your daughter to get started early in their tasks, consult their subject teacher and never leave a task to the very last minute.

As Parents and guardians, attendance is paramount in Year 11 as there are government guidelines that are mandatory for all students. If your daughter is not well, you need to contact the administration office, log the absence on Compass and provide medical documentation, especially after two days of absence. It is your daughters’ responsibility to catch up on any work that she has missed and she also needs to touch base with her subject teacher. Attendance and punctuality are important factors in College life as they set up patterns for later work life. Students are now in their new Senior uniforms as they all look professional and amazing these last few weeks. Long nails and eyelash extensions are not part of the uniform alongside chains and only plain studs or sleepers (one in each ear). In the next few weeks, we will be having an assessment meeting with Ms Fox who will provide us with a Stage 6 Handbook with all dates of assessment tasks.

I am looking forward to this term and I am very very grateful that we are all at the College. Please continue with the COVID protocols as we all need to stay safe and live our lives as best we can.

I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful start to the new year and may Year 11 continue to grow into strong and confident young women of the 21 Century.

Adriana Parsons

Year 11 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 12 Pastoral Care

It’s hard to believe that Year 12 has just over two terms left before they will be revising and preparing for their HSC exams!

Last week, the girls arrived back on campus and did so with high expectations of themselves and others. It was a pleasure to see the girls catch-up with one another and build a genuine atmosphere of excitement for the year ahead. They have really hit the ground running and have settled back into the routine of school life well. As they continue to revise and work through content, I hope they embrace the challenges that the final year of schooling will bring. It is important for them to enjoy every moment of it, no matter how difficult it may seem, as they will be eagerly awaiting HSC results in no time. 

Upon return to school, the girls often forget that they have had six weeks of summer but they are returning to an academic setting. It is an opportune moment to remind the girls to represent the best version of themselves by adhering to the Brigidine College uniform standards.

Organisation is important for the girls to manage their time and work effectively. During our return to school activities last week, the girls received a simple template so that they could develop a personal home learning and study timetable to increase productivity, manage time appropriately and develop routine. The girls are highly encouraged to reduce their workload into ‘bite-sized’ chunks throughout the week as a strategy to better manage their study and reduce stress.

During our year meeting, Year 12 were reminded of the importance of having a growth mindset and understanding that they are in a state of ongoing improvement. In having a growth mindset and being open to change and challenge, the girls in turn build resilience and learn strategies to reframe their approach during difficult times to maintain motivation and to improve skills.

Shared in parent communication this week was a reminder that your first point of contact for all matters pertaining to Pastoral Care is your daughter’s Pastoral Care Teacher. To assist you in making contact where necessary, relevant staff details are again provided below: 

Our focus is always on your daughter and her wellbeing. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your daughter’s wellbeing please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the Year 12 Pastoral Care team.

I am looking forward to a very exciting (and undoubtedly busy) year ahead and am grateful to be working with such an inspiring and resilient group of young ladies. HSC here we come!

God Bless.

Amy Borg

Year 12 Pastoral Care Coordinator