Principal's Report
Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,
It is wonderful to be back at St Brendan’s reconnecting with staff, students and families after a beautiful six week holiday in London and Italy. It has been equally delightful to see and hear about all the wonderful things that have been happening at St Brendan’s: the Year 5/6 camp, new verandah posts, an almost completed Indigenous garden, First Eucharist for many Year 4 students, the 100 Days of Foundation celebration and the list goes on!
I would like to take this opportunity to most sincerely thank Bernie Turner, our wonderful Deputy Principal, our Leadership Team members and the entire staff of St Brendan’s for leading and managing our school during my absence.
My time away in the Italian sunshine has given me time to rest, reflect and recharge ready to lead St Brendan’s school towards the rapidly approaching conclusion of the 2023 school year. I am energised and ready to work with the entire school staff and our School Advisory Council to prepare and plan for the 2024 school year.
Please enjoy a few family photos from my amazing holiday.
Principal Professional and Personal Development Opportunity
Many months ago, when I advised the school community of my intention to take some long service leave this year, I also mentioned that many of the principals in our Peninsula Network are going to travel to Spain during the last two weeks of Term Three 2023. On this special pilgrimage, we will have the opportunity and the challenge of walking part of the Camino also known as the St James Walk. During this time, we will be led by our spiritual director, Mr Ange Virgona. We will have the opportunity to reflect on many things including:
- Who am I as a human being?
- What is my purpose in life?
- What role does God and faith play in my life?
- Who am I as a leader in a Catholic school?
- How can I best serve and support my students, staff and families in a way that reflects my faith?
- How can I share this journey with my school community?
- What will be my legacy from undertaking this pilgrimage?
I look forward to sharing my plans and work with staff and students prior to leaving for Spain on Sunday 3rd September. I will do this via age appropriate talks and activities with the children and their teachers, the newsletter and posts on the school Facebook page and on Audiri.
I will return to school at the commencement of Term Four. I look forward to your encouragement and support during my preparation.
I would like to congratulate 3/4MK for their wonderful assembly presentation yesterday.
Please make sure you say hello if you see me before or after school. If you have a query or concern, please feel free to contact me.
Wishing you all a wonderful week.
Sue
Dear Parents, family and friends,
It is so lovely to have Mrs. Carr back leading our wonderful school. We certainly missed having her around.
I would like to have this opportunity to say thank you to the wonderful staff at St Brendan’s that supported me in keeping the school running in her absence.
Camp:
The Year 5/6 students should be very proud of themselves. The teachers said they were one of the easiest groups to take away.
Camp is not always easy for some students and is at times, the first experience of staying away from home without the support of a parent.
At times on camp, the activities may have pushed children (and a few adults) out of their comfort zone.
I was privileged to experience some students attempting ‘The Giant Swing’. (18 m off the ground!) Some made it all the way to the top, while others made it halfway. Some students were just happy to be harnessed up for a little swing. Regardless of how high the children went, it was the constant shouts of encouragement from others that bought a tear to my eyes. “You Can Do it, You’ve got this, Just a little higher, It’s OK, You’ll be fine.” Just to mention a few.
A special thank you to all the staff members that attended the camp.
I can not think of too many jobs that require you to be on 24 hr duty for 3 days. Super effort.
First Eucharist:
What an absolutely beautiful evening.
Thank you to the Year 3/4 teachers for the work you put into preparing the children for this very special sacrament. Also, a massive thank you to our Religious Education Leader, Emma Chapple for her help and support.
Thank you to Father Shymon for celebrating this very special Mass.
Past Students:
It is always a pleasure to hear about past students' achievements:
The following students have been awarded for their academic excellence and endeavour, placing them within the top 10% of Padua’s Year 7 cohort:
Tilly Black
Paige Green
Tilly Black has also been honoured with the Principal's Honour Award.
This award recognises students who have consistently produced outstanding results across all their subjects, placing them approximately in the top 5% of their entire cohort across the college.
Body Awareness:
As mentioned in the last newsletter, we are hosting 3 sessions tonight with Kelly Nash.
These are the hottest tickets in town. (Even hotter than Taylor Swift)
It’s not too late to secure your ticket. Just follow the links below:
Year 1/2 Session Body Education EventBrite Link