Newsletter Term 1 Week 7 (Wednesday 16th March 2022)

Our Front Page ............ Year 3

Year 3 celebrated the beginning of Lent by making special prayer crosses for our Mercy Garden. Lent is the 40 days before Easter, it is a special time when God invites us to think of others so that they may have a fair share of the gifts of Creation. Lent is about changing ourselves and thinking of others as we prepare for Easter. During Lent, we are also asked to make an extra effort to think of those less fortunate than ourselves, and therefore we try to give a little each week to the mission appeal. 

Year 3 Lenten Crosses

Our Gospel Reflection

Now into the third week of the Season of Lent, our Sunday Gospel prepares us to hear Lent's call to conversion and repentance. Today's reading is found in the chapters of Luke's Gospel that describe Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. During this journey, Jesus teaches and heals. He must also respond to those who question and challenge his authority and actions. There is no parallel in Mark's or Matthew's Gospels for today's reading from Luke. While Mark and Matthew describe an incident in which Jesus curses the fig tree, today's reading makes the barren fig tree the subject of a parable.

Luke tells us that some among the crowds report to Jesus a massacre of Galileans by Pilate. The intention of the crowd seems to be to ask Jesus to explain why these people suffered. It was commonplace to render people's suffering as evidence of their sinfulness. Jesus challenges this interpretation. Those who were massacred were no more or less sinful than the ones who reported the situation to Jesus. Jesus replied that even a fatal accident or a natural disaster, ought not to be interpreted as punishment for sin.

Jesus' words at first appear to have a fire-and-brimstone quality. Jesus says in essence, “Repent or perish as these people did; all are sinful before God and deserving of God's punishment.” The tone changes, however, in the parable that follows. The parable of the barren fig tree contrasts the patience and hopefulness of the gardener with the practicality of the property owner. When told to cut down the fig tree because it is not producing fruit, the gardener counsels patience. If properly tended, the barren fig tree may yet bear fruit.

Throughout his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus has been teaching about the Kingdom of God. In this parable, we find an image of God's patience and hopefulness as he prepares his Kingdom. God calls us to repent, and it is within his power to punish us for our failure to turn from our sinfulness. And yet God is merciful. He delays punishment and tends to us so that we may yet bear the fruit he desires from us.

This, then, is our reason for hope: Not only does God refuse to abandon us, he chooses to attend to us even when we show no evidence of his efforts. Next week's Gospel will give an even clearer picture of the kind of mercy that God shows to us.

From Our Principal

We continue to pray for all those in our State affected by the floods caused by the recent wet weather. We hope that the weather begins to improve soon for everyone's relief and particularly for those who have lost homes - may they continue to be supported by their communities in their recovery.

Over the past week I have read a number of articles discussing how to best talk to school aged children about the unfathomable human tragedy taking place daily in Ukraine.

Although children of different ages and maturity have different levels of understanding and capacity to process this type of tragic event, having a supportive discussion with a trusted adult can be a helpful way to decrease fear and misapprehension if children are asking questions or expressing concerns.

Taking time to listen to what children are thinking or what they have heard is a good starting point. Children only need to know simple age-appropriate information if they are inquiring to help allay their fears - taking our cues from children and limiting the information to the basics.

Younger children may not be at all conscious of what is happening and if they are they can be satisfied just by having it explained to them that sometimes countries fight. The key takeaway for parents and teachers is to keep it simple by validating a child's feelings or questions, simply correcting any misinformation, and reassuring them that they are safe.

Reassuring children that people all over the world are working together to help resolve this problem is also useful for them to know. Another important way to decrease fear in children is to limit what children see and hear on TV screens and online. Some children may self-initiate ways that they feel can help. This can include praying, donating some of their pocket money to organisations such as CARITAS, or expressing their feelings by drawing. Supporting them in these personal ways can be a great way to provide them with reassurance to express their thoughts and feelings.

As we commence the third week of Lent, may we continue to devote some time in prayer with our children for all those who continue to be affected by the war and for peace to reign in that land and in the hearts of those in power.

Tony Hunter,
Principal

Bishop Greg's Flood Appeal

The Lismore Diocese is receiving extraordinary amounts of offers for support for families impacted by the floods. To ensure a coordinated response we are requesting that all donations be channelled through Bishop Greg's Diocese of Lismore 2022 Flood Appeal (https://www.lismorediocese.org/)

It would be greatly appreciated if all fundraising efforts supported this appeal. BSB: 037-889 Account No: 1061 5829 Account Name: DOL Flood Appeal Transaction Details: If you wish your donation to go to a particular school, please include the school name or town in the transaction details (ie. South Lismore, Woodburn, Coraki, Lismore etc).

Personal Hygiene Donation Drive

The SRC & Mini Vinnies are running a personal hygiene donation drive so that we can do up hampers and drop these off to support agencies in assisting people who have been affected by the recent devastating floods. This week we are seeking donations of toilet paper. 

Please send in donations with your child/children so that they can put  them into their class donation boxes. Thank you for supporting this                                                                  initiative.

Loretta Morabito

St Patrick's Mufti Day on Thursday

On Thursday 17th March, we are encouraging students to come to school wearing green mufti (with sensible footwear) and to provide a donation for the privilege of wearing mufti clothes. The funds that we raise on this day will be donated to Bishop Greg's Flood Appeal. Students will be given a Zooper Dooper as a Saint Patrick’s Day thank you for supporting the fundraising efforts.

Donations are up to each individual family. It can be a gold coin or notes. It is whatever you would like to give to support those devastated by recent events.

We thank you for your generosity and continued support.

Parent Forum AGM

Many thanks to those who attended our Parent Forum AGM last night and to all members of the Forum. On your behalf, I would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to the Forum Executive for the past year - Mrs Gemma Habchi (Chairperson), Mrs Laura Nugent (Secretary) and Mrs Hayley Kennedy (Treasurer) for their support and leadership in their respective roles in what has been a very difficult year.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you, the parents of St Brigid’s, for the wonderful support you give to this community, the staff and myself. We are blessed to have parents who are involved in so many aspects of our school, not just leaving it up to others. However, in saying this it is vital that we have more parental involvement so as not to leave it all to just a few. Never underestimate the vital role each one of you plays whether through word or action in contributing towards the benefit of all the children in our care and in building our special community. You should be justifiably proud of the Catholic school you as parents have helped create. Together you are working in partnership with the school to make a difference for all the children, not just yours or theirs, but every child presently in the school and those who will enrol in the future. It is very much a family looking after all its members. Whether your contribution is big or small it is greatly appreciated and valued. As a result of your efforts, our Christ Centred community continues to grow and our children continue to benefit from your collective efforts to provide for quality resources here at St Brigid’s.

On behalf of the St Brigid’s School Community, I would like to extend congratulations and a big thank you to our incoming Forum Executive who have taken on the respective roles of Leadership – Mrs Gemma Habchi (Chairperson) and Mrs Hayley Kennedy and Mrs Ashling Aherne (Treasurer). Laura has stepped down from her role as Secretary and we extend our thanks for taking on this role during the past 12 months. The Parent Forum currently has a vacancy for the role of secretary. This is a great way to be involved in our children's school. Please see any member of the Parent Forum for further information.

Congratulations and thank you to our Team Leaders for 2022 – Rebekah Walters (Library Team) TBC (Reading Team), TBC (Grounds Team) Tara Laarhoven (Fundraising Team) Ali Lewis (Publicity), Ali Lewis and Kathryn Gill (Uniform Team), TBC (Sport Team), Krystal-Lee Hyde (Canteen Team), Hayley Kennedy, Kelly Schneider and Danielle Howes (Parent Assembly Team). All parents and carers are invited to be a part of one of our Forum Teams. Please contact any of the people listed or Mr Hunter at school for any further information.

So, on behalf of all the children and those to join us in years ahead, THANK YOU to you, our parents who really are making a difference. The next Parent Forum meeting will be held on Tuesday 10^th May in the School Library.

School Photos

One thing that will still be going ahead is our School Photo Day which will take place on Thursday 31st March. Envelopes and further information will be sent out to all students next week.

Student Attendance

The Australian Government and Department of Education have clear guidelines around the monitoring of student non-attendance at school. Regular attendance at school for every student is essential if students are to achieve their potential and increase their career and life options. Our school has legal obligations to follow up with the family when non-attendance becomes a concern. As stipulated by Educational Policy, we are required to contact parents when a student's attendance falls below 90%. If your child is absent from school, please ensure you reply to the SMS message you receive so we can identify the reason for the absence on our records. We will be in contact with families if student attendance falls below mandated levels.

Welcome Aanaminda

We extend a big welcome to Aanaminda Makeig who is now working in the role of Family Connect and Support within St Brigids. Some of you may have worked with Wendy Jansen previously and Aanaminda, or
Min for short, will be continuing Wendy’s work, building great connections with the families and communities of Kyogle.

Min has come from working in primary schools in the Hunter Valley in NSW and is looking forward to getting to know our community. Min can work with you to connect to services that may assist your family members with advice on a range of supports such as behaviour management, mental health and wellbeing, and housing and transport issues. Given the extent of the disaster, everyone has recently experienced, it is a very good time to be kind to yourself and seek support for any concerns you may have.

Ready 4 Learning

It’s back……bigger and better! If you have a child ready to start school in 2023 or know of someone who does, you are cordially invited to an information meeting on Monday 28th March at 6pm in our School Library. R4L will be running in Terms 2 and 3 of this year and then our Kindergarten transition will take place in Term 4. Please lodge your name and contact details with Mrs Campbell at the front office and an Information Form will be sent out to you. For any further information at this stage please contact Mrs Walters or Mr Hunter.

Parent / Teacher Interviews

These interviews are compulsory for parents / carers to attend so that the results of the assessments and learning goals for 2022 can be discussed. The first round of interviews for students in K-6 took place on Tuesday 15^th March. The next opportunity for interviews will be on Monday 21st  March from 3:30pm. The online booking system is open. Please make sure you book online by following  the steps below:

• Go to schoolinterviews.com.au
• Enter the event code gwnwz
• Enter your details
• Choose teacher(s)
• Choose times
• Click Finish and your interview times will be emailed to you automatically. Check your junk mail folder if you do not receive your confirmation immediately.

If you do not have access to online booking facilities, please contact Lani at our School Office and she will be able to make appointments on your behalf.

NAPLAN Online For Years 3 and 5

NAPLAN 2022 is approaching for students in Years 3 & 5. The following information will assist our families:
# A practice test will be held here at school on Thursday 24th March. This is not a test of the students’ ability but a test of the computer and server capability. It gives students a look at the online NAPLAN and an easy way to talk about it from there.
# The actual NAPLAN tests occur on Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th, and Thursday 12th of May. A complete timetable will be sent to you closer to the date. During NAPLAN we really appreciate having students at school on these days to eliminate the need for catch-up tests.                                                                                                                                                                            # All students must bring in their own earphones to use in these online assessments (mouse optional). Please do so as soon as possible.                                                                                                                    # If you are concerned about your child completing NAPLAN for any reason, please don’t worry your child about it, but contact their teacher to discuss your concerns.
# An explanation of NAPLAN can be found here: https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplaninformation-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf

Family Connect Support

Ms Aanaminda Makeig will be taking on the role from Wendy Jansen. At this time we are so fortunate to have the support of this nature for the families in our school. Please do not hesitate to contact Aanaminda on the phone number listed in the attached flyer.

Sports News

Winter Sports Trials

Touch Trials:- We extend our best wishes to Lila Standfield who will be participating in the Diocesan Touch Trials tomorrow, Thursday 17th March, at Iluka. 

Rugby League:- We wish the following students, Corey Love, Cruz Newton, Murray Doman and Braythe Bateman all the very best as they take part in the Diocesan Rugby League trials in Grafton on Friday 18th March.

We look forward to hearing how all 5 students fare in their respective trials. Many thanks to all parents for arranging transport and accompanying the children to these trials.

Chickens Available

We have been advised of a number of Queensland schools wishing to donate their school-raised chickens to our local area for those affected by recent flooding. Along with the chickens raised by our Year 1 students, we will have a generous number to re-home. If you are interested or know of someone who needs to restock their flock, please contact Hayley Kennedy by email.   

hayley.kennedy@lism.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming Dates

Please take note of the upcoming events for the rest of this term:

Thursday 17th - Whole school mufti day to celebrate St Patrick's Day (wear green); Year 3 Class Mass, 12:20pm; Diocesan Touch Football Trials in Iluka

Friday 18th - Diocesan Winter Sports Trials in Grafton

Monday 21st - Parent / Teacher Interviews

Thursday 24th - NAPLAN Readiness Test (Yrs 3 and 5); Year 4 Class Mass, 12:20pm

Thursday 31st - School Photo Day

Friday 1st - Cross Country Carnival

Sunday 3rd April - First Communion Celebration

Thursday 7th April - Rewards Day

Friday 8th April - Last Day of Term 1