Newsletter Term 2 Week 4 (Wednesday 18 May)

Year 5 - Visiting Author

On Friday the 13th of May, students of Stage 3 were privileged to take part in a Writers Workshop run by author and illustrator, Tina Wilson. In this brilliant workshop, Tina showcased her book ‘Afloat in Venice’ and explored the writing and illustrating process of creating this book. ‘Afloat in Venice’ is the first picture book in the ‘Monkey's great Adventures’ series. The story ‘Afloat in Venice’ revolves around a small toy – Monkey and his adventures in the city of Venice. Monkey is photographed in locations all around the city with bespoke hand-knitted characters and props. It is a graphic novel-style adventure series for young children. This series encourages children and adults alike to explore their imaginations and their relationships with those around them through the love of toys and in doing so, tap into the timeless idea that children believe their favourite toys are alive. The students of Stage 3 were shown the secrets behind creating an animation and now have an understanding of how to create their own characters and illustrations using the same process. This workshop was a great learning experience for our young writers and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

My New Gallery

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Our Gospel Reflection

In this week's Gospel (John 14:23-29), The Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete, a word that has its background in legal proceedings and is sometimes translated as Ad-vocate, (from the word to speak) or Counsellor. The Spirit is God on our side, our advocate, as we face the trials and troubles of our times. Those who live by the Gospel today are promised that God’s Spirit is on our side as we confront a society whose values often contradict those of the Gospel. With this sure promise, the believer can experience Jesus’ gift of peace.

We are reminded in the Gospel that Jesus keeps His promise and sends the Holy Spirit to the disciples and to the world. The Holy Spirit performs a dual purpose: firstly, to carry on the teaching; and secondly, to continue to remind the believers of all that Jesus said and did. The action of the Holy Spirit continues in the world today – inspiring and teaching those who are open to hearing and keeping alive the memory of Jesus, his teaching and his compassion. We talk about being full of school spirit and team spirit but these feelings of loyalty and commitment are only a distant echo of what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. How will you share the gifts of the Holy Spirit with others?

From Our Principal

Over the past ten days, the students in Year 3 and Year 5 have sat their NAPLAN examinations, with follow-up opportunities for students to finalise these assessments if they had been away. We were so proud of the students sitting NAPLAN, as they just got on with the tasks, and displayed a good attitude and strong effort. The children sat these exams for the first time - Year 5 were unable to do them when they were in Year 3 because of COVID and lockdowns. We know it is just a snapshot of a given day - there are so many other days in the school year where students are learning and showing us what they can achieve. As we have said before, EVERY DAY COUNTS! The foundational years are important, but in every year from Kindergarten onwards, the learning builds upon other learning. NAPLAN is not just a measure of what they have learned in Year 3 or Year 5, it takes into account all learning outcomes over their previous years of education. Learning stays on track when students attend school, and are active and engaged learners, taking risks and learning from each other. Our teachers and teacher assistants know our students and collect ongoing data which enables them to provide quality learning opportunities to suit the needs of every child. It is a most rewarding career and one that requires a great deal of commitment and professionalism. We are so lucky to have the wonderful staff we do because they place our students at the centre of education and will walk the extra mile to offer support where needed. What a team when we all work together to offer a great education to the students in our care!

Walk Safely to School Day

National Walk Safely to School Day is this Friday 20th May and we invite all of our students at St Brigid's to take part. Now in its 23rd year, this annual campaign encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers to walk safely and regularly to school.

On Friday 20th May, we will be walking from ANZAC Park in Norton Street to St Brigid's School. We will gather at 8:15am and set off to school from there. All parents and friends are more than welcome to accompany us on the walk and are more than welcome to bring along prams, scooters and good old fashioned footwear!

Our school's participation in this national activity is to raise awareness of the benefits of regular walking.

Thank You Arminel

Yesterday, Arminel Nagas presented our school with a beautiful new artwork called ‘Learning Place on Gullibul Country’. The painting tells the story of the learning place on Gullibul country, Kyogle, within the Bundjalung Nation. It acknowledges and pays respects to the Gullibul people past and present and acknowledges St Brigid’s School, where we celebrate and learn together to bridge the gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people, giving hope to the children of future generations.

We thank Arminel for sharing her creative gifts with St Brigid's School community.

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools etc around the country. This year it will take place on May 25, and the book selected is Family Tree by Josh Pyke. Our school will be participating in this event.

Year 6 Excursion to Canberra

Last Monday morning was an early start for our Year 6 students and accompanying staff as they flew out of the Gold Coast Airport bound for Sydney and the start of an exciting week which also takes in a busy schedule in Canberra. Many thanks to parents, grandparents and friends who ensured that all students were at the airport in readiness for their week ahead. The weather has been absolutely fantastic and to experience the climate in Canberra at this time of year has certainly been a big eye-opener for all of our students. Whilst in Sydney the students have had the opportunity to visit Mary MacKillop Place, Sydney Harbour Bridge Museum and explored the winding paths through The Rocks and Circular Quay. Yesterday (Tuesday), our first full day in Canberra the group had a wonderful visit to Government House, experienced the Sports Expo at the Australian Institute of Sport, toured through Parliament House, viewed Canberra from the top of Mt Ainslie and tested their skills and agility with an intensive rock climbing session. Please check our school Facebook page each day for an update on each day's activities. The group is due to fly back into the Gold Coast Airport on Friday at 8:20pm and then spend the weekend resting and getting over their jam-packed week.

Year 6 Excursion

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Dance Spectacular

All classes are busy polishing up their dances for our Dance Spectacular which will be held in the Parish Hall next Thursday the 26th of May. This is the grand showcase of our students having the opportunity of working with Aleeta Northey at the start of the month. Even our Year 6 students have taken the opportunity of squeezing in some dance practices whilst on their excursion. We ask that all students are at the Hall no later than 5:40pm ready for a 6pm start. Looking forward to a wonderful evening of entertainment from our students. 

New Covid Policy For Catholic Schools

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited Board during their meeting last week ratified a new policy regarding staff, contractors and volunteers in schools.

All staff, contractors and volunteers MUST be vaccinated against Covid to be on site. The use of our 'Who’s On Location' sign-in should capture
the vaccination details on your first log-in. This does not apply to visitors for events like Assembly
but will impact on classroom helpers, LAP volunteers, professionals visiting for OT, Speech, etc.
“The purpose of this policy is for the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL) to
provide direction to Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lismore regarding the establishment and
maintenance of practices to keep workers, students and volunteers safe from the impacts of
COVID-19. DLCSL is committed to implementing every reasonably practicable precaution to
protect the health and safety of staff, contractors, and volunteers working in schools, as well as
students attending schools from the impacts of COVID-19, and other persons with a legal right to
be on premises controlled or managed by DLCSL.” 

ICAS

Each year over a million students sit the ICAS assessments. The questions in the ICAS competitions help students to connect information from content strands of the curriculum to their existing knowledge and to real-life situations. The same subjects will be offered this year to students from Year 2 to Year 6, (Digital Technologies, Spelling Bee, Science, English, Mathematics, Writing) with each test costing $19.25 per student, except Writing which will cost $23.65. These assessments are optional. We will register the school shortly and then open up the Parent Payment System. You will be advised when this takes place so that you can select the subjects your child would like to sit and then pay online (no cash needed to be forwarded to school). Parents will be required to pay before the end of July to enable their child to sit these exams. The first assessment will take place in the second week of August. The school will secure the dates and place them on our calendar for Term 3. More information will be provided in the upcoming weeks. If you have any questions please contact Mrs Jan Condon.

School Fee Support For Families Affected By Floods

We know that some flood-affected families and communities will continue to work through their response and recovery for some time. We are here to support you in whatever way we can. We understand that the financial impact of the flood event has been extensive for many families in the affected regions.

In recognition of this burden, the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Ltd (DLCSL) Board has approved support to schools and parishes to provide full (100%) or partial fee relief (50%). This fee relief will include levies and elective fees. Full-year fee relief will be provided to families that received any Australian Government financial assistance payment relating to the 2022 floods, including either the:

• Disaster Recovery Payment (property damage)
• Disaster Recovery Allowance (income).

Partial fee relief (up to 50%) may be provided to other flood-affected families at the discretion of our Principal. Although individual circumstances will vary widely, the following factors will be considered in approving partial fee relief:

• Extent of property damage
• Duration of loss of income
• Other factors as appropriate.

If you would like to request the fee relief outlined above, please contact St Brigid's School, Kyogle either via kyogp@lism.catholic.edu.au or phoning 6632 1988 and ask to speak with Mr Hunter. We ask that you present documentation indicating you are receiving the relevant Disaster Recovery
payments when making your application. Fees that have already been paid can be refunded or carried forward as a credit for 2023. Please indicate in your application which of these options you prefer.

I thank you again for your ongoing support of our school. Our families and communities remain in our prayers. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school on kyogp@lism.catholic.edu.au or by phone on 6632 1988 should you have any questions. All enquiries will be treated with the utmost respect for the privacy of each family.

A Call Out For Class Parents

We would all agree Term One went by in a flash with everything happening locally and with navigating Covid. It is certainly terrific to see everyone able to get out and about a bit more. We are now calling on those of you who are interested in becoming a Class Parent. This idea would have been raised at the Parent Information Zoom meetings earlier in the
year. So far we have had some parents from Stage One kindly offer but we still need your help across other stages.

What’s It All About?
Basically, the Class Parents arrange opportunities for class social gatherings, Mum’s or Dad’s nights out, a card for a new baby, or perhaps round up support for a family in need in the class group. By communicating with class teachers you will be able to access potential dates, times or information. Usually, two parents per class are plenty so if you know of someone you could team up with, even better! Year 6 in particular needs reps as well as forming a group of Year Six parents to plan and coordinate the Year Six end-of-year celebrations. If you’d like to be part of a simple and proactive part of school life please contact Mr Hunter at tony.hunter@lism.catholic.edu.au or please get in touch ASAP so we can get started. Likewise, if you have any questions, please get in touch as well.

Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have shown tremendous effort and were presented with awards at the Week 3 Assembly:

Kindergarten:- George Marychurch, Liam Bowden

Year 1:- Gloria Rogin, Hamish Laarhoven

Year 2:- Chance Flanagan, Lola Lindsay, Caileb Hyde

Year 3:- Alyanna Clarke, Olivia Alvos

Year 4:- Emmelyn Whiting, Parker Kennedy, Kobi Nairne

Year 5:- Aleyah Frith, Chelsea Hyde, All of Year 5

Year 6:- Aysia Heke, Cruz Newton

Principal's Awards:- Gloria Rogin, Abi Allen 

Sport News

Zone Cross Country

What a run we have had with Cross Country... and so many false starts! The rescheduled Zone Cross Country took place today at Hepburn Park, Goonellabah. The sun was out at last and our competitors took to the track with enthusiasm. Congratulations to all of our students who made it to this event to compete in their respective age groups. A BIG congratulations to Hannah Kennelly who placed 4th and will be going on now to the Diocesan event to be held next Tuesday, 24th May. 

My New Gallery

PBS Focus

Our PBS Focus this week is:

We come to school every day so that we can keep on track with our learning.

Happy Birthday to You ...

13th May - Cruz Newton                  17th May -  Peyhton Bateman

18th May - Aysia Heke                 

Upcoming Dates

MAY

Friday 20th - Walk Safely to School day

Thursday 26th - Dance Night Spectacular

Friday 27th - National Reconciliation Week

JUNE

Tuesday 7th - Parent Forum Meeting

Monday 13th - Queen's Birthday Long Weekend

Friday 10th - Year 4 Showcase (2:15pm)

Friday 17th - Year 2 Showcase (2:15pm)

Thursday 30th - School Photos / Last day of Term 2 for students

JULY

Friday 1st - Pupil Free Day