Newsletter Term 2 Week 10 (Wednesday 29th June 2022)

Our Front Page with Stage 1

A highlight for Stage 1 this term was their science excursion to Geneva Bridge to witness erosion first-hand. Their Earth and Space unit focused on observable changes that occur in the sky over time. It introduced students to regular atmospheric and astronomical events and their effects on the Earth. In particular, the observable changes in the sky and on the land and the Earth’s resources that are affected by these changes.

Stage 1 to Geneva Bridge

Our Gospel Reflection

Every morning when we wake up we have 24 hours – brand new hours to live. What a gift! In those 24 hours we have the capacity to live in a way that will bring peace, joy, fulfilment and happiness to others and ourselves...

 Jesus frequently greeted his disciples with the greeting ‘Peace be with you’. Peace is present - right here and now- in ourselves and in everything we do and see – if only we let it. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky, the gentle breeze, the beauty of a sunset, or the companionship of a friend. However, all too often we let those opportunities slip by because we are too busy or too worried about tomorrow or next week or next year.

We are very good at preparing to live but not very good at living. We will make sacrifices for our children, work hard to buy a new house or a new car, but we have difficulty remembering that we are alive today – and so we miss out on the joy of the present moment. Perhaps today we can all take some time to appreciate the beauty of our world and those with whom we come in contact.

From Our Principal

After reading through and seeing the distribution of the Semester 1 Reports it is evident that our students are aware of how they are going and as parents you should be really proud of how well they have progressed through the first half of the year. Well done to all the students. The students who are making progress in Maths appear to be learning number facts, thinking
through problems carefully and enjoy the challenges that are presented. The students doing well in the General Capabilities have a direct link to things like good attendance at school, ownership of their own work and behaviour and a respect for the people and resources available to them.

Last week at the Diocesan Principals Conference I had the opportunity to work through the document that looks at what we want for our students in Catholic Education. It sits within the Fullness of Life Framework under which our Catholic Schools operate.

The student section of the framework looks at areas like:
 A student inspired by the Gospel of Jesus
 Who is a confident, hopeful and resilient
 Who is a self directed lifelong learner
 Who can positively interact with others
 And is an informed, responsible and active member of the community.

The document wants us all to make our students visible in all the work we do. So it was great to unpack this document last week through the lens of the St Brigid’s Kyogle students.  We need to ensure we see each student as an individual, looking to create a plan for each of them.

Our students are in a great space, thanks to the great communication between home and school and the efforts everyone has gone to in ensuring Covid, floods and staff shortages are not impacting their learning and their ability at school. 

This Thursday will mark the end of Term Two for students as Friday is a Professional Development Day for staff. Students will resume for the start of Term Three on Monday 18th July. We hope you enjoy the break if you are able to take some time from work and we all look forward with continuing your children’s learning journey in Term Three.

Take care,

Tony

Parent / Teacher Interviews

All Semester 1 Reports for students were sent home on Monday 27th June. Parent / Teacher interviews for all classes will take place on Monday 25^th and Wednesday 27^th July. Mrs Schneider will be conducting interviews on Tuesday 26th July instead of Wednesday 27th.

Interviews will be available to be booked from 3pm on Friday 1st of July. To book online please follow the following steps:

1. Go to schoolinterviews.com.au
2. Enter the code b4n6k
3. Enter your details
4. Select your child's teacher(s)
5. Select the appointment time that suits you best
6. When you click FINISH, your interview timetable will be emailed to you automatically. If you do not receive your email immediately – Check your junk mail folder AND make sure you have spelled your email address correctly

If you do not have access to the internet to make a booking, please contact Mrs Campbell at the school and she will be able to make an appointment for you.

Industrial Action - Thursday 30th

As you are all no doubt aware the Teachers Federation and the Independent Education Union have called a joint strike on Thursday 30th June. We apologise for the timing of this event but we all feel very committed to the cause of this strike. You will have received a message informing you of this strike and the school action on Monday. We are experiencing a real downturn in all workers here in Australia since Covid. There are shortages everywhere and all businesses are looking for staff. The same is true here in schools. When we advertise for staff we are not getting applicants. The enrolment at universities to study teaching is at the lowest level. Coupled with trained teachers walking away from the industry after a few years, the supply of teachers now nowhere meets demand. There are many reasons for this occurring- unreal expectations in teacher workload, the job getting harder with greater expectations (just look at Covid) and the pay no longer being realistic. While the beginning teacher is well compensated for their work, after a few years this does not increase. So as staff have increased family responsibilities they struggle to make ends meet. As an experienced teacher we are not paid much more than the beginning teacher.

And yes, we get holidays! But please know that our pay is averaged for the year so we are not actually receiving the pay for these ‘down times’. We actually are only paid for the same weeks of holiday as every other worker. I do not know ONE teacher who doesn’t work long days - setting up programs, marking work, preparing reports, organising excursions, attending out of school events, interviews, meetings….….. But we are actually only paid for 6 hours work per day! This situation is impacting your children’s learning. In addition to this we are seeking a pay rise for our non-teaching staff, our valuable Teacher Assistants, as we feel the wage they are paid is not enough to live off. Our students deserve better. Let us hope this strike makes a difference for our students in the long term. 

2023 Enrolments

Enrolments for any class for 2023 are currently being finalised. Please, if you know of anyone intending to join the St Brigid's community for 2023, ask them to get enrolment applications in now! Applications for Kindergarten in 2023 are due in by next Thursday the 30th of June. If you are intending on enrolling your child into Kindergarten next year or know of someone who is intending or would like to, please ensure that applications are lodged by the end of this term.

Our staffing allocation will be based on our enrolments at Census. This occurs at the beginning of August. Please do not hesitate to contact our Principal, Mr Hunter if you have any questions or would like to inquire about enrolling here at St Brigid's for 2023 or even sooner.

School Photo Day - Postponed

Due to the planned industrial action, the School Photo Day will not be held on Thursday 30th June. A future date is being negotiated and you will be advised ASAP. Thank you for you patience.

Grandparents Day

One of the best days on our school calendar is the celebration of Grandparents Day. We celebrate this day on Tuesday the 26^th of July – the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne who are the parents of Mary and therefore the grandparents of Jesus. We will be celebrating and thanking God for the gift of all grandparents and the students look forward to having their grandparents here at school. Please jot this day on your calendar. It will take place in the second week of next term.

Bookfair at St Brigid's

The Bookfair for this year will take place on Tuesday 26^th of July. This will coincide with the celebration of Grandparents Day. Please keep an eye on future newsletters for further information.

Staff Development Days

As outlined in our Term Calendar, this Friday 1st of July will be a Staff Development Day for St Brigid’s. Please note future Staff Development Days planned for 2022. This means that the students do not come to school on these days, to allow our staff to work on future planning and OH and S requirements.

• Friday 1 July – last day of Term 2.
• Monday 1 August – Week 3 of Term 3.
• Friday 23rd  September - last day of Term 3.
• Monday 14th November – Week 6  of Term 4.

The final day for students in 2022 will be Friday 16th December.

Rapid Antigen Tests

Rapid Antigen Tests are available for families if they require more tests. Please just ring the office and another pack will be sent home prior to the holidays. Alternatively, families are more than welcome to drop in and collect their own. A reminder that these are distributed free of charge.

Australian Maths Competition

Once again we will offer the students of St Brigid's the opportunity to sit the AMC. 

The AMC is an engaging 30-problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of Mathematics in students’ everyday lives. It is open to students in Years 3 to 12.

When: Thursday 4th August 2022

Cost per student: A$7.50 (Australia and New Zealand)

Entry closing dates: (Paper) Wednesday 29th June

The students sit either the Middle Primary (Years 3–4) or Upper Primary (Years 5–6) paper.

Please complete the Privacy/Consent Policy and the Registration Form contained at this link:

https://www.amt.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AMT-Online-Consent-Form-2022-AMC-ACFG.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Condon.

Preparation for the Competition:

• Problemo Student is a free problem-solving platform that allows students to test their skill in Mathematics and informatics. It’s packed with problems covering a range of topics and year levels. They can jump in anytime and try one question or work their way through a series based on a topic.
• AMT competition student practice portal. This is the same place students go on the day of the competition. We’ve added practice questions here so students can familiarise themselves with the online platform before the AMC.
• AMT’s online shop holds a range of AMC resources that are great for student practice. Download individual past papers for free, or buy AMC compilation books sorted by topic and full solutions for past competitions.   

ICAS Competitions

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.  These assessments are optional. Payments are online only and you will need to enter the code below, which links to our School.  If you have any questions please contact Mrs Jan Condon.

Subjects Offered: - Year 2 to Year 6  (Digital Technologies, Spelling Bee, Science, English, Mathematics)    Cost = $19.25 each

Year 3 to Year 6  (Writing)    Cost = $23.65 each

Parent Payment Code:  EYG369

Payments Due: 31st July 

Assessments begin:  Early August (dates to be finalised and placed on our calendar) 

Sport News

Our Annual School Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday the 21st of July. This will be the Week 1 Term 3. Information calling for Parent helpers was sent home on Monday 27th June. If you are able to assist could you please send back your note prior to the end of term.

The Richmond Zone Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 28th July, which is in the second week of term

Catholic Schools Rugby League Gala Day: Our school will be taking part in the Independent Catholic Schools Finals Day on Wednesday 20th July in Coffs Harbour. This is for Stage 3 students only. The team will be accompanied by Mrs Love, Miss Bugden and Mr Gibson. Many thanks to all parents who have indicated that they will be able to assist with transport.

Happy Birthday to You

Wishing the following children all the very best for their special day this week and over the holiday period:-

27 June - Parker Kennedy / Noah Rixon

29 June - Mia Glover

06 July - Ava Price

07 July - Amelia Stieler

08 July - Lilly Hudson

09 July - Ruby Witchard

14 July - Emma Nugent

Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have shown tremendous effort and were presented with awards at the Week 6 Assembly:

Kindergarten:- Kendrick Cameron-Keed, Milla Flanagan, Harper Farrah, Raph Huson

Year 1:- Mabel Standfield

Year 2:- Nate Jones, Bodhi McShane

Year 3:- Charli Scofield, Ben Price, Alaska Argall, Wyatt Brown, Mia Glover

Year 4:- Carter Hudson, Hannah Kennelly, Jessica Rogan

Year 5:- Rachel Ellis, Noah Laarhoven, Noah Rixon

Year 6:- Ruby Witchard, Cruz Newton, Sabine Hardwick

Parent Forum

Please find attached the minutes from the last Parent Forum Meeting held on Tuesday the 7th of June.

Do We Have The Correct Information?

It is important that our school has your correct contact details. If you have moved house, changed jobs or are in any doubt about what contact numbers (including Emergency Contacts), and emails we have on record, please contact Lani in the school office to check and if necessary, update your information.

OzGreen - Free Youth Holiday Workshop

OzGREEN is an award winning environmental education charity that offers a variety of opportunities for young people living on the North Coast of NSW.  They are running two free events in the July school holidays. 

Event One - Youth Leading the World - Kyogle - 11th & 12th July 

Event Two - Youth Leading the World - Coraki - 14th & 15th July 

Upcoming Dates

JUNE

Thursday 30th -  Last day of Term 2 for students

JULY

Friday 1st - Pupil Free Day

Monday 18th - Term 3 commences

Wednesday 20th - Catholic Schools Rugby League Gala Day (Stage 3 only)

Thursday 21st - School Athletics Carnival

Tuesday 26th - Grandparents Day

Thursday 28th - Zone Athletics Carnival

Please look out for a Term 3 calendar that will have all the important dates for next term.