Newsletter Term 3 Week 4 (Wednesday 10th August 2022)

Our Front Page with 100 Day Celebrations

What a wonderful celebration we had last night with our Kindy students and their families coming together to celebrate 100 days in Kindergarten! It was exciting seeing so many people there not only partaking in the celebration but also enjoying each other's company. We all joined the students for their Prayer Service, their joyous counting with actions, and the many games on the '100 theme' that got everyone involved.
Many thanks to Miss Macdonald and Mrs Love, as well as Mrs Kelly our Parent Assembly Coordinator, for their wonderful organisation and for making the evening such a fabulous community event. This needs to be on our annual calendar as it was such a success!

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Our Gospel Reflection

Families strive for unity and togetherness. Nobody enjoys occasions when divisions in family life become all too evident. Yet, in this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus says that he has come to bring division and that members of households will be divided.

Talk as a family about the things that you do together to bring about family unity (togetherness), such as sharing meals, going to church together, celebrating special occasions, or sharing family traditions. Explain that all of these things are important and that Jesus wants families to show this kind of love for one another. Point out that this Sunday's Gospel sounds as though Jesus is saying something very different. Tell your children to listen closely as you read aloud Luke 12:49-53.

Explain that sometimes as parents, you have to make decisions that are unpopular with your children. You don't do it to divide the family but because it is the right thing to do. In the short run, such decisions may “divide” children from their parents. In the long run, however, doing the right thing will bring about a deeper unity. Talk to your children about decisions that they have to make that might be unpopular with their friends and how these decisions may divide them from others. Encourage them to pray to the Holy Spirit for the gift of courage (fortitude) so that they may do the right thing even if unpopular. Conclude by praying a spontaneous prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for the gift of courage (fortitude).

From Our Principal

You know the age-old saying, "you get wiser with old age" – and that was the case with our Kindergarten students at St Brigid's, celebrating 100 days of big school this week!

I know that Kindergarten and their teacher, Miss Macdonald, have counted every day, and it was now the chance to celebrate their progress. Counting is such an important part of the daily routine.

This is a wonderful and delightful opportunity to commemorate the growth that all of the students have made over this short period of time. The students were certainly excited about the milestone day and celebrated many aspects of 100 in their learning for the day.

On Tuesday evening the students returned to school for a continuation of celebrations with their parents and other family members and all enjoyed the opportunity to come together and celebrate.

The students also counted 100 straws, 100 counters, drew things relating to the number and even read books relating to the triple-digit figure. Miss Macdonald said the students were still counting which meant she would need to get her thinking cap on for the next milestone - this one will be hard to beat!

Best wishes to all staff and students who will be representing our school at the Wakakirri Heats to take place at the Logan Entertainment Centre this evening. Please keep an eye out on the Skoolbag App as progress and updates are posted. Many thanks to Mrs Kennedy, Mrs Beetge and all staff and parents for your super organisation and assistance in allowing the students of our school to take part in this National Competition. Safe travels and most of all have a "Waka Waka Great Time!!"

From the 1st day of next term we will be converting our Administration System to a new format called COMPASS. There is further information in this week's newsletter and in upcoming editions on the benefits and functions of this new system. There will be support in place for families as we transition across from our existing Communication platforms. Please keep an eye out for all newsletter headings entitled "COMPASS Update"

Assumption of Mary

On Monday 15th August we will be celebrating the feast of the Assumption of Mary with a whole school mass commencing at 12 noon in Our Lady of Sorrows Church. All families, friends, and parishioners are most welcome to join us on this day as we acknowledge the special person of Mary and how she was taken up into heaven, body and soul.

Following our mass, all parents and grandparents are most welcome to come across to school and have lunch with their children / grandchildren. There will be tea and coffee facilities available.

Family Mass

Following the relaxing of some COVID regulations, we are so pleased to announce that our Family Weekend Masses will be commencing on Sunday 28th August at the 9am Parish Mass. Our students from Stage 2 will be leading the mass and we would like to see as many families as possible come along and celebrate. Following mass, all are invited to stay for a cuppa and enjoy the company of each other.

As a part of the mass, there will be Children's Liturgy, allowing our young ones the opportunity to have the message of our mass in a more child-friendly way. The children accompany their family into the church at the beginning of mass, and then following the welcome by Fr Erick, the children leave to go to the Parish Meeting Room to hear the Word at a level that they can understand. It is designed for children aged from 3 – 12 years and led by our teachers. The activity that follows the Gospel of the day, is age appropriate. 

The Family Mass will be held on the 4th Sunday of each month. Upcoming masses are as follows - Sunday 28th August, Sunday 23rd October and Sunday 27th November.

All families are most welcome to attend even if your child is not in Year 3 or Year 4.

NAIDOC Celebrations

Our school will be celebrating and acknowledging NAIDOC next Friday the 12th of August. We will commence with a liturgy at 12 noon in the Parish Hall and then after lunch take part in a number of cultural activities. These include face painting, Indigenous games, Kangaroo stew tasting, and shell painting.

All students are most welcome to come to school dressed in the Indigenous colours of red, yellow and black or wear Indigenous themed clothing. There will be no cost for the activities. We are looking forward to this celebration of Indigenous culture in our school.

Staffing for 2023

After long and serious consideration, our Assistant Principal, Mrs Condon has decided to take all of 2023 off as leave. This has been a very difficult decision for her as she loves being at St Brigid's and the students give her so much joy and energy. This will be a very well deserved and enjoyable break for Mrs Condon as she looks forward to doing many things that she has been unable to do due to her commitment to our school and supporting the learning of our students.

Therefore our school will be following a new model introduced into the Diocese of Lismore for next year with the appointment of Assistant Principal - Mission (APM) and Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching (APT&L). The APT&L will be responsible for the curriculum administration and the APM will be responsible for the Religious Programs in our school. Advertising for these 2 positions has commenced and we will be able to announce the successful candidates before the end of this term.

In the meantime, I know that all in our school community will thank Mrs Condon for her tireless work here at St Brigid's and wish her all the very best for a very enjoyable and relaxing break in 2023. 

ICAS

The ICAS Assessments are underway for this year.

Please note the following sitting dates:

Digital Technologies - 11 August; English - 18 August; Spelling - 23 August; Science - 25 August; Maths - 1 September.

If sitting ICAS Spelling, students will need their own ear-buds or earphones. Thank you.

COMPASS Update

From the beginning of Term 4, we will be joining with Catholic schools across NSW and other states in transferring to a new Student Information System (SIS) called Compass.  The Compass platform offers many extra features and benefits, including a smartphone application (app). The Compass platform will become our school community communication tool from Monday 10th October (1st day of Term 4).  

The Compass platform is a web-based system that is accessible on any modern web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome & Safari) or by using the Compass School Manager iOS or Android App.  Every family receives a separate login to Compass which we will provide to you. 

The Compass platform includes many different features. You’ll have the ability to:

• Receive notifications about school events, news and information
• Enter an explanation for absences
• Communicate with your child’s teachers,
• Update your family contact details (mobile phone & email)
• View our school calendar
• Download and view your child’s academic reports
• Book parent-teacher interviews 
• Pay and provide digital consent for events (No more permission slips)
• Order and pay for lunches from the Canteen 
• Pay school fees

Over the coming weeks, we will provide support, updates and reminders to fully prepare you for a smooth transition to this new platform. 

Be sure to look out for notifications with the heading 'COMPASS UPDATE'.

Save The Date - Saturday 10th September

Start organising your tables for our St Brigid's Parent Forum Trivia Night on Saturday 10th September. As in the past, this is an exciting night for all with lots of fun, laughter and prizes. Keep an eye out for further information and how to book a table. 

Second Hand Uniform Give Aways

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated uniform items to our Second Hand Uniform Clothing Pool. Due to your generosity there has been a huge stockpile of uniforms gathered and so, for the remainder of the term, all second hand uniforms will be "free". There is everything available except for the school jackets and it is all in very good order and condition. 

If you would like something please just contact the school office with the required item and size and this will be arranged to be sent home. The Uniform Shop is open each Monday from 2pm if you would prefer to browse yourself.

Canteen Update - Sushi and Vietnamese Rolls

Our canteen will now be offering sushi and Vietnamese rolls as a healthy lunch choice each Monday. Due to ordering and freshness, all orders for these must be placed by Thursday of the week prior so that they can be delivered fresh to our school each Monday ready for consumption.

There are a multitude of flavours to choose from as can be seen from the attached flyer. A single sushi roll pack will be $4.50, a twin sushi roll pack will be $7 and a full-size Vietnamese roll will be $4. Sachets of soy sauce will be available free of charge.

Please note that all orders and money must be in to the school office by Thursday of each week. In order for our school to have the sushi delivered we must have a minimum order of $50. If we do not have sufficient orders by Thursday of each week, all orders will be refunded and families notified.   

Book Week Parade - 26th August

The CBCA 2022 Book Week theme is "Dreaming with eyes open...".

Our school will finalise the week long celebration of Book Week with a Parade on:

Friday 26th August at 12.20pm 

Please start organising your child's costume now so that they are ready for the parade. Parents and friends are welcome to attend.

School Photos - New Date

School Photos are now scheduled for Friday 16th September. 

If anyone requires a replacement photo form or sibling photo form, please collect from the office. 

COVID Update

As always, we appreciate your support when it comes to your child/ren being unwell in that you keep them home until they are well enough to return. If you or someone in your family tests positive for COVID, students are still able to attend school. It is recommended that they wear a mask whilst at school.

We are maintaining our COVID safe practices here at school by ensuring that we:
* Stay home if unwell or showing any symptoms & not returning until we are fully recovered
* Rapid antigen test when exhibiting symptoms & for close contacts who are able to be at school
* Practise good hygiene including regular hand washing & sanitising before eating & entering classrooms.

RATs are available on request and can be sent home with your child/ren as needed. If you require RATs, please email the school (kyogp@lism.catholic.edu.au). All children were given a pack of 5 RATs recently. We appreciate your support in helping us to keep our school community safe and well over the coming weeks. 

Tell Them From Me

In the coming weeks, we will be inviting students, teachers, teacher assistants, and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.

We would like to invite you to complete the 'Tell Them From Me' (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing here at St Brigid's Primary School.

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please access the survey through the following link:-

http://tellthemfromme.com/y66dc

Sports News

Diocesan Athletics Carnival

We wish Murray Doman and Hannah Kennelly all the very best as they represent our school at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival in Coffs Harbour today. Murray will be competing in the Senior Boys Long Jump and Hannah will contest the Under 10's Long Jump. We look forward to hearing of your efforts at the Carnival. Have fun and most of all, safe travels

Zone Gala Day

Our Stage 3 students will be joining in the fun of the Zone Gala Day on Friday 19th August, participating in soccer. Information outlining all details of the day will be forwarded to students this week. 

Positive Behaviour 4 Learning

Focus for Week 4:  

We always follow teacher instructions and remember to treat school property with respect. 

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 their enrolment applications in now! 

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.

Happy Birthday to You

Wishing the following children all the very best for their special day this week:-

12 August - Djalai Charles

19 August - Beau Dever

Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have shown tremendous effort and were presented with awards at last week's  assembly:

Kindergarten:- Emma Nugent, Eliza Knight, Harlow Schneider, Raph Hudson, Zion Dowd, George Marychurch

Year 1:- Oscar Setnik, Ryder Newman

Year 2:- Caileb Hyde, Shekinah Howes, Caius Dowd

Year 3:- Ben Price, Olivia Alvos, Peyhton Bateman

Year 4:- Normy Presbury, Emmelyn Whiting

Year 5:- Savannah Durrant, Loretta Faulks, Noah Laarhoven

Year 6:- Jarrod Rixon, Corey Love

Principal Awards - Van Smith, Noah Rixon, Kendrick Cameron-Keed

Making Jesus Real Awards - Harrison Goebel, Frankie Lindsay, Chelsea Hyde, Eloise King, Lilliana Knight

Upcoming Dates

AUGUST 

Friday 12th - NAIDOC Celebrations

Monday 15th - Feast of the Assumption of Mary (Whole School Mass at 12 noon)

Friday 26th - Book Week Parade 12.20pm

SEPTEMBER

Saturday 10th - St Brigid's Trivia Night

Friday 16th - School Photos