Newsletter Term 3, 2024 Week 2
Principal's Update
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 3, week 2! I hope you had an opportunity to spend some quality time with your children over the recent holiday period.
Last week we started the term off and running – Our book parade was very popular – great job with the costumes everyone! There are so many photos on our facebook page also! The book fair was very popular, as always, and great to see so many children getting excited about reading books!
Book Parade Costume Winners!
We also celebrated the love and appreciation we have for our Grandparents at our Grandparents mass and morning tea with a special guest, the Most Reverend Anthony Randazzo The Bishop of Broken Bay Diocese who celebrated our mass with our school community. Bishop Anthony also celebrated our Saturday night mass at 5pm at Lake Munmorah during his pastoral visit to the Central Coast. During his stay on the Central Coast Bishop Anthony also visited the elderly in respite housing and villages and visited some surrounding attractions.
This week our Kindergartens celebrated 100 days of Kinder! It’s extremely difficult for a 5 year old to look “elderly” but they certainly gave it a good attempt! Congratulations boys and girls. More photos on our school facebook page.
I love when children bring their wonderful learning to me to read. This week in Kindergarten’s 100 days of Kindergarten week, I had some special visits and I would like to share their writing with you. The sentence starter is “When I am old… “
We welcome back Mr Murphy, returning from his paternity leave; Mrs DesBrulais, returning from her maternity leave; Mrs O’Brien, returning from her maternity leave; Mrs Mind returning from her maternity leave and Mrs Anderson, officially returning from her maternity leave. I would also like to welcome Ms Bevan who will continue to teach 2 Green for three days and will also be our librarian on a Monday and Tuesday!
Mr Murphy organised our school chess competition yesterday (Thursday) in our hall. Well done to all the boys and girls who competed! I hope you met some friendly boys and girls from visiting schools!
Congratulations to our lovely Mrs Nicole Evans, classroom teacher in 1Red on a Friday and coordinator release teacher on a Thursday who is due to have a baby late December. Fingers crossed Mrs Evans will continue to teach until the end of this year.
During our holidays just gone it was NAIDOC Week theme: “Keep the Fire Burning – Black, Loud and Proud”. Today, thanks to our Aboriginal Education Workers, Mr Spek and Mr Gainsford, we celebrated NAIDOC Week with many Aboriginal experiences for the children. The children were invited to participate in rotational activities throughout the morning e.g. poster making, key chains, dance, indigenous games, liturgy/artefacts.
Welcome to SBLM Olympics everyone! This week to coincide with The Olympics 2024 in Paris, we had our own Opening Ceremony on Monday at Lake Munmorah! We will also be having a day of Olympics and a meal deal (something French – a croissant) on Tuesday, 6th August. Thank you to Mrs Anderson and our staff for organising these events for us. Don't forget it is mufti that day!
We now have new fencing and gates installed at St Brendan’s to ensure the safety of our school community even more. I did share with you some new routines on Compass last week and will share again here:
- The double front gates will be left open unless we require them closed during the day.
- All parents and carers will be required to either drop off and collect their children as normal in the kiss and drop area or the parking behind the Early Learning Centre. Please do not park in the spots next to the Cottage where the signs display “parking prohibited”, this area is for the Eileen O’Connor bus transport to drop off and turn around.
- All children, parents and carers will access the school through the pedestrian gate near the adventure playground or the small gate behind the Early Learning Centre.
- Parents and carers attending the morning and afternoon assembly are very welcome and are asked to stand at the back of the assembly area instead of to the side of the assembly.
- The pedestrian gate will be left open from 6am-8.40am and again from 2pm-6pm.
- If you are entering the school outside of these times, you will need to use the contact button on the gate which will alert our office you are there and the same on the way out of the pedestrian gate.
- In the event of heavy rain you will be able to drive up to the hall however there will be limited space for two cars to pass each other at the swing gate, therefore only one car can drive through at a time! Please follow the directions of the staff member with Stop Go sign.
Thank you for completing the uniform surveys – including our new Kindergarten 2025 survey. The responses include a majority result for:
- The boys’ new pin strip shirt, not to be tucked in and no pocket with logo and no button on the bottom band.
- The girls’ new “lighter weight” Summer uniform as opposed to the existing Summer dress with a pocket.
- The soft shell jacket instead of having two jackets with logo.
- The boys’ darker grey shorts – these may have SBLM on them.
- I feel more discussion is needed with regards to the introduction of a girls’ culotte/shirt.
Please note, you are still able to purchase existing uniform items from Cowan & Lewis. Yeronga Uniform suppliers will officially also sell the existing uniform when they take over the contract at the start of September. There will also be a shop onsite and hours will be communicated closer to the date for you to purchase. When schools experience a change in uniforms there is always a transition period of at least 2-3 years so please do not feel you need to purchase anything new right now! Our Kindergartens 2025 will be the start of the new items. Thank you for your time and support.
If you have registered your child/ren (Year 2-6) to participate in the ICAS assessments, they will commence this term, supervised by Mr Chandler or myself:
- Digital Technology and Writing – Week 3
- English – Week 4
- Science and Spelling Bee – Week 5
- Maths – Week 6
Our St Brendan’s public speaking competition is held next week, Wednesday 7th August.
Good luck to our athletes who are competing at Mingara on Friday 9th August at the Central Coast Athletics carnival. Hoping I capture all attending:
Luna, Jayda, Charlie, Isla, Leah, Blake,Amelia, Ziggy, Anabella, Alexia, Zavier, Thiago, Blye, Milla, Phoenix, Marley, Jack, Harper, Sage, Samantha, Charlotte, Oliver, Rhoden, Kai, Harry, Aston, Chelsea, Lewis, Elliott, Isla, Rain, Ruby, Rahnie, Oliver, Archer, Quinn, Lara, Charlie,Kingston, Kai, Kenzie.
Congratulations to Jett O and Blake C on receiving their Catholic Schools Broken Bay sports badge for Rugby.
Father's Day
Father’s Day celebrations are coming up. We are celebrating our Father’s and significant men in our lives on Friday 30th August with a 7am breakfast, 7.50 open classrooms and 9am mass. A flyer with further information has been sent out for your RSVP. Our Father’s Day stall will be held on Thursday, 29th August. Those children representing St Brendan’s at the Central Coast Athletics carnival on this day will be invited to buy items from the office on Friday, 30th August. Thank you to our volunteers who helped on the morning
Storytime Sessions
This term we invite any children commencing Kindergarten in 2025 to our Story time sessions. These sessions create a valuable opportunity for children to become more familiar with St Brendan’s surroundings, listen to a story and interact with their peers and teacher, an excellent way to start transitioning to school. Please meet in the Year 5 collaboration space at 8.45am on the following dates, alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays:
August 1, 6, 15, 20, 29
September 3, 12, 17, 26
Our learning support team also provides extra transition with an invite to attend our Ready, Set, Go sessions on August 27; September 10 and 24.
SBLM Performance
The St Brendan’s performances are nearing on Wednesday, 28th August. Please save the date to have the opportunity to view the talents and strengths of each and every children at St Brendan’s. The tickets have been released – tickets will be a different colour depending on if you are attending the day time performance or the evening performance (please see below to explain who is invited to each performance)! We will be selling tickets online and you will be sent your tickets via email upon booking, please bring them along to the session. The venue, Lake Munmorah High School, has limited seating therefore we are trying to provide an opportunity for as many family members as possible to do this we have decided to invite the following:
- Day time performance commencing at 9.30am – for any extended family members.
- Evening performance commencing at 6pm – for parents/carers and siblings only.
I would like to thank the Principal at Lake Munmorah High, Mr Tony Keavil, and his staff for being so accommodating during our preparation meetings, our rehearsals, hall set up etc… Greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank Mrs Beveridge and Mrs Moolman and our wonderfully talented and enthusiastic staff who have made this performance possible. Of course, this would not be possible without the help and support of our parents and carers who have sources costumes, volunteered to collect tickets at the door, transported the stage over to the high school. Our first rehearsal is Thursday 8th August. On this day each grade will walk to LMHS for their timeslots practice. Our final rehearsal is Thursday 22nd August at 9.30am. On this day it will be a whole school practice where children will be required to wear their performance costume to school (out of uniform day) ready for whole school dress rehearsal. We will require some parents to help transport the stage over to the school please.
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are thrilled to announce that tickets for our upcoming whole school performance, Shine Bright, Live Meaningfully: St Brendan’s Strengths on Stage, are available to purchase now.
We are pleased to offer both a day and a night performance:
Date: Wednesday, 28th August
Location: Lake Munmorah High School Hall
Day Performance: 9:30 am
This Performance is for Extended Family and Friends
Night Performance: 6:00 pm
This Performance is for Parent and Siblings ONLY.
Due to limited seating in the hall, we kindly request that attendance at the night performance be limited to immediate household family members (parents and siblings) allowing the day performance for other special family members (grandparents and extended family members).
Tickets can be purchased through TryBooking via the link below
- Adult tickets: $5.00 each
- Sibling children: Free accompanied by their parents
- Transaction fee: 2.5% per booking
Tickets are available to upload to Apple Wallet & Google Calendar, your also more then welcome to print out.
We ask that you provide tickets upon arrival and that all tickets purchased enter the venue together.
We are excited to showcase the incredible talent of our students. They have worked very hard and are eager to share their amazing efforts with our wonderful school families.
Ticket Competition Winners:
Compass
The new setting ‘Lock Start and Finish Times for parent approvals’ will only allow parents to enter Full Day absence notes from the parent portal. This setting will be switched on for all primary schools during the holiday break. Partial day absences must be done via the school office kiosk when dropping off/picking up your child.
Our Weekly awards assemblies will commence on Friday (Week 3), 9th August at 2pm in our school hall.
Mufti Days
We have had a couple of dress up (out of uniform days) already this term and we understand if you are not able to participate, however, it’s difficult to ignore the various initiatives we are supporting e.g. Book parade, 100 days of Kindergarten, NAIDOC celebrations, The Olympics (6th August) and gold coin donation for Mary Macs (wear green on 8th August)!
Buses
I have received many emails about the overcrowded buses especially 2795, 2796 and 2804 in the afternoons. I have contacted busways, Transport NSW, Yasmin Catley’s office – I am unsure what else I can do! Please, send your concerns to Transport NSW, busways and Yasmin as well as me. It’s more powerful for these organisations to hear concerns not only from me, but from our school community also. I too would like to see these bus routes to have two buses – one for primary and one for secondary. I would also like to see a new bus route through Catherine Hill Bay and surrounding suburbs. The other very important process is for all children to have an Opal card. These are free and applications online – please apply and add to the data the bus companies are looking at.
Community Sporting News
If you are interested in joining a scout group - 1st Mannering Park Sea Scouts at Griffith St Scout Hall, Mannering Park.
Joeys 5yrs - 8yrs Meet on Mondays 6pm - 7:15pm
Cubs 8yrs - 12yrs Meet on Tuesdays 6pm - 7:30pm
Scouts 12yrs - 15yrs Meet on Wednesdays 6pm - 8pm
All sections recommence following the school holidays
Joeys 22nd July
Cubs 23rd July
Scouts 24th July
During the school holidays these 3 represented the Central Coast in rugby union at a State level!
Jett was selected to represent the Central Coast U12s team at the State championships the first weekend of the school holidays at Camden rugby club. It's was a tough 3 days of competition and the team placed 4th in the Country Titles
Jett’s highlight was "Scoring a TRY at state again this year and seeing all my rugby friends I have made over the years from all over the state"
Noah and Ollie represented the Central Coast at their first State Gala in U10s during the last weekend of the school holidays at Riverwood
Noah's Highlight from the weekend was "Having big runs and making massive tackles all weekend" Noah also mentioned all the new friendships he had made with kids from all different clubs.
Ollie highlight from the weekend was "Having the opportunity to play against the best players in the state and making new friends from other teams on the coast”
After a few great weekends we are sure these 3 will continue to play representative rugby for years to come.
God Bless,
Charlene Reid
Principal
Collaborative Coaching
Our focus continues to be writing for Collaborative Coaching. Each class are focusing on sentence-level grammar. I will continue to share with you student growth and work samples throughout the term.
The Power of Effort: Encouraging a Love for Learning
As we progress through the academic year, we want to highlight the critical role that effort and dedication play in our students' success. We believe that every student has the potential to excel, and that potential is unlocked through consistent effort and a positive attitude toward learning. Encouraging students to put in their best effort not only helps them achieve their academic goals but also fosters a lifelong love of learning. This dedication to their studies will serve them well beyond the classroom, equipping them with the resilience and determination needed to navigate future challenges.
We invite you to have conversations with your children about the value of effort and a growth mindset. Share with them how much you value their learning and the importance of putting in the effort, even when tasks seem difficult. Your encouragement can make a significant difference in their attitude toward their learning. Together, let's create a supportive environment where effort is celebrated and learning is cherished. Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's educational journey.
Parent Engagement:
We are continually striving to enhance our partnership with you and ensure that we provide meaningful opportunities for your engagement in our school community. To better cater to your needs and preferences, we would like to hear from you about the types of parent engagement sessions you find most valuable. Additionally, we are seeking your input on the times that best suit your schedules for these sessions. Please take a few moments to complete this form to share your thoughts and preferences. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and together, we can create a more connected and supportive environment for our students.
Kiss & Drop Car Signs
To streamline the afternoon pick-up process, we offer "Kiss and Drop" car signs for those interested. These signs will help our staff quickly identify your vehicle, ensuring a smooth and efficient collection of your child. If you would like to receive a "Kiss and Drop" car sign, please let us know by completing this form. Your cooperation in this initiative will greatly assist us in maintaining a safe and orderly pick-up routine.
School Photos
Advanced Life School Photography have advised us that school photos will be here in 2-3 weeks!
MINIMISING THE RISK OF ANAPHLAXIS
We are seeking your help to support the children in our school who are at risk of anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis are food and insect allergies. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid being exposed to the allergen.
Our school is supporting children at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:
- training staff,
- encouraging children with food allergy to wash their hands before and after eating,
- encouraging children to wash their hands after eating something another child they interact with is allergic to,
- teaching children not to share food with friends who have food allergy,
- teaching children the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with allergy looks sick, and
- educating children about allergies and anaphylaxis
Food allergy is now common in children. Children can be allergic to any food, and it is not possible to completely remove all foods from our school. To help manage food allergies, St Brendan's is following the National Allergy Council Best Practice Guidelines (2021) which do not recommend banning foods as this is difficult to enforce and can bring a false sense of safety. Instead, we have chosen not to use nuts and nut products in our canteen.
Where you parents provide food, we request that you also consider not sending nuts to school, especially for younger children. We may also send letters home if we have a child with other allergies to discuss ways that we may be able to support that child.
As we educate our school community to help with the management of food allergy and anaphylaxis, the parents of the child with food allergy will continue to educate their child on self-management at a developmentally appropriate level.
We ask you to support the our risk minimisation strategies outlined so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our children.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Every child at St Brendan's has participated in our annual Public Speaking Competition. We commend all of our students for writing and presenting a speech on a given topic over the past week. Public speaking is a valuable skill for all! Our grand final day will be held on Wednesday, 7 August 2024 and we will share the details of this event with you shortly. Parents of those students who have progressed to the grand final will be contacted by the class teacher.
YEAR 6 LEARNING:
Argument One: People think it's enjoyable to make fun of people for how they look. In the past white and rich people controlled society. The white people had slaves to do their work at farms all around England and other well-known countries. They all made people that are different do work as in picking cotton, and working on the farms while yelling racial slurs. That is very wrong. It is very wrong because everyone should be treated equally and no-one was born to be a slave to others because of the colour of their skin or what ethnic group they come from.
Above is an exert from a 6 Blue speech about racism. The speech detailed the the history of racism in society, its effects and how the student believed humanity needed to work together to eradicate it.
The above sample is from Sage, 6R
Farmers destroy the land when they grow food under the surface they dig up the dirt and grass just to get to the food they grow. They also do this to plants. Here are 5 things that need to be underground. Potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, sweet potatoes. All these need to be underground to grow and dug up to get to them. Have you ever thought about how they keep bugs away from their crops? They use chemicals called pesticides. Pesticides harm wildlife and they are non- target organisms. Pesticides may be linked to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD and birth defects. It is toxic to humans, animals, and the environment.
The above sample is from Bella 6B:
The above sample is from Ronan 6R
Religious Education
School Updates
SBLM FOCUS Weeks 3 & 4
Community News
Compass Calendar