Newsletter Term 3, 2024 Week 6

Principal's Update

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 3 Week 6!

PERFORMANCE – Shine Bright, Live Meaningfully: St Brendan’s Strengths on Stage took place on Wednesday morning and then again in the evening at Lake Munmorah High School’s hall.  Thank you to the staff at LMHS who supported us with lighting, backdrops, music, seating and lighting and much more! 

Thank you parents and carers for supporting your children during this time of rehearsals, dress rehearsals, day and evening performances – I hope you saw the excitement on their faces which makes it all worth it.  The consistent themes throughout the performances include, and not limited to:

• Being proud of who you are!
• Getting back up after falling down or dealing with something stressful!
• Feeling good about who you are!
• Being persistent and persevering! Never giving up!
• Nobody stopping us pursuing our dreams!
• Being unbreakable!
• Giving things a go!
• Rising up to any challenges in life!
• Encompassing our SBLM expectations throughout our lives!

Huge thanks to Mrs Beveridge who coordinated the whole event with her team.  Also the teachers and staff who practised with the children during their creative arts sessions within their classroom programs.  Did you also see the visual arts displays as their backdrops?  So much work went into this production, even a drama group between the performances.

Most of all thank you to all of our wonderful children who were shining bright on stage – what a finale from our K-2 & 3-6 classes also and what about our staff finale!!!!!

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 13

Next

Mr Matthew Chandler, teacher of Year 5 Red, will be taking his paternity leave in Term 4 after the birth of his first baby.  We are currently in the process of interviewing and are aiming for consistency and wonderful teachers to continue the teaching of Mr Chandler’s program and assessments.

Our end of term reward is coming up – we are looking at booking inflatables one day in the last week of school – watch this space! Well done to all of our recipients who will be invited to attend our end of term reward day K-6!

Our new Uniform suppliers, Yeronga Uniforms, will be taking over the stock on 3^rd September.  On Friday 6^th September, our existing clothing pool room will be transformed into our clothing shop and may be open 8.15-9.15am which will be selling our existing uniforms and in time will have new items for sale also.  Yeronga will have in stock boys grey shorts and any existing stock brought over from Cowan & Lewis.  Any stock needing to be ordered will be ordered and available to you on production. Our second hand clothes will also be available the same method as we sell now through our clothing pool email.

Please put in your diary to attend our family mass here at St Brendan’s on Saturday, 21^st September at 5pm!

Our Father’s Day Stall took place yesterday with our wonderful volunteers helping out.  Thank you to those who helped sort gifts, priced gifts and sold gifts.  If you received an IOU from the stall please send in your money in an envelope or snap lock bag labelled with your child’s name and the IOU included.

Happy Father’s Day to all of our significant males and male figures in our school community!  On behalf of St Brendan’s community I would like to wish you all an amazing weekend of fun, love and cheer!  We hope you enjoyed your Father’s Day breakfast this morning, our special mass and our Year 5 tradition continues with their day of STEM activities in the hall and meal deal.

Community Garden

SBLM would like to ignite more people’s enthusiasm to help create our Community Garden!  We would require a small excavating machine and hands on deck!  If you are interested please email me (Charlene.reid1@dbb.catholic.edu.au).  I have a small handful of people from my last shout out and still require more interested people to:

• Help design
• Help with excavation
• Help with moving our existing garden beds from one space to another
• Help spreading the soil after I purchase the soil
• We might have children help plant seeds
• Any donations, if you any contacts, from landscaping/gardening companies would be appreciated

The Polding team Jett was selected in came second in their Grand Final only going down to a strong Sydney North team.  However, good news Jett was selected for the NSW PSSA Team to Training and Play on 14th and 15th September. Congratulations Jett – truly talented and you have the best sportsmanship attitude for an elite athlete!

Below is a photo of Jett and his NSW coach and Manager and a photo of his Polding runners up medallion.

Catholic schools Rugby league gala day was held on 21^st August and we also had the Stage 3 soccer gala day on 20^th August (sorry no photos available).  Congratulations on the excellent feedback I have received about the kind words and actions displayed on both days.  From all reports our children displayed great manners and showed encouragement to all throughout the day!  Well done – we are all super proud!  Thank you to the teachers and parents who helped out on both days.  We can’t attend these days without your support.

Broken Bay Athletics

The Broken Bay Primary Athletics selections were held yesterday at Mingara, with nearly 400 competitors our children did very well.   Congratulations on these fabulous results: 

Annabella F – 12yr 100m (12th 15.06sec) 

Alexia G – 10yr (1st Discus 20.44m) (1st Shot put 9m – record) (2nd 100m 15.59sec) 

Kenzie M – 11yr (5th Shot put 6.53m) (7th Discus 14.97m) 

Aston R – 9 yr discus (2nd 28.38m) 

Rain R – 11 yr (1st Long jump 4.56m) (2nd 100m 14.03sec) (2nd 200m 28.72sec) (7th Shot put 6.09m) 

Lara W – 8 yr 100m (6th 17.25sec) 

Kingston W – 10 yr  (2nd 100m 14.64sec) (3rd 200m 31.11sec) 

Kai W – 12 yr long jump (no result) 

The following children have been selected to attend Polding selection carnival on 13th September in Newcastle. Congratulations Alexia, Aston, Rain and Kingston! 

Alexia G -   11 Girls 10 Year Olds 100 Meter Dash 15.59 #101 Girls 8-10 Discus Throw 20.44m #119 Girls 8-10 Shot Put 9.00m  

Aston R - Boys 8-10 Discus Throw 28.38m  

Rain R- 13 Girls 11 Year Olds 100 Meter Dash 14.03 # 21 Girls 11 Year Olds 200 Meter Run 28.72 #103 Girls 11 Year Olds Long Jump 4.56m  

Kingston W - 12 Boys 10 Year Olds 100 Meter Dash 14.64 # 20 Boys 8-10 200 Meter Run 31.11 

Sports Corner:

Kiri competed in the Sydney Figure Skating Club Championships on Sat 17th August and came 2nd in her division. Well done!

Congratulations to Felix who ran a 10km run last weekend.  A super effort and he told me he’s only a little sore and he’s looking forward to another run in the future!

NOTE: We have a Pupil free day on Monday 14^th October which is the first day of Term 4.  Our first school day will be Tuesday, 15^th October.

Our Kindergarten, 2025 Ready, Set Go program is on again starting 27^th August at 8.30am & 9.30am.  Our learning support teacher has sent out invitations for these sessions. They continue on 10^th September and 24^th September.

We still have story time sessions for all Kindergarten, 2025 running on 29^th August, 3^rd September, 12^th September, 17^th September and 26^th September in our Year 5 collaboration space commencing at 8.45am.

Our Kindergarten, 2025 transition/orientation days will also commence in Term 4:

Thursdays 17^th October, 24^th October, 31^st October, 7^th November and then Teddy Bear’s picnic on Thursday 14^th November.  All sessions commence at 8.45 until 10am.  Parents and Carers are also required to stay for these sessions.  Please check our Kindergarten website for further details closer to the date.

God Bless,

Charlene Reid

Principal

Assistant Principal Update

SONGS FROM SHINE BRIGHT, LIVE MEANINGFULLY - SBLM STRENGTHS ON STAGE

Some parents have asked for the names of the songs from our Shine Bright, Live Meaningfully - St Brendan's Strengths on Stage Performance.  These are songs about having resilience and a growth mindset and are listed below:

Greatest Showman

I'm still standing - Elton John

I'm good (The Mowgli's)

Get back up again - Trolls

Don't stop me now - Queen

Unbreakable - Kelly Clarkson

Thunder - Imagine Dragons

Try everything - Shakira

Rise Up - Australian Idol, The Final

I believe - Yolanda Adams (from the movie Honey)

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

We understand that at times, our children face challenges at school and as parents, it is natural to want to advocate for their well-being.  Your care and concern are both appreciated and essential in supporting your child's growth and development.  We want to assure you that all of our staff including teachers, learning support assistants, our parent engagement officer, counsellors and office personnel, share your commitment to your child's success.  They consistently have your child's best interests at the forefront of their minds.  As we work together it's important that all conversations remain respectful and constructive.  We encourage you to refer to our Parent Charter, which outlines parent expectations and unacceptable behaviour.  Together, we can ensure the best possible outcomes for our children. 

*Here is the link to the Charter: BB Catholic School Parents - Catholic Schools (csbb.catholic.edu.au)

School Updates and Upcoming Events

Wellbeing Day - R U OK?

Term 3 PEC Walk n Chat

National Child Protection Week

National Child Protection Week is finally here, with the week’s celebrations commencing this Sunday. This year’s powerful message is ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ which is complemented by the theme ‘Every conversation matters’.  Conversations are powerful tools to safeguard children and young people within our communities and they can help us better understand their needs, allowing for solutions to be driven by their voices.
 
For our Parishes wanting to get involved and promote awareness NAPCAN have developed multiple resources, including the below tile. This and other resources can all be accessed via the following link

Get Involved - NAPCAN

NAPCAN’s weeklong webinars will be commencing on September 2^nd, 2024, with the first session featuring guest speaker, Anne Hollands, National Children’s Commissioner. This session will set the tone for the week by highlighting the national commitment to child protection, the impactful efforts driving child protection nation-wide and the importance of every conversation.

For those wanting to attend this, or any of the other webinars, registrations can be accessed via the following link.

E-scooter and E-bike advice for families

There is often a range of advice given to families about E-scooters and E-bikes.  This is the source of truth provided by Transport NSW.  

Religious Education

Do you have a problem that you can’t solve on your own?

When feelings become overwhelming or confusing, counselling can be very helpful. We work with you to overcome challenges and stress. We work with you, assisting you to face challenges and stressors, coming up with suggestions to tackle or resolve these challenges. We listen, talk through experiences and help you think about ways forward. Common issues addressed in counselling include family transitions, communication issues, work/life balance, conflict, parenting after separation, grief and loss and decision making. We offer a welcoming, inclusive environment and a safe space for all ages. CatholicCare offers Government funded, fee for service and NDIS approved therapy options for yourself, your children and as a family unit. To access this service please call 1800 324 924 or visit www.catholiccaredbb.org.au

Awards

Week 5

Week 6

Community News

Compass Calendar