Newsletter Term 4, 2024 Week 8

Principal's Update

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome to Term 4, Week 8! 

We are nearing the end of 2024 very quickly!  However, we still have many events to come especially for our graduating Year 6 students, you will also receive your child’s Semester Two reports on Monday, 9th December on Compass.  I would like to acknowledge the hard work that every teacher has put into the reports, assessments and observations to indicate your child’s strengths and areas of needs to progress further. 

We are having a Carters Road combined evacuation drill on Tuesday, 10th December involving all four schools.  Please try to avoid visiting the school during this drill time of 10am to 11am.   

Our Step up day will be Wednesday, 11th December where your child will spend some time in their 2025 classroom with their 2025 classroom teacher/s.  We also have some new students coming to St Brendan’s and I know you will make them feel very welcome. 

You are all very welcome to celebrate our Thanksgiving Mass on Thursday, 12th December at 9am in St Brendan’s church.  Straight after mass, our Spirit of St Brendan’s recipients will be presented with their certificates.  We will have our recess and then come back to the church ready for an 11am End of Year Award ceremony.  All Welcome! 

Our End of Term reward will be held on Friday, 13th December!  Please wear your sports uniform!  Children will be spending time participating in games and house colour activities as we did last year! 

In Week 10 children with 350 dojos will be spending time within their classrooms watching a movie and eating popcorn with their teachers!  Congratulations to you all who reached 350 dojos over the course of the year. 

Year 6 will be attending Toowoon Bay for their Beach Fun Day on Tuesday, 17th December and will have their last day in primary school plus a clap out on Wednesday, 18th December at 2.10pm. 

It was amazing to see so many families, existing and our new 2025 families, at our Christmas Carols on Tuesday evening!  I was very impressed by the children’s performances throughout the evening and loved seeing families joining in!  

Thank you to our wonderful Year 6 parents and carers who have been supporting us organise your Year 6 graduates, 2024!  We are looking forward to their special mas on Monday, 9^th December at 5.15pm.  All Year 6 children will be expected to wear their full Summer uniform please – no additional accessories are necessary.  Please keep all your accessories for your Year 6 Dinner on Tuesday, 10^th December at The Doyalson RSL starting at 5pm.

I received some very encouraging feedback from our Stage 3 Tag Gala day that took place on Thursday, 28^th November.  Lovely to see our children transferring our SBLM expectations to events outside school.  Unfortunately due to the weather our Stage 2 children could not attend their Oz Tag gala on the Friday.

On Wednesday evening our Children’s University students graduated at Ourimbah University.  Very proud of these students who have taken their learning to a different level and achieved great accolades along the way!  There may be further opportunities next year if your children are interested.

Well done Year 4 girls (Ella, Amelia, Mia, Ava and Harper) they raised more than $100 to buy gifts for the Giving Tree.  If you also want to contribute to our Giving Tree please buy a small gift, covered in Christmas wrapping (attach label indicating gender and age that the gift is appropriate for) and place under the Christmas Tree in our office foyer.  What a great initiative girls – very thoughtful and kind.

Congratulations to Ollie G (Year 4) who represented himself in the Broken Bay cricket team in Lismore this term!  What a wonderful achievement.  Well done!

Congratulations, Sienna!

We are all so proud of you for your incredible performance at the recent concert. Singing your second ever solo, "Tennessee Orange" by Megan Moroney, in front of parents, carers, and your Rise team was a huge achievement. Your courage and talent shone brightly on stage!

It's amazing to see how far you've come in just over a year of singing. Completing two solos is no small feat! Your role as Matilda in the group performance of "Revolting Children" was a hit, and your renditions of "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" by Pink and "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine were outstanding.

Despite feeling nervous, you delivered an exceptional performance. Your dedication and hard work are truly inspiring.

A big shoutout to Rise Entertainment and its wonderful teachers for their support and inclusivity. They have created a nurturing environment where talents like yours can flourish.

Keep shining, Sienna! We can't wait to see what you achieve next.

Both Alexis and Rain competed in the National Athletics Carnival in Homebush at the end of November.  Congratulations girls for a great performance – Alexis 6^th in Shot Put and Rain 5^th in Long Jump.  Well done girls on this huge achievement reaching the National level in athletics, 2024.

There will be a newsletter in Week 10 to conclude the year!

God Bless,

Charlene Reid

Principal

Assistant Principal Update

Stationery Requirements 2025

Morning Gross Motor Program Update

We are excited to support our Kindergarten, K-1 Yellow, 1-2 Yellow, 2-4 Yellow classes, and any other identified students who may need assistance transitioning to school in the mornings through our Gross Motor Program.

To foster independence and a smooth transition, we encourage all other Kindergarten students to enjoy their morning on the playground. If your child participates in the Gross Motor Program, we kindly ask parents to drop them off and promptly leave the area.

You’re more than welcome to stay outside for the morning assembly. Thank you for helping us create a supportive environment that nurtures independence and confidence in our students!

SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations to our students who completed in the 2024 Coast & Valley Swimming Championship and your wonderful results below:  

Kiarni W
12/U Freestyle Relay 10th
10/U Medaly Relay 4th
9 years 100m Backstroke 2nd
9 years 50m Freestyle 4th
9 years 100m Freestyle 5th
9 years 50m Breaststroke 5th

Samantha Mc
12/U Freestyle Relay 10th
12/U Medaly Relay 5th
11 years 50m Butterfly 18th
11 years 100m Breaststroke 3rd
11 years 50m Freestyle 20th
11 year 100m Freestyle 12th
11 years 50m Breaststroke 5th

Rahnie S
12/U Freestyle Relay 10th
12/U Medaly Relay 4th
10 years 50m Freestyle 7th

Logan B
10 years 50m Freestyle 12th

Respecting Learning Time

We kindly remind parents to avoid entering classrooms during learning times, from 8:20 am to 2:30 pm. Recently, some parents have been entering classrooms between 2:00 pm and 2:20 pm. To support our teachers in completing their lessons and to encourage students to develop greater independence when packing up, we ask parents to remain outside during this time.

While waiting outside, we also request that you avoid being visible through doors or windows, as this can distract students.

Thank you for helping us create the best possible learning environment and experiences for your children!

SEMESTER 2 REPORTS

Next week, you will receive your child's Semester 2 Report, which will provide valuable insights into your child’s progress this year. If you wish to discuss your child's report, we encourage you to reach out to their teacher directly to arrange a convenient time for a meeting.

To support your understanding of the report, we have attached two helpful documents explaining some of the terminology used, particularly with our new English and Mathematics syllabus.  Thank you for your ongoing partnership in your child's education.

YEAR 4 WRITING

Year 4 have been working on improving their descriptive language in their writing.  Using The Gobbledok Smith's Chips advertisement as their stimulus, here are some of their responses:

There is a Gobbledok! He is almost as big as a metre. He has a brownish, orange fur and he was in a cartoon show way back in the 1980's.  He has a gummy mouth, elf ears and big bulgy brown eyes. He loves Smith's chippies. He is very fast and he goes crazy when he sees Smith's chippies.

Levi

The Gobbledok has sandy brown stale hair.  It runs down his orangey brown elf face. His ears kind of look like Yoda ears. His rough stale fur is browner than chocolate.  He is shaped like a toddler but his body language is like a bear.  As the creature stands on his shoe shaped feet, he is gripping tightly onto a blue chip bag, one on each arm. The Gobbledok is obsessed with Smith's chips.

Ava

A Gobbledok has a circular head.  The Gobbledok has lots of fur. He is about a metre tall or as big as an extra large Cabbage Patch doll.  His colour is brownish orange.  He has Yoda ears and a mushroom nose. The Gobbledok is a creature that has a gummy mouth, rectangular body and a really scary face.  The Gobbledok is used for a Smith's Chips advertisement from the Potato Planet.

Will

This thing you are witnessing is called a Gobbledok. He loves Smith's crisps and he is so tiny he is like an XL Cabbage Patch doll and he has two party sized packets of chips.  He has a gummy mouth and a stubby mushroom nose.  He is very hairy and brown.  He has ears in the shape of elf ears and his feet are huge, they are bigger than his head if you combine the two.  I think the reason his head is so small, is because it is thinly cut, if you know what I mean.

Emmitt

School Updates and Upcoming Events

End of term reward day

Friday 13th December is our end of term reward day for all those students who have been consistently following our SBLM expectations this term. We are having a House Colours Day - students are to dress up and accessorise in their house colours. No face paint please and students are to wear closed in shoes, no Crocs! Students will take part in four fun rotations, including sport activities on the oval, ball competitions on the middle playground, relays in the hall, and House chants. The rotations will happen between recess and lunch, and then after lunch students will sit with their House to enjoy an ice-block, before performing their House chant for the whole school at the end of the day. Mrs Reid will contact the families of those students who will not be joining in, and other activities will be provided for them on the day. 

Religious Education

Children’s Christmas Eve Mass & Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Join Us for Mass and Children's Nativity!

Date: Tuesday, 24th December 2024
Time: 5:00 PM
Where: St Brendan's Church

We warmly invite you to our special Christmas Eve Mass. If your child would like to participate in the Mass—whether as part of the nativity, a reader, dancer, or choir member etc —please complete the form here.

Please also see flyer regarding the Vinnies Christmas Appeal

We look forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with you and your family!

Awards

Week 7

Week 8

Community News

Compass Calendar