News

We have definitely ‘hit the ground running’ this term. Commencing with celebrating our wonderful Year 12 student’s final achievements as St Brigid’s graduands.  We are so proud of the level of certification attained by our students, which included Certificate III and Certificate IV qualifications, students successfully completed Flexitrack High through Murdoch University and are on track for their university placement and excellent Year 12 subject results in both ATAR and General Pathways.  We wish all of our students the best in the future endeavours. Our ATAR Examinations will commence in the coming week, please keep these students in your thoughts and know you have ‘got this’. Planning is continuing for 2023 and what an exciting year it is looking like.  We have had the pleasure of enrolling our 2023 Murdoch Flexitrack High students into their course and are excitedly waiting to start this journey with our second cohort.  If there are any current Year 11s who are still considering this option please touch base with myself for more information. A group of Year Nines have sat their OLNA, due to the change of the timing of this literacy assessment (it would normally be held in March next year); as they strive to meet their literacy and numeracy benchmarks for WACE attainment in Year Twelve 2025.  If parents (or students) have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your daughter’s Mathematics or English teacher for further assistance in the coming weeks. The Library continues to be buzzing along this term.  As we move towards Grandparent’s Day a reminder that our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held during the week commencing the 7th November; there is nothing better than a new book!  The fair will be open from 8 – 8.30 am, lunchtime and 3.30 – 4 pm to students and before and after school for families to visit plus of course during Grandparent’s Day.   We wish all of our students all the best for the coming term.   Janine Walsh

Where has the term gone – it is so incredibly exciting continuing to watch our College come to life each day with the breadth of opportunities available for all of our students. Year 12 students have been working diligently towards finalizing their course requirements as they have moved into the final weeks of the marathon of their learning programme.  From final rounds of OLNA, through to the completion of a variety of Certificate IIIs and IVs through to final assessments in preparation for upcoming exams; our girls have not missed a beat.  Our Year 12 ATAR students are also preparing to commence their final St Brigid’s examinations commencing in the second week of the holidays or in the case of our practical subjects, their Practical WACE Examinations – we wish you all well in this final stage, and know that your hard work and preparation will place you in good stead for what is ahead. It has been pleasing to see how students have been enabling their class learning to come alive in a variety of arenas, most recently being our Year 10 Drama students and their one-act production of Grimm Brother’s fairytales, which showcased their maturity in producing this piece for our community and dedication to transfer what has been learnt in the classroom, onto the stage.  Our Year 11 Outdoor Recreation students also are preparing to put into practice early next term their skills (from using trangias, to putting up tents to canoeing in the College pool) learnt through their Certificate II in Outdoor Recreation when they attend their Dwellingup Camp. We have loved our Year 7 and 8 students visiting the Library as they continue to develop their literacy skills through the Lexile reading programme in English. Nothing beats curling up with a good book; we have many to share with them thanks to the Parent Forum this year. Environmental awareness is also at the forefront of this term, with our ‘Earthlings’ leading the charge, we are so proud of their advocacy for this issue.  This term they have collected materials for the animals at the Perth Zoo, Ran the House Bottle Cap Art Competition and they have saved ‘dead pens’ from landfill.  It is inspiring that our students are ambassadors for our planet.  Enjoy the much-deserved term break!

It was a fantastic end to the first semester at the College, with our Parent Teacher Interviews and the release of the College reports.  Teachers appreciated the time to meet with families to celebrate progress across the semester, set goals, and discuss strategies to continue academic growth.  A reminder to families that student results in assessments across Pre-primary to Year 12 are accessible via SEQTA Engage and are released regularly to families.  Please do reach out to teachers should there ever be questions regarding student progress throughout the semester. This term, our focus slightly shifts to 2023 … it is hard to believe we are at this stage already.  Our Year 10s have completed their individual subject selection interviews for Year 11 and we are impressed by their drive to achieve their goals in the coming years.  Thank you to all families and friends who joined us at these meetings, your presence and support was greatly appreciated.  I have met with the Year 11s to discuss options moving into Year 12 and our continuation of the Flexitrack High partnership with Murdoch University.  We will begin focussing on selections of electives for students in Years 7 – 10 across the remainder of the term.  It is an exciting time ahead. BRLA Our students in Years 3,5 and 9 will be sitting the Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment (BRLA)across the coming weeks.  The BRLA is a large-scale, standardised assessment that consists of Religious Education tests developed and marked by the Office of Catholic Education Western Australia. The purpose of the BRLA is to measure student learning of the content in the RE curriculum. Formal school and student reports are produced by the Office and will become available to schools in Term Four.  The BRLA provides a ‘point in time’ snapshot of student performance in RE. Students’ knowledge and understanding of the content of the RE curriculum is assessed using a combination of multiple choice, short and extended response items. Students’ faith is not assessed. We wish all of our students well. Library In the Library we are excited to be planning for our annual Book Week activities; daily homeroom/class quizzes, library display – items from the Academy of Taxidermy, design your own glasses at lunchtime, a scavenger hunt and the adopt a book returns.  Plus this year we will also have a staff readathon, a photobooth based in the library (24th August), award winning author Amanda Betts working with our Year 11 students (25th August), the much anticipated Book Week Assembly and Dress Up and Parade (26th August) and finally Perform Education presenting to students in Years 3 – 6 (29th August).  The theme this year is ‘Dreaming with eyes open’ and we are definitely hoping to open every one’s eyes to the magic of our library! Finally, we have launched our dance program for our littlest dancers ‘Sparks’, catering for students in Years 1 – 2.  The program is led each week by secondary students exploring a variety of genres, from jazz to lyrical to hip hop plus technique work.  The enthusiasm of these dancers is second to none and they are setting the dance floor on fire.  We can’t wait to watch these dancers continue to grow and share their talents with our group. Kind Regards, Mrs Janine Walsh Deputy Principal

Term Two has begun with the juggling of a raft of testing across the College, with NAPLAN in Years 3, 5, 7 and  9 and the Externally Set Task for the Year 12 General students. I would like to extend my appreciation to both staff and students for their flexibility and resilience during these weeks, as they have been working around the challenges of Covid isolation periods, catch up sessions plus maintaining their regular classes. For our NAPLAN students each year I remind them that this is only a snapshot of their abilities and talents in a small number of areas, these do not measure the creative, sporting, spiritual and relational gifts that you possess.  We see the incredible amount of work that goes into each lesson you attend and the tasks completed in the classroom throughout the years, we value the progress that your teachers and parents see each day. We will use the results in our planning and tracking of overall progress across time, to affirm the quality of teaching and learning we see each day. To our General students, we are looking forward to seeing your results, as we know you have been working hard this past term and a half, to continue to demonstrate your potential. Our Year 10 – 12 students are all moving towards our examination week (and our School of Distance Education students the week prior).  Teachers are available to assist students not only during class but have availed themselves to be able to assist at various times during the day, please do encourage your student(s) to take advantage of the times offered.  Some simple hints for the weeks ahead Start revision early Prepare your revision notes ahead of time Develop a study schedule to be balanced Find a ‘study buddy’ someone that will keep you motivated and focussed Find a good place to study without distractions Maintain time for yourself during the examination period – this includes eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep Ask your teachers questions well before the exam Use a variety of study techniques Minimise mobile phone and social media time – it’s a great time to have a break from such distractions Learn from your success this past semester and the challenges you are faced with I also wish our certification students and Flexitrack High students all the best, as they are involved in some intensive study days during these weeks. The planning for the upcoming Subject Selection process for Year 11 2023 is well underway and in the coming weeks Year, 10 teachers will be speaking with students re: offerings and entry requirements.  As noted in the College Calendar our evening is scheduled for the 29th of June (Wednesday) and will be via TEAMs again this year.  We decided to continue this format due to the importance of the content and the unfortunate possibility that we will have families unable to attend face to face in a few weeks’ time. Our feedback from the past years has been very positive and the format well received. I would also like to extend my huge thank you to our Parent Forum for their generous donation to the Lexile Reading programme at the College, across 2021/2022 over 500 books have been able to be purchased for students in both the Primary and Secondary to access.  It has been amazing to keep building our collection! Remember ‘Learn continually – there’s always ‘one more thing’ to learn’’ (Steve Jobs)   Janine Walsh Deputy Principal

It has been an incredible first term at the College, with a hive of activity occurring in the classrooms! A positive of the current restrictions have been that our teaching staff have been able to focus on giving our students the best start to the year possible.  They have focused on classroom innovations, implementing new programmes and upskilling our students using a variety of online platforms (a huge congratulations to our primary students who mastered this in record time!). I want to congratulate all of our students, from our littlest learners in the pre-kindergarten through to the Year 12s, who have again shown true resilience and are determined to get the most out of the first term.  So many milestones have been achieved; from writing names for the first time in the early years, to mastering TEAMs in the middle years of primary, hitting the kitchen in Year 5 to embracing to preparing for NAPLAN and OLNA in the Secondary and commencing a variety of certifications and WACE subjects in the senior years … no matter the year level we are so proud of what you have achieved. The Term One Report provides a snapshot of a student’s academic progress and application across this first term. It is in the process of being uploaded to SEQTA Engage for students in Pre-primary to Year 12. On Thursday, 7th April (9.00 am – 6.00 pm), interviews will be held for Kindergarten to Year Twelve families, allowing for families and their child(ren) to meet online with teachers (students must have a parent present).   In some cases, Boarding families may still be travelling on the scheduled date; Boarding families only will have an additional opportunity between 1.30 pm – 3.30 pm for a TEAMs meeting on the 8th April.   Whilst we would prefer to hold our interviews face to face, the Term One meetings will occur only via Microsoft TEAMs.  Where teachers have requested a meeting with parents and guardians, please consider these requests essential. We look forward to meeting with our families. We want to extend our gratitude to our Parent Forum for continuing to support our Lexile Reading programme, which is accessed by students up to Year Eight currently.  We have purchased over 500 books for the library, and we love our students joining us to extend their reading skills and, significantly, comprehension.  Our students from across the College enjoy the new resources as they arrive. As we move into Term Two, it is looking to prove to be again a busy term, with the following dates of note: NAPLAN in Years 3,5,7 and 9 [Commencing Week 3] Year 12 General Externally Set Task [Commencing Week 3] Year 11 and 12 Examinations [Commencing Week 6] Year 10 Examinations [Commencing Week 7] Year 11 2023 Subject Selection Evening [29th June] K – Year 12 Parent Teacher Interviews [30th June] Plus, Career Presentations at lunchtime will continue into the second term. We are looking forward to a full and energised Term 2. Have a safe and blessed Easter holiday.   Janine Walsh Deputy Principal

Welcome to 2022 and how wonderful has it been to welcome back familiar faces and new faces as well into our community. I am, however, looking forward to working together to continue to develop learning and teaching programmes that are not only engaging but also provoke deep thought and engagement. Each year our staff identify areas that will be focussed upon in our School Improvement Plan (and associated actions) across the College to improve the learning outcomes for our students.  In 2022 we will be focussing on: Development of a vision for learning. Focus on spelling in the secondary years. To develop a consistent approach to paragraphing across the year levels Students develop an understanding of the importance of the correct use of grammar and punctuation conventions. Introduction of Talk 4 Writing programme in the primary years. Consolidate the introduction of Literacy Pro in the College and extend to include Year 8 students. In the early years, we shall consolidate comprehension at sentence level using explicit instruction. To improve the number of students meeting the numeracy benchmarks in NAPLAN/OLNA The College to provide alternate pathways to university for Year 12 students, outside of the ATAR pathway.   Outstanding Year 12 2021 Results I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the class of 2021 on their fabulous final results.  We are very proud of the journey that these young women have begun.  Congratulations to all students who were successful in attaining WACE, completing a Certificate III in Business, Sport & Recreation or Education Assistant.  We also are extremely pleased that students were also successful in completing Certificate IV in Health Studies and Preparation in Nursing, Dance and Business; all whilst completing their course work and attaining WACE. Certificate IV in Preparation for Health & Nursing Studies Kirrily Batchem Eilish Webb Alyssa Wheeler Jemma Goulter Certificate IV in Business Hannah Hohmann Certificate IV in Dance Makenzie Logan   Students in our graduating class completed successfully OLNA, received an offer for university or TAFE placement for this year, acquired a scholarship and have been successful in gaining employment.  We are very proud of you all.  A special acknowledgement must go also to the following students who achieved outstanding final results, with ATARs over 90, with our highest achieving student being Nadia Da Silva, who attained an ATAR of 97.7.  A note of congratulations must go to Nadia Da Silva 97.7 Ines Kelly 93 Madison Oliver 97.5 Madison North 92.9 Anya Sills 97.5 Emily Bartlett 91.9 Rachel Dupont 97.45 Georgia Hischar 91.85 Abbey Symmans 96.7 Mikayla Musca 90.85 Nena Runge 95.95 Meg Anderson 90.7 Leisel Kok 93.7 Sana Feast 90.5   Certificates of Distinction Certificates of Merit Rachel Dupont Madison Oliver Nena Runge Anya Sills Meg Anderson Paige Eagan Sana Feast Georgia Hischar Liesel Kok Mikayla Musca Maddison North Hannah Preece Abbey Symmans Eilish Webb   Again, congratulations to all students and we wish Class of 202 all the best, we look forward to you popping past and sharing your life post-SBC with us.   OLNA – Years 10 – 12 Students are required to have met Band 8 in their Year 9 NAPLAN results in all areas of literacy and numeracy. If students do not demonstrate the required standard, they will not be eligible for a WACE. All students receive a Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement (WASSA), which records every course and program a student has completed in secondary school. If students demonstrate the required minimum standard after they have left school, they will be awarded the WACE (assuming they have met all other WACE requirements). Extensive support is provided at a College level but we do need reinforcement at home, whereby review packages are sent home in areas such as numeracy.  Please speak directly to your daughter’s English and/or Mathematics teachers for individual strategies.   Result Reminders Years 10 and 11 2022 Year 10 Students                     The Semester One Report is used to determine courses available to students in Year 11 2023. Year 11 and 12 Students Students are required to achieve 14 C grades (or equivalents) in Year 11 and Year 12 units (i.e. 7 subjects), including at least six C grades in Year 12 units (or equivalents) (3 subjects).  This is as outlined by the Schools’ Curriculum and Standards Authority, as part of graduation requirements.  Year 12 students who in 2021 achieved 2 or more D grades in their Year 11 subjects have been offered a mentor to assist them – but students and parents do need to be aware that Year 12 students must work with their mentor too! Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding any curriculum matter on either 9290 4234 or via email on walsh.janine@stbrigids.wa.edu.au.   Flexitrack High Our inaugural group of FlexiTrack High students commenced this year, in partnership with Murdoch university.  These students will be completing not only a combination of ATAR and General subjects in Year 12 but also are enrolled at Murdoch University.  Upon successful completion of the 4 modules, students are awarded an indicative 70 ATAR from Murdoch!  The course is designed to help students develop the skills needed to succeed at university, it is delivered as a blended program utilising both online independent study and dedicated class time at each partner school.  We are also fortunate to have our Team Leader for English as our Flexitrack High onsite teacher. We can not wait to introduce you to the girls are their journey!  We are very proud of them all.   Library We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back into the library.  As always, we have some exciting plans ahead of us.  For those who are super organised the Book Week Theme is ‘Dreaming with eyes open.  The Library is open Monday to Friday 8 – 4 pm.   I wish everyone a wonderful and blessed 2022.   Janine Walsh Deputy Principal