News

I would like to extend congratulations to all students for such a successful end to the 2021 Academic year. I would like to congratulate our Kindergarten students on completing their first year at St Brigid’s. How lucky are we to have such enthusiastic and kind hearted students beginning their schooling with us. I know I have enjoyed chatting with them each Friday when they come into the Library, each proudly sharing their weekly borrowings with me; they know they have been my favourite class! Our Year 9 students completed their first set of exams this past week, as part of transitioning into the more senior years and to have an opportunity to show themselves how much they have learnt this past year. They are to be commended on their approach to their studies. Our Certificate III Education Support students have been busy completing their work placements at a variety of early childhood centres and the feedback has been outstanding regarding their contributions, skill set and approach to the placement. We are very proud. We also were excited to welcome our new students (and boarding families) to the College at the Orientation Day, we are very much looking forward to all of these students next year! Finally we are proud to announce our first Flexitrack High cohort in 2022, who have all been successful in gaining a position in Murdoch’s University preparation course, which will be delivered at St Brigid’s plus these students will also complete various courses at school with the goal of entering Murdoch University in the course of their choosing the following year. We are very much looking forward to watching their progress. Our teaching staff have been equally busy in preparing the final Academic Reports for the year, which compliments progress which has been shared throughout the year via SEQTA and assessment pieces sent home. Reports are intended to be released to parents of Pre-primary to Year 10 students on the 9th December. Year 11 Reports should have already been accessed by students and their families on the 2nd December. A reminder that Booklists are available to be accessed on the College webpage. Thank you to all families for your incredible support over the course of the year and we look forward to doing it all again in the new year. God bless and have a safe and Holy Christmas Janine Walsh Deputy Principal

This past week the College Library hosted a very successful Bookfair, under the theme of “Reading Oasis’. There was definitely a buzz as students rushed to grab a bargain of the latest Scholastic products and many compiling lists for consideration by their Grandparents at the annual Grandparent Day. From novels, to picture books, to novelty packs of books and the ever popular stationary collection, there was something for everyone. It was equally great to see some of our Secondary students visiting the fair and is an area we would like to grow in 2022. Grandparent’s Day was a true celebration of community as students were able to tour their family through the building, playing a collection of ‘old fashioned games’, interviewing them about their life story, entering our newly assembled sensory room, taking time to go down the yellow brick road to read in our Oz inspired reading room. We are fortunate in the space we also hosted an interactive Science display and also a showcase of our robotics programme. We would like to thank our parent helper Sonya McGillivray for assisting us on the day. WACE exams have come to a close and we congratulate our girls on their efforts and we will now await their results. It has also been fantastic to receive ongoing notification of our students attaining their Certificate IVs, which have complimented their studies. Well done. Booklists have now been published for 2022 on the College website https://sbcl.wa.edu.au/enrol/essentials/booklists/ please refer to the site for all information regarding requirements. Where students will be studying differing courses (e.g. Mathematics and Science in Years 9 and 10) letters will be sent from teams advising of student allocation. There is a Parent Forum AGM on Wednesday 24th November 2021 at 6pm, for 2022 team. If there are any parents interested in joining our Parent Forum team, please feel free to contact our President Tracy Gall 0411042338 or Tracy.gall2@education.wa.edu.au for more information. Held in the Staffroom, doors will open at 6.00pm and the meeting starts at 6:30pm. Wishing our students well during these final weeks and we are looking forward to celebrating their achievements upon the completion of their reports at the end of the year. Janine Walsh Deputy Principal

The third term has been an extra busy one (when is there a quiet term though?), and we would not like to have it any other way. We continue to be very grateful for the opportunities and lifestyle we are enjoying in Western Australia, whilst keeping friends and family in the Eastern States in our thoughts and prayers. Subject selection has been completed for our students entering their senior years of schooling; complete with individual selection interviews for each of our Year 10 students. The interviewers have all commented on the maturity of students in discussions held. Our Year 11’s have reviewed their progress and pathways, we are looking forward to see their continued growth over the next term. I would also like to congratulate the 14 Year 11’s who have successfully applied for Flexitrack High through Murdoch University, exiting times are ahead for these students. Our Year 12 students are moving towards their final assessment period, prior to their Trial WACE Examinations or the submission of final units of competencies. There are also many students who have received offers from universities for placements in 2022 based on their Year 11 results, congratulations! As mentioned in a recent letter to our students from SCSA, these offers do provide security moving into the final weeks but we strongly urge students to remain committed to achieving their personal best. In the coming weeks we will commence selections for our Years 7 – 10, 2022 students. Book Week was held in our Library and what a celebration of literature it has been, as students and staff of all ages explored the theme ‘new worlds, old worlds and other worlds’. The week commenced with visits from two prominent authors Julia Lawrinson and Briony Stewart. Julia Lawrinson, shared her writing journey and incredible positive energy with our secondary students. Julia shared stories of growing up in Kelmscott, treasuring classics such as Helen Keller and Little House on the Prairie and her inspiration for her soon to be released book, Swedish super band ABBA (she must have known Mrs Cox is a huge fan)! Coupled with her bubbly sense of humour, our girls were encouraged to live, laugh and importantly write. It was inspiring to hear how our life experiences shape a person. Writer and illustrator Briony Stewart joined our Primary students and they were thoroughly entertained as Briony wove stories, her creative journey and incredible artistic talents together. Briony was able to show the students how to keep their imagination alive, through simple strategies such as turning seemingly simple shapes drawn by friends into mini-masterpieces. We were most impressed by the thought provoking questions asked by all students throughout each session. The final activity which the children were involved in was a step by step process of creating ‘Lenny’ from her latest collaboration in ‘Bedtime Stories’. Wow, we have so much talent in our primary school. Staff nestled down in our Alice in Wonderland themed reading corner for their annual 6 hour read-a-thon. Students explored the ‘magical wardrobe’ straight from Narnia to rescue old books and to give them a new home. Scavenger hunts were enjoyed across the week in our primary classes and all students competed for a book voucher in our daily book quiz (Year 8 – 9 Watson won twice in the week!). Lunch time saw primary and secondary students engage in cubby building to create their ‘other worlds’ and clever shadow puppet making! Book Week finished with an absolute bang as old, new and other worlds collided. The morning began with the outstanding Year 2 Assembly; where the children took us on a journey from the ‘olden days’ listening to stories via the radio to our golden favourites through to movies which all originated in books. Of course the week would not be complete without our parade; how awesome our are staff and students! Well done to our Secondary students who also joined in the celebrations. Thank you for celebrating a love of books with us. I would like to congratulate our Arts Team and our incredible students who have been very busy participating in the Arts Showcase and the Catholic Schools Performing Arts Festival. Whilst the results have been absolutely outstanding, our students must be congratulated on the manner in which they have represented not only the College but themselves. I was privileged to attend performances by our Primary Choirs and Primary and Secondary Dance Troupes; we have so much talent at our College! Wow! Thank you for sharing this with us. God bless Janine Walsh

It has been another very busy term but it has concluded with a celebration of our student’s achievements with the release of our first SEQTA reports to all families of students in Pre-primary to Year 12. I would like to extend my congratulations to all students who have been working consistently throughout the first semester to achieve their personal best. The next few weeks should be a time of reflection and goal setting for our students of all year levels. I would encourage all students to closely review the personal attributes section of their report, as it outlines how they have approached their studies across a variety of areas and importantly any areas for growth. Please do speak with teachers at our upcoming Parent Teacher Interviews regarding progress and how we can continue to work together to achieve these goals. Our Year 10’s have begun the process of subject selection for Years 11 and 12 for 2022; an exciting but somewhat daunting few weeks ahead for some, as we look towards laying strong foundations for the final senior years and so as to attain secondary graduation and either university, TAFE or workplace entrance. We thank our team of interviewers for the individual attention that each student is receiving in counselling them to follow the most suitable pathway and of course to our families whose support is greatly appreciated. Our Year 10, 11 and 12 students have also completed their first examinations for the year. Teachers have by this stage reviewed papers with their classes and feedback provided. Students are encouraged to meet with teachers where questions remain about key concepts and to identify areas of focus for Term 3. Commencing in 2022, we are excited to announce that we have entered into partnership with Murdoch University to offer our Year 12’s placement into Flexitrack High. This programme provides a structured and supportive learning experience for students who are seeking an alternative option to ATAR entry pathway into university. It is designed to prepare students for under graduate studies at Murdoch University and is an outstanding pathway to assist in university preparation for students not seeking to complete ATAR studies. Flexitrack: • Provides explicit instruction in the foundational academic skills of reading, writing, analysing and researching. • Developing capacity to engage critically with texts and argue effectively The course runs over 30 weeks (three school terms in Year 12), and is delivered at St Brigid’s College (5 lessons per week) by our staff, in collaboration with our allocated Academic Tutor from Murdoch University. Students on successful completed are granted a Murdoch indicative ATAR of 70.0 which can be used for entrance into all courses except Law, Veterinary Science and Engineering and 4 endorsed units for WACE attainment. We are looking forward to working with our students to be considered to enter into this programme. The Library continue to be a hub of activity, especially as the cooler temperatures are upon us. Lunch times have seen our weekly Lego Masters challenges thrive with our primary students; who are prompted by one of the many titles in our collection and an image, to create their own masterpiece. From under the sea, aliens, bridges, towers and giant food, creativity, team work and a lot of patience has been shown. We have loved watching these students think laterally! Secondary students have been busy preparing for upcoming assessments, taking time to read one of our new additions to the collection, reading a book for Story Time to our younger students or earning Mia Mad hours. The bean bag toss has taken on a new life with various age group or staff versus student challenges becoming common place. I would also like to make mention of our Junior Cheerleaders and Dance Troupes, who have been working hard each week to learn new skills and routines in preparation for Term 3! Both groups have been consistently showing such positive team work and support of each other, as their work with our Coach Annie and Year 11 students Sammy Scott, Isla Harvey and Olivia Uetake. Each week we also have our Robotics Teams who are working on a variety of tasks and their programming skills, the room is a hive of activity and these children are just dynamite in this field. Our various clubs in the secondary will continue into the next semester, and are designed to allow students to have a more personalised approach to assistance needed and sometimes an alternate method of explanation (these run either at lunchtimes or after school, teachers are able to provide timings for families to take advantage of these opportunities). A busy term, hopefully followed by a relaxing holiday for our students. Please take time to recharge and nurture the mind, body and soul. God Bless Janine Walsh

Welcome back to Term Two and a welcome to all new families who have joined our community. A very busy term as always is ahead. Thank you to all families who have embraced our introduction of SEQTA Engage in Term One; we were all on a learning curve but we are so pleased with the smooth roll out of this platform to staff, parents and students. The positive response has been fantastic. As the year progresses additional features will be able to accessible. At the end of Term One all parents should now be able to access: • The Term One Report 2021 • Semester One and Two Reports 2020 • Your child(ren’s) timetable • Progressive results as they are released for all subject areas – these are as per the published assessment outlines • Teaching Programmes (Term Two will be available by the end of Week 3) • Assessment Outlines We held a very successful Parent Teacher Interview Day on the final day of term; our staff loved meeting families and discussing current and future progress. We also were pleased that many students also attended with their parents, as it is important that they are part of these conversations. Thank you for these conversations and please do not hesitate to make contact with teachers across the term. We encourage all students to make sure that they have read and discussed their Term One Report with the families, and to goal set together. For our Primary and lower Secondary students NAPLAN testing commences in Week Four. Whilst this is an important tool to gain information on a child’s progress and potential (including meeting the literacy and numeracy benchmarks for WACE attainment), it is important to remember that tests like NAPLAN do not assess everything that makes each of students exceptional and unique. It does not measure everything that our students can do; whether they can sing, program a robot, be an amazing footballer or that a student cares for their siblings each day without asking. These are the things which cannot be tested. NAPLAN is a snapshot of one moment in their learning journey. It is important that especially in our younger years and for our Year Three students who will sit the assessment for the first time that we not build it to be more than it is – a tool to help gauge a child’s progress. Our teachers will prepare all students in the lead up to tests and all have already completed their ‘practice test’ and an ‘excursion to the computer labs’. Our students were marvellous! We know they will all give their best, we are proud of them. In Week Four our Year Twelve General students sit their Externally Set Task in all general subjects, we wish them well and know that they will be preparing for these assessment pieces. During Weeks Eight and Nine our Year Ten to Twelve students will be sitting their first examinations for the year. We remind all students that preparation is key; take the support opportunities available to you, provided by teachers in the form of assistance at lunch times and after school, complete revision notes and tasks/sample papers, ask questions, be organised and take time for yourself (self-care is equally important in all examination preparation). During Term Two, our Year Ten students will be beginning the exploration of options available for their senior secondary years and moving towards begin graduands in 2023. There are a variety of sessions planned for them, including attending the Careers Expo 2021 at the Convention Centre and the Subject Selection Evening at the College on the 30th June, 6 pm. Students in Year 10 will also sit placement tests to assist in recommendations for courses of study in Year Eleven (this will occur towards the end of the term). Further information will be distributed to families as the term progresses. Our Library continues to be a hive of activity; if we do have any parents who are available to cover books at any stage please do not hesitate to contact us as we would love your help! I wish everyone a fabulous and blessed term, and I look forward to seeing our children continue to grow. Janine Walsh Deputy Principal

Welcome to 2021 and what a start we have had!  Firstly, my thoughts and prayers are with all of our families; those who have been impacted by the recent bushfires and the lockdown period. I am however, looking forward to working together to continue to develop learning and teaching programmes which are not only engaging but also provoke deep thought and engagement. Each year our staff identify areas which will be focused upon in our School Improvement Plan (and associated actions) across the College to improve the learning outcomes for our students.  In 2021 staff will be focusing on: Reading, writing and comprehension (secondary) Spelling and grammar (primary) We are excited to also implement two new literacy programmes into the College Literacy Pro (Years 3 – 7) – a reading programme to enhance comprehension skills Year 10 Enhance Programme- a targeted programme to assist in literacy development Outstanding Year 12 2020 Results I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the class of 2020 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.  In addition, a number of students completed additional certificates: 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.  A special note of congratulations must go to: Again congratulations to all students and we wish to Class of 2020 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 Language and Literature (English) and/or Mathematics teachers for individual strategies, however, all teachers work in collaboration to meet literacy and numeracy requirements and are an additional source of support. Result Reminders Years 10 and 11 2021 Year 10 Students                   The Semester One Report is used to determine courses available to students in Year 11 2022. 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 2020 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. I wish everyone a wonderful and blessed 2021. Janine Walsh Deputy Principal