News

Once again, a warm and sincere welcome to our new students and staff, and welcome back to the new school year! Excitement and enthusiasm are palpitating throughout the Primary campus as we engage in our learning. 2022 has not been a smooth year so far as we have encountered a few bumps with the COVID restrictions. Yet I once listen to an Honorary Professor who spoke about chaos in a home. She asked, “If you have 5 minutes, what would you do to your messy home if you knew someone was coming to visit you?” She immediately would sweep the front of her house and boil fresh water. We have to acknowledge that the unexpected, chaos, and inconsistencies are part and parcel of life. However, we can be the consistent ones who continue to welcome and show kindness to the world. In fact, they are very much the Mercy Values that we cherish. This gesture of kindness is a constant occurrence in our primary campus. We see students helping one another, whether it is Year 6s with their year 1s buddies or simply friends helping one another with their work. We are proud of the significant work that has begun with the students participating in various spelling programs. We are also excited as we started in our newly acquired Talk4Writing. The students have done fantastic storytelling and writing; such as the Year 2s narrated the ‘Little Red Riding Hood” story, the Year 3 and Year 4 about ‘The Creek’, and the Year 5 worked on the story entitled “Beowulf”. I highly recommend encouraging your child to retell the stories they have learnt in class! Over to Early Childhood, our pre-primary students learnt about condensation and made rain during a science lesson, and the Kindergarten was immersed in the fun with painting and playing. The Year 6 Gold provided us with our first virtual assembly experience broadcast via Microsoft Teams. Our primary campus is swirling so much fun and engagement. But, at the same time, we always put the child at the centre, encouraging them to build resilience and ensure their well-being is not compromised. We look forward to embracing this year with positivity, whatever challenges and sweet rewards it brings. [easy-image-collage id=17541] “If God sends you down a stony path, He will give you strong shoes.”   God Bless, Anne Tan Head of Primary

Advent has begun. Advent gets its name from adventus, the Latin word for “arrival”. The formal advent can be tracked to the 5th century, where in Northern Italy, the Christians would fast, pray and reflect on Christain Values. It’s the season of candlelight, reflection, and expectation. Most importantly, it is a chance to get ready for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. At St Brigid’s College, we have prepared for the coming of Christ, firstly remembering the less fortunate by offering food hampers to St Vinnie’s. We were then fortunate to have the Pre-Primary re-enacting the nativity through the play entitled ‘the Bundle of Joy’, about a Grumble; the grumpy, grumbly donkey who travels with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. We have a few budding actors in the cohort. The Kindergarten children displayed their musical talent with their final concert, and they sang and danced to various upbeat Christmas carols. They celebrated their final day in Kindergarten wearing a mortarboard. Before partaking in the festivities of singing the Christmas Carols, the Year 6s had a wild time at Outback Splash. There were water slides, mazes, koalas, kangaroos and many fun activities. Then along with boys and girls from Pre-Primary to Year 5, they brought the old Christmas favourites to life at the annual Carols On the Green. The focus was on the birth of our Saviour with the reenactment of the nativity scene. We also had swimming lessons throughout the last two weeks. Again, the students enjoyed the water and practised their swimming techniques. We ended the year with with our Thanksgiving Mass last Friday, followed by the Thanksgiving Assembly. This was a mixture of joy and sadness where we acknowledged Year 6s achievements at the College. As the school year comes to a close, I would like to acknowledge that each child has worked really hard throughout the term. We, as educators, are proud of all our children. We understand that every child is unique, and we celebrate their achievements. For example, there is an artist who may not thoroughly understand Maths. A potential entrepreneur that may not embrace History. A musician that does not care about Geography and an athlete who dislikes Science. They all have unique talents, abilities and skills, and we congratulate them for finishing a successful year. Have a safe holiday, Blessed and Holy Christmas and a New Year filled with love and peace. Please also note that families can prepare for the new school year as 2022 bookings for Your OSHC program are now open. Registration is free for families. Details can be found here: Parent Information Bookings Flyer God Bless Anne Tan Head of Primary

There is never a dull moment on the primary campus. As they prepared for their leadership speeches, you could feel a strong rattle of excitement in the Year 5 classes. They sought advice and asked questions from current leaders to better understand what being a good leader entails. It was lovely to see the passing of information between the two year groups. Our leadership candidates were exceptional. Their speeches were polished and well-researched. In addition, they spoke clearly and all had a personalised message that was mature and well-structured. We are proud of every student that ran for the leadership and house leaders’ positions. While the Year 5s were working on their leadership speeches, the Year 6s prepared for their Shark Tank presentation. I had the opportunity to have a sneak preview of some of their great inventions. I am certain that lots of hard work and research went in to getting these done. The students will be presenting their pitch and trying to convince a group of professionals to invest in their products and services. I have been fortunate to be part of the professional panel and cannot wait to have a first-hand look at their innovation. Not to outdo the older students, the Pre -Primary children have been working on their mathematics, including high-levelled addition. We were also fortunate to have the Year 10s visit the Kindergarten, students and together, they worked on some painting. In the fields of the Arts, we had a wonderful evening viewing the creative art pieces and paintings from our young talented girls and boys at the Student Art Exhibition. Many of them also took away prizes for their visual art pieces. At the Twilight Fair, our talented choirs sang to kick start the biennial event. Many watched and were in awe of the harmonies and the beautiful singing. The recent Grandparents’ Day was a spectacular one too, with over 900 visitors to our school. The children had immense fun and showed their grandparents the activities, crafts and learning they had been working on throughout the year. Our nature playground is starting to take shape. The students will get a chance to play on the new playground before school finishes for the year. Students from Year 3 to Year 6 also voted for their student leaders for next year. Don’t forget that our in-term swimming will commence next week. Furthermore, the students are also preparing for the traditional Christmas Carols on the Green. Our Pre-Primary children have also been rehearsing for their nativity assembly. This is our primary campus, where the activities for fun and learning never cease. We look forward to seeing you at our forthcoming events. God Bless Anne Tan Head of Primary

The end of the year is just around the corner, learning however, continues with enthusiasm and is very visible when you visit classes. The Year 6s are on their journey working towards making a better world. They are using STEM concepts to create innovative and leading-edge products. Watch this space in our following newsletter for updates. It was lovely to see students from Pre -Primary presenting flowers to our Year 12 graduates last week. They were excited to see their big sisters, and it will be their turn to receive flowers in 2032. This is an exciting time for our Year 5s, taking over the leadership reins next year. They spent a class period learning about different leadership skills and what makes a good leader. In addition, they had the opportunity to listen to the Australian Electoral Commission speaker and learn about our election system. Singing is a favourite activity, and on alternate Fridays, we gather in the gym to learn new hymns with Mrs Wade. It is glorious to watch students from Pre Primary right through to Year 6 singing and moving to the melodies. Once again, it is always lovely to join the Kindergarten children in their morning greeting and singing. They always brighten our day. We certainly have a jam packed semester with students getting ready for the in-term swimming and Grandparent’s Day, and not forgetting our Christmas Carols that will take place on the second last day of the term. We also had a school tour this week, and if you know of families who would like an academically esteemed and well-balanced education, direct them to us. Lastly, this is an important message for parents picking up their children from Glen Road. For the safety of the children, vehicles are not encouraged to park along the road during pick-up time. However, if you need to park the car, kindly proceed to the car park within the College. We have an ample amount of parking bays for you. Have a great last term, and do not forget to slow down and smell the roses. God Bless Anne Tan

We had a busy but fulfilling past few weeks. Firstly, the Year 6’s had a wonderful time at their camp. The three days allowed them to work collaboratively and cooperatively with one another. The camp is an eye-opener for many, and it allows further realisation we come from different cultures and beliefs. During team activities, some students were taken aback because they were not with their usual circle of friends. However, this setting gave them life skills to enter the adult world, where we must accommodate and work with different personalities. The camp reinforced the Mercy Values of “Hospitality” and “Compassion” where we welcome everyone into our hearts. This scenario brought us back to the Parable of the Good Samaritan that Mrs Cox shared in the beginning of the year. During the three days of excitement and activities, there was exhaustion and weariness, but there was also love and joy of being in each other’s company, building strong friendships and bonding. The primary school was privileged to have two young, vibrant student-teachers from the University of Notre Dame, Josh Antulov and Claire James join us this term. As much as they were here to learn from us, we were delighted to learn from these budding teachers too. It was lovely to see Ms James conducting Prayers in the morning, allowing the young cherubs to offer their petitions and thanksgiving. Mr Antulov gave a face lift to the displays boards in the Year 2 area, with clear learning intentions and success criteria next to the students’ work, allowing parents entering the classroom to see exactly what their children were learning. It was an exhibition that displayed the students’ learning journey. One of the highlights for the term was the Year 1 Gold’s assembly. They talked about the value of respect. These students voiced the importance of being respectful, showing consideration for others and caring for public property. The Year 4’s celebrated their Sacrament of the Eucharist. We congratulated them as they received the Body and Blood of Christ. Together, we can certainly achieve great heights. This term, we celebrated several achievements, from improved NAPLAN results to strong recognition at the Catholic School Performing Arts Festival, including receiving the overall shields for Choral Speaking and Sacred Chorale. On the last day of the term, we celebrated Mercy Day. It was a joyous occasion with the entire school singing “Welcome to God’s House”. We also had our beautiful primary and senior choir singing the hymns. With such blessings, we are thankful to be in a school that allows students to blossom and express their talents in many ways and grow spirituality. “Be joyful always, to pray at all times, to be thankful in all circumstances.” Thessalonians 5:16-18 Have a safe holiday and may Jesus Shine on you Always. God Bless Anne Tan Head of Primary

It is a delight to see that our primary school is a well-balanced one. While we are evidently flourishing in our academics, we are also focused on sport and arts to ensure our students relish other opportunities and interests. “Do you know what my favourite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” -Mike Singletary played for the Chicago Bears. The Sports Carnival is the epicentre for students to be part of healthy competition. In early childhood, there is always a strong emphasis on gross and fine motor skills. The Early Years (Kindy – Year 2 ) had a fantastic carnival, heightening their physical skills. The prowess of the minor leagues as they partook in their events was mind-blowing! They ran at full pelt around the track and played many collaborative and team games. In Term 3, the Catholic School Performing Arts Festival is a significant event in the calendar. With numerous talented and creative students in our midst, it was natural for the College to participate in this festival. There have been individual and group entries from our College and it was a privilege to watch various choirs, ensembles and dance performances. For the first time, the College entered the Choral Speech Category with the combined Year 5 classes representing the school. They were brilliant and received an outstanding award for their performance. Besides the Year 5’s, the Sacred Choral and the Primary Choir were also recognised for their “outstanding” singing. The Boys Ensemble and the Training Choir were acknowledged with “excellence” and “merit” awards, respectively. Every year, Book Week triggers excitement, as parents and students spend time preparing the wonderful costumes. As expected, all the costumes were highly appealing. As a result, the Book Week Assembly and parade of book characters had the feel of a festival that celebrated the joy of reading. The church is always a reference to the people and our students attend mass and live out the Gospel in their words and actions. This term, Year 5 and 6 had the opportunity to celebrate with the parishioners. Mass was a beautiful celebration where we gathered together in prayer and promoted our Catholic Identity. Lastly, the College has entered CEWA’s Quality Catholic School competition. We have entered under the category of Catholic Identity. So, please vote for us in the people’s choice awards https://awards.cewa.edu.au/. Spring is on our doorsteps. Being in the hills, we get to enjoy looking at ducks wandering around with their ducklings, birds chirping, outbursts from the kookaburras and beautiful flowers blossoming. I have always felt that spring symbolises rebirth, especially this year with the torrential downpours we have received that the earth needs to drink up! Nature is ready to show off it’s extra colours. Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Earth, our Mother, who nourishes us and sustains us, bringing forth fruits and vegetables of many kinds And flowers of many colours. God Bless Anne Tan Head of Primary