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On Monday 25th July, the Aboriginal and Intercultural Year 12 class become the FIRST official student group to visit the Fanny Bulbuk Yooreel Statue! Mrs Cathy Santarelli’s class undertook a walk of the City that looked at past, present and future perspectives, focussing specifically on the Wadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. And of course, we could not walk the city without seeing the statue commemorating Fanny Bulbuk Yooreel! We also visited the Boola Bardip museum and the Art Gallery and went to King’s Park before returning to school. What do students think about this excursion? “The excursion our Aboriginal and Intercultural Studies class took this week was a unique experience for everyone. Visiting Government House and the statue of Fanny Balbuk Yooreel was eye opening and amazing to see how Aboriginal peoples, especially women their history and culture are now being recognised. It is important to recognise and understand the past and present of Indigenous culture and how we can move forward in the future.” – Ruby Year 12   “I was very fascinated by the Fanny Balbuk Yooreel. I liked the positioning of the statue with the map of Perth’s waters in front of her. I liked how her digging stick was included and that she was also bare footed.” – Dwoki Year 12   “We learned about Fanny Balbuk Yooreel and the history of the statue in class prior to the excursion but being able to see the statue in person at the Government House was such an amazing experience! It was so fascinating learning and hearing the stories of why she plays such an important role in Perth.” – Lilah Year 12   “She was truly an inspiring Woman, it is warriors like Fanny that make us proud to be Aboriginal. The way they displayed Fanny in this sculpture really captures her strong and determined personality. They did an amazing job displaying the strong woman Fanny was. I feel honoured to have seen Fanny’s statue in person, her powerful presence and inspiring stories that tell of her strong personality have been captured perfectly in the statue”  – Keneesha Year 12   “I thought it was very amazing to see the first statue of an Aboriginal Woman Fanny Bulbuk Yooreel. It shows her holding a digging stick which represents her culture in Perth today, we learnt so much about her both in class and with the interesting brochures we were given at the Government House.” –  Abbey Year 12   St Brigid’s College teaches Aboriginal and Intercultural Studies – a General course for Years 11 and 12. The course focuses on the contribution to culture, history and stories by the First Nations People of Australia.  Additionally, some reading and study of other First Nations Peoples of the world are included. Read an article published by the Government House Western Australia here: https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/visiting-balbuk/.

Where did the Year 10 students go on Thursday, May 12? They went to the Careers Expo 2022 hosted at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was a marketplace where exhibitors plied their courses, services, inventions and promotional items to students, teachers and visitors. On entering the centre, we were mesmerised by UU, the Japanese robot programmed to dance to a disco tune that captured our interest. According to the student designers, two other objects that stood out from the rest of the exhibitions were the electric racing car designed by Edith Cowan University students, which reaches 110 km per hour. The Army installed a truck in full camouflage, which looked every bit the part. The atmosphere was electric as our students embraced the many opportunities to learn more about careers and training. Netball hoops were installed, and many students, including our girls, lined up to demonstrate their sporting prowess. The icing on the cake for some students was collecting the many promoting items from sunglasses, hats, bags, lollies and pens. It was a fantastic and educational event!

We are so proud of Amy Thomasson, a St Brigid’s 2013 graduate, for her outstanding achievement in receiving 7th place on the 2021 Juris Doctor Dean’s List (Academic Excellence) from the University of Western Australia. The Juris Doctor is a challenging Master’s level professional law degree, requiring significant commitment over several years. To complete the Juris Doctor is an accomplishment, and she has done it outstandingly by being in the top 15% of the cohort. The Dean’s List recognises those students who have achieved this honour and those who have completed Advanced Legal Research by Invitation and, therefore, have demonstrated the ability to undertake sustained and independent legal research of the highest calibre. Amy was ranked 7th in the 2021 cohort of 138 students and will be formalised at the 2021 Awards Ceremony later this year. Check out a short interview we did with Amy: How does it feel to accomplish an achievement like this? Have you always wanted this? I never thought of starting a law degree and finishing on the Dean’s List, but it feels fantastic for all my hard work to have paid off! Were there times that you found it challenging to push yourself? What motivated you to keep going? Law is notoriously hard going and stressful at times, but I had a great support group of other law students to keep me motivated. It helps that I am incredibly passionate about the law and genuinely interested in it. What is your next move? I currently work at the Court of Appeal as a Judge’s Associate. Next year, I hope to move into either criminal or family law and be a judge myself or run my practice one day. Any word of advice for the St Brigid’s girls? Be authentic and support one another – the only way we progress as women and society are through collective strength. You can never go wrong working hard and pursuing what you are passionate about. What an inspiration! Once again, congratulations, Amy! This is truly an outstanding achievement and a testament to your hard work and dedication throughout your studies. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours, and we believe you will do great things for the world. To see the Dean’s List, please click here.

St Brigid’s College is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all students attending the College. We are seeking your support to assist us in minimising the risk of Anaphylaxis to our students identified as at risk. Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It occurs after exposure to an allergen to which the person is allergic. Some of the most common allergens our students identified at risk of Anaphylaxis are: foods such as nuts, dairy and eggs and insects such as bees or wasps. We request your assistance in adopting the following strategies to help minimise the risk factors within the school environment: • Please avoid sending nuts (whole nuts/nut mixes), foods containing nuts (nuts listed as an ingredient/used as an ingredient; nut spreads such as Nutella or nut butter) to school • Promote thorough washing of hands/face and rinse mouth if children have eaten these products before coming to school • Please ask your child’s teacher regarding the dietary requirements of the children in their class and provide individual prepared servings for birthday/occasion treats, or consider non-food treats • Provide drink containers and lunch boxes that are clearly labelled with the name of your child • Teach your child about the need to eat only from their own lunchbox and not to share food If your child is identified as at risk of Anaphylaxis, please ensure you have provided the College with a copy of their most recent ASCIA Action plan and any medications (in-date adrenaline autoinjector/antihistamines etc.) that they require. Please update these regularly and inform the College of any changes. Always ensure that your contacts details are up to date. Our College community greatly appreciates your assistance in minimising the risk of Anaphylaxis.   Kind Regards, Jess Coolican College Nurse Monday-Thursday | 0439 338 895| CollegeNurse@stbrigids.wa.edu.au