News

This is the first of a series of getting to know our teachers and staff at St Brigid’s College. As a College, there have been some changes to the Academic teaching structure, as well as new faces who have joined the College over the last 12 months. Here’s us getting to know our Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning (Year 7 to Year 12), Mrs Marsha Pengilly:   Share with us your experience and some of your achievements as an educator. My teaching career has been quite diverse in location, I began my teaching journey in the public system which grew to a range of Government High schools in the city and in the country, this included a two year stint at Harvey Senior High School where I was also employed as a House Mother at the Agricultural Campus. I then moved into Catholic schools where I started at Sacred Heart College and then with Emmanuel College before moving to Santa Maria College (SMC) where I taught for 20 years holding numerous roles in my time at there. Like SMC, St Brigid’s is a Mercy School and I thoroughly enjoy working within this environment. To be able to share the rich history and traditions of Catherine McCauley is a great point of difference. The values of Mercy Education connects to me both professional and personally and I believe provides an excellent foundation for our students. My years in girls education has developed my expertise in this valued and niche area of study and development. I have developed an extensive knowledge and skill set around ensuring our girls are able to learn and grow to become strong Mercy women of the future who will light the way for others. What have been the pivotal / milestone moments in your career as a teacher and now as Deputy Principal? A definite milestone was completing my Master of Education: Leadership and Management, at the end of 2023 which has enabled me to successfully work in the leadership roles I have held. I particularly enjoyed being the Dean of Students at SMC where I led the students in each of the year groups from Year 7 to 12. This provided a very broad understanding of the academic and pastoral needs of each of the year groups which is essential in my current role. Another very unique highlight was accompanying SMC students in Years 11 and 12 on an Art Tour of Milan, Florence and London in 2019. Seeing the students experience such amazing art and the impact this had on their learning to enrich their own work and also their understanding of the masters. This trip further inspired my passion in the Professional Development and Teaching and Learning areas. The growth in academic achievement is limitless when we provide high quality, real world learning opportunities and experiences to both our students and teachers. In my new role at SBC I hope to continue facilitating this for our community.  What are your favorite subjects to teach? One of my pet subjects is Accounting and Finance. In 2024, we introduced Accounting and Finance to our Year 11 and 12 ATAR subject selection, with a view to this being taught in future years. For students studying A&F, the course work is entirely new as students are generally not exposed to these concepts in lower school. The students I have taught love the challenge of this course and the opportunity to learn something completely new and different. They are also able to see the real-world application of A&F into their lives. I am always excited to hear of previous students who have embarked on careers in the business world and how their initial enjoyment of A&F has sparked their curiosity and progress in this field. I also really enjoy teaching maths and supporting students to gain more confidence in their abilities. I try to encourage my students to have a growth mindset to maths and challenge them to feel positive about their abilities in this subject area. How do you envision our students growing both pastorally and academically at SBC?  I am looking forward to seeing the growth of our students academically at SBC. It is a privilege to be a teacher of secondary students and to journey with them as they move through the senior years of their education. It is at this time that you really see the students grow and mature as they find their passion and work out where they intend to head post school. Supporting students as they shape their future goals and work toward achieving them is such a unique opportunity. What is the biggest point of difference in learning/teaching at SBC? Our environment provides unique opportunity for our students to learn about our impact on the environment. Being able to walk in our own school grounds and see almost perfect bushland and to be able to study our native flora and fauna on our doorstep provides some amazing real life lessons and great classroom experiences for our students. The amazing boarding community at SBC and what they provide to our college when they bring their diverse backgrounds and “home” experiences to our community. Means our students learn from and gain an understanding of the world, beyond the hills.      

Gear up for adventure! Last week, our intrepid Year 11 Biology students swapped the classroom for the great outdoors, participating in a special field camp at Dwellingup alongside Mazenod College. This immersive experience provided a first-hand look at the fascinating world of ecological monitoring. Guided by the esteemed Mr. C, Environmental Educator of the Year, the students learned the art of fauna trapping – a crucial skill for understanding native animal populations. Just before sunset they set traps to capture nocturnal visitors, waking before dawn with anticipation to see what critters called the bushland home. Their efforts were rewarded with the exciting discovery of three Mardos and a curious Quenda! While the day brought a quite a bit of rain, the students’ spirits remained high as they delved into the techniques of flora surveys. Despite returning a little soggy, their knowledge and enthusiasm were truly enriched. This valuable camp experience forms the foundation for an exciting project back at St Brigid’s. The Year 11 biologists will now conduct a baseline flora survey of our very own school bushland. Armed with this data, they’ll then develop a conservation plan to ensure this precious ecosystem thrives for future generations. Stay tuned! We can’t wait to see the amazing results of their exploration and conservation efforts.  

It’s time to save the dates for Year 12s and their families for key dates in October which concern their graduation. In Term 4, during Week 2, our Year 12s and families will be involved in multiple events which include the Graduation Mass, Boater Throw and Graduation Dinner. The WASSA (Western Australian Statement Of Student Achievement) provides a formal record of the achievements of all leaving Year 12 students as a result of their school education in Western Australia. Download this PDF for a list of key dates or view the snapshots of the dates below, You can also keep up to date will all College events by viewing the College Calendar and downloading the dates that you need direct to your device calendar.

Tiny Mic Ministry (TMM) has hit the ground running across the SBC campus this term. A brand-new initiative by Year 12 Leaders, Anja H (the spokesperson), Serena T (content developer) and Olivia R (fundraising & engagement officer). Tiny Mic Ministry is a 2024 Ministry initiative aimed at engaging more young people to be involved in fundraising events that better the lives of people less fortunate than ourselves. Conceptualised by Anja (inspired by a little bit of online shopping where she spotted the said Tiny Mic), the idea behind TMM was stemmed from the notion that people are less inclined to donate money when they don’t understand where the money is going. What better way to bring it to life but with some vibrant roving reporting around campus. As a Mercy school, St Brigid’s has a long history of providing assistance to our brothers and sisters in Australia and overseas. As the world around us changes, the ways we engage in raising funds and awareness needs to evolve. Tiny Mic Ministry aims to utilise the expansive platform of social media to raise awareness and much needed funds, for various initiatives throughout the year at SBC, in a fun and engaging way. We’ll be looking forward to more fourth-wall breaking news brought to us by our students behind Tiny Mic Ministry. Keep an eye on the SBC socials on Facebook and Instagram for more Tiny Mic Ministry videos and reels!

Dear Parents, Staff, Friends and Students of St Brigid’s College, The commencement of the school year is always very busy, and my thanks is extended to all families for ensuring that students were prepared for the term with their books, equipment and correct uniforms. I particularly welcome the 183 students who are new to our community. We are blessed to have you. We invite you to keep up to date with College news and announcements by reading the weekly newsletter. For the full newsletter, please click here  Veronica Parker Principal St Brigid’s College  

Kyra Clayton, graduated from St Brigid’s in 2022, and she recently won South Metropolitan TAFE’s VET Secondary Student of the Year Award . Kyra was one of seven recipients of the award out of a total of 24,000 TAFE students. Last week Kyra visited the College to provide some mentorship to our Year 10s. Kyra spoke about the various pathways to tertiary study, how she navigated them at St Brigid’s, the subject choices that worked for her as well as her personal epiphanies when it came to study styles and her abilities. “The dedication and perseverance of my teachers pushed me forward to be the best I can be, and they never let me give up or do anything less than my full potential. St Brigid’s allowed me to find new opportunities and ways to achieve my goals which were outside of the school’s set curriculum. This game me the drive to push myself to amazing opportunities and to do the things that have lead me to where I am today, “said Kyra. Today, Kyra is enrolled at ECU, where she is pursuing an Undergraduate Degree in Human Resource.