News

WOW! Where has this year gone? We started 2021 a week later due to COVID, but thankfully, we managed to complete the year successfully. Parents, you should be very proud of your daughter/s for all they have achieved in 2021. Yes, there were a couple of rough patches for some of the girls, but being brave young women, they came through it all developing some new coping skills that will assist them in the future. The Year 9s had their lawn bowls social last week, and according to one student, it was fun, especially when they played against the teachers and won. They liked that it was quite a relaxing atmosphere and that it was something different that they wouldn’t normally do – some liked the fact that there were no boys there! From all accounts, it was an enjoyable and relaxing evening, even if it was a little cold. Thank you to Mazenod for hosting the Year 7 Hawaiian dance social. The evening was very “tropical” with Hawaiian shirts worn by the students. The girls enjoyed the opportunity to either dance by themselves or with a partner. Another great evening had by all, including the staff who danced the night away as well. The Year 8s invited parents to come and see some fantastic Science experiments based on material they had learnt throughout 2021. The young ladies had come up with a range of experiments, from making ice cream and setting it without a freezer to elephant toothpaste, the best bath bombs and rainbow fire. The Year 7s invited their parents to come and see what inventions they had created to help sustain the environment. These ranged from upcycling clothes into dog toys to cleaning the ocean and an app that tells you what foods have palm oil in them. Activities Day gave all the Years 7 – 9 girls the opportunity to celebrate their year of learning and attend activities at different venues. The Year 7s went to Latitude, the Year 8s went ice-skating, and the Year 9s had a wet obstacle course set up on the Senior Oval. We finished the year off with our final assembly where the College Assistant Leaders for 2022 were announced. Charli Vinci – Ministry, Missy Armstrong – Cultural, Rose Considine – Sports and Nichola Powell – Sustainability. These young ladies will be working alongside the SRC Leaders throughout 2022 to form the Student Voice. SPECIAL REPORT: Having the Alcohol Discussion SchoolTv With the impending festive season and end of school celebrations, some teenagers may be feeling ready to party, wanting to put the disruptions, frustrations and disappointments of this past year behind them. To ensure our young people stay safe during this time, parents and carers are encouraged to have the alcohol discussion – no matter how difficult or overwhelming it may be. It is important to outline the rules and boundaries around age-appropriate alcohol consumption and its legal implications. Young people are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than adults because their brains continue to develop until their mid-twenties. The safest level of alcohol consumption for teenagers is no alcohol at all, but this may be difficult to enforce and may not prevent them from experimenting. However, parents and carers can influence sensible drinking habits and help minimise the risks. In this Special Report, a series of discussion points are offered to help make the conversation about alcohol consumption a little easier. We hope you take time to reflect on the information provided in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. This SchoolTv information can be found by clicking here. If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the school for further information or seek medical or professional help. I would like to take this time to thank you for your ongoing support, as I have always said, it is a partnership between parents and the school when it comes to the education of young minds. To the families who are leaving the College at the end of the year, we wish you all of the best and remember you will always be part of the SBC community. Wishing you all a safe Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you and your daughters in 2022 where new things will happen. Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary

This week, most of our Year 12s approach the end of their WACE exams whilst the Year 11s undertake theirs or complete hours for their Education Certificate. The Year 10s are also busy revising for their exam period which commences next week whilst the girls in Year 7 – 9 are all completing assessments. Amidst this busy time, we have had the Year 8 quiz night social with Mazenod run by the Year 8 Student Representatives. It was a great noisy night with some fantastic prizes thanks to Ms Bianchini. The Year 9s will be participating in a Lawn Bowls evening on Monday 22 November against some staff teams. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top – according to the green’s manager, students usually win. Watch this space when the results are published. The Year 7s have their second social with Mazenod on Tuesday 23rd November. The theme is Hawaiian shirts. Hopefully the evening will be warm to give the Hawaiian them even more credibility. Photos and a report about the evening will be in the next Enews edition. It was fantastic seeing the many grandparents attended the Grandparents Day last week. The girls certainly enjoyed showing them around the College and sharing Mass and morning tea with them. This week’s Enews SchoolTv article is all about resilience. Resilience is key to addressing mental health issues. We need to allow our kids to experience adversity. There is a tendency to shield our kids because parents have become a bit over-protective.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. The link will lead you to the SchoolTv information about Resilience Resilience is important for a child’s mental health. It is their ability to bounce back from failure, challenges, adversity and stress. It’s not something that kids have or don’t have but a skill that kids develop over time as they grow. Building resilience not only helps a child deal with current difficulties, but it also helps develop a resilient mindset that will help them deal with challenges later in life. All children are capable of working through challenges and coping with stress, but they require guidance and support from a charismatic adult role model. https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me/newsletter/resilience Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary

Term 4 started off with the Year 12s sitting their Mock WACE Exams and then attending seminars relevant to their WACE subjects. We then started the final countdown preparing for the girls last few days with events including a shared morning tea for all the staff prepared by the girls, the traditional Boater throwing routine, House Breakfast, little Miss awards with a twist this year and ending it all with their Graduation ceremony. It was truly a wonderful way to farewell the class of 2021. While the focus was on the Year 12s the rest of the young ladies all settled back into school routines. Which as you are fully aware, is not easy for teenagers who love their sleep-ins. It was great seeing them all wearing their full summer uniform and I have to say; the majority of the girls are now remembering to remove their excess jewellery before coming to school. A huge thank you to you as parents, for reminding them about the college uniform rules. Since Term 4 is only 8 weeks, I guarantee you that all the girls will all have some sort of homework to do every night. Be it set homework, finishing off work that they did not complete in the classroom, revision for in-class tests, assessments and definitely exam revision for the Year 9-11 girls. If you have found that your daughter is struggling with her homework, then please contact her teacher straight away so they can assist. As you are aware, we do offer free tutoring for the students in Maths, English, Science, your daughter just needs to attend the lunchtime or afterschool clubs for these areas. If you are not sure what days and times the clubs are running, the information can be found below: October is mental Health month and SchoolTv has published their Happy and Gratitude documents here. SchoolTv have said that happiness is defined as the balance of positive and negative emotions, combined with overall life satisfaction. Researchers have found that gratitude is always strongly associated with greater happiness. However, negative emotions are still important. They have a lot to teach us and alert us when things need to change. Practising gratitude helps people feel more of the positive emotions, enables us to relish good experiences, improve our overall health, deal with adversity and build strong relationship. Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary School

Where has this term gone? The weather has been grey and cold for most of Term Three, however it was great to finally see the sun shining and the temperature in the low to mid-twenties for the last couple of weeks (though we did have a couple of really cold days!). The previous weeks have seen the young ladies at St Brigid’s working hard to consolidate all they have learned in Term Three, through tests, experiments, and assessments. Many of our Year Twelve students are getting ready to sit their final exams for the College before they sit their ATAR exams. Below are some handy hints from SchoolTV to assist your daughter through her exams. This information is not just for the Year Twelve students, but all students sitting exams in Term Four. SchoolTv for Exam Jitters https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters Setting a schedule is vitally important. Students need to schedule everything from sleeping and eating, to studying and exercising. It is one of the best ways to manage inevitable exam stress. Students need to look after themselves when they have big demands in their life. When it comes to productive study, sometimes less is often more. It is recommended that students hit the books in 50-minute stints, broken up by 15-minute breaks, giving the brain and body a rest. Adolescents will often underestimate the amount of sleep they need, and getting enough sleep is key to successful study practices. Research shows that physical activity also has a very positive impact on mental well being. Eating well is another crucial factor in maintaining concentration and staying focussed on the task ahead. Students today have very busy schedules all year round, but especially during exam time. School is very different today for the current generation. The digital revolution has changed the way kids learn and study with information available at their fingertips 24 hours a day. It is important for parents to understand this and support their children to help reduce stress levels. Following our Mercy Day Mass, we announced the 2022 Leaders and celebrated the end of Term Three with Mercy Day events. The House Coordinators and their helpers set up stores to raise money for Mercy Works. Their peers then entertained the students at the cultural festival which provides an opportunity for students to perform in front of the whole College. A friendly reminder that the young ladies will come to school wearing their summer uniforms in Term Four. This means that they need to wear their boater to and from school and at recess and lunchtimes. We ask that you check the length of your daughter’s dress as I know some girls have grown taller during Term Two and Three. I wish all of our families a restful and safe break. Hopefully, the young ladies will assist around the house and cook you a meal so you can have a well-deserved break as a parent. I want to take this time to wish the class of 2021 all the best in whatever pathway they may take. Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary

Okay, it is fair to say that Term Three has slipped right by without evening stopping for a breath. So, what have the young ladies achieved so far this term? The Year Eleven’s stood up in front of the Year Seven to Eleven students presenting their speeches about why they should be voted for a 2022 College Leadership position. The voting was done online after the speeches, and the girls have interviews with relevant staff members for their area. The young ladies in Year Ten and the boys from Mazenod College have been attending dance lessons for two weeks, which led to the formal dance social where they had the opportunity to display these steps and some original dance steps. A massive shout out to Ms Wood and her social committee, who turned the gym into a Night in New York. The young ladies dressed beautifully for the evening, and some of the young ladies brought a change of shoes so they could still dance but in comfort. The Year Elevens had the opportunity to invite a significant male figure to the Father-Daughter Dinner, where they were tested on how much they knew each other. Then the girls had to test their accuracy to win a prize for their Father for Father’s Day. Judith Cumpsty and her committee members put a fantastic evening on, and managed to turn the Staffroom into an Night Amongst the Stars. Entertainment for the evening was by the Year Eleven band, who played and sang Mad World by Tears For Fears. It was great to see the number of secondary students dress up for book week, from Bob the Builder, to Dr Seuss and Bananas in Pyjamas. As you know, the college has a subscription to SchoolTV. The link below is designed to empower parents with fact-based, helpful information, offering practical and ongoing support strategies for anxiety. Anxiety symptoms are sometimes not all that obvious as they often develop gradually and can be difficult to distinguish from day-to-day worries. It’s a serious condition that makes it hard to cope with daily life. https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me/newsletter/youth-anxiety Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary School

Welcome to Term three, and I would like to take this time to welcome all the new families that have become part of the St Brigid’s Community this term. Term Three started with the SRC assembly where the College Leaders spoke to the students about mental health and how the Leaders will be putting information around the College regarding support and services for Mental Health. Mental health refers to an individual’s emotional, psychological and social well-being. It can impact a child’s ability to function in daily life, affecting how they think, feel and act. As you can see, Mental Health is a big concern for our students, and the students are the reason the College is subscribing to SchoolTV. St Brigid’s intends to assist parents in building young men and women who are confident, resilient, and willing to be positive contributors to their communities. One way is to help parents be informed with clear, fact-based information on the many challenges faced by today’s youth. Topics such as youth anxiety, depression, self-harm, drug and alcohol use, cyber-bullying, and many others need clear explanation and guidance. To that end, SchoolTV is an ongoing resource that is now available to our parents. SchoolTV provides a single stream of independent factual information organised by topic, saving parents time and confusion of searching online across multiple sites for information. Under each major topic, parents will find expert interviews, fact sheets, parent quizzes, recommended apps, books and much more. SchoolTV aggregates information from many great resources such as BeyondBlue and ReachOut, amongst others. Parents can access SchoolTV via the College Website or https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me. SchoolTV has put out the following link to assist parents with their parenting styles. I have to mention that any information you provide to SchoolTV does not come back to the College. https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-parenting-styles I am sure that some of you have heard on the news about young people vaping. If a student at the College is caught vaping, we follow the College’s Drug policy procedures and assist these young people with the support they may require. Below are links to the dangers of vaping and some key points for discussions at home: https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-vaping-au https://sbcl.wa.schooltv.me/sites/default/files/STV_Vaping_KeyPoints.pdf?stv_source=link The College celebrated NAIDOC week with an opening ceremony where the students received a Welcome to Country from Elder Margaret Combing and an inspiring talk from Ms Liza McGuire, director of Red Spear and Indigenous Business. There were activities, Roo Stew with Damper for the students throughout the week which concluded with some of the Aboriginal Girls dancing on the Sand Mural. The Year Ten Food Technology students, thanks to their teachers Mrs Greyling and Mrs Thomas, had the opportunity to taste and see how bush foods can be used in everyday cooking, from Lemon Myrtle Tea to Wattleseed & Bush Mint Ice Cream to a nut spread. I have to say it tasted nicer than Nutella. The Year Elevens had a movie night with Mazenod where they watched (most of them watched while others chattered) Black Widow. The evening was well-planned, thanks to the young gentlemen for hosting the event with Popcorn and treats for sale. The young ladies came wearing warm clothing, including the very fashionable Oodies. This term, the Year Eleven students are nominating themselves for a College Leadership position for 2022. This process involves the young ladies filling in the forms and having a parent sign the nomination form. The current College Leaders will be running seminars for the students who have nominated for leadership positions. The Year Sevens are, at the moment, voting for the Semester Two Reps. Thank you to the Semester One Reps who assisted the House Coordinators at events. We wish all of the young ladies who have nominated themselves all the best. A friendly reminder that all students need to come to school wearing their winter uniform unless they have training before school. Students are given time in their lessons to change into and out of their sports uniform. The young ladies know that if for some reason they have to wear their sports uniform a note needs to be written in your daughter’s organiser and shown to her Year Team Leader. If a student comes to school wearing her sports uniform without a note, a detention will be issued. Students are saying that they are cold. We recommend that they wear layers underneath their blouse and as you are aware, they can wear either tights or socks. As we have school photos in week 5, all the students will need to wear their tights on these days. If you have forgotten your login details for SEQTA, I encourage you to email Kathryn White at white.kathryn@stbrigids.wa.edu.au, and she will assist you with the login details. SEQTA shows when your daughter has assessments as well as her marks and copies of her reports. I encourage you to download the SEQTA Engage app, and you will receive notifications when results and assessments are uploaded onto SEQTA. If you have any academic concerns regarding your daughter please contact her relevant teachers. If it is a pastoral concern please contact her Year Team Leader so they can assist. The more we know the easier it is to assist your child. Ms Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary