25 November 2019

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

This week provides a little change of pace for my comments in the newsletter. There is no way I could say everything I need to this week in a 3 minute video, I will however attempt to keep it brief.

In May, 2013 when I was appointed as the Foundation Principal of St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School I genuinely did not have any real comprehension of what lie ahead. I understood the role of Principal after previously serving two school communities in that position, I understood the importance of community, belonging and I understood the importance of good teaching and its impact on enthusiastic learning. My hope for St Brigid’s was for it to develop into a big country school that all school community members felt comfortable attending. I look back on the years that have passed, and I honestly believe that is exactly what our school community embodies. A safe community built on trusting relationships and hard work led by good teachers and enthusiastic learners.

I have been privileged to share many life changing and enriching events with you all during this time. Throughout my tenure at St Brigid’s I was married to my very caring and understanding wife Lauren, and we started our family sharing with you all the birth of our two boys Angus and Henry. The support and love I felt from this community during those times will stay with me forever.

Please understand this is a very special school community you all belong to, a family in every sense of the word. Thank you for entrusting the most important people in your life to us on a daily basis, it has been an honour sharing in their academic and personal journey.

A wonderful colleague once told me that being a Foundation Principal is a once in career opportunity and it is an honour to have shared it with you all.

2020 Teaching Staff

Below is the list of teachers and the year levels they are teaching for the 2020 school year. Again, this year, careful attention has been taken by the students’ current class teachers, learning support staff and leadership team members ensuring your child is placed in the class where we believe they are best suited. You will be informed of your child’s class teacher in the envelope that contains your child’s report card. These envelopes will be distributed on the final day of school. If you are not going to be at school on the final afternoon of the year, please let the front office know and they will be posted to you. As mentioned previously, at St Brigid’s we do not take teacher requests.

Cheers
Mick.

School Calendar

Important Dates

November

Swimming Lessons – Monday 25th
Swimming Lessons – Tuesday 26th
Swimming Lessons – Wednesday 27th November
End of Year Christmas Concert & BBQ – BBQ 5pm Concert 630pm MPA – Wednesday 27th November
Whole School Swimming Carnival – Friday 29th November 830am

December

Community Farewell for Mick Roach – Sunday 1st December 2pm-5pm MPA
Awards Assembly – Monday 2nd December 9am MPA
Year 6 Graduation Dinner – Tuesday 3rd December 6pm
Mass of Thanksgiving & Graduation Ceremony – Wednesday 4th December 9am MPA
Report Cards, Class Lists & Book Lists sent home – Wednesday 4th December 250pm
Final Assembly – Wednesday 4th December 2pm MPA
Last Day of Term 4 – Wednesday 4th December
Office Closes – Friday 6th December 4pm

January

Office Opens – Monday 20th January 8:15am
Book Drop Off – Thursday 23rd January 2pm-3pm
First Day of Term 1 – Tuesday 28th January

February

Pupil Free Day – Wednesday 12th February

Uniform Shop Opening Hours

Last week of school

Monday 2nd December 8am to 10am
Tuesday 3rd December 2pm to 430pm

Extended Hours 2020

Monday 20th January 9am to 12pm
Tuesday 21st January 9am to 12pm
Wednesday 22nd January 9am to 12pm
Thursday 23rd January 3pm to 6pm
Friday 24th January 3pm to 6pm

Normal Shop Hours Resume Tuesday 28th January

Tuesdays 2pm to 4pm
Thursdays 8am to 10am

From the APRE

Living Laudato si’ at Christmas

Australian Catholics Summer 2019/20

Alice Foddy | 31 October 2019

In 2015, Pope Francis wrote a letter to the whole world called Laudato si’ about the need for us to care for creation. He says that we need to change our ‘throwaway culture’.

Each Christmas we see such a focus on consumerism in the media; the newest gadget, the latest toy, the best ham. But all these things come at a cost to the environment and a cost to people.

So here are some simple ways you can live Laudato si’ at Christmas.

Food

• Use containers to buy bulk dry goods and meat – this minimises single use plastic waste. Some butchers will also take containers for meat and often source their meat locally. Don’t be afraid to ask!
• Buy naked and ugly – ugly fruit and vegetables often get thrown out despite tasting the same. Try and bring a reusable fresh produce bag.
• Cook a vegetarian meal – meat products on average produce more CO2 emissions than fruit and vegetables.
• Use leftovers – try and use beeswax wraps or containers instead of cling wrap or aluminium foil.
• Compost your food scraps – try not to add too much meat and dairy to the compost though.
• Buy in cardboard, tin and glass – instead of single use plastics, cardboard, tin and glass are much more easily recycled, or can be reused before they are recycled.
• Buy fruit and vegetables from the local market – by buying from local markets we are also reducing the food mileage and supporting local business.
• Bake and make what you can – try experimenting this year with homemade condiments.
• Use a bread-bag – bread-bags can fit bread rolls, loaves and breadsticks. You can buy ones from Onya or any clean calico or cotton bags are great too.

Presents

• Buy fair trade – Buying fair trade ensures that all workers have fair working conditions and have fair wages.
• Buy second hand – op-shops have many hidden gems. Also, don’t forget to take any old toys or unused gadgets to the op-shops before Christmas. The funds raised by many op shops help the homeless.
• Regift – it saves perfectly good items going to landfill.
• Shop local – support your locals instead of the large corporations.
• Give gift cards or experiences – sometimes creating memories with experiences is better than a toy used for a week or two. Gift cards also reduce waste because the person can choose what they need.
• Wrap in clothes – most of the waste produced at Christmas is from wrapping paper; but wrapping in a clothing is like wrapping your gift in a gift.
• Reuse wrapping paper - you can reuse wrapping paper or bags for other gifts, cards or craft, and keep the paper and bags you get.
• Hand-make cards from old cards – this is a great activity for kids to make cards out of old cards. Sometimes, you don’t even need a card.
• DIY– let your creative juices flow with crafting presents. Sewing, knitting, painting, five-minute Facebook crafts that recycle objects.

As this will be the last newsletter for 2019 I would like to wish all the families at St Brigid’s and in our school community a very safe and Merry Christmas. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing break, and hope you all have the chance to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones.

Merry Christmas, God bless and see you all in the New Year.

God Bless,

Tegan Green
A.P.R.E

Curriculum News

On the last day of school for the year you will receive your child’s report card. Contained in this report card is information in relation to your child’s progress during Semester Two.

When you receive your child's report card it’s important to take the time to read to them the comments the teacher has written and discuss these comments together. Praise them for the effort and achievements they have made throughout the past two terms and discuss any successes they have had over the course of the year.

When looking at your child’s report card please keep in mind some subjects have many elements. In English and Maths, children receive an overall grade which relates to all aspects of the subject. A child may perform well in some areas like reading but may not achieve well in writing. The overall mark reflects the average of this body of work. In English, the children learn and are assessed on their knowledge, skills and understanding related to: oral reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and their speaking and listening. In Maths they are assessed on Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Probability and Statistics. Teachers are also assessing students reasoning and problem solving capacity. A teacher will make mention in the comment if your child has achieved at a higher level in one aspect of the subject compared to the overall mark given.

At St Brigid’s we use the A to E grade scale. The A to E grade is a judgement that teachers make based on a portfolio of work and it is relevant to the point in time that the report card is written. Teachers make a professional judgement to decide which grade best matches the standards your child/ren has achieved. To make judgements, teachers draw on assessment data they have collected as evidence throughout the Semester.

Reporting scales vary across the years of schooling and the same scale is used at reporting time for each semester.

In Prep the following five-point scale is used.

Year 1 and 2 use the following five-point scale to report student achievement:

In Year 3- 6 the following 5 point scale is used:

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s progress throughout the semester or report card, please make an appointment with your child’s classroom teacher.

As I leave St Brigid’s at the end of the school year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the St Brigid’s school community, for making my time here as a teacher a wonderful, fulfilling experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment and will always treasure the families and teachers I had the privilege of meeting, and the students I was blessed to teach along the way. St Brigid’s is a wonderful school and I feel truly blessed to have been a part of this community for the past 6 years.

Have a wonderful Christmas with those you love and all the very best for 2020.

Have a great week,

Sharon Upton.
Acting Assistant to Principal: Curriculum

Inclusive Curriculum

Our final instalment of ways to help build more assertive children is to model confidence. We know that our kids watch what we do more than what we say so if we hope to raise confident children, it’s crucial to communicate assertively in our own lives. This is not the easiest thing to do. Assertiveness takes practice for all of us.

Ways you might model confidence:

• Speaking up when you need to, and letting your child see you say “No” and then sticking to it.
• Using a calm, confident voice when stating your views.
• Discussing the times assertiveness has been difficult for you and how you overcame it.
• Demonstrating active listening. Active Listening is to simply restate what the other person has said before you respond. This can be especially impactful when there is a disagreement

Modelling assertive communication allows ourselves and our children to reap its powerful benefits, including confidence, high self-esteem and positive relationships.

Regards,

Shannon Butler.
Learning Support Teacher
shannon_butler@rok.catholic.edu.au

Library News

Books we’ve read!

As the end of the year draws closer, please have a good look at home for any long lost library books. They like to hide under beds and lounge chairs and have even been known to hide on your bookshelves! St Brigid’s books will have a barcode that looks like this.

Thank you to all the parents who have helped the library this year. We’ve covered many, many books, and run 2 very successful book fairs. Your efforts are appreciated.

Thanks, to all the parents, staff and students who purchased books through Bookclub and Book Fair. Your purchases have contributed greatly to the ever growing library collection!

While the school library may be closed over the holidays, you can still enjoy eBooks through the ‘Sora’ app. Instructions for using the app are below. The Emerald Town Library is also well resourced and a great place to visit on the holidays.

Have a safe and happy holiday, can’t wait to see you all next year!

Happy Reading!
Mrs Strong.
Kristy_strong@rok.catholic.edu.au

Champions of the Week

Prep to Year One Orientation

The Prep children will have their last orientation to Year One tomorrow from 11:30 am til 1 pm. This week they will visit the other Year 1 classroom to see what things look like in there. During this visit the children will be able to experience what it's like to be in Year one and sit at their own desk. They will be doing a variety of educational activities including letters, fine motor activities, mathematics, reading and writing. The Prep children will be taught by our current Year one teachers Miss Coleman and Miss Collins. The Prep assistants will also be joining them in Year one for the whole session.

The current Year One children will be working in the Prep classrooms during this time with the Prep teachers, Mrs Sihlberg and Miss Grounds doing educational activities. They always enjoy going back to where it all began.

If you have any questions regarding the Prep to Year one orientation, please see your child's classroom teacher.

Swimming Carnival

The St Brigid’s school Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 29th November 2019. Please see below some important information:

• Students will need to be dropped to the pool on Friday morning by 8:30am. Supervision by teachers will not begin until 8:15am.
• Parent attendance is encouraged; you may wish to bring a chair to sit on. Parents are to sit on the canteen side of the pool, not in student house areas or at the ends. Students will sit in their house groups for the duration of the carnival.
• Any adult or sibling pool entry costs are to be met by families.
• The schedule for the Swimming Carnival has been created with a focus on participation, fun and physical activity for all students.
• Students are encouraged to wear their house colours.
• The canteen will be open on the day; students wishing to make purchases will be accompanied by a teacher at intervals throughout the day.
• Subway can also be ordered through the online canteen app.
• Students will need to bring: togs, towel, sun shirt (they do not have to swim with it on for their races) and goggles, water bottle, snacks, lunch and spending money (Optional). Please ensure that your child’s items are all clearly named.

Students will be permitted to go home with a parent after the conclusion of the swimming carnival (approximately 1.45 - 2 p.m.) If you have indicated on the bus transport permission note that your child is returning to school after the carnival, a bus will transport students back to school at the conclusion of the carnival.

Photo Gallery

2020 Tuckshop Convenor – Expressions of Interest