Newsletter Term 4 Week 7 (Wednesday 22 November 2023)
Our Front Page with Year 5.
Year 5 has been participating in some wonderful activities over the past few weeks and it is hard to believe that we are already in Week 7! All students have been enjoying our Science unit which focuses on States of Matter- Solids, Liquids, and Gases. They have been able to get very very messy making Oobleck-which is a non-Newtonian fluid and last week, made their own ice- cream. They have also learned a great place value game using sticky notes that they may be able to share with you at home! It has certainly been a busy time but lots of fun!
Our Gospel Reflection
Last Sunday’s Gospel speaks of how Jesus’ disciples are to conduct themselves as they await the Kingdom of Heaven. In the preceding passages and in last week’s Gospel, Jesus taught that there is no way to predict the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. His disciples must, therefore, remain vigilant and ready to receive the Son of Man at any time.
Jesus’ parable talks about Christian discipleship using economic metaphors. Before he leaves on a journey, the master entrusts to his servants a different number of talents, giving to each according to their abilities. A talent is a coin of great value. Upon the master’s return, he finds that the first and second servants have doubled their money, and both are rewarded. The third servant, however, has only preserved what was given to him because he was afraid to lose the money. He has risked nothing; he did not even deposit the money in a bank to earn interest. This servant is punished by the master, and his talent is given to the one who brought the greatest return.
Read in light of last week’s parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids, this parable teaches that God’s judgment will be based on the service we render to God and to one another in accordance with the gifts that God has given to us. Our gifts, or talents, are given to us for the service of others. If we fail to use these gifts, God’s judgment on us will be severe. On the other hand, if we make use of these gifts in service to the Kingdom of Heaven, we will be rewarded and entrusted with even more responsibilities.
This Gospel reminds us that Christian spirituality is not passive or inactive. Our life of prayer helps us to discern the gifts that have been given to us by God. This prayer and discernment ought to lead us to use our gifts in the service of God and our neighbor. God’s grace allows us to share in the work of serving the Kingdom of Heaven.
From Our Acting Principal
It is at this time of year that we look towards next year with the placement of teachers and support staff across the school. It is with great pleasure that we welcome Mrs Sally Griffths to our school community for 2024 and Mrs Kayla Roberston will return to school after taking maternity leave this year. Kayla will return to a part time load of 2 days per week.
I wish to announce the 2024 teachers aligned with classes in preparation for step up day in Week 8. Support staff will be finalised in the coming weeks.
Principal - Tony Hunter
Assistant Principal of Learning and Teaching - Vanessa Walters
Assistant Principal of Mission - Kelli Shedden (Bugden)
Additional Needs Teacher - Loretta Morabito
Kindergarten - Karen Esslemont
Year 1 - Hayley Kennedy
Year 2 - Emma Davis
Year 3 - Vicki Jansen
Year 4 - Kelly Schneider
Year 5 - Sally Griffths
Year 6 - Laura MacDonald
Old IPads
The school has a number of unwanted IPads that run on an older operating system and we are not using these anymore. We would love to gift these IPads to families that would use these devices. If your child would use one of these Ipads, please collect one from the front office. There are approx. 20 IPads so if you’d like one for your child, you may need to get in quickly.
Christmas Hamper Appeal
Thank you to those families who have already been generous in sending in items for the hamper appeal. Any donations are greatly appreciated. Service is an important aspect of our Catholic faith and we reach out to those in need and offer the fruits of our own labour in generosity.
School Shoes 2024
A gentle reminder that school shoes should be black polishable leather or leather like shoes with either laces or velcro straps. These shoes are to be worn from Monday- Thursday. Sneaker-style shoes or suede skate shoes are not appropriate for school. These shoes do not last as long and do not offer as much protection and support for students.
As parents purchase shoes for 2024, please ensure that appropriate shoes are purchased like the visual below. A jogger/running shoe can be worn on Fridays for our timetabled sport day.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Vanessa Walters
Acting Principal
Assistant Principal News - Teaching & Learning
Semester Two Student Reports
Semester Two academic reports will be available on Compass on Wednesday 13th December.
Please refer to the images below for instructions on how to access the Academic Reports on Compass.
Please contact the school if you are having trouble accessing Compass.
Sarah McManus
Acting Assistant Principal
Teaching & Learning
Accessing Reports via a Desktop Computer
1) Click the View Academic Reports Link, located under the photo of your child
Accessing Reports via the Compass App
1) Click on the photo of your child.
2) Select the Reports tab located on the right side of the screen under your child’s name.
Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L)
Focus for Week 7: I come to school every day so that I don’t miss out on my learning because learning is valued at St Brigid’s.
PBS Awards for Week 6: Congratulations to th following students who followed the PBS focus last week.
| George | 1 |
| Mia | 6 |
Eamon | 6 |
| Louise | 2 |
| Kobi | 5 |
| Chloe | K |
| Summer | 3 |
| Ella | 3 |
| Byron | 3 |
| Judah | 3 |
Student Awards Week 6
Congratulations to the following students who have shown tremendous effort and were presented with their awards at our assembly last Friday afternoon:
Ready4Learning - Nate, Bridgit, Delilah, Oscar
Kindergarten - Harper G, Angus
Year 1 - Harper, George
Year 2 - Blaire, Louise
Year 3 - Caleb, Lilliana
Year 4 - Ted, Wyatt, Olive
Year 5 - Whole class for being fantastic listeners
Year 6 - Rachel, Mia
MJR - Danny, Lola.
Library News.
There will be no Library borrowing from Week 8 to ensure all books are returned prior to the end of the year.
Please look under the bed, in the cupboard, in drawers, under the lounge, in the Fridge?, for all overdue Library books. If you can manage to find a book that has been overdue for longer than one month, we will be offering two green tickets for your efforts.
Remember that you are still able to borrow any number of our ebooks via our online Library. You will just need your username and password which is the same as your School login.
Happy Birthday to You
Wishing the following children all the very best for their special day this week or over the holidays:
November
29th - Paityn F
Upcoming Dates
November
Thursday 23rd - Year 6 Graduation Liturgy & Dinner
Thursday 23rd - Kinderagrten Showcase 2pm
Sunday 26th - Family Mass 9am @ Our Lady of Sorrows
Thursday 30th - Year 6 Final Showcase
Thursday 30th - Family Pool Afternoon 4-6pm
December
Friday 1st December - Last Day of R4L transition
Tuesday 5th - Step Up day
Thursday 7th - Swimming Carnival
Monday 11th - Year 5 2024 Leadership Speeches
Tuesday 12th - End of Year Liturgy & Academic Awards
Wednesday 13th - Christmas Pageant
Wednesday 13th - Reports Home
Friday 15th - Rewards Day/Last Day of School