Newsletter Term 3 Week 3 (Wednesday 6th August 2025)

Kindergarten Celebrates 100 Days of School

A special milestone for our kindergarten children — 100 days of learning, growing, and having fun together! The day was filled with “100” activities, from counting collections to going on a number hunt with their Year 5 buddies. Thank you to all of the families that were able to join us in the afternoon for our prayer celebration and games. It was a fun and memorable day that has left children smiling and super proud of how far they have come!

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This afternoon, our Kindergarten students proudly delivered pantry items to the Kyogle Food Bank.  They warmly welcomed our visit and were absolutely overwhelmed by the 188 items the children had collected! In recognition of their generous efforts, the Food Bank presented our Kindy students with a special certificate for “sharing food with others.”

We are so proud of our youngest learners — you are truly showing Jesus’ love in a big, kind way. Thank you to all the families who donated and helped make this act of service possible.

Nourished by the Word

Feast of Mary of the Cross MacKillop

This week we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Mary MacKillop. On this day we are reminded of the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Australia’s first canonised saint. Her story is not just one of historical significance, but a living inspiration for us all and for Catholic education across the nation.

Born in 1842, Mary MacKillop devoted her life to serving the poor, educating children, and living out the Gospel with unwavering faith. She co-founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, a religious order committed to providing education in remote and underserved communities.

Mary faced many challenges—including opposition from Church authorities and personal hardship—but she remained steadfast in her mission. Her resilience, humility, and deep trust in God are qualities we strive to instil in our students every day. Her legacy reminds us that holiness is found not in grand gestures, but in everyday acts of kindness, justice, and love.

From Our Principal

I would like to sincerely thank everyone for the emails, texts, and personal messages of congratulations and support following the announcement of my appointment as Principal of St Brigid’s. 

It is an honour and a privilege to be entrusted with this leadership role and I personally thank Fr Joe Holloway and the Catholic Schools Office for giving me this opportunity. I am genuinely looking forward to continuing our shared journey together, working alongside such a vibrant and faith-filled school community.

Please know that my door is always open. Should you have any concerns, questions, or ideas you’d like to discuss, I warmly invite you to reach out. I am here to listen and to work in partnership with you for the benefit of our children.

Learning Conferences

Thank you to all the families who attended the Learning Conferences this week. These meetings play an important role in strengthening the partnership between home and school, and we are grateful for the opportunity to sit down with you, your child and class teacher to discuss progress, strengths, and future goals. We deeply value your insights and the support you provide at home. Working together in this way helps ensure the best outcomes for every student. Thank you again for your time, trust and collaboration.

Pupil Free Day

Friday 25th September will be a pupil free day at St. Brigid’s. Staff will be onsite on this day learning about the new syllabus that will be implemented in 2026.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic term ahead and thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

Vanessa Walters,
Acting Principal.

Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

WriteOn Competition

I have had students ask about the outcomes from our recent WriteOn Competition. We have yet to receive any communication. I will share this information as soon as it is communicated to the school.

ICAS

The ICAS Competition begins in Week 4. The Competition dates are as follows:

English (12th August)

Spelling (19th August)

Science (18th August)

Maths (27th August)

I will facilitate the assessments on the assigned dates with all the students who have entered each competition. 

Poetry and Public Speaking Competition

Practice for the Richmond Zone Poetry and Public Speaking Competition has started. If your child has nominated to prepare for the Competition, it is important top practise with them at home so that they can memorise their poetry or public speaking item. The in-school competition is in Week 7, where we will determine the two-stage finalists who will progress to the Zone competition at Holy Family Primary School, Skennars Head on Thursday 18th September (Week 9). Children progressing to the Zone competition will be required to attend with their parents or carers.

Important Teaching & Learning Dates

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Warm regards,

Sammantha Lynch,
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Assistant Principal - Mission

Grandparents Day 

On behalf of our school community, we would like to sincerely thank all the grandparents, parents, and special friends who joined us for our Grandparents Day celebrations. Your presence made the day truly special.

We are so grateful for the love, wisdom, and support you bring into the lives of our students. Friday was a beautiful reminder of the strength and joy found in family and connection across generations.

Thank you for sharing this memorable day with us — your involvement and encouragement mean the world to our children and our school.

Courtney Hyde,
Assistant Principal - Mission

Wellbeing Team

Kindness Counts - Part 1 - What is Bullying?

Bullying No Way Week is the 11th-15th August this year.  The action of kindness from everyone counts in this situation.  It is a National week of action - actively doing something to combat a problem we have here in Australia - not only in our schools, but in our workplaces too.  For more information, resources or help please visit this website 

At St Brigid’s, every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and included. In this first part of the “kindness counts” series, we look to understand what bullying really is—and how to recognise it.

The National definition for bullying in Australian schools is:

“Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.”

Bullying is not just conflict or a one-time disagreement.
It is repeated, intentional behavior meant to hurt, upset, or exclude someone. It often involves an imbalance of power.

Types of bullying include:

• Physical: hitting, pushing, or damaging belongings
  
• Verbal: teasing, name-calling, threats
  
• Social: spreading rumors, leaving someone out on purpose
  
• Cyberbullying: mean messages or posts online or in chat groups
  

What bullying is not:

• A single argument
  
• Accidental bumps or comments
  
• Friends having a disagreement
  
  

Understanding the difference helps us respond in the right way. Next week, we’ll explore how bullying affects students—and why it’s so important to take it seriously.  Let’s work together to create a kind, safe school for everyone.

Bullying in schools - Facts and Figures 

Attendance

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools have updated the procedures for monitoring and supporting schools to promote student attendance. Every school day builds upon the previous one, making it essential for students to attend regularly. Regular attendance is crucial as it fosters resilience and enables students to form vital social connections. Across all NSW education systems, the expected level of student attendance is above 95%, and we aim to support all of our students to achieve this.  If your child’s attendance is below 90% ,you may receive a COMPASS communication in the coming weeks. We acknowledge that there may be many reasons for absences and you may have already provided information to the school about why your child has been away. However, this communication is to ensure all parents are aware that their child’s attendance is currently at or under 90%.  We believe that by working together, we can ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Please ensure you contact the school if you would like any support with your child’s attendance.

Submitting an Absence Note via Compass

1. Open the Compass app and tap the blue Shortcuts button (+) on the bottom of the homepage.
2. Select the child (submit a separate note for each child if needed).
3. Tap Submit Attendance Note and choose a reason (6 options available).
4. Enter details (minimum 10 characters in the comment field).
5. Set the start & end date of the absence.
6. Attach any relevant documents (if needed).
7. Tap Add Attendance Note to confirm—you’ll receive a notification.

Where possible, submit attendance notes before the absence or lateness occurs.

MJR & PB4L

Parent Assembly

Our recent Parent Assembly meeting was informative and productive, with valuable insights shared about the role of the Parent Assembly and the support available through the Catholic Schools Office. See below for upcoming events & opportunities.

Online Safety Workshop

An Online Safety workshop will be held on Monday, 26 August at Woodlawn. The session will be presented by Kirra Pendergast and is open to all parents and carers. This is a great opportunity to learn more about keeping children safe in the digital space.

Illuminate Program

The Illuminate program is a small group prayer experience for parents, available on request from schools. It runs over four weeks, for one hour each week, introducing parents to different types of prayer:

• Christian Meditation

• The Examen

• Lectio Divina

• Visio Divina

If there is interest in running this program at our school, we will look into organising it.

Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Packs

We also discussed ideas for what could be included in Year 6 to Year 7 transition packs. If you have suggestions for helpful items or information to support students moving to high school, please feel free to share them with us. We will take any ideas to the next meeting.

FREE Sleep & Wellbeing Webinar

Sleep is critical for wellbeing and learning, but children and young people are experiencing high levels of sleep deprivation.
Join this free parenting webinar on Wednesday, 13 August at 7pm to learn more about:

• The impacts of sleep deprivation

• How sleep supports healthy development

• Strategies for safeguarding children’s sleep
  

CCSP Parent Conference

Parents are invited to attend the upcoming CCSP Parent and Carers Conference on Friday, 25 October in Parramatta.
Theme: Supporting Families: Working Together in a Modern World
Please note that tickets, accommodation and travel are at your own cost.

🔗 Learn more and view the full program here
🎟 Book tickets via Eventbrite: Eventbrite Registration

Get Involved – School Community Forum

If you’d like to stay informed and contribute to school initiatives, we encourage you to attend our School Community Forum meetings. These meetings provide a great space to hear updates, share ideas, and be part of decision-making around programs like Illuminate, transition support, wellbeing initiatives, and more. Everyone is welcome!

The next Parent Assembly Term 3 meeting will be held on Tuesday, 16 September.

School Community Forum

We made some great decisions at yesterday afternoon’s meeting, you to everyone who contributed! We’ll be sharing the minutes with you next week. While attendance at our meetings is still low, we’d love to hear from more families. Please feel free to email through any thoughts or ideas, drop by the office, or chat with any of our wonderful Class Parents. Your voice matters, and we truly value feedback from all parents about our school community.

Stars of the week

One of our school goals this year is to have an average weekly attendance of 90% and above. The class with the best average each week receives the  “Stars of the Week” trophy and certificate to display in their classroom.

Congratulations to the following students who have shown tremendous effort and were presented with their awards at our assembly in Term 3 Week 2.

Celebrations

May God bless you with joy, good health, and His loving presence today and always. May your faith continue to grow and guide you through every step of the year ahead. Have a truly blessed day!

Scholastic Book Club

Issue 5 of the Scholastic Book Club is OUT NOW! We strongly encourage the use of the online ordering system, visit www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP. Orders processed by the due date will be electronically linked to the rest of the school order. Happy book hunting, happy reading!
Peek inside Issue 5 HERE
Place orders HERE

Orders close 8th August.

Dates & Calendar

Parish News

Parish Information
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish established 1916. Our Parish Family includes the town of Kyogle and the villages of Urbenville and Woodenbong.
Parish Priest: Fr Joe Holloway | Parish Office Phone: 02 6632 1074 | Email: kyogle@lismore.catholic.org.au | Facebook: @OurLadyofSorrowsCatholicChurch

Service Times
Kyogle Weekday Masses: Tuesday 5.15pm, Wednesday & Thursday at 9am. Friday is at 12:30pm. Please note that this schedule is subject to change. Saturday Vigil 5pm | Sunday 9am.
Adoration and The Sacrament of Reconciliation begins 30 minutes prior to Mass on Friday's & Saturday's. Morning tea is served every Sunday after Mass, hosted by the parishioners. Everyone is welcome!

Welcome to the 100th edition of The Soul!

We’re excited to share this special milestone edition with you. It’s packed with reflections, resources, and stories to nourish your soul. Click here to explore Edition 100.

Community News

Parent Resources

Educational Games

Toy Theatre | Educational Games for Kids
Math Games
Hidden Pictures Games and Puzzles

Quick Links

St Brigid's Facebook Page
Parent Assembly Facebook Page
Supporting Learning - Primary
Faith and Family
Tips for Parents – Supporting your Childs attendance at School
NSW Government Facebook Page