Newsletter Term 2 Week 3 (Wednesday 14th May 2025)

Front Page with Kindergarten

Kindergarten Students Explore Storytelling with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Our Kindergarten students have been focusing on the important reading skill of making predictions—thinking about what might happen next in a story. Using the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, they brought this skill to life by creating colorful posters that showcase their predictions and their understanding of the story’s key elements of when, who and what.

Well done, Kindy! Keep up the fantastic work and love for reading!

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Our Gospel Reflection

Gospel Reflection - John 13:34

‘Jesus loved us first’, Pope Francis reminded us. This is the key to the newness of Jesus’ commandment. As Francis pointed out, it was already an established principle that you should love your neighbour. What Jesus does is extend this, going beyond formal concern to a really deep love – ‘as I have loved you’. Jesus’ love, Francis elaborates, ‘is God’s universal love, without any conditions or limits.’ Which is why it is important to start by knowing that Jesus already loves us, irrespective of who we are or what we have done. He loves us, Francis explains, ‘despite our frailties, our limitations and our human weaknesses.’ In fact, as Francis adds, it was Jesus himself ‘who ensured we become worthy of his boundless and never-ending love.’ There is nothing we can do to make him love us more or less than he already does. God’s love, by definition, is boundless. So, aided by the Holy Spirit, we are called to experience and express the love of Christ. As the late Pope said, if we are truly open to this, then ‘we can spread everywhere the seed of love that renews relationships between people and opens horizons of hope.’

From Our Acting Principal

I hope that all of our mothers and mother figures had a wonderful day last Sunday. A huge thank you to all of those family members who attended our Mother's Day Liturgy and shared lunch last Friday. A big thank you to Mrs Hyde for organising this liturgy and Mrs Barsby and her team of helpers for their work on the Mother's Day Stall.

Tell Them From Me Surveys

A reminder that over the next 10 days, students, staff and parents are invited to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole-school evaluation and planning process. Parents of students in Year 4-6 were invited through a Compass message on Monday. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to continue our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Brigid's. The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.

Welcome Pope Leo XIV!

Our school community warmly welcomes the election of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th successor of St Peter. At St Brigid’s, we look to the leadership of the Holy Father with hope and prayer, inspired by his call to peace, unity, and faithful witness. His first words — “Peace be with all of you!” — speak powerfully to the heart of our mission: to be a community where peace, respect, and kindness shape the way we live and learn together.

Catholic Schools Week

This week we have been celebrating Catholic Schools with a focus on our beautiful school. The children will be involved in rotations tomorrow that will teach the students about the school Charisms and the history of our school. We will finish on Friday with our walk to school morning from the skate park. Parents are invited to join us for a coffee on the deck when you arrive at school.

Fr Erick Leaving

Our Family Parish Mass will be combined with the Farewell for Fr Erick on Sunday 25th May. It would be lovely to see our students and families there to thank Fr Erick for his time in our school. A BBQ and morning tea will be held after the Mass.

School Shoes

I have noticed of late, that there are many children coming to school in the incorrect school shoes. Shoes are part of our school uniform and they are to be black polishable shoes. Please see the image below which clearly shows the acceptable shoes for school.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Vanessa Walters,
Acting Principal.

Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Learning Opportunities

There are some amazing learning opportunities on the horizon that I would like to share with you this week. Please discuss these opportunities with your child/ren and follow the instructions for each opportunity if you decide that your child would like to participate.

WriteOn

The annual WriteOn competition is an exciting opportunity for Years 1-6 students to focus on writing. Through the competition, students develop skills in writing to express their ideas and may become published authors. Each year, winners are celebrated at an award ceremony and their entries are published in ‘The Best of WriteOn' anthology.  Students create an imaginative text of up to 500 words, that addresses the new stimulus for WriteOn 2025:

“Could they be changing?”

Entry criteria

• Each school can submit a maximum of 3 entries: one entry from Stage 1, Stage 2, and/or Stage 3.
• Each typed submitted work can be up to 500 words.
• Entries can only be submitted by a teacher in a school with a valid NESA registration number.

Process

Students who are interested in participating in the Write On Competition will be invited to an information session on Friday of Week 3 at 12.50pm-1.20pm. In the following weeks, Mrs Lynch will be available in the Library each Friday at 12.50pm-1.20pm until Week 7 for support and feedback as students develop their writing submissions. A team of teachers will select the three entries to be submitted for the competition. These students will require parental permission to enter.

Submissions are due by Friday 13 June.

ICAS Academic Challenge – Let Students Shine!

St Brigid’s is excited to offer students the chance to showcase their talents in the world-renowned ICAS competition. ICAS is an online challenge in English, Maths, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies, designed to stretch thinking and celebrate achievement. All participants receive certificates and reports, with top performers eligible for medals.

Click the Important Information box below to learn more.
Visit: icasassessments.com/products-icas

Richmond Zone Public Speaking

Holy Family, Skennars Head will be hosting the Richmond Zone Public Speaking on Thursday, September 18, 2025.  There are different options depending on the stage your child is in:

Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 - These students will recite a poem of choice. This poem could be a published poem or a poem they have made up.

Stage 2 and Stage 3 – These students will speak on a topic of their choice (public speaking), or recite a poem of choice. The poem can be an original or published.

We will hold a school based competition for our students, with the possibility of two from each stage being selected to represent St Brigid’s Kyogle at Holy Family, Skennars Head. More information to come on this opportunity in Term 3.

Warm regards,

Samantha Lynch,
Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching

Assistant Principal - Mission

Holy Door of Hope 

This week, we came together via zoom to unveil our Holy Door, the entrance to our new Holy Hallway of Hope. This sacred space is a visual and spiritual journey that invites us all to reflect, grow, and walk together in faith. As part of this special project, each class created a unique artwork inspired by the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, which has become the centrepiece of our Holy Door. These artworks are rich in symbolism and expression, capturing how our students see themselves as hopeful pilgrims walking with Christ. The Holy Door holds deep significance in our Catholic tradition. It is a powerful symbol of faith, transformation, and a call to journey with hope. Walking through the Holy Door reminds us that we are invited to step into a deeper relationship with God and with one another – as individuals, classes, and as a whole school community. Throughout the year, the Holy Hallway of Hope will continue to grow. As students explore different aspects of their faith in class, they will add to the wall beginning with our upcoming Catholic Schools Week celebrations focused on our School Charism. This evolving space will become a living story of our faith, identity, and hope.

We warmly invite all parents, carers, and friends to visit and experience the Holy Door and Hallway of Hope for themselves. Come and see the creativity, faith, and hope of our students on display

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Sacrament of Confirmation 

Please keep the Confirmation Candidates, Kendrick, Abigail, Harper, Jovi, Jiana, Harlow, Milla and Eliza, in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday, 22nd May. May the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen them on their faith journey, and may this be a joyful and grace-filled moment in their life.

Courtney Hyde,
Assistant Principal – Mission

Walk Safely To School Day

POSTPONED

Walk Safely to School Day is this Friday 16th May. We invite all of our students and families at St Brigid's to take part. 

🕗 Event Schedule:

• 8:00am: Meet at the skate park for playtime and socialising before the walk.
• Walk Safely to School: Join us in walking safely to school together.
• Healthy Breakfast: Enjoy a nutritious breakfast at school upon arrival.

This event is open to all! Families please stay for Breakfast Club!

Making Jesus Real (MJR)

Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L)

Wellbeing Team

Ever Heard Of Being a RAKTIVIST?

This fortnight's MJR Focus is on being a WESTIE so to be a WESTIE you also can choose to be a Raktivist.  What is a RAKTIVIST?  As defined by the worldwide interweb……hehehe. “A raktivist, short for "Random Acts of Kindness Activist," is someone who actively engages in random acts of kindness to spread positivity and make a positive impact on their community and the world. Essentially, they believe in the power of kindness to change the world, one thoughtful gesture at a time. ”Kindness is the key and it does not cost a cent…..nothing……!!  Whilst there are many things that make us all feel good about ourselves, this thing called KINDNESS benefits the giver AND the receiver.  That's bang for buck, good value.  We get to choose to bring positivity with us everywhere we go, and to everyone we meet, making the world in general a better place to be. The world being a better place to be means environments where people feel supported, valued, and accepted for who they are, just the way they are.  And that is enough, we are all enough.  This kind of atmosphere inspires others to act similarly with an all-round standard of general compassion, empathy and celebration of each other's humanity.  Starting a ripple effect of goodwill, that then simply becomes the norm. Making kindness the norm!! Visit the website below for tons of great activities and things you can do at home or in the workplace. Calendars, games, posters - daily challenges.  There are some really great ideas. 

Making Kindness The Norm At School

www.randomactsofkindness.org

Stay golden,

Megan Ritchie,
School Counsellor - megan.ritchie@lism.catholic.edu.au

Community Forum

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a quorum for our meeting yesterday, so we’ll carry the agenda over to our Week 7 meeting. Following feedback from our recent survey, we’re trialing a new format: every second meeting of the term will now be held in the evening at 6pm, with our next one scheduled for Tuesday 10th June 6pm in the school library.

The Community Forum plays a vital role in supporting our school community, and your voice is essential in shaping our school life. If attending meetings is difficult due to busy family schedules, don’t worry – you still have a voice! You can always email the Forum stbrigidsforum@gmail.com or chat with a community forum member, and we’ll gladly present your ideas and feedback on your behalf.

Community Forum Members

Coming Up Next:
Our next big event is the Athletics Carnival on Thursday 26 June! More detail to come soon!

Sports News

Calendar Dates

AUSKICK KINDER - YEAR 2 LINK

SUPERKICK YEAR 3 - YEAR 6 LINK

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.

Term 2 Attendance

Celebrations

Congratulations to Jovi and Jiana on making their First Reconciliation and First Eucharist! This is a very special milestone in your faith journey, and we are so proud of you both. May you continue to grow in God’s love and grace.

A warm congratulations to Lauren, who celebrated both her Confirmation and First Eucharist last Sunday. May she always feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in her heart and life.

Congratulations to Lily, Lane and their family on the arrival of their beautiful new baby sister, Kenzi! We wish your family joy, love, and many happy memories as you welcome this precious new addition.

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!

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

Calendar

School Calendar Access

You can find the school calendar in the Compass app by tapping the calendar icon at the bottom of the homepage. Click on the button below for how to access your calendar.

Please always refer to the calendar for updates, as changes may occur.

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.
Administrator: Fr Erick Quinteros | Phone: 0438 196 944 | Parish Office Phone: 02 6632 1074 | Email: kyogle@lismore.catholic.org.au | Facebook: @OurLadyofSorrowsCatholicChurch

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

We are on Facebook! Click here for Our Lady of Sorrows Facebook Page  

To receive The Soul newsletter by email, please use [this form] to subscribe as an additional reader to The Soul mailing list.

Healthy Eating Active Living Team

Packing a healthy lunchbox can help save you time and money. A little bit of planning can make it easier to pack your child’s lunchbox with healthy meals including snacks. Packing lunch boxes at night when making dinner could save you time in the morning rush. For example, you could:

• chop vegetables like celery, carrot or capsicum into sticks and store them in the fridge
• pack snacks like fresh fruit or veggies the night before school
• make or buy plain popcorn and store it in snack-sized portions
• cook extra serves at dinner to pack for lunch the next day
• use leftovers to make something new for lunch. You could use leftover stir-fry as the filling in a sushi sandwich or you could roast leftover pita bread to serve with hummus and veggie sticks.

If you’re buying packaged snacks, you can check the Health Star Rating on the label to see how healthy they are. The more stars, the healthier the choice.

Catholic School Parents: Free Events

Community News

Dear community, we’re excited to announce that starting Term 2, we’ll be offering a Taekwondo class every Thursdays as part of our Rainbow Region Kids after school care program!

 Location: Kyogle Public School
 Time: 4 - 5pm
 Day: Every Thursday in Term 2

This exciting new activity is open to all children enrolled in primary school in the community. **If your child attends Kyogle Public School, they can be picked up directly from their classroom by our educators and taken to the class.**

As a CCS-approved provider, eligible families can receive Child Care Subsidy to help reduce the cost of care. If you're not sure whether you qualify or need help applying, we're happy to assist! 

100 Year Celebration of care at Kyogle Memorial Hospital/Health

To purchase tickets in person please visit Scarborough's Shoes on the main street OR the Hospital Office. Alternatively you can pay online details below.

Parent Resources

Free online resources available that provide support year-round, even when other services are closed during the holiday period:

For Parents

Triple P Parenting is an evidence-based program and all parents and carers of children under 12 can access one year of support for free here: https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/au/free-parenting-courses/triple-p-online-under-12/

Choose from general parenting support or support specifically for parents/carers of anxious children.

Parentline NSW is a free telephone counselling and support service for parents and carers of children up to 18 years of age. The phone line – 1300 1300 52 – is manned by a team of trained professional counsellors from 9am to 9pm Mondays to Fridays and 4pm to 9pm on weekends. https://www.parentline.org.au/

For Children and Young People

Kids’ Helpline – 1800 55 1800 – is a free, 24/7 service available to children and young people aged from five to 25. Support is available via telephone or webchat. There are also a variety of resources online: www.kidshelpline.com.au

Headspace – 1800 650 890 – is Australia’s national youth mental health foundation, and provides mental health services to 12 to 25-year-olds in person, online and via phone. There are also a lot of resources available on the website https://headspace.org.au/

For Mental Health Crises

The NSW Mental Health Line – 1800 011 511 – is a free, 24/7 phone service that you can call if you are worried about your own or someone else’s mental health. The number is staffed by trained professionals who can offer mental health advice, complete brief assessments, make recommendations for appropriate care, and refer callers to other NSW Health mental health services. Some of the reasons that callers may contact the Mental Health Line include (but are not limited to):

- changes in mood that are worrying to you or others
- significant changes in personal hygiene or motivation
- difficulties with concentration
- confusion about what is real and what is not
- feelings of panic or intense anxiety
- thoughts or actions of hurting yourself or ending your life
- thoughts of harming someone else

Online Safety Basics (From www.esafety.gov.au) 

Because we value the critical role parents and carers play as partners in educating and forming young people, we have compiled some helpful resources to support families at home.

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