Newsletter No. 13 | Term 3 Week 1 | Friday 25th July 2025
Prayer
Lord, as people working in schools, we are lucky to watch our students conquerimportant milestones in their development.
May they carry into the future a spirit of determination to follow their dreams and goals.
Amen.
Principal's Message
Dear Families and Friends,
Welcome to Term Three. I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break over the holidays. It was lovely seeing all of our students back at school, ready for an exciting term of learning and growth.
This term will be a shorter term (only 9 weeks) but it will be a very busy term. Events this Term include the School Trivia Night, Bush Excursion, Winter Sports for Year 5/6's, Book Week, Book Fair, Fathers Day and our Library Sports Day. This is on top of all the many enriching opportunities that will be provided in our classrooms and playgrounds.
Keep an eye on the 'Important Dates' section for more information on all these exciting events.
We are looking forward to a great Term ahead, working together to support every child.
Leanne Eastman
Trivia Night
The School 'Christmas in July' Trivia Night will be held THIS Friday night.
There has been a power of work done behind the scenes to ensure that the night will be a great success. A special mention goes out to Adele and Sophie who have done an amazing job organising the event. I would also like to acknowledge Grace who has also put in a heap of work to support the organisers.
It is exciting to see that all of the tables have sold out. If you have missed out on a table or are unable to make the event, you are still able to support the school by purchasing raffle tickets. Thanks to some very generous businesses around Colac there are some fabulous prizes. You've got to be in it to win it!
Building Project
We are excited to announce that our building plans have been approved by Council.
Gerard and I will be meeting with the architects early next week to plan the next steps in the process.
We will let you know where we are as soon as possible!
5/6 Winter Sport
The Year 5/6 students will be participating in Winter Sports on select Friday's in Term 3. During these sessions we will be teaming up with Colac West Primary School. Their first session is this Friday, 25th July, at Sacred Heart Primary School.
The Winter Sports is an important part of transition from primary school to secondary school. Students have the opportunity to meet and mix with many other students over the Term, enhancing their confidence and providing them with familiar faces when they move on.
The program consists of students playing a variety of sports against another local school on a Friday between recess and lunch. Sports include: football, netball, soccer, hot shots tennis and mixed games. Students are reminded to wear their sports uniform and bring the appropriate gear for their sport. Drink bottles are essential and please remember as it is Winter, a change of clothes and jacket are often a great idea to bring along. If we have any parents/guardians who can assist with umpiring on the day, please let us know.
We wish our students all the best for the Term. Have fun everyone!
Chooks
We would like to extend a BIG thank you to the Bayne family for looking after our chooks Angel and Gem during the school holidays. The chooks look very refreshed and healthy so they clearly enjoyed their mini-break!
School Advisory Council
We are looking for a new person to join us on the Advisory Council. We meet once a Term (sometimes twice). Members of the School Council represent the parent/carer community to help advise the Principal on various school matters. If you would like to come on board please let us know.
Book Week is Coming!
This term, we'll be celebrating our Book Week Parade in Week 5 on Thursday, 21st August. Get ready to ignite your imaginations! The day will be here before we know it, so let's start brainstorming our constumes now! I can't wait to see all the wonderful creations the children come up with.
For those of you who are new to our school or are unsure, children will wear their Book Week costume to school and remain in it all day.
The theme for this year's Book Week is Book an Adventure. Children can choose to dress according to the theme or dress up as any book character of thir choice. If you are stuck for ideas, I have added some links below for inspiration.
Details about the day will follow closer to the date.
MS Readathon Challenge
Congratulations to Teddy Phillips who has taken on the MS Readathon Challenge.
His enthusiasm for reading is great to see!
We asked Teddy some questions about his reading:
What do you like about reading? I like the stories and the fun parts!
When and where do you like to read? In my room, on the couch and on the beanbag.
What types of books do you like to read? Where's Wally, Find it and adventure books.
Do you have any favourite books that you have read so far? Flat Cat, Fantastic Mr Fox and I'm currently ready Charlie and the Cholcolate Factory.
How many books are you aiming for? 200!
What would you say to other children to prsuade them to read more? It helps you with your knowledge and it is fun!
Wellbeing
From time to time, many of us need a little extra support. As we know the journey of life does not go in a straight line, there are ups and downs along the way. Please know that you can always come in and chat to us and we will try to assist in any way we can. Sometimes, more significant support from experts in their fields is required.
Please note the table below. Help is just a phone call away.
School Wide Positive Behaviours
We are Respectful We are Safe We are Learners
St. Brendan’s School Behaviour Policy is grounded in the School Wide Behaviours Support approach to behaviour management. Children are explicitly taught what the above values look like in various areas of the school. We suggest that parents also use these values at home. It is important that children understand that these are not just school behaviours, but also life behaviours.
No one is perfect so there will be times when children slip up and need a reminder of the expectations. This is seen as a teaching opportunity and is accompanied by a consequence and / or a restorative chat. We are fortunate at St. Brendan’s that children do their very best to follow the expectations.
Each fortnight, as a school, we are focusing on a positive behaviour that we encourage at St Brendan’s. Our current focus is giving people their personal space. Gerard showed the children a really great visual to help them understand this. In the photo you can see the space in between the body and the edge of the hula hoop. Children have been told that you should be no closer than that. The children have responded really positively to this cue. Thanks Gerard!
Sincere thanks to everyone who took time to respond to our values survey. Your 10 nominated words were added to the responses from the students and teachers. We will be using this information to update our Behaviour Matrix.
School TV - Wellbeing Platform
Followers of our Newsletter will be aware that we offer our families access to School TV. Because parenting doesn't come with a set of instructions, School TV is a wellbeing resource that can support you in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting.
This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.
Below is a URL link to the St. Brendan's School TV platform.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: SLEEP
Sometimes after the holidays it can be a bit of a challenge to settle back into the routines of the school week. No doubt we have all enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in the next day, spending some extra time doing all the fun stuff we really enjoyand really enjoying not having to run to a timetable or a bell. Some of us have probably also made the most of being able to do what we want when we want, when we want (to a certain degree!), playing by ourselves or with others. Sometimes this can make our first few days back at school a little challenging.
Please see below some resources from School TV that may be helpful as we return to school after a very well earned two week break.
From the eSafety Commissioner
The esafety Commissioner (eSafety) is the Australian Government's independant online safety regulator.
Our purpose is to help safeguard Australians at risk of online harms and to promote safer, more positive online experiences.
As the first agency of its kind in the world, esafety is at the forefront of preventing online risks, reducing the impacts of harms and building safer digital spaces.
Please find some links below from the eSafety website that you may find helpful or just keep them for future reference.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people
https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids
https://www.esafety.gov.au/first-nations
Administration Matters!
Administration of Medication:
Non-prescribed medication
In line with updated advice from our governing body, DOBCEL, schools are no longer permitted to administer non-prescribed medication during school hours.
If your child requires medication throughout the day, we will contact you to come to school to administer the medication personally or if the need is warranted to collect your child.
Please note: School and CEB staff are not allowed to store or administer any non-prescribed medications, including common analgesics such as paracetamol or aspirin. These medications can mask the symptoms of more serious illness or injury and therefore, must not be used without appropriate medical oversight.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping all children safe and well.
Prescribed medication
From time to time children may be required to take a prescribed medication during the school day. Our administration staff are happy to assist in this area, however, we need to be extremely careful with medicines, as I’m sure parents can appreciate. Parents must complete a written form detailing dosage, timing etc. This form is available from the school office. I would recommend dropping into school with the form. A face to face chat about giving your child a prescribed medication is preferable.
PAM:
Just a reminder that PAM is a platform where we are able to communicate between our School and our Families. This is the easiest way for us to ensure all of our students are safe and accounted for. You can find it at the link below:
https://pam.sbcoragulac.
If your child is absent for any reason please log it in PAM. This ensures that your child is home safe and hasn't had anything happen to them on the way to school in the morning.
If we have sent out a permission on PAM for an excursion, please respond with either a yes or no, we need to know either way.
Please remember students are not permitted to leave school unless permission has been granted. In these circumstances, the student needs to be signed out in the register at the Office.
If your child is late to school, please also ensure they are coming to the office on their way in, as often the rolls have already been done and we need to sign them in.
If your PAM isn't working please let us know. You can also send the office a quick email or a quick call to let us know of anything changing.
Thank you for your support in all these school matters.
Enrolments
2026 Foundation enrolments are now open. We have upscaled our Social Media output to spread the word about our wonderful school. It has been really positive to see people responding positively to the advertisements.
A reminder that one of the best ways to advertise a school is by word of mouth. Spread the word!
Bike Wheels Wanted
In our ‘Bike Wheel Drive’ we have currently collected one bike wheel - thanks to Pat O’Shea! We need at least 20, so if you have any spare bike wheels it would be appreciated. A variety of sizes would be great!
As mentioned in the previous Newsletter we will be using them for an Art project. The painted bike wheels will be used to decorate the front of the sports shed.
Please note: We do not need the whole bike, just the wheels.
However, if you happen to have any bikes in good working order, we are always looking for bikes for the children to ride.
Social Media
A reminder that you can follow us on the following social media platforms to stay up to date with all of the happenings in our vibrant school community.
Prep/1 Classroom
Welcome back to Term 3!
Grade Prep and 1 students have welcomed their 'new' teachers, showing us how amazing they are and how much they have already learned with Tahlia.
Each morning when the students come in from line up they are using their Morning Box. This activity gives them the opportunity to have 10 minutes of quiet activity time and an opportunity for us to check in with each student. The children pack their morning box the afternoon before, choosing an activity that they would like to complete the next day.
Literacy: In Phonics, Prep students have been learning the sounds j, w and z and are working on sounding out and blending words. Year 1 students have just begun learning all of the spellings for the sound / oo / as in 'moon'.
Numeracy: In Numeracy, Prep students have been working on counting to and representing numbers up to 20, doubling numbers up to 5 and learning the days of the week. Year 1 students have been working on skip counting by 10's and 5's and are continuing to explore and learn about place value.
100 Days Smart!
On Wednesday, 6th August, the Prep/ 1s will reach 100 days at school!! We will celebrate this important milestone with a celebration. These very smart students can dress up as 'Smart' people and can invite someone smart, for example Grandparents/ Friend / Aunty - to come to school from 2:15 - 3pm to play some games and share afternoon tea.
Any questions please email us.
Wishing you all the best for the week,
Kate and Liz
Liz McGuane - lmcguane@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
Kate Parker - kparker@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
2/3/4 Classroom News
Welcome to Term 3!
I hope everyone enjoyed the break.
We have settled back in nicely, and the children have returned refreshed and ready to learn. We are looking forward to a productive and exciting term!
The Year 3's NAPLAN results were sent home this week. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Literacy: Our phonics focus is the 'ee' sound for Year 2's (be, seed, cheat, monkey, shriek, treat, taxi, every, piece) and the 'ue' sound as in cute, jewel, duel, united, hue, valued, used, flute, costume and fewer for the Year 3's and 4's. We are revising proper nouns and polysyllabic words. This week we are looking at contractions and how we use apostrophes in these words. In Writing, we have written recounts of our holidays and worked on expanding sentances.
Our new novel is Max and the Millions by Ross Montgomery.
Numeracy: In Maths, the Year 2's are locating and placing numbers on a number line and investigating the 4 times tables.
The Year 3's are locating and interpreting four-digit numbers on a number line and investigating the 4 times tables.
The Year 4's are revising counting, writing and representing tenths and learning to read, write, count and represent hundredths. They are also learning their 8 times tables.
The Star of the Week award goes to Ivy Robb. Congratulations on your excellent effort!
Warm Wishes,
Mandy Sutherland
msutherland@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
5/6 Classroom News
A warm welcome back to Term 3! We hope you all had a refreshing and enjoyable break, and are feeling ready and re-energised for an exciting term of learning ahead.
In our literacy sessions this week we have been specifically concentrating on words that feature the 'ue' and 'ew' sounds. We'll explore how these letter combinations create similar sounds, look at different words where they appear, and practice reading and writing them. This will help strengthen our spelling and reading fluency!
This week, our numeracy lessons will introduce us to the concept of percentages. We'll learn what percentages are, how they relate to fractions and decimals, and how we use them in everyday life – from sales in shops to understanding statistics. We'll start with the basics and build our understanding through fun and practical activities.
We are looking forward to a productive and positive Term 3 with all our students.
gdouglas@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
Birthday Corner
Wishing a very big Happy Birthday to everyone who is celebrating their special day!
July 26th - Charlie Ferrari
August 7th - Kaiden Rancic
Important Dates
Term 3
Friday 25th July - Christmas in July Trivia Night
- 5/6 Winter Sport (Sacred Heart Round 1)
Friday 1st August - 5/6 Winter Sport (Colac South West Round 2)
Wednesday 6th August - Prep / Ones 100 Days Smart
Friday 8th August - Bush Excursion (More details to come)
Friday 15th August - 5/6 Winter Sport (Elliminyt Round 3)
Thursday 21st August - Book Week Book Parade
Friday 22nd August - 5/6 Winter Sport (St Mary's Round 4)
Thursday 3rd September - Fathers Day Celebration
Friday 12th September - 5/6 Winter Sport (TBC Round 5)
Friday 19th September - Last Day of Term
Catholic Culture
St Brendan's Coragulac & St Joseph's Pirron Yallock Mass Times
Mass & Lay-Led Times.
1st SUNDAY of Month 9.00am Mass - St. Joseph’s, Pirron Yallock
10.30am Lay-Led - St. Brendan’s, Coragulac
2nd & 3rd SUNDAY of Month 9.30am Lay-Led - St. Brendan’s, Coragulac
4th & 5th SUNDAY of Month 9.00am Mass - St. Brendan’s, Coragulac
Community News & Events
Bluewater Sensory Quiet Time Pool Session
When: Every Saturday between 1-3pm
Please contact Bluewater Colac if you have any questions.