Newsletter No. 14 | Term 2 Week 5 | Thursday 26th May 2022
Prayer
A Prayer for Catholic Education Week
Wise and generous God,
We praise you for the gift of education. Thank you for the school communities in which we learn, work and live.
We look forward to the future with hope as we embrace your dreams for us.
Help us to build your kingdom here with love and courage, using the gifts and talents that you gave us to serve others.
Fill us with Your Spirit today so that, as one, we reflect your light and love in each other and to the world.
In Christ we pray, Amen.
Principal's Message
Dear Families and Friends,
This week is Catholic Education Week. In the past, it has been tradition to get together with St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart to celebrate in some way, although this has not been possible in the last two years. We feel fortunate that we were able to get together yesterday.
Many families around the Coragulac and Colac areas have benefited from Catholic Education over the years and it is a testament to the wonderful education provided by Catholic Schools, that they are still an excellent choice for families to make. As well as an academic education, Catholic schools prepare children to walk gently in an increasingly complex world. A Catholic education helps plant the seeds for a life of purpose, kindness, honesty and compassion.
ST. BRENDAN'S FEAST DAY
Last Friday we celebrated St. Brendan's Day. The children and teachers enjoyed going on a journey for the day, with a highlight being the delivery of children’s drawings to three aged care homes. Like St. Brendan, we went beyond our community to enlighten the lives of others.
It was lovely to receive positive feedback from some of the people who attended Mass with our students. They thought our students behaved beautifully and were really impressed with how enthusiastic they were when singing our new school song. It was also great to have Thomas Carr students join us for the Mass. It was a great effort by their students to sing the old St. Brendan song unaccompanied. Well done to all and a BIG thank you to Fr. Michael for making our Feast Day Mass so special.
LITTLE LEARNERS
Tomorrow, Monday, 27th May, will be the first week of our three week Little Learners program. The session will run from 9am -10.30.
The program is for children 3-4 years of age. If you know anyone who may like to bring their child along, let us know. The more the merrier! We are really looking forward to welcoming the Preschoolers to our school.
RECONCILIATION WEEK
Reconciliation Week will be celebrated from 27th May - 3rd June. The theme of this year’s Reconciliation Week is Be Brave. Make Change.
It is timely that our new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has vowed to act on the Uluru Statement of the Heart which will give First Nations People an indigenous voice to Parliament. But what does it all mean?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have consistently called for self-determination, rather than symbolism, to make a real difference to their lives. A Voice to Parliament will give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people agency to help inform decisions that impact their lives.
Current policy-making does not have a systematic process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to provide advice, meaning that policy is often made for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rather than with them.
A Voice to Parliament, enshrined in the Constitution, would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to give advice to the Federal Parliament about laws and policies that impact them through a simplified policy making process and structural change.
This means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are included in the law-making process, rather than having bureaucrats and politicians deciding what is best for them.
A Voice to Parliament, enshrined in the Australian Constitution, will deliver real and practical advice to Parliament and the Government on how laws and policies can best improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who know and understand the best way to deliver real and practical change in their communities have a say through a Voice, we will finally be able to close the gap that still exists between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. This is why it is so important.
Reconciliation is not about just saying sorry. At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.
RECONCILIATION WEEK VISITORS TO OUR SCHOOL
We are excited to welcome two boys, Brent and Judas, from Daly River NT, to our school on Monday morning. Many years ago, I taught on Bathurst Island NT and was fortunate to visit the beautiful Daly River during that time. Last year my husband revisited Daly River with a couple of mates and they were fortunate to be welcomed and blessed in the river by respected elder, Miriam Rose. In 2021 Miriam Rose was named the Senior Australian of the Year in recognition of her exceptional work as an Aboriginal activist, educator, and artist. Brent and Judas call Miriam Rose, Auntie.
We are fortunate to have the two boys here to educate us about their life and culture on Daly river.
Click on the video link below to see Miriam Rose talk about Dadirri, an Aboriginal practice of deep listening, an almost spiritual skill, based on respect. Sometimes called 'dadirri', deep listening is inner, quiet, still awareness, waiting – and available to everyone.
Learn more about Dadirri by watching the following clip from Miriam Rose:
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Next week will hopefully be third time lucky for our school photos. Photos will be taken on Thursday, 2nd June and students are expected to be in full winter school uniform.
ILLNESS
There are quite a few bugs going around at the moment so school attendance has been low. It is a little frustrating as it looked like we were moving on, only to have other bugs pop up.
Children have missed quite a bit of school over the last two years, so it is important that children make the most of the times when they are well, by attending school.
Hopefully, ‘normality’ is just around the corner.
STUDENTS ARRIVING LATE TO SCHOOL
Staff have expressed their concerns regarding children arriving late to school. This is just a reminder that the first bell goes at 8.50am. Even being 5 or 10 minutes late means that your child has missed the very important first instructions of the day, which can often leave them feeling unprepared for their learning. We understand the busyness of family life, however we also ask that children are here on time. Thanks for your support with this.
If your child is not attending school for the day, please notify the school before 9.30am, as this is a legal requirement. It is really helpful to us if you can send a message via PAM or call the school before 9.30am, so we do not have to follow up an absence. Classroom teachers are not usually looking at emails during class time, so this is not the preferred method of communication for absences. Thank you.
Stay well everyone,
Leanne Eastman
PRINCIPAL
principal@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
Catholic Culture
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
As part of Catholic Education Week, we headed into Colac to participate with St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart to celebrate our heritage with a combined Mass.
It was truly wonderful to see over 700 children gathered together in one place. The Spirit was present and alive and we were so proud of them all.
Thank you to Mav who carried up the cross, to Jasmine who processed in with our school candle, to Levi and Cassie who did an excellent job with the Prayers of the Faithful, to Deb who represented our school taking up the Offertory and to Kate who was Special Minister.
The children shared playlunch together then made their way to designated areas to participate in activities with their grade level. It was a glorious day and everyone enjoyed a lovely morning.
Mandy Sutherland
Religious Education Leader
Do you know the history of St. Brendan’s School? Read below to check it out...
St Brendan's School was first established in 1899 and conducted by the Sisters of Mercy. The first school was erected at the west end of the Church and was registered by the Sisters of Mercy in 1906. The school was moved to the existing site, enlarged and opened in 1914. In 1918 the Sisters of the Good Samaritan Order were asked to take over the Primary School from the Sisters of Mercy. At the beginning of the 1919 school year the Good Samaritan Sisters began their association with the school.
The modern St Brendan's School was built in 1958 and was opened by Bishop O'Collins. The Parish Priest at the time was Father J. Brophy. In 1967 Bishop O'Collins blessed and opened the Science Laboratory, which now houses the Coragulac and District Kindergarten. The Secondary and Boarding sections of the school closed at the end of the 1970 academic year, due to the declining enrolment at the Secondary level.
The involvement of the Good Samaritan Sisters with the school ended in 1989 and the first lay principal Mr Neale Arthurson commenced in 1990. Sister Kathleen Spokes was the last principal from the Good Samaritan Sisters until 2002 when the Good Samaritan Sisters once again became involved. At this time, Sr. Veronica Quinn took on the responsibility of Principal.
A major refurbishment project was completed in 1997 which has seen a significant improvement in classroom, administration and toilet facilities. In 2006 the Front Entrance, Administration and Principal's Office were remodelled. In 2010 with the assistance of the Australian Government (BER) Program, all the classrooms and the Library were completely refurbished with new windows installed, new carpet, new desks and chairs and the interior repainted. In 2012 a new portable classroom was relocated to the grounds as a specialist room, and is currently used for Art. The old School Hall was refurbished in 2013 and a multipurpose area was created including board room, uniform shop and kitchen area to encourage cooking within the school curriculum.
Prep/1 Classroom News
We are mid-way through Term 2. Time always flies so quickly.
DRESS-UP DAY: In Prep/1, we have been counting and marking off the number of days we’ve been at school. We began this process on day one and it has helped us to visualise and become familiar with numbers. We also decided that when we reach one hundred days of school, we would dress-up as little, old people to celebrate the fact we had been at school for sooooooo long. I am flagging this with parents and families now so that it doesn’t come as a surprise later in the year. Today marks 64 days of school, so we still have 36 days left until our dress-up day.
WORD WORK: The Preps are focusing on the letters k, l, r and u this week. They have been learning the sound that each represents and reading three-letter words containing those sounds. The Grade 1’s are learning the four most common spellings of /ay/ like in play - these are ay, ai, ea and a-e.
WRITING: Students have continued writing their information reports on a variety of different animals. They have successfully described the appearance of their chosen animal.
MATHS: The Preps are investigating teen numbers and learning how to read, write and represent teen numbers in both words and numerals. The Grade 1’s have been working with a hundreds chart and identifying patterns when skip counting.
RELIGION: This week in RE, students listened to “The Story of Zaccheus” enacted through Godly play. This invited lots of wondering and questioning about ideas in the story. Students talked about the love that Jesus showed to Zaccheus and how this story might provide an important message for us in our own lives.
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM: Students’ virtual worlds have taken shape over the past couple of weeks. They completed character profiles of a chosen character and learnt how to build structures from 3D objects.
LET GROW PROJECTS
Congratulations to the following students who completed their Let Grow Projects this week:
- Joey Lamb - Created a zoo in his backyard and linked up speakers to each area. He selected animal noises to play at each of the different animals pens.
- Sofia Gray - Created a photo keepsake using recycled cardboard. Sofia designed and then painted or drew pictures on every single piece before adding photos.
Keep up the home reading! New decodables are being sent home each week - I highly recommend encouraging your child to read this book four or five times during the week. Repeated reading of a text is great for developing automaticity and fluency.
Allira Kluver
akluver@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
2/3/4 Classroom News
Welcome to Week 5!
Yesterday we were blessed to experience another visit to St. Mary’s Church as we celebrated Catholic Education Week Mass with Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s. The children all gathered to share playlunch then headed off to different places to interact and play together. The weather was beautiful and everyone enjoyed a lovely morning as a Catholic network.
This week in Literacy we have been exploring plurals. We have looked at adding ‘s’, ‘es’ and ‘ies’ to words to make them plural. We have also acknowledged National Reconciliation Week discussing why it is important and looking at beautiful Indigenous texts.
The spelling focus for Year 2 is ‘i-e ’ words - wide, bike, time, mine, wise, inside, slide, hike, pipe and spike.
The Year 3’s focus is ‘s/es’(plurals) - boats, chairs, books, teams, prizes, bikes, beaches, lunches, foxes, buses.
The Year 4’s focus is ‘es’(plurals) - teaches, coaches, wishes, hisses, brushes, crashes, classes, dresses, preaches, crushes.
Our EPIC reading total is at 700 books. A terrific effort 2/3/4’s!
In Integrated Curriculum our virtual worlds are looking fantastic and the children are really invested in their creations. I can’t wait to see their finished designs.
In Maths we are still working with number lines and are investigating equivalent number sentences.
Homework this week is revising addition and subtraction strategies and learning our new spelling words.
Reading at home is part of the homework expectations for our school. I know a lot of students are reading but are not getting it signed in their diaries. Please sign the diaries when your child has read their books so I can keep track of the nights read. We are keeping a reading log for the class and the children get to tick it off when their diary is signed.
Star of the Week award goes to Matilda Carlon. Congratulations on your excellent work and effort!
Cheers,
Mandy Sutherland
msutherland@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
5/6 Classroom News
Welcome to Week 5 of Term 2! We had a fantastic day yesterday celebrating Catholic Education week with Trinity College, St Mary’s and Sacred Heart Primary School. It was great to see our students mixing with different students and having a good time while participating in games and activities, well done everyone!
COWS CREATE CAREERS: Our two calves Bright and Future arrived on Monday. They were born on the 1st of May, which makes them around 4 weeks old. We have been feeding them milk powder, measuring them, walking them around and giving them a brush each morning. They have been very spoiled, I don’t think they will want to leave St Brendan’s! A special shout out to Maverick, Cassie, Levi, Jimmy, Tilly and Audrey who have been super helpful and displaying great leadership skills when handling and taking care of the calves.
The Year 5/6‘s will be completing some tasks while participating in the program. One of these tasks involves them creating a 3D model on a dairy industry topic. It would be great if anyone had any toy farm animals at home that we could use for our displays.
MATHS: We are still working on our Fractions, Decimals and Percentages unit. This week everyone has been revising how to find factors of numbers. The students then used this knowledge to identify equivalent fractions and simplify fractions.
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM: In our Digital Technology unit we have been working on our virtual worlds using CoSpaces. This week we have been expanding our knowledge of coding, such as learning how to ask questions, adding sounds and repeating coding instructions.
RELIGION: This week we have been learning about the sacrament of Eucharist. We discussed the meaning behind the sacrament and then created our own prayers of thanksgiving.
HOMEWORK: Homework was handed out on Monday. The students have two weeks to complete this and it is due on Friday 3rd of June.
I hope you all have a great week, please don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions or concerns.
Tahlia Whytcross
twhytcross@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
NCCD
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) on School Students with a Disability:
What is the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data? Schools must now complete the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) every year. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or 'help' at school because of a disability. The NCCD helps governments plan for the needs of students with disability. For more information click on the link below to read the NCCD Information Sheet.
Birthday Corner
We would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to everyone who has or will celebrated their special day this week!
Important Dates
MAY
27th - Little Learners Program Begins
JUNE
2nd - School Photos
3rd - Little Learners Program (Session 2)
8th - School Concert
10th - Little Learners Program (Session 3)
13th - Public Holiday - NO SCHOOL
15th until 17th - Year 5/6 Melbourne Urban Camp
24th - Last Day of Term 2 & Whole School Bush Excursion
Acknowledgement of Country
At St. Brendan’s Primary School we pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land, the Gulidjan people and pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
We will respect the land, animals and waterways, from the roots of the earth to the tops of the trees. Through the example of our first Australians, we understand that if we look after the country, then the country will look after us.
About Us
School Vision: 'For you I have a destiny and a hope.'
PARISH PRIEST: Fr Michael O’Toole PRINCIPAL: Mrs Leanne Eastman
SAC CHAIRPERSON: Ms Gayle McNabb CHILD SAFETY OFFICER: Mrs Leanne Eastman