Newsletter No. 26 | Term 3 Week 8 | Friday 2nd September 2022

Prayer

Prayer for Father’s Day

Dear God

Bless all the Father’s in the world. 

We ask that you guide them to be good role models and loving to their children.

We also ask that you help them to be a father like you are.

Give them strength, grace, tenderness  and patience to handle situations in a loving way.

We remember fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers,

who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.

AMEN

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends,

It was wonderful to see such a great turnout for our Father’s Day Archery and Pizza night. In the end, the competition came down to a play-off between Matt Lamb, Jim Beardsley, Simon Gray and Terry Armistead, with Matt Lamb eventually taking out the esteemed title of St. Brendan’s Champion Archer! Congratulations to Matt and thank you to all dads and significant others who took part, it was clear that the kids loved that you all joined in the fun. They were clearly very proud of you all!

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Thank you to Vanessa Tait (Manager of Thomas Carr Good Samaritan Campus and Luca’s mum) who allowed us to use the Thomas Carr equipment and packed it up at the end of the event. Thank you also to Lorraine and Brett from Colac Otway Archery Club who volunteered their time to supervise the event for us. They are always looking for new members to their Club, so if you are keen, head down to the Colac Showgrounds at 6.30 on Thursday nights and begin practicing for next year’s event! 

We wish all fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other father figures in our community a wonderful Father’s Day. Hopefully you all get to spend some time with your families in one way or another. On Father’s Day, we also say a special prayer for the fathers who are no longer with us and give thanks that they were part of our lives.

Bush Excursion  

For our Bush Excursion this Term, we will be heading down to Lake Elizabeth. The Excursion will take place on Friday 9th September. We have decided to lock it in for Fridays from now on as students are often tired the next day. This way they get the weekend to recover!

Please ensure you pack plenty of fruit and a substantial morning snack for your child on this day as they tend to work up more of an appetite when they are out running around. A large water bottle is also essential. The school will be supplying 'Construct your own' fresh wraps with a salad bar, pita bread and deli meats with Milos for lunch. If this is not something that you think your child will eat and enjoy please also send them with a packed lunch.

If you are interested in coming with us on the day or feel your child would benefit from having the support of a parent as they explore, we warmly welcome you to come along. The more the merrier!

School Photo Retake - Tuesday 6th  September

Arthur Reed Photographers will be coming out to retake the whole school photo next  Tuesday, 6th September.

It would be great if we can have the whole school there, so fingers crossed everyone is feeling well. 

Please ensure that your children are in full winter uniform. Thank you.

Indian Dance Performance

Last year the State Government offered schools the opportunity to apply for free incursions. We were allocated two one hour workshops from the Chandralaya School of Dance. One of their teaching artists, Deepa Mani, conducted the workshops on Tuesday. The workshops were engaging, informative and lots of fun. 

It is always valuable when we can provide opportunities to extend our children’s knowledge and understanding of different cultures in our world. Our students learnt about the geography of India, Indian languages, Bollywood and the meaning of delicate movements within traditional Indian dance. They  participated in meditation using the box breathing technique and also had a go at perfecting their dance skills. I think we might have some Bollywood stars in our midst! 

FUN FACT: Bharatanatyam: Bha meaning emotion (Bhava), Ra meaning music (Raaga) , Ta meaning rhythm (Taal) and Natyam meaning dance. Thus Bharatanatyam is the dance that encompasses music, rhythm and expression and strictly adheres to the Natyashastra (the scripture of classical Indian dance).

Trinity Band 

On Monday afternoon the Trinity band will be performing in the Hall for our students. The performance will take place at 1.45pm.  ALL WELCOME.

Annual Review Meetings

This week I have begun conducting Annual Review Meetings with Staff. It is an opportunity for staff members to consider their current experiences, to reflect upon teaching practice and to plan for the future.  The evaluation process exists within the overall goal of facilitating the improvement of St. Brendan’s School.

During the meeting, staff members set professional goals for the year ahead, and we discuss ways that the school can support them to achieve their goals. All goals fall within the realm of our School Improvement Plan so that we meet our overall school goals.

One aspect of the Annual Review Meeting is to acknowledge and celebrate the successes that staff members have had over the precious school year. This is reaffirming for the staff members, and also for me as Principal. I am proud of all of the achievements and dedication of our staff members and their ongoing desire to seek continuous improvement with their work. 

For the staff of St. Brendan’s, the child is at the centre of all that we do. It is extremely pleasing and rewarding to see the positive impact that staff have on the development of all of our students.

Thank you to everyone who has helped out with the finals footy gate roster. One week to go! 

Have a great weekend everyone,

Leanne Eastman
principal@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

Student News

Congratualtions Levi!

Congratulations to Levi Armstrong who came runner up in the Friday Night Netball Under 13 League Best & Fairest last week. Levi and other students from St Brendan's played with the Birregurra Saints this season as we didn't have enough players for our own team. Levi is an absoloutly brilliant player and we are very proud of his efforts. Thank you to Birregurra for all they have done to coordiante the Under 13 team this year.

Thomas Carr Cake Stall

A reminder that Thomas Carr Open Day will be held on Sunday 11th September. As mentioned previously, Thomas Carr have kindly allowed us to run a Cake Stall on the Day. We are hoping that families will be able to donate some cakes, cookies, scones, biscuits etc to sell on the day. 

A note will be sent home next week regarding details for the Cake Stall.

Class Award Winners

Congratulations to our Class Award Winners for this week; Davina Campbell and Brennan Robb.

Catholic Culture

A Reflection on the ‘Our Father’

In Matthew, 6: 9-13, the disciples of Jesus said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” His answer was what we call the Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer. 

There are not many people who will not have heard of the Our Father prayer. It is the most famous prayer in the world.  Growing up Catholic, it was a prayer very well known to me, and I must admit to thinking when I was younger, that it was solely a Catholic prayer. As  I grew I realised that the Our Father was a prominent prayer across Christion faiths, not just Catholic.

Some people questioned its relevance in an increasingly diverse Australia. It was interesting to note that others said that the Our Father is a universal prayer.  The prayer does not specify a particular religion but rather,  the ‘Father’ could apply to the God of many religions, faiths and spiritualities. Many non-religions people believe that there is something bigger than us out there, and the prayer could still be relevant to them. It is a perspective that I had not considered before, and it also reinforced to me the power of this prayer.

An explanation of the meaning of the Our Father can be seen below.

SchoolTV

In this edition of SchoolTV - RAISING BOYS

Many parents will attest to the fact that most boys are active, loud, rambunctious and prone to rough play, but this should not affect how a parent acts towards their son. Be careful not to pigeon-hole your son into sex-specific behaviours or gender roles. The male brain is distinctly different in its development. A boy’s physical maturity is often at odds with his mental and brain development.

Societal beliefs about how to raise boys can sometimes influence their adult carers. Although we are not determined by our biology, it is a factor. It is important to support boys in their natural tendencies and nurture their strengths and abilities. Teach them the skills they need for their future and to develop a healthy identity. It is important for boys to have a role model they can connect with and acknowledge who they are. One of the most important determinants for a boy’s development is how secure they feel growing up.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will gain a better understanding into some of the more complex issues relating to raising boys.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Raising Boys edition of SchoolTV
https://sbcoragulac.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-boys

Prep/1 Classroom News

Week 8

We are nearing the end of the Term which is very exciting. We’ve also had some wonderful experiences recently at school and some more to look forward to over the next few weeks. 

Book Week celebrations last Thursday were a hit. It was great to see so many students dress up and enjoy the day! On Tuesday this week, we had a visitor to the school to teach us about Indian dance. The children learnt about Indian culture and the significance of different types of dance. Next Monday, we look forward to seeing the Trinity Band in action at school and next Friday, we will head to Forrest for our Bush Excursion.

Literacy: Students have been practicing writing procedural texts this week. After completing language experiences (making fish and Father’s Day cards), students sequenced the steps involved and then wrote them down.

Maths: We are learning how to tell the time to the half hour. This week we viewed and read times on an analogue clock. Students also used interactive clocks to show particular on the hour times.

Religion: We have explored some wise sayings from the Bible this week, and considered the underlying meaning. These sayings included, “Love one another as I have loved you” - John 13;34 and Wisdom 7:7 -”I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” 

Integrated Curriculum: For Science this week, students have been thinking about the forces used to move objects. We have investigated pushing and pulling forces. We made pinwheels and decided that the wind uses a pushing forces to move the wheel.

Allira Kluver
akluver@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

2/3/4 Classroom News

Welcome to Week 8!

Book Week was a great success and we all enjoyed the rotations and the dress-ups were excellent. It was wonderful to work with all the children in the school through the rotations and they were all fantastic in their Pastoral Care groups.

Literacy: In Literacy we have been revising homophones and writing cards and poems for Father’s Day. We have also been busy working on our Father’s Day gifts.

We hope all dads enjoy their special day on Sunday.

Religion: In R.E. we have been revisiting the Last Supper from the Gospel writer Luke.

The Last Supper is the final meal that, in the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.

Maths: In Maths this week we have been reviewing times on the analogue clock. Next week we will be investigating word problems related to time and elapsed time.

Homework this week is revising the times tables: the 5’s and 10’s times tables for Year 2, the 2, 5 and 10’s times tables for Year 3 and the 6, 7 and 8 times tables for Year 4.

Please feel free to practice extra tables if you like!

Thank you to Alice and Liz for taking care of my class in my absence. I look forward to seeing them all today.

The Star of the Week award goes to Charlie Ferrari. Congratulations on your excellent work and effort!

Cheers,

Mandy Sutherland
msutherland@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

5/6 Classroom News

Welcome to Week 8 of Term 3! We have had a very busy week again this week. It has been nice to see the sun shining outside, bring on Spring!

Winter Sports: Last Friday we ventured to St. Mary’s Primary in Colac to participate in Winter Sports. It was fantastic to see our students mixing with students from different schools and having a go at different sports. We have our last Winter Sports this week on Friday at Colac Primary School.

Father’s Day: It was great to see so many families at the archery on Wednesday evening. Wishing all dads and grandfather’s a Happy Father’s Day for this Sunday, I hope you have a great day!

Plastic bottle lids: We are still collecting plastic bottle lids. Thank you to everyone who has donated lids so far. If you could please remember to collect milk, soft drink and water lids we would appreciate it. There is a Lids4Kids box near Gracesyn’s office.

Writing: This week in Writing we have been working on our products for our Persuasive Advertisements unit. We have some fantastic product ideas including a personalised halter, shoes and a skoodie (hoodie and scarf). We have been creating multimodal advertisements which includes a magazine poster, an audio and video advertisement.

Maths: In Maths we have been working on our Measurement learning cycle and have been learning how to calculate the area of shapes. Year 5 students are calculating the area of squares and rectangles and year 6 students are calculating the area of triangles and composite shapes.

Religion: This week in Religion we have been preparing for our liturgy which is based on the theme of Hope. Here are some of our reflections:

• When I think about hope, I think about the world doing good deeds - Levi
• When I think about hope, I think about people helping the poor - Annabelle
• I feel hopeful when I see my family smiling - Lexie
• I feel hopeful when I see my pony galloping in the sun - Davina
• In the future I hope that I am a truck driver that lifts vehicles - Maverick
• In the future I hope that I can be a cow trainer and have a great family - Cassie

Integrated Curriculum: This week in Integrated Curriculum we have been learning about electricity and energy. We have been making circuits with wires and light bulbs and testing items to see if they are insulators or conductors. We have discovered that items with metal allow energy to pass through them!

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

Fundraising News

Warrion Flower Show: Tombola Jars

Below are some ideas to help everyone with their Tombola Jars for our fundraising store at the Warrion Flower Show, which is being held on Wednesday 26th October. 

It is not necessary to buy a brand new jar. Try to reuse/recycle jars you already have. Just give used jars a clean with hot water and vinegar to take the smell out of the jar.

Get the kids involved and it becomes a school holiday activity for the kids, as they decorate the jars. To have lots of jars to display for Tombola would be fantastic, as it would result in both a great looking stall and maximum fundraising potential for our school. Variety, colour, and the element of surprise is a big part of the fun of Tombola.

Ideas include, but are obviously not restricted to...

• Making a batch of jam/chutney/preserves/pickles? A jar of homemade goodness would be a lovely jar to receive in Tombola.

• You can reuse jars from the kitchen, simply wash, dry and fill.

Think pasta, nuts, lollies, lentils, mints, biscuits, spices.

• Perhaps make up a couple of biscuit/brownie/cookie mix jars (google it)

• Items do not even have to be edible.

Think pencils, puzzle, beads, buttons, screws, nails, clothes pegs, washing powder, bath salts, pot pourri, seeds for the garden.

• When at the supermarket grab a couple of extra items in jars. Job done!

• Have a family member or friend with a business to promote? Perhaps they’d like to contribute a voucher ($ value or deal offer) ...Pop it in a jar!

Last time the school collected 270 Tombola jars. Can we break the record this time?

Other ways to help with the Flower Show:

In the next month or two, a working group will be meeting to get our stalls up and running. We understand that we have new families in the school who may not know what is involved or how they can help out. There is a list below to give you an idea of what is involved.

St. Brendan’s Stalls 2022 (to be confirmed)

• Petting Zoo
• Flower Crowns
• BBQ
• Tombola jars 

Families can assist by:

• Helping out at a working bee in the hall the day before the show, decorating the jars and doing other small jobs in preparation for the next day  (the added bonus is having a coffee, a chat with other families and feeling good about working with others to do something for our school)
• Packing the trailer the day before
• Being rostered on for a shift on the day of the Show. This may be to sell Tombolas, help out with the bbq or supervise the petting zoo
• Setting up on the day
• Packing up post event

Important Dates

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