Newsletter No. 34 | Term 4 Week 7 | Thursday 17th November 2022
Prayer
Principal's Message
Dear Families and Friends,
There is excitement in the air at school with Mission Day just one day away! The children have been busy preparing for what is, almost unanimously, their favourite day on the school calendar. It looks like it is going to be about 21 and sunny so that will be perfect! I can’t wait to see the fabulous stalls that the children have come up with.
Mision Day is a fun day but it is also a day when our children are reminded of those less fortunate than them and take action to make a difference in our world. Each year the money we raise is donated to Caritas Australia, an organisation that supports some of the most needy in our world.
Caritas Australia is Compassion in Action
As the Catholic Church's international aid and development agency, Caritas Australia works hand in hand with the most marginalised communities in Australia and overseas, to confront the challenges of poverty. Through locally-led programs, we work with all people, with shared hope and compassion, towards a world where all can thrive and reach their full potential.
Through partnerships with local organisations and Church networks, and as a member of Caritas Internationalis, one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world, we are able to reach where the need is greatest and work together for a just future.
Working together for justice and dignity. Building together a thriving future for all.
Since I began at St. Brendan’s, I have been struck by the generosity of the St. Brendan's community to look out for those in need. This generosity of spirit, led by the parents and extended Parish community, has certainly rubbed off on the children. Through projects such as Mission Day, our children are learning valuable life lessons such as how doing God’s work can make a difference in the life of others.
PAM Accounts in 2023
Over the Christmas holidays your PAM account will be updated to provide better security and allow for further functionality. This change will involve moving to a PAM account per parent rather than an account per family. To help us prepare for this change, please answer the questions below as soon as possible and email your responses to admin@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au .
- Please list the full name, relationship and unique email address of all people who will need a PAM account for your child/children.
- Please indicate if there are any access considerations these school should be aware of? This might include things such as custody agreements.
If you have any questions about PAM or SIMON please phone Gracesyn on (03) 5233 1464 .
Covid Update
In case you missed the email, we have had a few Covid cases in the school. From news reports it seems that cases are on the rise again. Children in the Prep/1 classroom may be at most risk at this stage.
Please test your children if they are showing any symptoms and keep them at home if they are symptomatic. If you require any more test kits please come to the Office. A reminder that the time to stay home, if your child does have Covid, has been reduced from 7 - 5 days. However if your child is still symptomatic after that time, it is best to keep them home for longer.
Wishing you all a happy and safe weekend.
Leanne Eastman
principal@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
Upcoming School Events
Mission Day - 18th November
Mission Day is TOMORROW! We hope to see you there!
The infamous Cake Auction will once again be going ahead. Our year Six students are excited to be running the auction. If you are able to make a cake for the stall please drop it into the hall at 9am on Friday morning..
The timetable for the day is as follows:
10.00 - Liturgy (led by Year 5/6)
11.45 - Cake Auction
12.30 - Children’s stalls are open for business
1.00 - BBQ Lunch
2.00 - Finish
This will be the first time since 2019 that we have been able to invite everyone to Mission Day. We hope you will be able to join us. It should be lots of fun!
Vinnies Appeal
Last year we collected household goods/food items for our Vinnie’s Christmas Appeal. It was a huge success and Vinnie’s were very appreciative of our contributions.
Next week we will begin collecting for this year’s Appeal. There will be a basket at the front office where you are invited to drop off any non-perishable food items that you wish to donate. Check out the list below for ideas:
- Tins and fruits, vegetables, canned meats.
- Soups, beans, noodles, pasta, pasta sauce.
- Christmas cakes, puddings, biscuits, lollies.
- Baby foods, formula, cereals, muesli bars, school lunchbox items.
- Hygiene products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps, shampoo, deodorant, sanitary items, cleaning products.
Wellbeing
As part of our Student Wellbeing Strategy, we are excited to announce that in 2023 our school will be partnering with The Resilience Project to implement their program throughout our school. The program aims to INSPIRE and ENGAGE the whole school community – students, staff, parents & carers – through the evidence-based GEM (Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness) and Emotional Literacy principles. We will be sharing more with you about the program as time goes on but I just wanted to let you know it is coming! If you would like to know more about the program follow this link to their website: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-school-partnership-program/
Bread Tags
Trinity College is collecting bread tags to support the funding of wheelchairs for the needy. (see details below). This is a great initiative and we thought we would help them out. There will be a box in the front entrance of the school where the children can drop bread tags.
Plastic Lids
We are collecting bottle lids again. This time we will be recycling them to create a piece of Art in the school. There will be a box for this in the hallway. There are going to be a lot of collection boxes in the hall so be sure to choose the right one!
School TV
This month on SchoolTV - Bullying
Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.
Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It’s important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying.
Often the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour.
In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to this month's edition https://sbcoragulac.catholic.
Prep/1 Classroom News
Week 7
Welcome to week 7! It's hard to believe we are beyond halfway through this Term. Christmas will be here before we know it. The Prep/1’s have been hard at work again this week and making some excellent progress.
Literacy: This week, we introduced our narrative unit. The students thoroughly enjoyed our model text, “Chooks in Dinner Suits.” This story follows the journey of the smallest residents of Middle Island in Warrnambool - a waddle of Little Penguins. The penguin colony faces decline after the introduction of dogs and foxes to the landscape. One clever resident has an idea! He trains some maremma dogs to guard the penguins. We will be using this text over the next few weeks to learn how to add detail to our writing and craft interesting sentences.
Maths: The Vet Clinic has been a huge success. Students have learnt how to measure and weight their chosen patients this week. We have also begun learning about capacity and been identifying when a container is full, half full, almost empty or empty. On Tuesday we braved the weather conditions and took our learning out to the sandpit where students had the chance to practise filling containers to show their understanding of these terms.
Religion: Mission Day is fast approaching. The Prep/1's have been working hard at school on some items to sell. We have made magnets, tie-dye bags and even scrunchies. We will set up a stall as a class and all children are welcome to man the stall and help sell our goods. Students are also welcome to set up a stall of their own if they wish to. In the past, we have had nail painting, milkshake making, second-hand book stalls etc. If your child wishes to have their own stall they can organise and set it up on Friday morning. This is totally optional. Just make sure that your child realises that anything they sell will be sold for good (i.e. they cannot have their items back so don't sell anything that is valuable to them). The money they receive goes to the Catholic Missions and is not for personal gain.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Enjoy the remainder of the week!
Allira Kluver
akluver@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
2/3/4 Classroom News
Welcome to Week 7!
We celebrate Mission Day tomorrow and everyone is excited to be back celebrating our ‘normal’ way. We look forward to a beautiful day helping others and having fun.
Our Mission Day groups are as follows:
Jackson, Caleb and Jordy
Archie, Jerry, Charlie, Brennan and Brianna
Grace, Harriet, Nellie and Kaitlyn
Ava, Melody, Samiyah and Aden
Matilda, Claire and Eden
I have asked the children to check that parents are O.K. with what they are planning to do with their stalls. If you have any questions, please contact me.
In Literacy we have been investigating what pronouns are and when to use them.
The class have also completed a narrative cold task for writing. This means they write it with no assistance and edit it themselves. Next, they complete a unit of work related to narratives and their structure and then write another narrative which hopefully shows the skills taught in the unit.
In Maths we have revised the terminology related to chance including: certain, impossible, likely, unlikely and even chance. We have looked at the use of tally marks and how to interpret data.
Homework this week is getting ready and preparing for Mission Day.
In Integrated Curriculum we have learnt that Africa produces 70% of the world’s chocolate. We also found out that 2 million children work on cocoa farms in terrible conditions. We discussed what we thought and felt about these facts and what should be done.
The Star of the Week award goes to Jerry Robb. Congratulations on your excellent work and effort!
Mandy Sutherland
msutherland@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
5/6 Classroom News
Welcome to Week 7 of Term 4! I can’t believe how fast this term is going! This Friday for Mission Day our class is presenting the liturgy in the Church at 10am, everyone is welcome to attend. The Year 6 students will also be running the cake auction and that should be a lot of fun! Just a reminder that students need to be creating their product or gathering their equipment so they are organised and ready for the day.
Homework: Homework is due this Friday 18th November.
Writing: This week in Writing we have been working on our learning cycle for Narrative. We have been writing sentences with rich vocabulary using our focus text; ‘Girl on Wire’ written by Lucy Estela. Students have also begun planning their narratives which we will begin to write next week.
Maths: In Maths this week we have been working on Probability. Year 5 students have been writing probability outcomes in fraction format and Year 6 students have been writing probability outcomes in fraction and decimal format.
Religion: This week we have been unpacking our focus scripture ‘Luke 8:2-3’ and have been discussing how different women were Jesus’ disciples.
Integrated Curriculum: This week in Integrated Curriculum we have started making our paper mache world globes for our assessment task. Students will be labelling lots of different things on their globes and will also be adding facts that they have learned over the term.
Have a great week and please don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions or concerns.
Tahlia Whytcross
twhytcross@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au
Important Dates
NOVEMBER
18th - Mission Day
18th - Pre Prep Program
19th - Cororooke Hall Market 9am until 1pm
25th - Pre Prep Program
29th - Trinity Small Schools Transition Day beginning 8.45am
DECEMBER
1st & 2nd - Year 4 Bike Camp
5th - Prep/1 Night
6th - Orientation Day at St Brendan's (All students move up to their 2023 classroom for the day)
6th - Trinity ALL Schools Transition Day beginning 8.45am
6th - CSC Small & Catholic Schools Transition Day 8.55am - 3.15pm
7th - Year 2/3 Night
9th - Graduation Mass & Christmas Carols Night
13th - Wide Smiles Dental Visit
13th - CSC ALL Schools Transition Day 8.55am - 3.15pm
13th & 14th - Learning Conversations
16th - Whole School Excursion & Last Day of Term for Students
20th - Last Day for Staff
Big Summer Read
The Big Summer Read is taking place at Colac Library and Apollo Bay Library these summer holidays! The Big Summer Read aims to combat the ‘summer reading slide’. The 'Summer Reading Slide' is a known trend where students reading naturally regresses slightly over the Summer holiday period. The program encourages children to keep reading by supporting them with reading logs, a user-friendly website, milestone incentives and we can't forget to mention... a statewide prize!
The Big Summer Read runs from 1 December 2022 until 31 January 2023. To register and for terms and conditions please see https://www.grlc.vic.gov.au/
Christmas by the Lake
Mixx FM and Red Door Dance and Theatre Co are joining forces for Colac's inaugural Christmas by the Lake to fundraise for Colac Area Healt Foundation's new Wellbeing Centre Long Road Appeal. On Saturday 3rd December from 6pm until 9.30pm Mixx FM is running a CHRISTMAS BONANZA on Colac Lake's Foreshore. Live music, performances, food vendors, fireworks and of course... Santa will be there!
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