Newsletter No. 7 | Term 1 Week 7 | Thursday 16th March 2023

Principal's Message

Dear families and friends,

What a fabulous day it was yesterday! Not only was it our annual School Sports Day, it was also the arrival of our new school bus. It doesn’t get much better than that!

As I drove the bus up to school and saw all the cars in the car park, I thought that Mass must have been on, as well as the Sports. But I was wrong. The cars all belonged to parents, carers, grandparents, cousins and ex-students who had come to support their children at the School Sports. What a fabulous turnout! Thank you to everyone who was able to make it. You helped to make the day so special for the children and our whole school community.

I would like to thank our Sports teacher, Kate Parker, for all of the work she put into planning the day. It ran like clockwork! Thanks also to our Advisory Chair, Mark Robb, for marking the lines on Monday and for also cooking the barbeque with his father. You went above and beyond and we really appreciate it.

The children threw themselves wholeheartedly into giving every event their best shot. They pushed themselves to the limit, were gracious in victory, and defeat, and cheered and encouraged one another all the way. It was a joy to watch!

The results were very close, with the final tally as follows:

McCarthy: 129

Turner: 120

Spokes: 119

Congratulations to the McCarthy House who were the victors on the day.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday at the KANA parade. The good times continue!

Warm Regards,

Leanne Eastman
principal@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

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SCHOOL BUS

The arrival of the new bus is exciting for the whole school community. It will be used to bring students in from Colac, take students on small camps and excursions, and also take children on field trips around Colac and surrounding areas. Providing more opportunities for children to explore the world outside the school environment will enhance learning opportunities and experiences for our students.

The bus was purchased from a Christian church in Pt Cook. It was used to transport elderly people in the Parish and was also driven to Melbourne each Sunday in order to feed and care for the homeless. Daniel, the Church pastor, was sad to see the bus go as it held many memories for him. He was really happy that it was going to a school community and he hopes to head down the road in the future to visit us at St. Brendan’s. We hope to follow Daniel’s lead and find some ways that we can use the bus to do good for others. It feels quite special to have purchased a bus which helped to provide service and care for those in need.

KANA

We are all getting very excited for the Kana parade this Saturday! Below are some details about how the day will run:

Start & Finish Times: The parade begins moving at 1pm, however everyone needs to be in the marshalling area and ready to go at 12.30pm at the latest. To ensure we are ready in time we ask people to aim to meet at 12pm. 

The marshalling area will be clearly marked by Kana volunteers on the day and is located near McDonalds in Colac. The parade will end on Dennis Street in Colac near the police station. If parents are not walking with their children in the parade then this will be the pick up point.

Costumes: The theme for this year is 'Circus' and we hope that everyone will come dressed in their best circus costume for the parade... we have heard a whisper that we might even have some circus animals joining us in our group!

Transport: We had planned on decorating a truck to travel on for the parade but have decided not to go ahead with this, instead we will be walking together in a group. Don't worry there will still be plenty of decorations for us to carry along! Families, friends, parents and younger siblings are all welcome to walk along in the parade with us, the more the merrier!

The parade is expected to travel at a speed of 4-5km per hour with no stopping. Nothing is to be thrown or launched at crowds as we are walking in the parade, this includes lollies and confetti.

Parade Order: We are group number 19 within the order of the parade. We understand a list was published on the Kana Facebook page that didn't include our name... this list was incorrect. The final list is being published in the Colac Herald this Friday, which will state St Brendan's at number 19.

We would like to say a big THANK YOU to Isis, Kara, Nenje and Lauren who have been planning and working hard on decorations for the parade, we really appreciate everything that you have done!

A VISIT FROM THE DOBCEL BOARD

On Tuesday we welcomed three members of the DOBCEL Board to our school; Monsignor Glynn Murphy, Terry Harney (former Principal of St. Brendan’s) and Anne Pekin.

They visited each classroom and enjoyed interacting with our students. They also walked around the school, visited the Church and learned more about St. Brendan’s during a discussion over lunch.

I am very appreciative that the DOBCEL Board takes the time to get out into the schools and see first hand what what is happening at the coalface. Creating these close connections makes us feel very supported and it gives the Board a real understanding of the daily workings and needs of schools.

Thank you to Glynn, Terry and Anne. It was  a pleasure to have you in our school.

YEAR 5/6 CAMP

Next week the Year 5/6 students will be heading to Sovereign Hill for their School Camp from Monday until Wednesday. There is great excitement amongst the children and we can't wait to take them away. Stay tuned for an update in next week’s Newsletter.

NAPLAN

The NAPLAN testing schedule begins today. We encourage students to try their best and approach the tests calm and confidently. NAPLAN tests are just one form of assessment, and although they are a measure of a child’s progress, they do not tell the full picture of a child’s learning. School Reports, Learning Conversations, Seesaw posts and Learning Portfolios, all contribute to building your child’s learning profile and overall progress. 

SWIMMING

This Friday will be our last Swimming lesson for Term One. We thank you for your patience with the changes to dates along the way. The children have done a terrific job of organising themselves and going with the flow during disruptions to the normal routine. 

HARMONY DAY

Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds.

It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.​

Harmony Day is technically celebrated on Tuesday, 21st March. 

As the 5/6s are on Camp at this time, we will be celebrating on Thursday, March 23rd. 

There will be a special Assembly at 2.30 and everyone is encouraged to wear a touch of orange. All Welcome.

DOBCEL CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP VACANCIES

Schools have been asked to extend the following invitation to parents and guardians:

The DOBCEL Board provides opportunities for members of the diocesan education community, and others with relevant expertise, to participate in the mission of DOBCEL, to assist its governance and decision making and to inform faithful stewardship of the mission through DOBCEL Consultative Committees.

A range of vacancies exists across the DOBCEL Consultative Committees. These committees are an invaluable opportunity to ensure that the work of the Board and CEB reflects the needs of DOBCEL school communities right across the Diocese. Typically, the committees meet once each term for a duration of 90-120 Minutes. The opportunity exists to attend face-to-face or virtually.  For volunteers to the organisation, compensation for expenses is available. 

Opportunities exist for parents/guardians/carers with a child/children enrolled in a DOBCEL School to join one of the following; 

• Catholic Faith Community & Culture Consultative Committee

• Children & Young People Safeguarding & Wellbeing Consultative Committee

• Family and Community Engagement Consultative Committee

• Learning and Teaching Consultative Committee

In the event of multiple nominations, the Board will invite Consultative Committee members on the basis of the general balance of the committee, taking into account factors such as gender, diversity, skill mix, location, school size, etc.

For more information please contact Jo Mckee jmckee@dobcel.catholic.edu.au or speak with your school principal. Expressions of interest are open until Wednesday, 26th April.

Prep/1 Classroom News

Congratulations to everyone on a very successful Sports Day! It was exciting to see everyone getting involved and giving it their best shot. I was extremely proud of the determination and sportsmanship shown by all students. Thanks to all families who supported the day! 

Literacy: This week for writing, students were exploring ways to begin stories. They investigated traditional story openings like, “Once upon a time..,” or “Long, long ago..” as well as some more interesting story starters from books chosen off the library shelves. Students then had the opportunity to write their own story starter. Here are some examples:

Lewie

Chosen from a story: Have you ever felt as if you don’t quite fit in?

Written by Lewie: Lewie sailed over the water to the enemy's castle. 

Charli

Chosen from a story: Florence was no ordinary seal.

Written by Charli: On an island lived a little bug named Sparkle.

Lexi

Chosen from a story: My Dad is the coolest because he tickles me.

Written by Lexi: Deep, deep in the ocean there was an axolotl.

Maths: For Maths we have been tackling lots of problem solving this week. It has been great to see the multitude of different ways that students attempt the same problem. Our latest problem was as follows:

• On a farm, there were some chickens and some sheep.
• Altogether, there were 8 heads and 22 feet.
• How many chickens were there?

Ask your child to show you how they went about answering this question!

Religion: The 40 days of lent challenge continues. On Tuesday Mrs McGuane discussed the importance of water and how precious this resource can be. Students then completed a water-carrying challenge. Thanks to Mrs McGuane for the hands-on, experiential learning!

Keep up the home reading everyone!

Allira Kluver
akluver@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

2/3/4 Classroom News

Hi everybody!

I would like to mention as a late response to the Information Night, that we had a fantastic night! Thank you to everyone who was able to come along and listen, participate and support our school.

Thank you to Alice and Mick who looked after my class last week. I am pleased you got to see first-hand how fantastic they are!

Yesterday we celebrated another successful Sports Day. The children were so supportive of each other and it was lovely to watch. All the teams tried their hardest, and congratulations  to McCarthy who were the winners on the day. GO McCARTHY!!!!

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday for the Kana Parade!

Religious Education: This week we had a small experience of what it is like for children in other countries who have a limited water supply. The children were placed in pairs and were asked to carry a bucket full of water around the yard and up the fort and down the slide.

The teams had to work out the best way to achieve this without spilling the water. It was wonderful to see the children working things out together and we had hardly any spillage!

A big thank you to Liz who co-ordinated the activity. It really did give a new perspective to how lucky we are to have easy access to clean water.

Literacy: This week we have new spelling words to learn. The Year 3’s and 4’s are still working on homophones and the Year 2’s are investigating common spellings for ‘a’ including (train), (day), (bake) and break. The children completed a persuasive text last week with Alice when I was away. They worked hard and produced great texts.

Numeracy: In Maths we are investigating Addition and Subtraction. We have had our Addition pre-test and are revising addition facts including doubles, near doubles, and adding 2 and 3 digit numbers.

Integrated Curriculum: In I.C. the children have been learning about the tools Aboriginal people made and used before the First Fleet arrived.

Homework has been sent home with a range of basic maths activities and new spelling words to learn. Homework is due back by Monday.

The Star of the Week award goes to Isabella Coates. Congratulations on your excellent effort!

If you have any questions or queries please contact me via email.

Mandy Sutherland
msutherland@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

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4/5/6 Classroom News

Welcome to Week 7 of Term 1! We had a fantastic day yesterday for Sports Day. Congratulations to everyone for trying their best and displaying fantastic sportsmanship. 

Camp: Next Monday the Year 5/6‘s are going on camp to Sovereign Hill. We’re all looking forward to it and it should be lots of fun!

Homework: Homework was sent home on Tuesday and this is due back to school on Friday 24th March.

NAPLAN: Good luck to our Year 3 and 5 students who will be sitting the NAPLAN tests over the next week, I know you will do your best!

Maths: In Maths we have started our Addition and Subtraction unit. Year 4 students have been re-arranging numbers to solve addition problems, Year 5 students have been adding two four digit numbers and Year 6 students have been adding two five digit numbers.

Writing: This week we have continued to finish our narratives. Most students are up to writing a good copy and then are typing their narrative on their Chromebooks.

Integrated Curriculum: In Integrated Curriculum we have been learning about debating and have been discussing positives and negatives of using the water from the Murray Darling Basin.

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

School Photos

Annual school photos including sibling photos will be taken by Arthur Reed Photos on

Friday 24th March 2023

There is no need to return any forms or money to school.

Unique image codes will be issued to all students on/after photo day so families can register online to view images when they become available in the webshop.

Registration is simple, just follow the 3 simple steps on your child’s personalised flyer once you receive it and remember to add the codes for all your children attending this school.

Even if you registered last year, it’s important that you do again this year using your child’s 2023 image code to link their images for the current year with your contact details.

When images are ready to view and in the webshop, all parents who have registered will be notified by SMS and email.

Once registered, please wait for notification that 2023 images are online to view before making your purchase. 

ORDERING PHOTOS

We understand that last year there was some confusion when ordering photos around what packages were available and if individual photos could be ordered instead of packages.

We have been assured there are many ordering options available that definitly allow families to purchase individual photos in whichever combinations they prefer.

If you find yourself faced with the same issues when ordering this year please pop in to the office and we will work with you to order the photos that you would like, without making you feel as though a package is the only way to go.

Community Book Club

Three weeks until our first Book Club Night! I hope that everyone has been able to get their hands on a copy of the book. I am happy to loan my copy out if you are keen to get on board, just let me know if you would like to borrow it.

We have had great feedback on 'I'll Leave You With This' and can't wait to discuss it with you all.

If you don't think that you will be able to finish the book before the 3rd, please still come along on the night, we will have some drinks and nibbles and it should be a lovely social night regardless of the book chat.

Please have a think about what other books you might like to read with Book Club and email me any suggestions that you have. I am researching our next book at the moment and plan to have 3 options to present to you on Book Club night, and everyone can vote to decide what our next read will be. Our second Book Club night will be held on Monday 15th May, allowing the school holidays and first few weeks of next term to read the book. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Gracesyn Watts
gwatts@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

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: Mark Robb          CHILD SAFETY OFFICER: Mrs Leanne Eastman