Newsletter No. 1 | Term 1 Week 1 | Thursday 1st February 2024

Prayer

St. Brendan's School Prayer

Loving God 

We give thanks for our past and present school community  

We give thanks for the chance to explore and share our talents  

We pray for the courage to face new challenges with faith and resilience 

We pray to be mindful of the needs of others and respond with open hearts 

May we kindly welcome and include others in our work and play

May we always be thankful for one another and our beautiful environment 

In the Spirit of Saint Brendan we pray. 

Amen 

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends,

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our students, parents, carers, staff and friends. There is always a touch of excitement in the air as we embark on a new school year, and this year is no exception.

The 2024 school year promises a wealth of new learning experiences and fun adventures. Together, let’s make this learning journey a memorable and enriching experience for everyone involved.

I thank the staff for the hours that they have put in before school begins to ensure that everything is ready to go. We  look forward to working with all children, families and the extended community to make this a great one for everybody at St. Brendan’s.

Warm Regards

Leanne Eastman
leastman@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

WELCOME

We are excited to welcome the following students and families to our school:

Annabel Balcombe (Prep): Carissa & Leigh Balcombe

Evie Carlon (Prep): Kara & Tony Carlon

Jack Finlay (Prep): Bec & Michael Finlay

Annie Lamb (Prep): Katie & Matt Lamb

Everlyn McGuane (Prep): Adele & Justin  McGuane

Java Quinane (Prep): Aggie & Paul Quinane

Greta Rock (Prep): Sophie Alliband & Danny Rock  

Zayne (Yr 5), Declan (Yr 3) and Jaxon Ellen (Yr 1) : April Fiscalini & David Ellen

Peyton Smith (Yr 4): Jessica Smith

In Term 2, we will also welcome Madison Lindsay (Yr 4) and Lucas Lindsay (Yr 2).

We hope your time at our school is enriching, fulfilling and filled with wonderful memories.

Our new school vision statement states: We are a community based on love and hospitality. Let's all make sure we put this into action by taking the time to individually welcome any new families we come across. 

Tell Us About Your Child

This year we are sending home a template for you to fill in, telling us anything you would like us to know about your child. We realise that some children will be having the same teacher but sometimes there may be more information about your child that you may like to share. In the past we have had Meet and Greets but with so many people being time poor, we have decided to trial this format.

New families to the school will be invited to meet their child/children’s teachers and any other parents who would like to meet with teachers are more than welcome to do so. Wednesdays would be a good day to do this, or alternatively, after school meetings can be arranged in consultation with the teacher.

We will evaluate this process to see whether this is a suitable format for our school.

New Staff Members

I would like to welcome Andre Delorenzo and Kynan Parker to St. Brendan’s. Andre will be teaching Sport in the first half of the year and Kynan will be working with the children in a Learning Support Officer role. You may have seen an article on Kynan in the Colac Herald a couple of weeks ago. He was selected as a referee at the Australian Junior Basketball Championships. Congratulations Kynan! I also                                                         need to add that Andre made a century on the weekend. We have a couple of                                                                sporting stars in our midst!

Senior Leaders

Our senior Leaders for this year are Ava D’Altera, Samiyah McLeod, Brennan Robb, Melody Baker and Caleb Price. Our leaders have already made a wonderful start to the year. We look forward to working with them this year as they lead their fellow students.

Year 6 students will be attending a student leadership day in Geelong. The day will be held early in Term Two.

Parent Involvement

This year, the staff will be taking inspiration from Australia’s first Catholic Saint, Mary McKillop. We have chosen one of her quotes as a focus for the year: 

Never see a need without doing something about it

I would invite parents and carers to also be mindful of this quote throughout the year. There will be a number of times when we will be calling on parents to help out. These requests might be made through email, the School Newsletter or the Parent Facebook page. I ask that you take up the call where you can, so that we share the load amongst the parent community. An added bonus of being involved is that it enhances you and your child’s sense of belonging and connection to the school.

Parent Handbook

Please note the Parent Handbook attached to this Newsletter. 

I would like to draw particular attention to the school attendance section.

Thank You

I would like to thank Kristy, Mark, Brennan, Eden and Ivy Robb for taking care of the guinea pigs and chooks over the holidays. I would also like to thank Gayle McNabb (former parent at St. Brendan’s) for looking after the chooks when the Robbs were away. The animals are an important part of our school life at St. Brendan’s and we rely strongly on parent support during school holiday times. Please keep this in mind, as we would like to ensure that we can still keep animals in our school, and we will need your help to make this possible.

School Maintenance

If you have been up at school you will have noted some changes, especially in the playground. A concrete border and new softfall has been placed around the play equipment area and the shade sails have been cleaned. The cubby and surrounding area has also been given a facelift. I extend a BIG thank you to Hayley Beardsley and Deb Monaco who spent quite a bit of time at school painting the cubby and sprucing up  the surrounding garden. I would also like to thank Deb’s husband, Frank and son, Toby for helping out by making and installing the wooden toadstools, they look fabulous! New/old (Marketplace) furniture for the cubby was also purchased. The cubby will be a popular hang-out at Recess and Lunch!

The gathering space on the back square is also taking shape. Anthony Campbell has been busy putting the logs in place over the holidays. Stay tuned for more developments!

School Bus

The school bus has had a facelift in the holidays and we think it looks fabulous. They will certainly see us coming now!

Bikes

A couple of bikes were purchased from Marketplace over the holidays. We could still do with a few more. If you have any bikes that your children have outgrown, and if they are in good condition, please think about sending 

them to school. If not, ask family and friends or see what you can find on Marketplace!

Wednesday Timetable

On Wednesdays we run our Specialist Timetable. The children participate in a variety of classes with specialist teachers for the day. Classroom teachers are onsite but it is a day of planning for them, not teaching. If you need to make an appointment to see a teacher, Wednesday is a good day to do it if you are able.

Please note the timetable below.

Bees

We are excited to announce that, after having a year off from honey-making, our bees have been back at work and the hives are now full of honey. Graham McNabb called school yesterday to tell us the good news.

Next Friday, 9th February, a group of children will participate in ‘robbing’ the hives and then the whole school will participate in spinning the honey and storing it in jars. 

If any parents would like to come up and observe the process you are more than welcome.  The timetable will be as follows:

11.30 - 1.00: Walk to the neighboring property to rob the hive.

1.00 - 1.30: LUNCH

1.45 - 2.45: Spinning the honey and storing it in jars.

Swimming

A reminder that swimming begins THIS Friday, 2nd February. The lessons will be held at Bluewater in Colac between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on the following dates:

Week 1: Friday 2nd February 

Week 2: Thursday 8th February 

Week 3: Friday 16th February 

Week 4: Friday 23rd February

Week 5: Friday 1st March

Please remeber to log in to PAM and approve the permission form for swimming for your child. If you need assistance with PAM please contact Gracesyn. Details on what to bring are also listed on PAM.

Excursion to the Cressy Water Tower

For the past month or so the Cressy water tower has been the talk of the town as it is currently having a huge two sided mural painted on it by a Silo artist from Benalla.On Monday our Year 5/6 students will be heading out to Cressy to observe the artist at work.

This excursion will be a wonderful way to tune the students into their Art topic for the Term. 

School Uniform

Please note the details below regarding the school uniform. We ask that parents do their best to ensure that children are in the correct school uniform. It was great to see the students coming in looking very fresh to start the new school year.

The school uniform details listed below can be found on the school website. https://www.sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au/

Our school uniform shop is located on campus and open by appointment only.

To arrange an appointment to view the uniform shop please phone (03) 5233 1464 or alternatively orders may also be placed through the front office.

Please ensure that your child wears the correct uniform to school each day. This means adhering to the following uniform requirements:

Summer Uniform

• Blue, gold and white checked dress with collar, white socks OR
• Navy school shorts, navy socks, short or long sleeved light blue polo with school logo and navy edge collar
• Navy knitted school jumper with gold and royal blue trim
• School hat with school logo
• Black school shoes or boots
• Navy or white hair trims

Winter Uniform

• Navy Winter tunic or kilt, light blue short or long sleeved polo with school logo and navy edge collar OR
• Navy school pants or shorts, light blue short or long sleeved polo with school logo and navy edge collar
• Navy knitted school jumper with gold and royal blue trim
• Navy socks or navy tights
• Black school shoes or boots
• Navy or white hair trims

Sports Uniform (To be worn on Wednesdays)

• Navy school sports polo with gold side panelling and school logo
• Navy unisex sports shorts OR
• Navy sports skort OR
• Navy double knee school tracksuit pants
• Navy school sports rugby jumper with gold trim collar and school logo
• Sneakers with white socks
• School hat with school logo
• Navy or white hair trims

School Bag

Navy blue school bag with gold school logo

Optional Items

• Plain navy beanie with no other colours or branding (Winter only)
• Plain navy coat with no other colours or branding (Winter only)
• Plain navy scarf or gloves with no other colours or branding (Winter only)

Advisory Council

I would like to officially welcome our School Advisory Council for 2024. Thank you for being willing to represent the parent community and for giving up some of your time to attend meetings to support the school. I am excited to see what we can achieve working together this year.

• Julie Baker
• Lynda Newcombe

New members:

• Tracey Bayne
• Ken Coates
• Ben Phillips and Lauren Mitchell (sharing one position)
• Kristy Robb
• Vanessa Tait

We will have our first meeting in the next couple of weeks. The date is to be confirmed. Stay tuned!

Little Anglers Program

Recreational fishing in Victoria

The Victorian Government is proactive in encouraging all Victorians to fish, specifically focusing on the involvement of women, children, and people from diverse backgrounds. We educate fishers and the community about responsible fishing practices and promote stewardship of our precious aquatic and animal resources via our Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre, Education and Engagement Unit and funding of Fishcare Victoria Inc.

Recreational fishing offers terrific opportunities for people of all ages, skills, abilities, and backgrounds to enjoy a fun and healthy activity and build social connections. Our aboriginal heritage is also deeply linked to fishing, with thousands of years of indigenous fishing history in Victoria.

The VFA run a range of free community fishing festivals across the State, stock 10 million fish into Victoria’s waterways each year, including a range of threatened species, install fishing and boating infrastructure to improve access, install recreational fishing reefs and improve habitat and undertake important research into Victoria’s many different species of seafood.

For more information about the VFA, recreational fishing opportunities in Victoria and/or a potential future career in natural resource management for your students, please visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au.

Little Anglers Hub

The VFA has created the kid-friendly Little Anglers Hub website (www.vfa.vic.gov.au/littleanglerkit), written specifically for children with useful information, instructional videos about how to safely set up and use the kits, being safe around the water, as well as advice on where to go fishing in Victoria.

There is an electronic copy of the Kids Guide to fishing that was included in the kits available on this site, both in English and five other languages.

Key Safety Messages

Going fishing is awesome and so much fun! When it comes to fishing, it’s important to stay safe, especially around water!

Students can keep their fishing safe by:

• going with a friend;
• being careful with hooks and lures;
• looking behind before casting;
• handling fish carefully;
• being conscious of the dangers associated with water;
• protecting yourself against the elements (sunscreen, drinking water);
• letting someone know before you go; and
• washing your hands after handling lead sinkers, especially before eating or drinking.

The link below is to a short safety video that is posted on the Little Anglers hub website, reinforcing the above safety messages to students.

Please note that fishing equipment is not for human consumption. If swallowed, hooks can cause serious harm and lead sinkers can be toxic. Young children and those with some disabilities including pica disorder are especially vulnerable and should be supervised whilst fishing. If a child does swallow a hook or lead sinker, seek medical assistance immediately - don’t wait for it to pass.

If you would like any additional information about this exciting commitment, please visit the Victorian Fishing Authority’s Little Angler Kits FAQs for parents, located on the VFA’s website (www.vfa.vic.gov.au).

Catholic Culture

St Brendan's Coragulac & St Joseph's Pirron Yallock Mass Times

St Brendan’s Coragulac: 9.30am Sunday   /   5pm 4th Sunday of each month
St Joseph’s Pirron Yallock: 10:30am Lay-led   /   Mass 1st Sunday of each month

Sacraments in 2024

St Brendan's will be offering the Sacramental Program in 2024.  If your child/children have been baptised and you would like them to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation please contact Liz McGuane via lmcguane@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au or Phone 0427041072.  If you have any questions regarding these Sacraments, the Sacrament of Baptism or our program please do not hesitate to contact me.

With Thanks, Liz McGuane.

Birthday Corner

Wishing a very big Happy Birthday to everyone who has celebrated their special day recently! Especially...

11th January   -   Peyton Smith (9)

12th January   -   Aden Coates (10)

17th January   -   Charli Lettieri (6)

20th January   -   Kaitlyn Bourk (11)

30th January   -   Melody Baker (12)

Important Dates