News

This week is National Reconciliation Week (NRW).  It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue.

As part of Reconciliation Week, our students got to enjoy playing various  games, Aboriginal painting and drawing using Aboriginal symbols.

St Brigid’s Angels hosted a spectacular trivia evening yesterday. The theme of the night was ‘Women Empowerment,’ which was brought to the forefront by amazing guest speaker Angela Skellie from the rural fire service.

With over 70 people in attendance, making 10 teams, it was a riveting competition. Everyone was vying for the first-place title and the all-important box of Daily Dough Co donuts.

First place was decided by an ‘edge of your seat’ tie break and it’s not surprising that a team of teachers took out the win ‘Luke and the Holy Quizzie Hisies’ while 2nd place went to ‘Gone with the Win’ which was one of our St Brigid’s families. And last but not least, 3rd place went to ‘Crusty Cherubs’ led by Mrs Foo, which was a Yr12 and teacher combo team.

All in all, it was a memorable evening with lots of laughs. We hope to host many more Angels events in the future, and a big thank you to everyone who helped make it possible!

On Thursday, 3 of our Year 10 students participated in the Model United Nations Assembly through the Terrigal Rotary Club. MUNA is an educational simulation where students role-play as delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees. The primary goal of MUNA is to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy, and the United Nations agenda.

Our students represented the United Kingdom at MUNA this year.

Ruby represented the interests of the United Kingdom in relation to a resolution regarding the use of sport as a strategy to reduce youth crime rates. Her comments on this issue were well considered and insightful, demonstrating excellent research on the topic. She spoke with confidence and enthusiasm. Brock represented the interests of the United Kingdom in relation to a resolution regarding weapons in space.

Brock spoke wonderfully when exploring a complex area of international law and demonstrated a strong understanding of the relevant issues.

Angus represented the interests of the United Kingdom in relation to a resolution regarding granting independence to non-self-governing territories. This was an extremely complex and sensitive topic to speak on from the perspective of the UK, but Angus did so with nuance and great insight into the relevant history and current contemporary issues. Angus volunteered to speak a second time to respond to criticism the UK received on this topic and was complemented by the judges for doing so.

Our students placed 2nd overall and also won the Best Country Costume award. Congratulations to Ruby, Brock and Angus on these prestigious awards.

Last Sunday evening, families from St Brigid’s and St Mary’s Primary school joined the St Mary’s congregation to celebrate our Family Mass.

Students from both schools took part in singing the hymns, reading the Liturgy of the Word, led the offertory procession, served on the altar and even ran the collections. Preceding Mass, an important game of cricket was held on the St Mary’s oval, where both Fr Baby and Fr Tomy were able to show off their batting and bowling prowess.

The purpose of family Mass is to bring the Primary and High schools together and join as one faith community.

Next term, Family Mass will be held at St Brendan’s. Stay tuned for further information.

Year 7 students had their first cooking practical recently as part of their Food and Agriculture unit, focusing on eggs.

For many of our students this marked their first experience following a recipe, and they all did a fantastic job!

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (the national data collection) is an annual collection that counts the number of school students receiving an adjustment due to disability.

Please read the letter below for more information.

I recently found a book by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval called “The power of small. Why little things make all the difference”. While the authors are renowned for their work in the business industry, so many of the insights are applicable to the young people in our lives. Thaler encourages individuals to make small, positive changes to their daily routines because she believes these can lead to significant improvements over time.  For students, the minor tasks, habits, and efforts in their academic journey are essential for success.

Attention to Detail

We all know the importance of ensuring we get the details right.  Students benefit from paying attention to the details of their assignments, studying meticulously, and proofreading their work as this can ensure quality and accuracy. This care and respect for getting the details right often translates into care and respect for others as well.

Progress in small increments build confidence

As we know, small steps lead to big accomplishments. Encouraging students to break down their goals, homework and classwork into manageable tasks is important. But more importantly celebrating small victories with them will help them stay motivated and focused. This also has a ripple effect on those around them who also start to benefit from these small wins. Mastering a new concept, improving a grade, receiving praise for their efforts, or seeing small successes reinforces their belief in their abilities building confidence and self-esteem.

Habit Formation and daily routine

Success is often a result of consistent, positive habits. Instilling discipline and diligence in students from a young age helps them develop foundational skills for long-term success in both their academic and personal lives. By focusing on the small things and looking for opportunities to learn and grow, we develop resilience, perseverance, and dispositions that lead to success beyond the school gate.

Preparation is essential to helping to get the small things right.

Charged devices at the beginning of the day, correct workbooks for each lesson, a pencil case with pens, pencils, calculator, highlighters etc. help students with their attention to detail and academic success.  It’s important that we support the students in getting the small things right. Whether it’s double-checking homework, assignments, practicing good study habits, packing our bag the night before, or arriving on time at school. Let’s help the young people in our lives strive for excellence in every aspect of what they do. “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” — Henry Ford

Alex Walters

Assistant Principal, Student Achievement