News

Our students looked amazing in their green outfits on St Patrick’s Day.  It was great seeing everyone get into the spirit of the day.

Congratulations to Nyree K who won the Kildare Lolly guessing competition, with the winning guess of 668.

There have been so many students receiving merit awards at assembly, and we couldn’t be prouder.  Keep up the great work!

Our students have been singing and dancing to a new song “Living on a Prayer” which they have been loving.  It is great to see our school spirit shine through.

Mr Lynch has introduced a student of the week wheel where two student names are automatically selected, and those students get to have one of our Senior Leaders sit in on a lesson of their choice and take their notes.  What a great prize!

Walker have been on a winning streak at the last few Friday house challenges.  This week Kildare wasn’t far behind followed by Terry and Lakes.  Stay tuned to see who the winner of next week’s house challenge is.

It is lovely seeing a wide variety of students getting involved and having a go at our weekly house challenges.  Thank you to the house advocates who put in a lot of time and thought getting these activities ready each week.

Last week Mr Lynch, Mrs Walter and Mrs McFadden accompanied a number of our student to represent the college in swimming at the Broken Bay Swimming Carnival held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Congratulations to all our student’s, who made it to Broken Bay.  Watching our students swimming is always a pleasure and knowing they give their all each and every swim is an honour to be a part of.  We come home with some great results for our college and could not be prouder of you all.

Kye Mc took out 13year boys age champion with places in:

50m Freestyle – 1st
50m Breaststroke – 3rd
50m backstroke – 1st
50m Butterfly – 1st
100m Freestyle – 1st
200m Individual Medley Junior – 2nd
200m Freestyle Junior- 2nd

Kye has earned himself a place on the Broken Bay team and will compete in the NSWCCC swimming carnival later this month.

Isiah R placed:
200m Freestyle Intermediate – 2^nd

Angus H placed:
100m Freestyle – 2^nd

We’d like to wish Riley B, Deacon W, Mitchell R, Elly A and Lilly M all the very best for their final Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Journey.  This morning our students left from Berowra Waters boat ramp and will make their way over night to Story Park, Hornsby.  The Great North Walk to where the students finish is approx. 24km in rainforest and occasional step terrain environment.  We are looking forward to hearing all their stories upon return to the college, we are sure it will not be an easy hike today.  Good luck to them all.

A big shout out to Milan B and Alexah K of year 8, our under 13 student referees.  Last week the girls refereed all our games at the Broken Bay under 13 Touch Football gala day.  The feedback from the accredited referees and convenors was all student referees did an outstanding job and made the gala day run very smoothly.  A student referee is required for every team entered the gala day.  Milan and Alexah were confident, respectful and represented the college with pride.  Thank you, girls it was a pleasure, to watch you both referee a sport you both play and love.

Here we are a little bit past the halfway mark in Term 1 and already I’ve witnessed so many events and activities to engage and enthuse our students.  I never cease to be amazed and excited by the beautiful buzz that is a school in full flight.

Last week we had our first major carnival of the year in the Swimming Carnival and the atmosphere on these days is so representative of everything St Brigid’s stands for.  There were numerous competitive races complemented by a wide range of novelty events to ensure everyone was included.  The House Spirit was obvious for all to see across the whole day and I absolutely love hearing each House belt out their chants and seeing those students who go the extra mile to deck themselves out in their House colours.  A huge thank you to Mrs McFadden who again delivered an amazing carnival.

As most of you would already be aware, we have implemented a number of changes to the teaching and learning at St Brigid’s this year and so far we have received very positive feedback on how those changes are impacting on the student outcomes in the classroom.  I am enormously grateful for all feedback we receive from our College community and I encourage all of you to offer your insights into the College from your perspective and that of your child’s.  Its so important that as we continue to grow and develop this school that we hear your voice and implement change where necessary to ensure ongoing improvement.

Another new initiative this year has been providing an extra hour per week to our teaching staff so that they can engage in professional learning.  This time is essential to their own growth as a teacher and also provides an opportunity to plan and program engaging lessons for our students.  During this time, we also hold an assembly and a focus of ours has been to further develop our sense of community as each week we sing our National Anthem, a College Hymn and our weekly song which this week was Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”.  Despite my personal shortcomings when it comes to singing, I am a huge advocate for the power of communal singing.  Each week I see the power of it lived out in front of my eyes.  There is increased levels of social connectedness, increased sense of belonging, physical and emotional benefits, and reduced personal stress.  If you get the chance, throw a bit of Bon Jovi on this weekend and get the kids to sing along with you, whether they admit to it or not, they’ll love it and you might just be surprised at how that one simple act can bring a bit more joy into everyone’s life.

Finally, a huge thank you to our incredible, hardworking staff at St Brigid’s.  They are the reason for any success we experience as a school and it is their efforts that ensure St Brigid’s is a place that truly does offer a holistic education.  Their genuine passion for teaching and authentic care of our students is second to none.

Every Wednesday afternoon, our students attend an all-school assembly where they are updated on important information, receive Merit Awards, sing songs, watch drama performances, and participate in house challenges.

On Friday mornings, our students participate in house challenges competing against each other in fun and creative activities to gain points for their respective teams.

Here are some photos of these activities in Term 1, so far.