Newsletter February 13th, 2024

Lenten Prayer God,

You created us as one human family, to care for our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

We pray that during this time of Lent, we will listen to Pope Francis’ call for ‘justice, fairness and respect for every human being.’

Help us to work together to ensure that all people share in the fruits of the earth.

Give us the wisdom to see Lent as an opportunity to act to end poverty so that all people may live their lives in justice and dignity.

We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.

Amen

“ASPIRE NOT TO HAVE MORE, BUT TO BE MORE!”

Dear Parents and Families,

This year, Ash Wednesday is on February 14th, marking the beginning of the Lenten season, a time of reflection and spiritual renewal in the Christian calendar.

Ash Wednesday holds significant importance, signifying a period of fasting and prayer observed by many believers. Grounded in ancient Jewish traditions of penance and fasting, this day is symbolized by the application of ashes on the forehead, representing the dust from which God made us.

To delve deeper into the significance of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season, you can find valuable insights at: https://bustedhalo.com/video/watch-lent-3-minutes

You  are invited to join us tomorrow as we gather for the Ash Wednesday Mass at 9:15am at St. Brigid’s Church. It's an opportunity for students and staff to embark on this journey of spiritual growth and understanding, marking the commencement of Lent and reflecting on the true essence of Ash Wednesday.

Have a wonderful week.

Take care and God bless,

Jayne Bosworth

'Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.'

Excerpt from St Brigid's Prayer

Parents and families will be provided with the opportunity to touch base with their child’s classroom teacher through our Parent/Teacher conversations that will take place today, Tuesday 13th February and tomorrow, Wednesday 14th February. The conversations will take onsite at St Brigid’s.

Our Parent/Teacher Conversations provide valuable opportunities for the teacher and parents/carers to share and learn more about a student socially, emotionally and academically.

They are an effective way to establish and maintain collaborative relationships between parents/carers and teachers with the purpose of getting to know each student as a person and learner.

The conversations will take place onsite at St Brigid’s. Bookings are open, all families can book a suitable time through PAM/SIMON Everywhere.

All of the timetabled events (to date) for the school year can be found on our school calendar which can be accessed through PAM and via this newsletter.

This year we will be participating in a swimming program from Foundation - Year 6 at the new Salt Water Swim School in Bacchus Marsh. This will consist of a 5 day intensive swimming program, where children will participate in a 30 minute lesson each day.

Swimming and water safety is included in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum from Foundation to Level 10. This means that schools must ensure that they are implementing a swimming and water safety program that meets the requirements of the curriculum. Development of knowledge and skills relating to survival swimming and basic water safety can significantly reduce a child’s drowning risk and enhance community safety.

Class groupings attending are as follows:

• Year 3/4W; Year 4/5A; Year 5/6B - Monday 26th February - Friday 1st March
• FC; Year 1/2R; Year 1/2S - TBC

Further information regarding times of lessons and travel details were sent via PAM.

Please ensure that your child is wearing the correct summer uniform to school each day including bringing the St Brigid’s school bag to and from school daily. A navy wide brim hat is also required, which stays at school for the Term. If your child does not have a hat to wear they will need to play in the sheltered area only during breaks. 

Children are able to wear sports uniform each Wednesday and on classroom nominated sports day as directed by your child’s classroom teacher. Given the nature of Physical Education lessons, on Wednesday’s children can wear either correct sports shorts or pants.

We are currently exploring options regarding rain coats. More details to follow regarding these items.

School fees will be invoiced to families next week via email with direct debits commencing on February 15th, 2024.

An early payment discount of $100 is offered where the family fee account is paid in full by 15^th February, 2024.

Fees/Levies are due and payable in full by November 29^th 2024 unless a direct debit is in place or a payment plan has been otherwise arranged.

A fee payment plan must be completed by all families and returned to the school office as soon as possible.

All children are expected to be at school ready to begin by 8:55am. Arriving on time for school is important. The first 10 minutes of school is a vital time of the day when the day's routine and structure is established. It is a time for ‘tuning in’ and focusing on the learning intentions for the day. It is very difficult for children arriving late to ‘catch up on this missed information. Parents are expected to phone through to the office the child’s absence on the day, or through our school Parent Access Module (PAM). If there has been no contact from the family in the morning of the absence, a sms from the office confirming the child’s absence from school will be sent.

Just a reminder that there will be no hot lunches in Term 1! Hot lunches will resume again in Term 2. If you are able to assist with hot lunches on a Friday, please contact the school office.

Our first Parents and Friends meeting for 2024 will take place on Monday 4th March from 3.15pm - 4.00pm in our school Library. An active P&F committee allows families the opportunity to play a valuable part in providing social and fundraising activities.  Please attend this meeting if you are interested in joining our P&F committee. Any help would be greatly appreciated as all funds raised contribute to resources and materials to support your children in their holistic development.

SZappp Mobile Application is a fantastic way for communicating and making information or resources available to our St Brigid's school community. 

Please follow the instructions in the below guide on how to install the SZappp and register an email account for communication.