Newsletter September 17th, 2024

Loving and Gracious God,

As we reach the end of another term at St. Brigid’s,
we pause to give thanks for the blessings we have received.
Thank You, Lord, for the opportunities to learn,
for the friendships we have formed,
and for the guidance of our educators.

May the lessons we have shared deepen our understanding
and inspire us to grow in kindness, wisdom, and love.
As we prepare for a time of rest and renewal,
may we carry the spirit of St. Brigid with us,
always remembering her example of generosity and faith.

As we reflect on the term gone by,

We ask for Your protection and care during the upcoming break.

May we return refreshed, renewed, and inspired for the work ahead.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

St Brigid's Primary School Ballan wishes to acknowledge respectfully the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work, learn, play and gather. We pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

A big thank you to Leanne for her time in Year 3/4W this term. Leanne has consistently arrived each day with a smile, bringing positive energy and a strong work ethic to ensure the continued progress of our Year 3/4 students. Her efforts have been greatly appreciated and although Leanne’s time in Year 3/4W concludes this Friday, we will see Leanne next term for CRT work. Thank you Leanne for everything you’ve contributed to our school this term!

All children are expected to be at school ready to begin by 8:55am. Arriving on time for school is important for a number of reasons.  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.

If your child is unwell or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, via a phone call through to the office 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 regarding your child’s absence from school will be sent. Upon receiving a sms, families are expected to phone through to the office to inform the school of their child’s absence.

Students who arrive late or leave early are expected to be signed in/out at the office by a responsible adult. 

To celebrate the end of Term 3, children are invited to dress in footy colours/casual clothes on Friday 20th September. On this day our Parents and Friends Committee are offering hot pies for lunch (no cost involved). There will be no hot lunch orders on this day.

If your child does not want hot pies or if there are any specific dietary requirements please advise via email administration@sbballan.catholic.edu.au

Please send snacks or a sandwich to school if more lunch is needed in addition to the pies.

As previously communicated, school will conclude at 2:20pm on Friday 20th September, 2024. Term 4 will commence on Monday 7th October, 2024.

With planning for the 2025 school year now gathering momentum, I ask families who are aware that they will not be returning to St Brigid’s Primary School next year, to inform Jayne via email - jbosworth@sbballan.catholic.edu.au

Each year, teachers undertake the work of creating class lists for the following year and many hours are spent on this task. Please be assured that teachers use their professional knowledge of students and their professional knowledge of what is best for each individual child when considering groupings. In assigning students to classes, teachers are asked to consider various factors.

Parent/Carer 2025 class requests of a serious nature, need to be emailed to Jayne - jbosworth@sbballan.catholic.edu.au prior to Friday 25th October, 2024. Requests submitted after this date will not be considered. Please note requests are not guaranteed.

Grandparents day will take place on Friday 22nd November and will consist of a Liturgy at 9:00am followed by activities. More information will be circulated early in Term 4.

Our school disco will now take place on Friday 8th November at the Mechanics Hall.

Tickets are available via the Spriggy Schools App.

On Sunday 24th November, we have the opportunity to host a Bunnings BBQ (Creswick Road). For this to proceed, we will require a number of volunteers. Please fill out the following survey, if you are able to assist on the day.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M7RYS5M

Our P&F are in the process of creating a St Brigid's School Cookbook. Please click on the following link to submit your recipe or collect a hard copy from the office: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCDNJBT

Whole school prayer/Assembly will again take place in Term 3 from 9:00am - 9:20am. The timetable is as follows:

Assembly Schedule Term 4

Our next P&F meeting will take place on Thursday 10th October 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.

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.

Monthly statements are being emailed and would appreciate all accounts being paid by 5th December, 2024. if you have any queries or need to know your balance please contact Tracey in the office. 

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.