Newsletter November 16th, 2021
Lord,
Community is many things to many people
but perhaps we might acknowledge at this moment in time,
that community is simply a sense of cohesiveness
among a group of people:
people who support and interact positively together.
Community makes a difference to our lives.
In community we are inspired and encouraged
to be the best we can be.
We are challenged to overcome barriers and adversity together.
In community we embrace difference
and acknowledge the many gifts of those within.
We grow in wisdom and knowledge
and are strengthened through the sharing
of experiences, insights and reflections.
So together we pray
May our lights shine in our community
Transform us as we seek to transform:
Guide us, open our minds and hearts;
so we can walk with those in our care,
attentive to the Wisdom that
calls us to the Kingdom of God.
May the members of our community who are unwell
be wrapped up in your love and care.
Amen
Dear Parents and Families,
I would like to begin this week by expressing my absolute gratitude to our wonderful St Brigid’s community. Thank you for your patience, understanding and willingness to adapt to an evolving situation. I acknowledge the challenges that are presented with the move back to Remote Learning, however the health and safety of our community has always and will continue to be at the centre of every decision I make.
Throughout the past week, the staff at St Brigid’s, Grampians Public Health Unit, Catholic Education Ballarat and the broader St Brigid's Catholic Primary School community have worked incredibly hard and efficiently to ensure the safety of the school community in conjunction with continuing to provide support to the educational needs of the students. We will continue to work in the best interest of our community and keep you informed.
At present there are 8 known positive cases within our school community and several confirmed Close Contacts. All staff are being tested regularly, all with negative results.
As we begin this week, sense of community is perhaps more important than ever. Please continue to keep the members of our community who are unwell in your thoughts and prayers. Throughout this week, I will be calling into classroom Google Meets to check in with each class.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
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
On Friday and throughout the weekend, I have engaged in conversations with Catholic Education Ballarat (CEB) regarding the roll-out of the Rapid Antigen Testing Program. Catholic Education Ballarat has direct contact with the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) and the Department of Education and Training.
The Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) has been piloted in a small number of Department schools. I will continue conversations with CEB regarding the RAT program and will keep you informed with further updates.
There was such joy and excitement as we held our annual St Brigid’s Cup a couple of weeks ago. The children and staff looked amazing in their special race outfits! It was wonderful to see members of our community gather to watch this event.
Congratulations to our ‘Fashions on the Field’ winners pictured below:
Teachers are presently undertaking the work of creating class lists for next year and many hours are spent on this task. Please be assured that teachers use their professional knowledge of students and their judgement of what is best for each individual child when considering groupings. In assigning students to classes, teachers are asked to consider the following criteria to ensure an even spread of:
- Learning abilities
- Boys and girls even grade levels
- Learning friends - these are not necessarily social friends but students they enjoy and work well with - students are asked for their input in this area
- Friendship groups - again students are asked for their input
I am very pleased to share with you that our class structure for 2022 is as follows:
- 1 x Foundation/Year One class
- 1 x Year Two class
- 1 x Year Three/Four class
- 2 x Year Five and Six classes
Within the next two weeks, I will communicate with you teacher allocations for next year, and shortly after, your child’s class for 2022.
We are very happy to finally inform you that our upcoming ‘Year 6 Graduation - 2021’ will take place on Thursday 9th December, 2021. Graduation will consist of a Liturgy at 2:00pm in the St Brigid's church followed by a dinner at Donegan’s Farm, Wallace, arriving at 5:30pm and commencing at 6:00pm sharp. Further information regarding Year 6 Graduation including formal invitations will be distributed to families this week.
Please note the change of dates for our sacramental program:
- Friday 26th November - 6.00pm at St Brigid's, Ballan
- Saturday 27th November - 12.00pm at St Brigid's, Ballan
Please keep the following children in your prayers as they continue their sacramental journey:
Kristian Seketa, Joel Card, Eamon Grigg, Ruby Sims, Tahni Muscat, Ava Conroy, Nicholas Primerano, Angus Eskdale, Aoife Lakey, Jake Plageman, Madison Buttigieg, Henry Freemantle, Bryson McMillan, Mate Marinovic, Jaimi Reid, Clara Monterosso, Terrence Ozimek
Hot Lunches will recommence on Friday 26th November and will be available each Friday. We thank Mickal Trinder and Hayley Plageman for volunteering their time to do this. The children will be very excited!
Please see the attached menu for options and pricing. A copy will also be made available on PAM.
Lunch orders are due in by no later than Wednesday afternoon and are to be placed in the blue lunch tin in the main school foyer.
Please write your child’s name, class and lunch items on a brown paper bag, and enclose money. Any change will be taped to the paper bags. Please remember, two bags are required if having a dessert item as well.
We have some existing orders from earlier in Term 3. If you have an existing order, we will communicate this with you via your child’s Seesaw account. This order can roll over to next weeks hot lunch order.
Mass Times:
| 1st Sunday | 2nd Sunday | 3rd Sunday | 4th Sunday | 5th Sunday | |
| Saturday 6.30pm | Dunnstown | Springbank | Dunnstown | Clarkes Hill | Springbank |
| Sunday 8.45am | Gordon | Bungaree | Gordon | Gordon | Bungaree |
| Sunday 10.30am | Ballan | Ballan | Ballan | Ballan | Ballan |
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