Dear Parents and friends,

'We are inspired to live our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation by being proactive stewards taking responsibility for the care of our common home and one another". 

As we begin another exciting term, the statement above, taken from the St Brigid’s School Values, is our focus. It reminds us of one of our most important responsibilities as Christians - that we care for this earth and all that was created by our God with all of the skills, talent and knowledge that we possess. To look after the Earth, God’s creation, is the responsibility of the Christian steward. 

As ‘stewards of the earth’ we have been entrusted by God to care for His creation, its resources and people. Vatican II, in 1965, as part of “The Church in the Modern World” document, stated:

God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nations so that all created things would be shared fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity.

At St Brigid’s, through learning based on our School Values, students gradually become familiar with the principles and teachings of Catholic Social Justice. Caritas leads us in learning to not just speak of the importance of loving others, but to become active members of a society that believes in the human dignity of all.

 "The Earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it".   (Psalm 24:1)

 
Yours in Faith, Justice and Learning

CLIMBING FOR THE SUN - CONGRATULATIONS LEVI

What a wonderful achievement. We are so proud of Levi's amazing feat reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Levi has lots of wonderful stories to share with the families of St Brigid's.

'A MATCH MADE FOR HEAVEN'

This morning, Edition No 67 of the quarterly Journey magazine was delivered to school and a  hard copy will be sent home with each child on Monday 5 August. St Brigid's features in two articles; a lovely double-paged article on p48-49 featuring our school's committment and partnership with St Vincent de Paul and the good news story of the Diocesan Project Compassion launch we hosted in Term 1, 2019.

DEEPEST CONDOLENCES

Our love, thoughts and prayers are with Mrs Michelle Wilson and her family at the sad passing away of her mum, Teresa Campedelli. Some staff will attend the funeral in Gerringong on Tuesday in support of our colleague and dear friend, Michelle. 

Eternal rest grant to her, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos will also be sent home on Monday 5 August 2019. Should you wish to order sports and co-curricular photos you can order them online using the access code: 19S1537PRE39S. Click the link below to access the website.

LATE ARRIVALS

Our attendance data is showing an increase in the incidences of some families routinely arriving late for school. As a staff we want to emphasise the importance of being at school on time.

School starts at 8.50am every day. Students need to be in their class line by this time so that they can start their learning promptly. If your child is consistently arriving  late they may be disadvantaged because they miss important morning routines and learning. Sometimes they are unsettled and confused about tasks. 

It is essential that you ensure that your child/ren arrive at school on time to prevent disruption to their learning and that of others.

PRINCIPAL APPRAISAL

As part of the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) Principal Professional Development Planning and Review Process, an Appraisal occurs for each Principal every four years. This provides system and community accountability that is aligned with the School and Improvement process, focusing on the Principal’s leadership achievements and strengths, as well as identify areas for growth and development and future directions.

My Appraisal will be occurring on the 4 September 2019. I invite parents to participate via a short survey (see the link below). Surveys need to be completed before Friday 16 August 2019. If you are unable to access the electronic tool, hard copies of the survey will be available from the office.

PYJAMA DAY ON MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2019

See the Fete News section for more details

EXCITING NEWS

Congratulations to Ms Harris on the recent announcement of her engagement. May you and Nathan both be blessed with life-long love and happiness. We look forward to hearing all about your wedding preparations and sharing this wonderful time with you. 

BOOK CLUB

FATHER'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

The P and F and school have planned a lovely Father's Day celebration for Tuesday 27 August 2019. All orders for the breakfast and the stall must be placed through the Qkr app. There will be no IOU's on the day so please ensure you order by Friday 23 August 2019.

• 7.30pm BBQ breakfast commences in the school playground
• 8.50am liturgy in the Church
• 9.30am selection of gifts at the Father's Day Stall

    

   

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

5 August 2019	P and F Pyjama Day	All day. Please bring your fete donations
12- 14 August 2019	Life Education Van	All day
15 August 2019	Holy Day of Oligation Mass	Whole School at 9.30am
21 August 2019	Book Week Parade	from 10.50am
27 August 2019	Father's Day Celebrations	from 7.30am
14 September 2019	Binniel Spring Fete	9.00am - 2.00pm

LIFE EDUCATION VAN

The Life Education Van NSW will be visiting our school from Monday 12 August 2019 to Wednesday 14 August 2019.  Each class will be visiting the van and participating in a range of programs, which are designed to support and complement the NSW PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) curriculum.

 Life Education NSW provides positive programs that develop the social skills and knowledge necessary for effective decision-making, communication, negotiation, peer resistance and refusal in drug-related situations. Emily Leonarder, the Life Education educator, will conduct the lessons at school in the mobile learning centre.

Further details were sent home this week via Compass.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Last Tuesday we had a wonderful day participating in a variety of events at our Athletics Carnival. We were very grateful for the beautiful sunshine following the postponement of the carnival in Term 2.

Congratulations to the students on their participation and achievement on the day. There were multiple comments made by staff, parents and visitors on how responsible and respectful the students were.

A massive thank you to the students from the University of Wollongong who came and supported the teachers in running the track and field events!

Congratulations to our age champions:

Junior Boys - Ben C        Junior Girls - Tayah A

Senior Boys - Henry J    Senior Girls -  Celeste C

Congratulations to the overall winning house - GOLD!

A squad of students have now been chosen to represent St Brigid’s at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival on Tuesday 13th August. Please ensure all permission notes are returned to the office by Wednesday 7th August 2019.

SPORTING NEWS

Congratulations to Henry J who has been selected in the 2019 NSW Under 13 Boys Hockey Squad. He was also notified yesterday that he has also been selected in the NSW Under 13 State Stars Hockey Team to participate in the National Championships in Hobart in October. 

What a wonderful achievement to be selected in these squads. Well done Henry!

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY FOR PARENTS

St Brigid’s have launched a school based Facebook page that will regularly post announcements about school events, share good news stories and promote upcoming events. The page can be accessed using the following link: 

It is important that all parents are familiar with the Diocesan Social Media Policy and comment and contribute as per the guidelines.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

During August our Parish-based preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist commences. The sessions at St Brigid’s will be held on Wednesday afternoons for one hour from 3.30-4.30pm Please note that a parent must attend each session with their child.

SAVE THE DATE

DATE	EVENT	CLASS
6 August 2019	Mass with the Bishop at St John Vianney	Year 6
8 August 2019	Feast of Mary MacKillop
15 August 2019	Holy Day of Obligation- Mass at 9.30am	Whole School
19 August 2019	Religious Literacy Assessment	Year 4
22 August	Parish Mass	Year 6 and Kinder
27 August	Father's Day Liturgy in the Church	Whole school

Congratulations to the following students on receiving their awards during the last fortnight.

Week 1 - Term 3

Week 2 - Term 3

CLASS	JUSTICE AWARD	LEADER OF THE WEEK
Kindergarten	Sachi	Arielle
Year 1	Isabella	Briella
Year 2	Nohan	Christopher

Congratulations to the students who have received their Assistant Principal Award. Well done!

CLASS	STUDENT
Year 2	Daniel C
Year 1	Briella I
Year 1	Nathaneal J

PIE DRIVE - THANK YOU

Thank you to Ainsley Eckermann who coordinated our inaugural family pie drive with the Qkr! technical support of Anthony Petre. Thanks also to her band of early morning helpers: Louise and Michael Campbell, Pia Petre and Kerry Sweeney. Thank you to all the families who supported this school fundraiser. We hope you enjoyed your delicious pies!

FETE NEWS

St Brigid’s school fete will be held on Saturday 14th September 2019 commencing at 9.00am and concluding at 2.00pm. This is a great opportunity to engage with the school and community in a fun and relaxed environment. International food stalls will be available throughout the day to keep your energy up to enjoy all the rides, stalls and arts and crafts activities. If you are able to help out either on the day or assist with preparations before the event, please click on the following link and put your name next to anything you are able to assist with.  

CANTEEN NEWS - UPCOMING ROSTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming P & F events for your diary:

SECOND HAND BOOKS FOR THE FETE

If you have any second hand books that you would like to dontate to the Fete Book Stall please contact Elizabeth Jones via email eclingan@hotmail.com

WANT TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN THE LIFE OF THE SCHOOL?

Are you interested in volunteering for P&F events? Would you like to help out the wonderful St. Brigid’s community but don’t know where to start? We’d love to have you on board.

Drop the P&F a line and we’d be very happy to get you involved in events or as a coordinator. We can also team you up with an existing volunteer to help share the work and learn the ropes. Email us at pandf@sbgdow.catholic.edu.au
 

THANK YOU to our VOLUNTEERS

If you can volunteer for an hour or two for any upcoming events, please add your name to our google doc

PYJAMA DAY ON MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2019

Happy Birthday to the following students.

We hope you had a great birthday!

St Brigid’s Gwynneville

Saturday	5.30pm Vigil
Sunday	9.00am
Thursday	9.30am

For the most current Mass times and Parish information, please visit the Parish website

PARISH WEBSITE https://www.lumenchristi.org.au/

LOWES SPECIAL

Please find attached a flyer for a Sale that Lowes is having on Thursday 8 August 2019. 

You will need to have one of the loyalty cards, either Lowes Zero Card or Lowes Rewards Cards to get the discount. However, you can apply on the day online or instore.

An invitation is extended to boys and girls 3years and above to try T-ball and Baseball with a free sausage sizzle. See Flyer for details.

Cardinals_Try_Baseball_Flyer_2019.pdf

Cardinals_Try_Baseball_Flyer_2019 _pdf 587.26 KB

 

  

MOUNT ST THOMAS SCOUT GROUP

New Joey section (5-8 years) starting at Mt St Thomas Scout group on Monday 26th August 2019!

Joey Scouts is the first Section of Scouts, for boys and girls aged 5 - 8. It focuses on fun and friendship, and is a gentle introduction to a world of challenges and adventures through Scouting.

Joey Scouts are encouraged to express themselves creatively, through games, stories and craft activities. From building monsters and spaceships from scrap items, to growing plants from seedlings and singing songs together, all Joeys develop a strong sense of belonging and an understanding of the world around them.

Did you know that Scouts NSW is an eligible provider of the Active Kids rebate? Parents and carers of school-aged children in Scouts can receive a $100 voucher from the NSW Government to help cover membership fees.

For more information see https://mtstthomasscouts.wordpress.com/ or call Hannah (Joey Leader) 0412 636011 or James (Cub Leader) 0414 233711.

The production of the Yearbook is currently under way. One main aspect of the Yearbook is the Yearbook Cover Competition. We hold this competition each year to allow the students to design their own Yearbook cover. There are prizes to be won: Front Cover Winner and Back Cover winner. We encourage all students (primary and infants) to enter.

Criteria:

• Portrait A4 size
• The title 'St Brigid's Yearbook 2019'
• NAME and CLASS to written on the BACK of the entry Bright bold colours.

This is a great School Holiday activity. All entries are to be handed in to the school office by Week 5, Term 3. Enter as many times as you like. Be as creative as you like. As it is to be printed bright bold colours are encouraged. Every entry will be printed in the yearbook!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday,

Yearbook Committee