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Courage: We are challenged to be authentic and respond to the Holy Spirit by being advocates for truth and justice.
This term, we focus on the St Brigid’s school value of Courage. At Confirmation, we believe that the Holy Spirit in each of us is strengthened, after first coming to us at the Sacrament of Baptism. We ask for his presence within us in order to live as Jesus showed us. As Christians, we all know how difficult it can be at times to stand for justice and morality in a world that constantly challenges these ideals.
Our students will be reminded, this term, that a person who stands up for what is right, even at the risk of being ridiculed or isolated, demonstrates courage in the sight of our God. It takes great strength and personal conviction to speak up for justice against the bully or those seeking to harm our world through greed or striving for power.
Pope Francis, speaking about Christian courage, said: Let us also remember Peter: three times he denied Jesus, precisely when he should have been closest to him; and when he hits rock bottom he meets the gaze of Jesus who patiently, wordlessly, says to him: "Peter, don’t be afraid of your weakness, trust in me". Peter understands. He feels the loving gaze of Jesus, and he weeps. His courage comes through the love of Jesus himself, and the presence of his Holy Spirit within.
Even our children require courage as they go about their daily lives. Their prayer for this term might be:
Jesus, when the time comes for me to be brave, help me remember you are always with me. Give me a courageous heart — a faithful heart that does the right thing, even if it's afraid.
Yours in Faith, Justice and Learning
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM DAY – 7 NOVEMBER 2019
KINDERGARTEN TRANSITION PROGRAM FOR 2020
We have completed the first part of our Transition program with 8 optional playgroup sessions in the hall. It was wonderful getting to know the families who are joining our school community next year. We now move into the next stage with move formal compulsory sessions for both parents and students.
Session 1 - Compulsory 14 November 2019 9:15am -11:15am parents and child
Session 2 - Compulsory 21 November 2019 9:15am -11:15am child only
Session 3 - Compulsory 28 November 2019 9:15am -11:15am parents and child
GARDEN PROJECT
Following the building of our new vegetable garden and the planting of vegetables, herbs and citrus seedlings, our garden is really thriving. Thank you to Mrs Cuff and the Environment Club for taking care of our vegetable garden and picking our recent harvest. The next stage of the project will be establishing our composting method and its location.
PRINCIPAL'S AWARD
| Year 2 | Philippa L |
STAFFING NEWS
Congratulations to Ms Kelly Young who was the successful applicant for a full-time position at Stella Maris, Shellharbour. Kelly has worked at St Brigid's for 10 years in a variety of roles and we thank her most sincerely for the dedication she has shown to students and their families over this significant time.
Following a recruitment process, Ms Brooke McMahon will join the St Brigid's staff in a full-time temporary position next year.
THANK YOU MS SPARKS
I'd sincerely like to thank Ms Kate Sparks for the commitment and passion she has for all things sport. Entering our senior girls team in the 36th Annual Catholic Primary Schools (CPS) Basketball Challenge required months of training and preparation so that our girls could shine at their much anticipated weekend in Albury. Everyone had a great time and the team performed admirably.
LEARNING LABS AT THE UOW
This is an academic enrichment program designed for students who are motivated and passionate learners and performing excellently in their area of interest. First-time applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for the program. One piece of supporting documentation is required. Applications close on 12 November 2019.
- Parents/Guardians visit the website and read the full list of workshops available by scrolling to the “January workshops overview” section.
- Parents/Guardians to fill out the online application form.
- Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 6 – 8 January 2020
- Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 14 – 16 January 2020
UPCOMING EVENTS
| 18 November 2019 | Year 5 Excursion | All day |
| 19 November 2019 | Year 1 Excursion | All day |
| 22 November 2019 | Talent Expo | 1:40pm - 3:40pm |
| 24 November 2019 | Working Bee and BBQ | 10:30am |
| 29 November 2019 | Year 6 day of the Notables | All day |
| 10 December 2019 | Year 6 Graduation | From 5:30pm |
| 17 December 2019 | Thanksgiving Mass, final assembly, Christmas Carols and Ringing of Bell | From 9:30am |
LEARNING LOGS
This Friday 8 November 2019 the students will be bringing home their workbooks to
share their last four weeks of learning. Please take the time to view your child’s work books and spend some time reflecting on their learning goals and achievements. Students will then complete their online reflection with you.
The students are asked to answer the following questions as part of their reflection:
- What have you learned?
- What helped you in your learning?
- How would you do things differently next time?
Reflections are to be posted on Seesaw (Kindergarten and Year 1) or Google Classroom (Year 2 - 6). All student workbooks MUST be returned to school on Monday 11 November 2019.
ICAS SCIENCE ASSESSMENT
Last Term a group of Stage 3 students participated in the ICAS Science Assessment. Congratulations to the following students on the wonderful results they achieved:
| PARTICIPATION | MERIT | CREDIT | DISTINCTION |
|
Keira B Luca S Nathan A Noelia S |
Daniel D Harper D |
Atticus C Celeste C Henry J |
SPORTING NEWS
Congratulations to Celeste C who competed at the PSSA Carnival on Wednesday. Celeste came 15th in her event and should be so proud of her achievement. Well done!
Congratulations to Henry J who has been named in the U13 NSW Lions Indoor team for the upcoming 2020 National Indoor Championships, that will be played in Wollongong from Saturday 18th January to Tuesday 21st January 2020.
Good luck to the following students attending Diocesan trials in the coming weeks:
- Harrison M and Hudson S - Cricket on Tuesday 12 November 2019
- Robbie L, Max D, Luca D, Leki D - Basketball on Tuesday 19 November 2019
SUPER HERO JUSTICE DAY - Monday 11 November 2019
Students are asked to come dressed as your own or favourite super hero and to donate a gold coin towards the appeal.
In addition, they are running a colouring in competition for infants and primary classes.
All proceeds raised will assist our local St Vincent de Paul conference in the work they do.
Please see Harper and Milli’s flyer.
MORE ABOUT ST VINCENT DE PAUL
The St Vincent de Paul Society’s members and volunteers reach out to the most vulnerable in our community through our Conferences, Special Works and Vinnies shops.
Members and volunteers assist people in need and do not discriminate against cultural, religious or political beliefs.
The Society aspires to be recognised as a caring Catholic charity offering “a hand up” to people in need. We do this by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
As Christmas approaches, our goal is to provide patrons with hampers to assist with Christmas preparations and Christmas Day.
Each year St Vincent de Paul Homelessness Coordination Services and the Illawarra/Shoalhaven Vinnies Van, based at 12-16 Miller St, Coniston, provides over 240 hampers filled with pantry items, Christmas goodies, small toys and other items.
So this year, our St Brigid’s community will be contributing to two hamper drives.
The first one, for the Vinnies Van will take place next week. I have indicated in the table below the items that each grade will need to bring in, however any donation will be appreciated.
| GRADE | ITEM |
| Kindergarten | Large packets of chips /Packets of jelly crystals |
| Year 1 | Colouring books and colouring pencils |
| Year 2 | Packets of lollies |
| Year 3 | Men's toiletry items - eg. deodorant, soap, toothpaste, shaving cream |
| Year 4 | Christmas goodies - eg. shortbreads / mince pies |
| Year 5G | Long life milk |
| Year 5W | Long life custard |
| Year 6 | Puddings |
The second fundraiser will take place in Week 7 and this will be for our local conference of St Vincent de Paul. More information in the next Brigid Bulletin.
I understand that this is a big ask at this time of the year, but we are the fortunate ones!
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 19:17
SAVE THE DATE
|
Monday 11 Nov |
Rememberance Day Prayer 10.50 am Led by 5W |
Whole School |
|
Monday - Friday 11 - 15 Nov |
Vinnies Van Christmas Hamper Fundraiser |
Whole School |
| Thursday 14 Nov | Parish Mass 9:30 am |
Year 4 |
| Thursday 21 Nov | Parish Mass 9:30 am |
Year 2 |
|
Monday - Friday 25 - 29 Nov |
St Vincent de Paul Local Conference Christmas Hamper Fundraiser |
Whole School |
|
Thursday 28 Nov |
Parish Mass 9:30 am |
Year 1 |
Parents and friends in the St Brigid’s community are warmly invited to an afternoon showcase of talent at the school. Throughout the year, students in our school have been invited to participate in a number of programs and activities designed to extend and challenge their capabilities across a wide number of areas.
These have included the following:
- Da vinci Decathlon - a multi school Illawarra challenge designed to stimulate deep thinking and creative responses across many areas of the curriculum
- Maths Olympiad - a nationwide competition designed to push the mathematical capabilities of high achievers in this Key Learning Area
- SPLICED - a diocesan initiative that enables students to extend their artistic, scientific and linguistic skills as they engage with an independent project throughout the year
- WRITE ON - a competition, run by NESA, tailored to gifted or high achieving writers across New South Wales, giving them a chance to show their linguistic, creative and critical writing skills
- Young Archies - a competition run by the Art Gallery of NSW, inviting talented artists to design and paint a portrait of a special person in their lives
- Dicoesan Public Speaking Competition - a diocesan initiative aimed at providing opportunities for children to present topics of importance to them to a larger audience
- Christmas Art Competition - another diocesan initiative aimed at providing opportunities for students to express their personal experience of the Christmas Story through artwork
- Plugged Enrichment Program - a school based program aimed at providing students with opportunities to build their coding and robotics skills
All of the above will be showcased on the day.
Date: Friday 22 November 2019
Time: 1:40pm - 3:40pm
Venue: School Hall and Library
Congratulations to the following students on receiving their awards during the last fortnight.
Week 3 - Term 4
| CLASS | FAITH AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK |
| Kindergarten | Ireland C | Tom S |
| Year 1 | Ruby T | Daniel M |
| Year 2 | Anthony S | Georgia H |
| Year 3 | Andy P | Samuel S |
| Year 4 | Dalton Y | Luca D |
| Year 5G | Thomas W | Kyah Z |
| Year 5W | Tilly B | Max H |
| Year 6 | Celeste C | Madi M |
Week 4 - Term 4
| CLASS | JUSTICE AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK |
| Kindergarten | Arielle N | Allaria D |
| Year 1 | Sarah Mc | Ali S |
| Year 2 | Reed B | Nohan M |
| Year 3 | Grace D | Abby H |
| Year 4 | Dara A | Thomas S |
| Year 5G | Keira B | Caelan S |
| Year 5W | Erin R | Jasper R |
| Year 6 | Lucas R | Zane M |
Congratulations to the students who have received their Assistant Principal's Award. Well done!
| CLASS | STUDENT |
| Year 2 | Amelia E-B |
| Year 2 | Philippa L |
| Year 5W | Tilly B |
After a couple of months training at the Snakepit before school on Fridays, the St Brigid's Basketball team was ready and eager to complete in the 36th Annual Catholic Primary Schools (CPS) Basketball Challenge. This Challenge is the largest statewide Catholic Primary Schools basketball competition.
This year the event was hosted by St Anne's, Holy Spirit and St Patrick's in Albury. It was a huge competition involving over 1000 participants competing in 127 teams from 25 schools, representing 9 dioceses across NSW and ACT - from Taree in the north to Albury in the south and Griffith in the west.
St Brigid's was represented by our Senior Girls Team. This team played very well in three challenging games on Saturday, with some wins and losses recorded. At the completion of the day teams were ranked against all the other schools in their competition and placed into a new draw for Sunday. The Senior Girls team was ranked 19th out of 32 teams! This made it 3rd in Division 3 and the best result we have recorded for a Senior Girls team since we entered this competition. The girls were successful in their first game against Young on Sunday, winning 17 - 8, but were narrowly defeated by Goulburn in the semi-finals.
It was wonderful to see the girls newly-mastered basketball skills on show during the weekend, with some amazing shots made by our players from around the court. Both our offence and deffence improved with each game. Great teamwork was shown by all players as they supported each other throughout their games.
I'd sincerely like to offer a BIG thank you to our parent manager, Mr Jackson, for his organisation and the smooth running of our team over the two days.
Also a BIG thank you to Mr Kouzan and Kacey Kouzan (a former St Brigid's participant in the CPS Basketball) for stepping up to do the score bench for the five games we played over the weekend.
This was a great community event for St Brigid's. It was wonderful to see parents and families in attendance. Thank you to the parents who supported their daughters and our school over the weekend. I appreciate you both arranging your daughter's participation in the early morning trainings and your organisation during the Challenge weekend.
Congratulations and thank you to these students who committed themselves to weekly training sessions and the weekend itself:
Kyra B, Harper D, Jordyn D, Sally F, Ruby J, Breanna K, Jahzara M and Madi M
A great weekend was had by all those involved both on and off the court.
Ms Sparks
Happy Birthday to the following students.
We hope you have a great birthday!
| Kindergarten | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
| Molly | Aryan | Robbie | ||||
The 2019 St Brigid's Yearbook is now available to pre-order for $20.00 via Qkr! The Yearbook is a yearly publication which covers events throughout the school year. It is a great memento for the students to keep and look back on. Please place your order by Friday 6 December 2019.
CANTEEN NEWS - UPCOMING ROSTER
| WEEK 5 TERM 4 | |
| 11 November 2019 | Maria Ianni |
| 13 November 2019 | Saira Mussared |
| 14 November 2019 | Kerry Sweeney |
| 15 November 2019 | Lorraine Shine and Emma Tenkate |
| WEEK 6 TERM 4 | |
| 18 November 2019 | Julie Phillipson |
| 20 November 2019 | Karen Birch and Bec Subotic |
| 21 November 2019 | Karen Birch |
| WEEK 7 TERM 4 | |
| 25 November 2019 | Jim Armstrong and Gabrielle Micallef |
| 27 November 2019 | Daniel St Archangel |
| 28 November 2019 | Marie Linnehan and Lauren Woodcock |
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
CAN YOU VOLUNTEER AN HOUR OR TWO?
Thank you to Gary, Michael, Martin and Cristian who covered the Trans Tasman Test and Hawks Games.
If you can volunteer for an hour or two for any upcoming events, please add your name to our Google document below.
- 09 November 2019 - Australian Supercross 5:00pm
- 16 November 2019 - The Wiggles x 3 shows (10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm)
- 25 November 2019 - Illawarra Hawks v Cairns Taipans 7:30pm tip off
- 16 December 2019 - Illawarra Hawks v Melbourne 7:30pm tip off
- 22 December 2019 - Illawarra Hawks v NZ Breakers 3:00pm tip off
- 31 December 2019 - NYE and Illawarra Hawks v Sydney Kings 5:30pm tip off
The P&F Fete Committee would like to thank all our generous sponsors for contributing to a wonderful community event.
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
COMMUNITY NEWS
Songs of Joy - 15 December 2019
Ss Peter and Paul Church Kiama - 2:30 pm
A combined chorus of over 180 singers from Sydney and the South Coast are joining together for a sensational afternoon of song.
Antoinette Raynal, Director of Katandra Womens A Cappella says “ the joy of singing has such an impact on both the audience and the singers, nothing beats the excitement and impact of such a beautiful big sound.
Sydneys’ Hummingsong choirs Maribella and Senisuara, as recently seen on TV in Australia’s Got Talent, are the special guests for the event.
The Finale features the Kiama youth group ‘The Sing Space Vocal Ensemble ‘ leading the combined chorus in singing “One Voice”. Sure to create a moving highlight which will raise the roof and cheer in the season!
Entry to the concert is by donation with all proceeds going to Charity “The Homestead of Hope”. A proud collaborative endeavor by Kiama churches to support those in need within our community.