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The Spirit makes all things new; we are the ones who grow old and want to keep everything to our aged way of doing things… the Spirit is never old, the Spirit is always young.’ Oscar Romero
Next weekend our Lumen Christi Pastoral region will celebrate the Confirmation of 100 candidates on the Feast of Pentecost. I am very grateful to Bishop Brian Mascord, Fr Bernard Gordon, Cathy Zamroz and a host of teacher and parent volunteers who journeyed with the candidates during this important time of initiation into the Catholic Church.
Every Sacrament not only draws us more deeply into the mystery of Christ but it also draws us more deeply into the mystery of the Church. Through the laying on of hands and the anointing with the oil of chrism the candidates will be received into full membership of the Church, as followers of Jesus.
The first followers of Jesus weren’t strong, courageous or even very faithful. They betrayed, denied and deserted Jesus when he needed them the most. After his death they hid themselves away in fear as they had lost all heart and hope.
Then the oddest thing happens to them when the room they were gathered in, became filled with the sound of a mighty wind and the sight of fire! These frightened men and women are transformed through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now they are given new hope, new heart and new purpose. Their fear and silence is replaced by courage and conviction. They leave their hiding place and make their way into the streets and proclaim the good news of the Resurrection. They become new people with a new message.
We are no different than these disciples. Through our Baptism and Confirmation, each of us has been filled and anointed with the exact same Holy Spirit. Just as the first followers of this proclaimed the good news about Jesus; we too are called to do the exact same today. Just as these men and women were transformed into energetic and outspoken witnesses of Jesus, so too must each of us today.
In the story of Pentecost, there is nothing gentle or mild. The Holy Spirit is powerful, life-changing and energetic. The Holy Spirit challenges us and calls us to change.
The Spirit, as Saint Paul says, unites us to Christ: ‘Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.’ (Romans 8: 9).
Come, Holy Spirit, renew your Church and stir up your people.
In place of fear, give us courage to go where you call us.
In place of apathy, give us a passion to proclaim.
In place of shyness, give us the right words to speak.
In place of reticence, motivate us to deeds of love.
Send us out as labourers in the harvest that, through our words
and actions, all those we meet may hear God’s word in us. Amen.
Yours in Faith, Justice and Learning
APPRECIATING MOTHER'S BBQ BREAKFAST AND LITURGY
Despite the brisk 12.7 degrees this morning, we had a scrumptious breakfast prepared and cooked with perfection. It was wonderful to see so many families in attendance to celebrate the gift of our mothers.
A huge thank you to our Coordinator Lara P and the following parent helpers: Renee D, Shae R, Luke M, Mark E, Adam T, Justin H, Dave Mc, Svetlana T, Cindy M and Claire S.
200 YEARS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
Catholic Education is celebrating 200 years in Australia, marking the bicentenary of the first Catholic school established in Parramatta in October 1820.
“Faith in the future” has been developed for the 200 years celebrations. The theme reflects the core purpose of Catholic education to form students in their faith, and to provide an education that enables our graduates to make a meaningful contribution to the world. The theme reflects our commitment to build on the great work of those who have come before us, and to provide a Catholic education for future generations of students in a world that is rapidly changing and poses new challenges for Catholic school communities. Yet, we have faith that we can face these challenges and continue to build on, and strengthen our mission of Catholic education.
The first Catholic school in Australia was founded in October 1820 by Irish Catholic priest Fr John Therry and run by convict and lay person George Marley. The school, which Catholic historians believe was in Hunter Street, Parramatta, taught 31 students. By 1833, there were 10 Catholic schools in the colony.
Over 200 years, Catholic schools have grown to become the largest provider of schooling in Australia (outside government) with one in five school age students attending a Catholic school.
This represents 777,000 students in 1,755 schools across the country and employing over 100,000 teachers and staff. Nearly 40 per cent of Catholic schools are located outside of metropolitan cities in regional, rural and remote communities.
The formal celebrations were due to be held from October 2020 to October 2021. However, due to pandemic restrictions, the celebrations will be held on the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians on 24 May 2021. St Brigid's School Captains, Edwina and Luca will accompany me to the celebration at St John Vianney's Co-Cathedral.
National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 21st successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.
By facilitating NSS we aim to:
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promote the value of reading and literacy,
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promote the value and fun of books,
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promote an Australian writer and publisher,
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promote storytime activities in libraries and communities around the country,
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and provide opportunities to involve parents, grandparents, the media and others to participate in and enjoy the occasion.
Imagine astronauts reading stories from space to school children & families in an exciting new program that combines literature with science!
ALIA along with Scholastic, the Australian Space Agency and the Office of the Chief Scientist invites you to join us for an intergalactic experience with the NSS 2021 book being read by the astronaut Dr Shannon Walker from the International Space Station.
At 11:00am, students at St Brigid's will join over 1 million children for this event.
NAPLAN ONLINE
This week students in Year 3 and Year 5 participated in the NAPLAN online assessments. NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, presenting students with questions that may be more or less difficult – resulting in better assessment and more precise results. It tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.
- Hasties Meats - who donated all the sausages
- Bob and Pete’s - who gave us the bread at cost
- The Ferri family (Figtree Gourmet Kitchen) who donated and sliced the onions
- Packaging Direct - gloves and cleaning products
- PFD food services - sauce donation
MACKILLOP HOCKEY
CATHEDRAL CAR PARKING - CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS
This is a great way to contribute to our best fundraising opportunity. This year we are working towards adding to our play equipment and hopefully purchasing a geoclimber. We also need to replace some flexible furniture items for the classroom.
Can you assist at the upcoming events?
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DATE |
EVENT |
VOLUNTEER TIME |
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26 May 2021 |
Tina Arena |
7:00pm - 8:00pm |
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29 May 2021 |
Tran Tasman Test |
1:30pm - 2:30pm |
|
19 June 2021 |
Dragons v Canberra |
4:00pm - 5:30pm |
|
19 June 2021 |
The Veronica's |
5:30pm - 7:00pm |
If you can assist with car parking at any of the above events, please click on the link below to add your name.
| EVENT | DATE | TIME |
| Year 4 Excursion to the Rocks | Thursday 20 May 2021 | All day |
| Whole School Liturgy | Monday 24 May 2021 | 2:00pm |
| Activate Fire for Year 6 | Tuesday 25 May 2021 | All day |
| Kindergarten 2022 parent night | Wednesday 26 May 2021 | 5:00pm |
| St Brigid's Kid's Disco | Friday 28 May 2021 | 5:30pm &7:30pm |
| Jersey Day for Vinnies Winter Appeal | Friday 4 June 2021 | All day |
| Special Food Day | Friday 4 June 2021 | 12:50pm |
| School Photos | Tuesday 8 June 2021 | All day |
| South Coast Netball Gala Day | Tuesday 15 June 2021 | All day |
| St Brigid's Athletics Carnival | Wednesday 16 June 2021 | All day |
TRASH FREE TUESDAY Term 2 Week 3 and 4 Winners
Reporting from the St Brigid's SRC news desk is SRC Chair person Natalia:
'Congratulations to all our students on their efforts in bringing in 'trash free' lunch boxes on Tuesday, the results for Week 3 are:
Kindergarten - 59%
Year 1 - 21%
Year 2 - 52%
Year 3 - 76%
Year 4 - 81%
Year 5 - 52%
Year 6 - 59 %
The results for Week 4 are:
Kindergarten - 76 %
Year 1 - 38 %
Year 2 - 70 %
Year 3 - 76 %
Year 4 - 80 %
Year 5 - 50 %
Year 6 - 59 %
Congratulations to Year 4! You are the winners 2 weeks in a row. Can our other classes top Year 4's amazing effort?
The 'TRASH FREE TUESDAY' Champions for Term 1 were Year 4 and Year 5! They were rewarded last week with a picnic lunch and extra play. The students got to sample some fresh produce from our school garden. They enjoyed the fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, basil and parsley. Here are some photos of the experience.
NAPLAN 2021 Successfully Completed
A HUGE congratulations to all our Year 3 and Year 5 students who completed the 2021 NAPLAN online tests this week. The students were very calm and they all tried their best. A big THANK YOU to the Year 3 and Year 5 teachers and School Support Officers for helping the students prepare for the tests throughout Term 1 and the start of Term 2.
Focusing on Teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) at St Brigid's
Our teachers are very busy programming some motivating and exciting English Concept units that incorporate social and emotional learning this term. Developing social and emotional skills are important for all children growing up in our complex society. So what is social and emotional learning? Put simply it is exploring the significance of emotions; learning how to identify, listen to, accept, understand, respond to, and channel our own feelings respectfully, lovingly and responsibly; personal and social responsibility; the personal and social skills of: self-awareness; self-management; social-awareness; relationship-building skills; and moral decision-making; and formation of conscience. For the remainder of Term 2, all students will learn about respectful relationships, resilience, friendships, problem solving, belonging, change and identity through reading, writing, speaking and listening activities using quality mentor texts to draw out the social and emotional themes. Teachers will also explicitly teach SEL through Religious Education lessons, including daily Christian Meditation and the PB4L framework.
ST BRIGID'S HAS GOT TALENT...2021 TALENT SHOW COMING SOON!
The Year 6 Leadership Team are pleased to announce the upcoming 2021 Talent Show. This will be a non-competitive showcase of the amazing talent at St Brigid's. Registrations for events open in Week 6.
- Entries are open for group or solo performances for Year 2-6 students
- Each entry must be a maximum of 2 minutes
- Talent Show will be held on Friday June 25 at 11:30am
- Audience: whole school and parents/carers
Year 6 will provide more details at the Friday assembly and in the coming weeks. Start rehearsing boys and girls, we can't wait to see the talent at St Brigid's.
OUR LADY HELP of CHRISTIANS
The feast day of Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844.
The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in the early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive.
Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.
When Australia became the first country to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title, which is St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
In our Prayer for Our Lady Help of Christians, the Church prays that through Our Lady’s intercession, God will “grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens”, so that “under her protection Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace”.
AND SO WE PRAY...
Almighty God, deepen in our hearts
our love of Mary Help of Christians.
Through her prayers and under her protection,
may the light of Christ shine over our land.
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.
Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.
Bless especially the men and women
of the Australian Defence Force and their families.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.
200 YEARS of CATHOLIC EDUCATION
How you can help in the celebrations!
Calling on ex-students - parents, grandparents and great grandparents.
We will be putting together a display for the Library, showing education over the last 200 years. You can help by providing us with any artefacts that you may still have from your school days - uniforms, hats, exercise books, assessments (tests), photos, anything!
Please send in items to the school office with your name on any memorabilia. We will scan items where we can and send the originals home.
MORE THAN A WORD - RECONCILIATION TAKES ACTION
National Sorry Day 2021 falls this year on Wednesday 26 May and is a day when we pause to remember the Stolen Generations of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It leads us into the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation and National Reconciliation Week which is held each year between 27 May and 3 June.
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2021 is More Than a Word. Reconciliation Takes Action.
Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
For the Catholic Church in Australia, this week offers us a time to be fully the Church that God dreams for us - a Church in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make their own unique contribution and that contribution is joyfully received by others.
And so we pray ...
Loving God, you call us to work together to be one people.
May we work together to bring hope and healing to all who live here in Australia.
Help us to show compassion and justice to all, especially our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters, whom we have treated so badly in the past.
May we walk forward in a spirit of healing and reconciliation so that all may live with dignity and respect.
We make our prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Come Holy Spirit
Fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created – and you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same, Holy Spirit, help us to desire what is right and always to rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
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Sunday 16 May The Ascension of the Lord  |
Today we stand awestruck, watching Jesus ascend into the clouds of heaven, there to be enthroned at God’s right hand. Today we are overwhelmed by the divinity of the one whom we have known in his humanity. Amidst shouts of joy and exaltation, Christ is enthroned in heaven in both his divinity and his glorified humanity. Now he is present with us in a new way, in a new body, in the church. He teaches through its apostles and evangelists; he ministers through its prophets and pastors. Through us he continues to heal and to comfort; to forgive and to include. We have his power, the same power with which he performed marvels when he walked the earth. We have each other; together we make up the new body of Christ. © Dianne Bergant CSA |
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Sunday 23 May Petecost Sunday  |
Pentecost brings the Easter season to a close, celebrating the fullness of the Spirit and the great gathering of nations. The plan of salvation has been brought to its conclusion. The Risen Lord is exalted in his rightful place next to God and has sent his own Spirit to fill the earth with God’s power. The world is charged with divine energy; it needs but a spark to ignite it with life and excitement. © Dianne Bergant CSA |
Considered an honour of the highest order, the Principal's Award celebrates outstanding achievement by a student in faith, learning and other contributions to school life. Congratulations to:
| CLASS | STUDENT |
| Year 5 | Georgia F |
Congratulations to the following students who have received an Assistant Principal's Award. Well done!
| Year 4 | Bailey C |
| Year 5 | Georgia F |
| Year 6 | Lila J |
Congratulations to the following students on receiving their awards in Weeks 1 and 2.
Week 3 - Term 2
| CLASS | LEARNING AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK | |
| Kindergarten | Valentino D-B | Xavier D-B | Sofia H |
| Year 1 | Hkum Seng D | Sparsha V | Mia M |
| Year 2 | Darren Y | Arthur R | |
| Year 3 | Enzo H-D | Ilena P | |
| Year 4 | Rocco G | Willow M | |
| Year 5 | Iva O | Oliver E | Alessia S |
| Year 6 | Dalton Y | Dara O | |
Week 4 - Term 2
| CLASS | VALUES AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK | |
| Kindergarten | Liana D | Samuel J | Ivy F |
| Year 1 | Flynn D | Jacob M | Angelina R |
| Year 3 | Briella I | Theo D-B | |
| Year 4 | Hamilton Y | Anthony S-A | |
| Year 5 | Alexis S | Sam S | Noah S |
| Year 6 | Chris H | Olivia H | |
Happy Birthday to the following students.
We hope you have a great birthday!
| Kindergarten | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 6 |
| Ted F | Ryder M | Zara H | Dalton Y |
| Thomas S |
RUGBY LEAGUE and LEAGUE TAG GALA DAY
On Friday April 30th we had 3 teams from Years 3 – 6 participating in the Rugby League / League Tag Gala day. The skies were clear at Croome Road in Albion Park and the students had a wonderful day. We had some experienced Rugby League and League Tag players and some students who experienced their first ever day playing tackle football! The team effort and great sportspersonship on display from St Brigid's students was admirable.
Thank you to all the parents who assisted in managing the teams on the day: Mr Ferri, Mr Socratous, Mrs Watson and Mrs Eckermann. Your assistance is very much appreciated.
Representative Hockey
Also on the 30th April, the Mackillop Hockey Trials were held in Canberra. A BIG congratulations to Edwina Jones and Malachy Hurley on their selection to the Girls and Boys Mackillop Hockey Team. A great effort by the students and their families for making the trek to Canberra. We will be keeping a keen eye on the team during the year. Good luck MacKillop Team!
LAWN MOWING ROSTER
| Date | Mower 1 | Mower 2 |
| 15 May 2021 | Mark J | Peter M |
| 29 May 2021 | Jason S | Fabrizio C |
| 19 June 2021 | Mark E | Darrell M |
| 11 July 2021 | John H | Louise Mc |
| 8 August 2021 | Max M | David H |
| 12 September 2021 | Anthony P | Matt D |
| 10 October 2021 | Thomas M | Adam T |
We are still looking for a few more volunteers. If you can help please contact John Harman on 0419 993 133 or dabeers@bigpond.com
SCHOOL DISCO
SAVE THE DATE - P&F EVENTS
|
DATE |
EVENT |
|
28 May 2021 |
P&F Kids Disco – Fraternity Club |
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6 August 2021 |
Cocktail Dinner Party - Venue TBC |
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3 Sept 2021 |
Father’s Day BBQ breakfast |
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3 Sept 2021 |
Father’s Day stall |
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6 Nov 2021 |
Working Bee and BBQ Lunch 10:30am – 12:00 |
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2 Dec 2021 |
Christmas Concert and family picnic |
St Brigid’s Gwynneville
PARISH BULLETIN
Please visit the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong website for further information.
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NATIONAL FAMILIES WEEK
The aim of National Families Week is to celebrate the vital role that families play in Australian society.
It is a time to celebrate with your family, make contact with your extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community. National Families Week is a time to celebrate the meaning of family and to make the most of family life.
To celebrate National Families Week we are running a FREE 5 part webinar series to help you grow as a family and get the most from family life. Each webinar has a different focus:
- Family Resilience
- Family Values
- Family Connection
- Family Self-Care
- Family Mindfulness
DATE: Monday 17 May - Friday 21 May
TIME: 10 am - 10:30 am
LOCATION: Online
COST: Free
UOW LEARNING LABS
The University of Wollongong has invited students to LITTLE and EARLY LEARNING LABS, an academic enrichment holiday program. We are targeting students from Year 1 to 6, who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.
Dates:
Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 28th – 30th June 2021
Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 6th - 8th July 2021
Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)
Applications close: Wednesday, 26th May 2021
