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1+1+1 = 1 and not 3! God the Father - the creator and sustainer of all things. God the Son - the incarnation of God as a human being, Jesus Christ, on Earth. God the Holy Spirit - the power of God which is active in the world, drawing people towards God.
Sunday’s feast invites us to live in the awareness of the presence of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in us, and in our community.
What life messages can we take from the doctrinal teaching? Firstly, we need to respect ourselves and respect others. Secondly, we need to be aware of God as the source of our strength and courage. The awareness of the presence of God within us, gives us the strength to face problems of life and courage to overcome disappointments and challenges. Thirdly, we need to see the Trinity as the model for our Christian families: We are created in love to be a community of loving persons. Our families become truly Christian when we live in a relationship of love with God and with others.
Finally, we are called to become more like the Triune God through all our relationships. Like God the Father, we are called upon to be productive and creative people by contributing to the building up of the fabric of our family, our Church, our community and our nation. Like God the Son, we are called upon to be peacemakers, to put back together that which has been broken, to restore what has been shattered. It is a way of living the Gospel attentive to the requirements of justice and right relationships.
St. Francis Xavier’s favourite prayer was: “Most Holy Trinity, who lives in me, I praise You, I worship You, I adore You and I love You.” Let the Son lead us to the Father through the Spirit, to live with the Triune God forever and ever. Amen.
Yours in Faith, Justice and Learning
200 YEARS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
St Brigid's School Captains, Edwina and Luca, accompanied me to the Diocesan celebration at St John Vianney's Co-Cathedral on Monday. It was a wonderful national occasion with Masses being celebrated right across the country at the same time.
In a poignant moment, the Mass began with an entrance procession of schools in order of their foundation year, acknowledging the leadership, commitment and exceptional contribution made by both lay and religious educators to Catholic education in Australia over the past 200 years.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared this congratulatory message to mark the bicentenary of Catholic Education in Australia.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL WINTER APPEAL - SOUP DRIVE & GOLD COIN DONATION
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEWLY CONFIRMED
COVID-19 UPDATE AND REMINDERS
I thank you for your continued support of our COVID-19 Safety Plan. Below is an update from Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW), following the COVID-19 cases in Victoria.
It is important that schools continue to follow the COVID-19 Guidelines. CSNSW wishes to highlight the following:
- Staff and students should not attend work or school if unwell, even with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Any person with any COVID-19 symptoms should be sent home and should not return until they have received a negative test result and are symptom-free.
- In circumstances where children have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms a letter from their GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.
- Anyone who is unwell with COVID-19 symptoms are strongly encouraged to get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
Schools must be vigilant in implementing:
- Personal hygiene, physical distancing, cleaning and record keeping practices at these events.
- Where possible to use outdoor areas, weather permitting or large open spaces to enable adequate physical distancing.
- All visitors to a school site must be well and symptom free, comply with sign-in arrangements, and the 1.5m physical distancing requirements.
- Staff and visitors to schools and offices should maintain 1.5m distance from other people where practicable. Avoid congestion of groups of visitors in specific areas where possible.
- All visitors to a school site must comply with sign-in arrangements. This includes the requirement to sign the school sign-in sheet where they acknowledge that they will comply with the COVID-19 requirements for visitors, contractors and service providers each time they visit.
SCHOOL DISCO
A huge thank you to Claude S from Pro Sound and Lightning for supplying all the sound and lighting equipment for the disco in addition to his amazing DJ skills. Your generosity in supporting this event each year is very much appreciated. Thank you also to Rebecca A and Lucy H who coordinated this P&F event. There were also lots of parent vounteers supervising on the night- thank you for keeping the students safe and focussed on their dance moves!
STUDENT SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT
Edwina had a fantastic tournament at the 2021 Girls Hockey State Championships. She was named in the NSWPSSA State Girls Hockey Merit Team 2021.
Malachy also had a great tounament with MacKillop being undefeated and finishing top of their pool. Malachy scored the only goal of the semifinal which went into golden point. Unfortunately the team lost 2-1 in the consolation final to South Coast.
CEDoW ATTENDANCE POLICY AND ST BRIGID PROCEDURES
St Brigid's has recently reviewed its Attendance Policy and Procedures in line with the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) Attendance Policy (Attendance Policy).
Under this policy it states that it is the parents' responsibility for regular attendance and that they are legally obligated under the Education Act 1990.
Unsatisfactory school attendance is when:
- Regular absences without explanation occurs, this includes partial absences
- Explanations not accepted by the Principal
- Extended periods of absence without an explanation
Lateness is a partial absence which must be explained. All absences must be explained to the school within 7 days of the absence.
Permission to leave the school early must have been authorised in advance by the Principal or Assistant Principal in the Principal's absence.
Parents/carers must provide an explanation by phone, email, SMS or in person to the school:
- if your child is late for school, explaining this partial absence;
- if your child is absent for a full day from school, explaining this full absence; or
- if you are planning for your child to be absent from school, explaining this partial or full absence.
Medical certificates are required for extended absences due to medical reasons. Respiratory symptoms reporting must be followed in accrodance with COVID-19 procedures.
Acceptable reasons for a partial or full absence include:
- Medical illness
- Medical appointment
- Pre-approved travel. It is encouraged that travel is undertaken during school holiday periods
- Other explained absence i.e funeral, special event, religious ceremony or critical incident
- Domestic necessity i.e misadventure, unforeseen event, serious illness of an immediate family member
- Natural disaster
- Other school activity
- Elite Arts/Sport
If absent for 10 consecutive days parents/cares must request and complete the school Application for Extended Leave form.
From Term 3 2021, in accordance with CEDoW guidelines, attendance letters will be sent out twice per term in Weeks 5 and 10 to parents/carer via COMPASS, in regards to unexplained absences. Strategies will be adopted in accordance with the CEDoW Attendance Policy where attendance is unsatisfactory.
Thank you to all parents/carers of St Brigid's for your ongoing support in this matter and in ensuring the regular attendance and wellbeing of your child.
CATHEDRAL CAR PARKING
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?
|
DATE |
EVENT |
VOLUNTEER TIME |
|
19 June 2021 |
NRL Dragons v Canberra |
4:00pm - 5:30pm |
|
19 June 2021 |
The Veronica's |
5:30pm - 7:00pm |
|
24 July 2021 |
Rodeo 4 Life |
6:00pm - 7:00pm |
|
31 July 2021 |
NRL Dragons v Rabbits |
1:30pm - 3:00pm |
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 |
| Jersey Day for Vinnies Winter Appeal | Friday 4 June 2021 | All day |
| Special Food Day - Pizza | Friday 4 June 2021 | 12:50pm |
| School Photos | Tuesday 8 June 2021 | All day |
| Public holiday - pupil free | Monday 14 June 2021 | All day |
| Term 2 P&F Meeting | Tuesday 15 June 2021 | 6:30pm - 8:00pm |
| South Coast Netball Gala Day | Tuesday 15 June 2021 | All day |
| St Brigid's Athletics Carnival | Wednesday 16 June 2021 | All day |
| Semester 1 Reports - Interviews | Monday 21 June - 24 June | Various times |
| Talent Quest | Friday 25 June | 11:30am - 12:40pm |
TRASH FREE TUESDAY Term 2 Week 5 and 6 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 5 are:
Kindergarten - 60%
Year 1 - 38%
Year 2 - 95%
Year 3 - 71%
Year 4 - 72%
Year 5 - 46%
Year 6 - 50%
The results were very close for Week 6:
Kindergarten - 78 %
Year 3 - 80 %
Congratulations to Year 2, you are the Week 5 winners!
Congratulations to Year 3, you are our Week 6 winners!
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L)
Students at St Brigid's are awarded tokens for safe, respectful and responsible bahaviour whilst on the playground during recess and lunch and at dismissal time. We have passed the halfway mark of Term 2, so our Year 6 Senior Leaders have counted the current tokens that each house have earned so far this term. Here are the results :
- Evans (Blue House) - 54
- MacKillop (Red House) - 66
- Samaritan (Gold House) - 72
Keep up the great listening, respectful and safe play and responsible behaviour students. In Week 9, we will tally the tokens again and the winning House for Term 2 will be announced and they students of this House will be able to negotiate a reward with me.
HOW TO HEKP YOUR CHILD BUILD RESILIENCE
This term we have a whole school focus on social and emotional learning and building skills such as:
- resilience
- problem solving
- empathy
- kindness
- healthy relationships
We are teaching the above skills within our English programs and through the PB4L framework. As partners in your child's learning, you can help your child build resilience so that they can confidently face challenges and persist when life doesn't go to plan. Being resilient is an important life skill to help your child grow and develop a healthy mind set. Here are some tips:
- help your child to accept when they have made a mistake and to learn from that mistake
- teach them that they cannot control the outcome of everything
- support your child to express their views and to listen to the views of others
- help them understand that persistence is a wonderful quality and not to give up as soon as it gets difficult
- help them make achievable goals and break down large tasks into small steps
- don't jump in and solve their problems for them, encourage them to work through their problems assuring them you are there for support
- encourage your child to take learning risks and that it is ok to make mistakes because that is how we learn
- keep the lines of communication open with your child and talk to them about their friendships and relationships
For more information, please see the following website:
TALENT SHOW - 25 JUNE 2021
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 have opened for events and we have an inspiring line up of talent to look forward to.
- 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.
IMPROVING WRITING PEDAGOGY AT ST BRIGID'S
The teachers have continued to learn new pedagogies to improve their writing practice this term. During Week 6, Stage 2 and Stage 3 teachers have engaged in a professional learning day where they learnt about the connections between reading and writing and the Writer's Workshop model. They will start to implement this model in their classrooms. Please enjoy some photos of the students' writing samples and the teachers working collaboratively to improve their practice.
Year 1 applying their understanding of prepositional phrases and use of sentence types.
THE TEACHING OF SACRED SCRIPTURE
As a Catholic learning community, our focus for this year is to develop strategies to engage students in Scripture and for students to be able to gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding, and apply Scripture in a contemporary setting.
WHY SCRIPTURE?
The syllabus that we follow indicates core scripture for each grade level. Each unit that we teach has scripture focussed outcomes.
St Benedict says: “Let us set out with the Gospel as our guide”
Knowing and applying Scripture, allows for the good news that Christ is Alive and active in our world to be known.
Fr Bernard joined us on Wednesday 26 May 2021 to engage us in a Scripture reflection that enabled us to gain a deeper and clearer understanding of the message that God is giving us for our time, here and now.
AT HOME
A great way to spend quality time with your child is to read to your child and what better book than the Bible.
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
|
Sunday 30 May The Most Holy Trinity  |
The feast of the Holy Trinity brings us face to face with the foundation of our faith. The readings for today provide answers to the question: Who is God? They can really only suggest something about the mystery of God, and they can do this only indirectly. They call to mind some of the wonders that God has accomplished for us and in us. It is through reflection on these gracious divine acts that we can get glimpses of God. The psalm declares that the harmony and interdependence that we see in creation point to a majestic creator responsible for it all. The account of the history of God’s people reveals a God who desires to establish an intimate relationship with them, enters their history as protector and guide, and forgives disloyalty. Finally, Jesus teaches that God sent him into the world to save it, has made us adopted children through the Holy Spirit, and will ultimately clothe us in divine glory. It is from his teaching that we hear that the Son was sent by the Father, the Spirit, which was also his Spirit, proceeded from the Father and from him. From our own experience, we know that God creates, because we are immersed in creation. We know that God saves, because we have been freed from the bondage of our own demons. Our experience tells us that God is with us, and that God is for us. Everything that we know about God declares that God is passionately in love with us, boundlessly so! © Dianne Bergant CSA |
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Sunday 6 June The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ  |
The readings, which reflect some aspect of the feast, feature three prominent themes: the importance of blood in the ratification of the covenant; the atoning actions of Christ; the attitude of thanksgiving. Most people today would probably be repelled by the ritual use of blood. Yet birth blood is not subject to the same revulsion, nor is blood transfusion frowned upon. Blood is recognised as a life force, and blood relationships are cherished. In a sense this ritual makes us blood sisters and brothers of God and of each other. It seals our fate and it entitles us to the family inheritance. This feast celebrates the incomparable love of Christ. He offered himself for the expiation of our sins; he spread a banquet table for us at which we are able to eat the bread of companionship and share the blood of the new covenant. How shall we make a return to the Lord for all the good that we have received? The only appropriate response to God’s graciousness is thanksgiving (eucharistía). We have been chosen; we have been delivered; we have a witness in heaven; and now we have been given the bread of eternal life and the blood of salvation. What return can we give? A life of gratitude lived in the presence of God; a life of union with all those who eat the same bread and drink from the same cup; a life of faithful expectation, waiting for the coming of the reign of God in all its fullness. © 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 6 | Luca de Bol |
Congratulations to the following students who have received an Assistant Principal's Award. Well done!
| Year 3 | Sarah M |
| Year 5 | Luke S |
| Year 6 | Lila J |
Congratulations to the following students on receiving their awards in Weeks 1 and 2.
Week 5 - Term 2
| CLASS | JUSTICE AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK | |
| Kindergarten | Andre C | Levi C | Boone L |
| Year 1 | Logan A | Laine W | |
| Year 2 | Millie A | David M | |
| Year 3 | Neave M | Ali S | |
| Year 4 | Rosie S | Zachariah C | |
| Year 5 | Audrey G | William C | |
| Year 6 | Edwina J | Lila J | |
Happy Birthday to the following students.
We hope you have a great birthday!
| Kinder | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
| Oliver W | Aria J | Darren Y | Bethany M | Hugo S | Vincent H |
| Laine W | Noah S |
SCHOOL PHOTOS
School photos will take place on Tuesday 8 June. Photo envelopes have been sent home with the children. If you require a replacement envelope they are available from the school office.
Sibling envelopes are also available from the school office.
Online payments can be made for all photos, including sibling photos. The details and code are located on the envelope.
Cash payments for photos must be put into the photo envelope and include the correct amount as no change can be given.
Photo envelopes are to be returned on the day of the photos. They are not to be sent to the school office prior to this day.
If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
The school Athletics Carnival will take place on Wednesday 16 June.
The consent for this carnival will be sent out via COMPASS next week.
COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS NEWSLETTER
The third edition of CCSP's Parent Talk Newsletter is available here
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
Scholastic Book Club Issue #4 brochures were given out last week. Orders are to be placed through the LOOP online ordering system on the Scholastic website.
Orders are due by Friday 11 June.
LAWN MOWING ROSTER
| Date | Mower 1 | Mower 2 |
| 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 TONIGHT
SAVE THE DATE - P&F EVENTS
|
DATE |
EVENT |
|
28 May 2021 |
P&F Kids Disco – Fraternity Club |
|
6 August 2021 |
Cocktail Dinner Party - Venue TBC |
|
3 Sept 2021 |
Father’s Day BBQ breakfast |
|
3 Sept 2021 |
Father’s Day stall |
|
6 Nov 2021 |
Working Bee and BBQ Lunch 10:30am – 12:00 |
|
2 Dec 2021 |
Christmas Concert and family picnic |
St Brigid’s Gwynneville
Please visit the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong website for further information.
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HOLY SPIRIT COLLEGE SCHOOL PRODUCTION
Holy Spirit College are presenting their annual College production, Mary Poppins, from Thursday 10 June until Saturday 12 June 2021. It promises to be a fantastic show for all ages.
PCYC Bulli - Winter School Holiday Program
Zig Zag Hub
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
