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Dear Parents and Friends,
Today in Australia, we celebrate World Teachers Day. As Catholic educators we are called to teach as Jesus did. What an awesome and humbling task! When we ask ourselves what it means to teach as Jesus did, three themes from the Gospels come to mind:
- Jesus taught people where he found them,
- he taught with authority, and
- his teaching held people spellbound.
"He began to teach in their synagogue, so that they were astounded" (Matt. 13:54).
Jesus is our model of a great teacher. When teaching he was not merely issuing directives to an unknown, faceless crowd. He looked at them, and he looks at us. It is a personal look, a look that seeks to engage us in a very personal way. He is speaking to us. His teaching is not merely for an ancient crowd; it is for us. We are called to look with respect those whom we are called to teach or the children you are called to raise? Do you engage them by your look of respect and love?
Jesus could be very tough, even showing impatience, but he is willing to stay with us in a long conversation. We read in Mark’s gospel, ‘When Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them at great length (Mk 6:34). Yes, Jesus teaches us at great length; He stays in long conversations with us. He knows that we are searching in mind and heart, so he persistently and consistently teaches. Do we do that? Or do we quickly write people off?
Jesus asked well over a hundred questions in the Gospel. Good teachers ask questions and do not rush to answer every question. A question is expectant with meaning; it invites a search.
Forgiveness may not at first seem to be an obvious way of teaching, but consider that teachers often have to accept that students don’t get everything right the first time. Teaching requires a patient determination as students first acquire skills and then master them. While setting high standards, Jesus offers forgiveness, not as a way of denying perfection but as a way to facilitate our growth by grace and trust. Do we offer forgiveness to those around us?
Good teachers train new ones. Jesus trained the twelve Apostles and he led and inspired them. He also prepared them for the day when he would hand on the role of teacher to them. As teachers, we need to train our successors and inspire new and greater insights. Teach us Lord, by your example, to teach as you taught and to speak as you would.
We pray for all teachers and parents who are called to teach the precious St Brigid’s children.
Almighty God,
We come to you today and give thanks for all teachers.
Fill their hearts with courage by your mighty Spirit.
Fill them with your strength, so they may rise to every challenge and not grow weary.
Fill them with your wisdom, so that they may be able to make good judgement when guiding and helping others.
Fill them with your peace, so that when stress and anxiety comes it would not overwhelm them.
Fill them with your joy, so that the passion they have for their teaching may become an infectious passion that spreads.
We ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen
Yours in Faith, Justice and Learning
WORLD TEACHER'S DAY - THANK YOU P&F
What a lovely surprise and gesture from the P &F to acknowledge World teacher's Day.
The card, that accompanied a scrumptious box of chocolates for each staff member read, 'Celebrating your amazing skills that you bring to school each day to teach and inspire the students of St Brigid's. Happy Teacher's day!
COVID-19 UPDATES
School sport activities are allowed to proceed from 1 November 2021 for the rest of Term 4 with specific restrictions to align with NSW Public Health Orders and the Reopening NSW roadmap.
Schools should take into account their local context and follow principles for COVID-safe practices.
Schools are encouraged to enable participation in school sports within defined cohorts as part of re-establishing regular school timetabling and routines, and for the well-being of all students.
Schools are discouraged from enabling students to participate in sports across different school cohorts, and are not permitted to enter into inter-school competitions during school hours until 2022. Wherever possible, the remainder of Term 4 should be focused on restablishing face-to-face teaching and learning with our students.
Sport within an individual school sport activities
School sport may proceed by cohort in outdoor settings as follows:
- No more than 50 people, including participants and organisers.
- Organisers must have a COVID-19 safety plan in place including plans to minimise mingling and mixing between cohorts entering and exiting the location where the sport is taking place.
- Schools can make use of school facilities or local outdoor facilities (e.g. parks, ovals) but must minimise contact with those outside of the school cohort.
- The school must maintain a list of all students and staff that participate and attend each session for contact tracing purposes.
- Third party providers are allowed to support school sport if they are fully vaccinated and must check in and check out using the school’s QR Code.
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Drop off and pick up |
Morning drop off will be from 8:35am - 8:50am via the car zone. Alternatively, students walking or riding to school will enter via the pedestrian gate in Vickery Street. On arrival the student/s proceed directly to class.
Afternoon pick up will commence at 2:55pm - 3:10pm. Students are dismissed via the car pick up zone and Chrysalis Park. Students riding their bikes from school will exit through the gate in Chrysalis Park. |
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Separation of students by year/cohorts |
Students will be learning, playing and interacting in their class groups only. There will be no mingling of class groups at any time. |
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Staggered breaks for recess and lunch |
Due to the size of our school, staggered breaks will not be necessary, however, we will only use the oval for recess and lunch breaks. Each class group will be allocated a designated area to eat and play. There will be no mingling of class groups. |
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Face masks |
Staff: Masks will be worn by teachers and staff at all times indoors. Primary students: Masks are strongly recommended to be worn by all students, at all times, indoors. Some exemptions apply. Please see the Level 3 / Level 3 Plus restrictions for more detail about face masks. |
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Cleaning |
Enhanced daily COVID-19 cleaning arrangements (with a focus on high-touch surfaces) will remain in place until further notice. |
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Responding to a positive case of COVID-19 |
CEDoW has an established process for responding when a member of a school community tests positive for COVID-19. In the event this occurs, we will work closely with the Catholic Education Office and the Public Health Unit to rapidly inform impacted families and ensure we complete all required steps to safely reopen. |
While under Level 3 restrictions, parents and carers must:
- follow the physical distancing advice and avoid gathering outside school gates
- adhere to mask-wearing requirements in accordance with the Public Health Order
- remain outside school grounds (some exceptions apply for vulnerable students or students with a disability)
- When an exception allows a parent or carer to enter school grounds, they must sign in using both the Service NSW QR code and the CEDoW Quick Sign-In.
SENIOR AGED CHAMPION
A belated congratulations to Tayah A who was the Senior Girls Athletics Age Champion. Well done Tayah!
ST BRIGID'S CELEBRATES STUDENTS RETURNING TO FACE TO FACE LEARNING
The students have returned to school very settled and READY to learn. The learning started straight away along with restablishing routines and relationships. In my travels to each of the classrooms, I have been so impressed with the students' level of engagement in their learning and the quality of their writing. The teachers have continued to build their knowledge and skills in writing instruction and have implemented some of their learning in the classroom, and the students have responded amazingly well. Students across the school have been learning about the ANVA strategy where they identify the parts of speech in sentences and then write them. ANVA stands for Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adverb. Below are some examples of the ANVA stratgey being used by Year 1 and Year 4 students.
Year 1
Ruby using ANVA in her writing about Mother Crow
Year 4
Kindgergarten wrote great stories about their Teddy Bear's Picnic
TRASH FREE TUESDAY
Trash Free Tuesday is BACK! We did get off to a shaky start though. Natalia, our SRC representative reports on this weeks statistics below:
Natalia reporting here: This Tuesday was our first trash free Tuesday for a while and everybody did great. Make sure to keep up the good work until the end of the term.
- In kindergarten 68 percent.
- In year 1 43 percent.
- In year 2 75 percent.
- In year 3 48 percent.
- In year 4 52 percent.
- In year 5 27 percent.
- In year 6 35 percent.
- Congratulations to year 2! Make sure to bring a trash free lunch again next Tuesday.
So please encourage a WASTE FREE lunchbox each Tuesday as the class who wins, gets to keep the St Brigid's Peace Lily for a week and the class who are the Waste Warriors at the end of the term receive a special 'fresh food' picnic and free play treat.
WELCOME BACK
Such a wonderful sound, the chatter and laughter of our students, back together.
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16
MISSION MONTH FUNdraiser
‘We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’
Thank you for your support of our Friday FUNdraising day. We have raised $250 for Catholic Mission.
ALL SAINTS DAY - 1 November and ALL SOULS DAY - 2 November
We celebrate the memory of all the baptised who have gone before us and whose lives were virtuous. The saints of God are all those who have been baptised into Christ, who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. We all know people whose lives were steeped in genuine holiness. The life of every one of us has been blessed by their goodness. This is a day for us to remember and to celebrate their holiness. We celebrate the lives of all those who have been marked with the sign of faith, those who have been canonised by the church, those whom we have known personally as well as those whose names we do not know.
In the beatitudes listed in today’s gospel we are given examples of what it means to live lives of holiness. This gospel really does not present a blueprint for holiness. Rather, it offers a series of snapshots that demonstrate the holiness that is ours by virtue of our baptism. Those who have gone before us lived such lives. Today, as we remember them, we hold up their lives as examples of holiness and models for our imitation. The sentiments that are expressed and the commitment that it illustrated in the beatitudes clearly stand in opposition to the standards of the world. Their radicality may be more than some can understand, but they are traits that are recognisable by those who belong to the family of God, for they are genuine godly traits.And so we pray:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
REFLECTIONS
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Sunday 31 October Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time  |
The Dual Command Jesus does not command us to love ‘God’ in the abstract. Teaching Jew to Jew he says: ‘You shall love the Lord your God’ – the Lord who had rescued the Jewish people from slavery. So, commanding a love which responds to an initiative of Divine Love. Why wouldn’t one respond ‘heart, mind, strength, soul’ in gratitude for the gift of life itself, for some particular person or incident, for the beauty and grandeur of nature, for rescue from some situation which seemed to engulf us? And if the Lord God loved you in such a way, why wouldn’t you love yourself? Then you can properly ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. There is nothing sentimental in his teaching from Leviticus 19:18 and the preceding verses. Jesus was pointing to the system of social justice which looked after the poor and which did not exploit workers. It is up to us as global citizens of the 21st century to recognise as ‘neighbours’ those beyond our borders and to love them in the practical ‘Levitical’ way. Fulfilling the Dual Command, we guard against the extremes of religious piety or social activism and become Christian humanists loving God and neighbour. We might pause a moment to pray in responsive gratitude to the Lord God, and to commit ourselves to loving our neighbour, hoping to hear the words of Jesus Christ: ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God.’ © Fr Michael Tate |
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Sunday 7 November Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time  |
The willingness to give all that one has is the central theme of today's readings. They offer us three models. Jesus is the ultimate example of heroic generosity. He first offered himself as expiation for our sin. Now, as the eternal high priest, he stands before God as our mediator, pleading on our behalf, bringing salvation to those who eagerly await him. It is interesting to note that the other two models of selfless giving are widows, individuals who are doubly disadvantaged by the patriarchal societies of which they are members. Their generosity is religiously inspired, and it comes from women who had the least material possessions to give. This kind of giving requires that we reach deep into ourselves and almost strip ourselves of our hold on life, and that we do this for religious reasons. The giving that is pictured in today's readings is nothing less than heroic generosity. God will not be outdone in generosity. Sometimes we become the beneficiaries of obvious blessing, as was the case in the story of the woman of Zarephath who was granted a year's supply of flour and oil. At other times, we simply continue living life as usual, like the woman in the temple who was unaware of the commendation that Jesus had given her. The truly generous do not look for reward. They carry out their responsibilities and place the rest in God's hands. © Dianne Bergant CSA |
Congratulations to the following students on receiving their awards.
Week 3 - Term 4
| CLASS | LEARNING AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK | |
| Kindergarten | Hudson I | Aurora M | |
| Year 1 | Jonas T | Rita-Rose F | |
| Year 2 | Sachi B | Charlie E-B | |
| Year 3 | Isabella S | Harper L-D | |
| Year 4 | Willow M | Nicolo M | |
| Year 5 | Abby H | Cameron B | |
| Year 6 | Addison W | Reg T | |
Week 4 - Term 4
| CLASS | LEARNING AWARD | LEADER OF THE WEEK | |
| Kindergarten | Sofia H | Theodore F | |
| Year 1 | Hannah J | Ruby K | |
| Year 2 | Paulo D | Hugh S | |
| Year 3 | Ilena P | Praise M | |
| Year 4 | Lucas T | Hugo S | |
| Year 5 | Vincent H | Emily V | |
| Year 6 | Dara A | Natalia R-T | |
Congratulations to the following students who have received an Assistant Principal's Award. Well done!
| Year 3 |
Theo D B Simon C Joshua S Fabrizio M Isabella S Rhiley A |
| Year 4 |
Emerson E Lachlan E Willow M Rafael M |
| Year 5 |
Emily V Abby H Xavier C |
Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating during Weeks 3 and 4.
We hope you have a great birthday!
| Kinder | Year 1 | Year 4 |
| Evie W | Logan A | Rocco G |
| Blaire W | Reed B | |
COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS NEWSLETTER
The sixth edition of CCSP's Parent Talk Newsletter is available here.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
Scholastic Book Club Issue #7 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 19 November.
2022 School Travel Applications Now Open
Applications for student travel in 2022 are now open. From October 2021, information on the School Student Transport Scheme will be available via Transport for NSW.Students who need a School Opal card or travel pass for 2022 can apply now. Parents/students will need to submit a new application if they are applying for a school travel pass for the first time, or if they are requesting an additional travel entitlement as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation.
Students who change address, school, campus location, or who have repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for their school travel entitlement should renew or update their details before the end of term 4. This will ensure that schools can endorse applications and current entitlements are updated and remain valid. School Opal cardholders will have the changes applied to their existing card.
Students in the Opal network applying for an Opal card (including a Term Bus Pass) for the first time will receive their Student Opal card at their nominated postal address. Cards will be mailed out from January 2022.
St Brigid’s Gwynneville
PARISH WEBSITE
DIOCESAN WEBSITE
Please visit the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong website for further information.
LAWN MOWING ROSTER
We are looking for a volunteers for the next roster. If you can help please contact John Harman on 0419 993 133 or dabeers@bigpond.com
SAVE THE DATE - P&F EVENTS
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DATE |
EVENT |
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2 Dec 2021 |
Christmas Concert and family picnic- tbc |