Newsletter November 12, 2019
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Principal's Message
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Remembrance Day
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Transition Day
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Melbourne Zoo Excursion
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Sleepover
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Peter Combe Concert
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End of Year Mass
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Class Lists 2020
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Library Book Covering
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School Fees
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Nazareth House Auxiliary Annual Fete
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Mass Times - Gordon & Bungaree Parish
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Hot Lunch Roster
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Maintenance Roster
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Birthdays
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Community News & Events
Dear Parents and students,
I think the unpredictability of the weather is frustrating everyone at the moment, yet we must spare a thought and a prayer for those in Northern NSW and Queensland who are living through some treacherous fire conditions.
As we continue to move very quickly towards the end of the school year, there are still plenty of happenings and events to keep us on our toes. A reminder once again that if you have not yet downloaded the PAM module, it is important that you do so as you may be missing out on some important information and forms that should be completed.
Congratulations to our Year 6 School Captains who once again can be very proud of themselves with the speeches they presented at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ballan yesterday. They researched war veterans from our local community and then presented a little of their discoveries in the form of a speech. Well done to you all - your contributions made us all very proud to be a part of the St. Brigid’s community.
Today we welcomed our new Prep/Foundation students for 2020 and they spent time with Miss Anticaglia becoming somewhat accustomed to being at school. It is always a massive step for all of the children and their families (particularly if it is their first child heading to school), so we welcome you all to our community and are confident that all within will assist in making a smooth transition to our school. Their next visit will be on Tuesday November 26th and this session will also include a meeting for parents.
Hopefully, everyone has seen the information on PAM about our whole school excursion to the Zoo next WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20TH. The students will be travelling by bus to the Zoo and will participate in an educational program at some time throughout the day. Please ensure you have returned you permission note by Friday 15th.
As you all know we will be hosting a performance by well known artist Peter Combe on Friday November 22nd. The students from St. Patrick’s in Gordon have also been invited to this event. There will be an opportunity for parents to attend this event, but you will need to purchase tickets in order to do this. This is part of the contractual arrangements we have with Peter Combe - the school covers the cost of the students and staff, and additional guests will incur a cost. Tickets will be on sale from Wednesday 13th November at $10.00 each. Please contact the office to purchase tickets.
Traditionally, St. Brigid’s has conducted it’s end of year mass in the evening, however this year for the first time we will hold this celebration during school time - Wednesday December 11th at 2.00 p.m. This will allow all of our children to be a part of this event and we view this as being most important. We do not get many opportunities to come together to celebrate mass as a whole school, so we really want to make the most of this time. As a Catholic School it is a most appropriate way to celebrate and give thanks for another year of fabulous learning. In the past we have often had slideshows of our Year Six students who are leaving the school. These will now be a part of our graduation dinner (Thursday December 5th) and also our final assembly for the school year.
Teachers are about to embark on the work of creating class lists for next year and many hours are spent on this task. Please be assured that teachers use their professional knowledge of students and their judgement of what is best for each individual child when considering groupings. In assigning students to classes, teachers are asked to consider the following criteria to ensure an even spread of:
- learning abilities
- boys and girls even grade levels
- learning friends - these are not necessarily social friends but students they enjoy and work well with. Students are asked for their input in this area
- friendship groups - again students are asked for their input
If you as parents and carers have any very special requests, these need to be put in writing to Gabe by Monday 18th November. For your information our groupings will remain the same as this year, that is:
- One x Foundation/Prep class
- One x Year One and Two class
- Two x Year Three and Four classes
- Two x Year Five and Six classes
Mrs. Kennedy would like to thank Gabe Fidler and Nadine (Olivia and Jake's grandmother) who generously donated their time to cover more books for our Library. Your help is greatly appreciated.
As mentioned in our last newsletter, we are now coming to the pointy end of our school year. This also means that by now all families should be coming to the end of their payment of schools fees. However, in examining our outstanding list there are still a significant number of families who have a substantial amount to pay. Please give this your attention as soon as possible.
We realise that fee payment can be both a burden and a challenge, so we implore any family who is having difficulty to please make a time to come and discuss this with us. We cannot begin to provide assistance if we do not understand your predicament. Naturally all conversations remain confidential.
Saturday 16th November | Dunnstown | 6:30pm |
Sunday 17th November | Gordon | 8:45am |
Sunday 17th November | Ballan | 10:30am |
Saturday 23rd November | Clarkes Hill | 6:30pm |
Sunday 24th November | Gordon | 8:45am |
Sunday 24th November | Ballan | 10:30am |
Friday 15th November | Alison Eskdale & Bridget Sims |
Friday 22nd November | Jo Raffaele & Ange Myers |
Families rostered on for the current periods are:
Mon Nov 11th - Sun Nov 24th | Plageman/Mulgrew/Hodge |
Mon Nov 25th - Sun Dec 8th | Eskdale/Meehan/Card |