March 14th, Term 1, Week 6

Principal's Reflection

Dear Families,

Central to our work at St Brigid's Wynyard is our mission and vision statement as well as our school values. In order for any organisations mission, vision and values to be authentic and meaningful, they have to be more than just words on a page. A vision statement is a goal that the school aims to fulfil in the future. Vision and mission statements are strategic documents produced by many organisations – including schools – to indicate the purpose and priorities of the organisation. It is a short declaration that exemplifies the shared beliefs and values of its founders and staff. A mission statement is an explanatory declaration of the actions the school is taking to reach its long-term goals, i.e., its vision. I have included our current statement below and as you can see, our values of care, compassion, curiosity and connection are at the forefront of this document. Over the past 6 weeks at SBW I have consistently observed our school values on display. It has been a student showing courage by giving something a go or connection by asking a peer to participate in an activity of a lunchtime. Our values are all around us and are being demonstrated on a continual basis. 

A strategic goal for 2024 is to re-write our mission and vision statements. Going through this process is affirming in that it allows us to continue to evolve as a school and ensure that we are aligned as a community. We will be seeking community consultation on a new mission and vision statement in Term 2 and look forward to receiving feedback from staff, students and families.

Thank you to families who met with teaching staff at our Parent Teacher evenings. Honest and collaborative conversations between school and home is vital as we work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for all students within our community. Thank you to our teaching staff for the work that they did in preparing for these conversations.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Nic Saltmarsh

Principal

Religious Education

CARITAS Australia - Project Compassion

Thank you for your donations to help our school raise money for this worthy cause. Our student leaders were inspirational with their consistent effort in walking to achieve 10,000 steps. If you haven't donated towards our fundraiser, please do! This fundraising effort will cease on Friday, 15th March.

THE FEAST OF ST JOSEPH

There are two major feasts in St Joseph's honour. On March 19th, our veneration is directed to him personally and to his part in the work of redemption, while on May 1st, we honour him as the patron of workmen throughout the world. St. Joseph is invoked as a patron for many causes. He is the patron of the Universal Church, patron of the dying, patron of fathers, of carpenters and of social justice.

There isn't a great deal of information about Jesus' foster-father Joseph, but it is believed that he was most likely born in Bethlehem and probably died in Nazareth. His important mission in God's plan of salvation was "to legally insert Jesus Christ into the line of David from whom, according to the prophets, the Messiah would be born and to act as his father and guardian". Most of our information about St. Joseph comes from the opening two chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel. 

We are not told in the Bible of St. Joseph's death, but there are indications that he died before the beginning of Christ's public life. His was the most beautiful death that one could have, in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, strong, and prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my prayers. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Andrea Jaffray Morf

Deputy Principal

Teaching and Learning

A key aspect of our implementation of the Insight Project is the use and timetabling of a daily review. A daily review is a teaching strategy that involves regularly revisiting previously taught material to reinforce learning and improve retention of concepts. It is a structured process where students review key concepts, skills, or content that they have covered in class. It is an effective way to counter the forgetting curve, which demonstrates that memories tend to fade without regular reinforcement. A daily review typically goes for 10-15 mins. 

The Benefits of a Daily Review

The key benefits of implementing a daily review include:

1. Reinforcement: It helps reinforce key concepts, skills, and knowledge, reducing the likelihood of forgetting.
2. Retrieval practice: It engages students in actively retrieving information from memory, which enhances their ability to recall and apply that knowledge in the future.
3. Confidence-building: Regular review gives students a sense of mastery and confidence in their understanding of the subject matter.
4. Identification of gaps: Through the review process, teachers can identify areas where students may need additional support or reteaching.

Our teaching staff met on Tuesday night to focus in on the delivery of a daily review in Mathematics. This will be a major focus for all of our teaching staff over the coming weeks, in particular the delivery. We encourage you to please check in with your child/ren on their engagement with daily reviews. 

AEDC Collection (Australian Early Development Census)

AEDC data collection will take place this year for our Prep students. Every three years since 2009, the Australian Government has undertaken a census of all children in their first year of full-time schooling. This information is used to identify communities where families and children may require extra support and to help shape the future and wellbeing of Australian children.

Each census year, teachers use the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument, which is a series of specific questions, using their knowledge and observations of the children in their class. Children do not lose any class time and parents are not required to provide any additional information to the school.

For the AEDC, your child’s data will be combined with data about the other children living within the same community. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool. This means that an individual child report is not produced. 

If your child is part of an AEDC census, the information provided by their teacher will make an important contribution to our understanding of the development of Australian children during their early years. Children not included in a census year still benefit from the insights gained by analysis of the AEDC and application of these learnings by early childhood educators and teachers.

Please contact our Virginia Smith, our Early Years Coordinator, if you have any questions.

Easter Raffle

We will be holding an Easter Raffle for 2024 and accepting donations from all families.  Please bring your donations to the office in the mornings.

Please contact the front office if you require more books or have further questions.

As this is a major Fundraiser for our school, we appreciate your support!

Spotlight on Grade 4

During this term, a focus for Grade 3/4 has been Friendology. We have been looking into our Soles and had the task of thinking about what we would look like if we were a shoe.

We had to think about our personalities and interests and create a shoe that perfectly symbolises who we are. We had fun capturing all of our unique qualities in one shoe!

For Project Compassion this Lenten Season, we have written Prayers of Gratitude on water droplets for what we have been blessed with.  In our classroom, many of the Grade Four Students and Staff have already kindly donated money into the Project Compassion Mission Box on the Class Prayer Table. This money will be given to people in areas of the world with either unsafe or little fresh water. Please take time to stop and read our Prayers displayed on the board outside the Administration Office.

Kinder 2025

Please note that we have had considerable interest in Kindergarten enrolments at St Brigid's for 2025. Our enrolment application period closes on June 30th, 2024, so families are encouraged to fill in the Google form on our website.

Social Media and Online Platforms

Are they old enough? 

Your child's physical age and level of maturity and resilience can affect their ability to have positive experiences on social media. 

Each social media site and app has its own criteria for minimum age requirements. Most require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13.  

Generally, the 13-year age requirement is not necessarily because the site is unsafe for children to use but to comply with a US law — the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), which prevents the collection and storage of personal information from children under 13 years of age.

All minimum ages are taken from the individual app guidelines. Clicking on the image will take you to the e-Safety Commissioner Guide for the app and explains key information and safety details. 

Information Source - e-Safety Commissioner

Capital Works

Over the coming period of time the pump track will be excavated in the first step towards installing new play equipment on the oval. The current pump track will be used as an oval/ grass area and will be supported with a play structure. Further play equipment will be installed closer to the Goldie Street fence line. We look forward to sharing photos once work commences. All of these playground works are in alignment with our master planning. 

Authorised Absences

Attached is a document that explains why we are seeking absentee information, along with a copy of the request for student absence form. The new form is to be used for known upcoming absences, e.g. the family is going away on a known holiday, or the student has been selected in a State team that is travelling. These absences are for five or more days. The forms (located on our website or copies available at the school office) must be signed and submitted to the Principal before the planned leave of absence. The signed form will then be kept on the student's file.

Attendance Guidelines

Please see this link for attendance Guidelines.

Marist Transitions

Upcoming Events

Complaints Procedure

Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) acknowledges that all students, families, staff, volunteers and members of the broader community have the right to raise a complaint (including matters of concern or a grievance) with CET. Please see the flowcharts below that outline the complaints procedure. The full complaints policy and procedures can be accessed at https://catholic.tas.edu.au/policies

Child Safety

Catholic Education Tasmania have updated several Child Safety policies. These policies along with other CET policies can be accessed at https://catholic.tas.edu.au/policies

Mother's Day Plant Stall

Calling all gardeners and plant addicts!
We are holding a plant stall for Mothers Day at the Private Hospital.
Now is the time to start propitiating, dividing or potting up.
All donations of plants, indoor & outdoor (including rooted cuttings, succulents or mini terrariums) would be greatly appreciated.
For further information contact volunteer organisers Kim Dobromilsky (kim@dobro.net.au) or Janette Britza (0409 314 375)