Thursday June 5

Dear Families,

As a Catholic School, we are guided by a mission that extends far beyond our school community here in Wynyard. In the 2022 Vatican text ‘The Identity of the Catholic School for a Culture of Dialogue,’ it is powerfully stated that “education, as the formation of the human person, is a universal right.” Although we are geographically distant from the Vatican, this message is at the heart of everything we do.

At St Brigid’s, we are entrusted with the privileged responsibility of forming our students as the whole person - academically, spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically. This is not a task we take lightly. It is a profound commitment and one that shapes our everyday actions and decisions.

A core focus of our mission is education. But education at SBW goes beyond literacy and numeracy. It also involves teaching and modelling our school values, setting clear behavioural expectations and nurturing our Catholic faith. This holistic approach supports the development of young individuals who are not only capable learners but also caring, curious, connected and courageous members of our community.

Just as importantly, we believe that this journey is one we take in partnership with families. The same Vatican text reminds us that parents are the first educators of their children and we deeply value the role you play. We are committed to constructive and respectful dialogue with our families to ensure that each child receives the guidance they need to succeed and thrive.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We encourage you to reach out if you have any questions, suggestions or ideas about how we can continue to work together in positive partnership.

Last week we recognised the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si. Laudato Si was an encyclical (letter) written by Pope Francis in 2015 to highlight the importance of looking after our shared, common home- earth. I leave you with the following prayer that was created by Pope Francis. 

All powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Nic

On Saturday May 24, we celebrated a Family Mass at St Brigid's Catholic Church. It was great to see families in attendance and we thank the staff who attended and supported the Mass. Thank you also to Fr Jessie for his work in facilitating this opportunity in partnership with the school.

Families of children beginning or recommencing the Sacramental Program will receive a letter over the coming period of time outlining the program. Thank you to Miss Monica Cini who is going to lead the program at school and to Ms Erin McCormick for her work in organising resources and liaising with the Parish. If you would like your child to participate in the Sacramental program, please contact the school. 

Please be aware that this Friday, June 6th, is a Student-Free Day and Monday, June 9th, is a Public Holiday.

Enjoy your extra-long Weekend!

DIBELS Testing Grades 3-6

This week, all students in Grades 3–6 participated in DIBELS Testing, an important part of how we monitor and support reading development. DIBELS, which stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, is a set of short assessments that measure key reading skills such as phonemic awareness, fluency and comprehension. These quick, one-on-one tests typically take a few minutes per student and are administered three times a year - at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.

The purpose of DIBELS is not to assign grades, but to identify students’ needs and tailor instruction to ensure every student continues to grow as a reader. We are pleased to share that many students have made strong progress since the beginning of the year. The data shows noticeable improvement in reading fluency and comprehension across grade levels. These gains reflect the hard work of both our students and teachers, and the ongoing support from families at home.

At our most recent SBW Board meeting we farewelled Allison Johnson. Alli has served a full 6 year term on the Advisory Board and also held the role of secretary for a number of years. Thank you Alli for your service- please know that your contributions are greatly appreciated. 

A vacancy exists on the SBW Advisory Board. Responsibilities of the SBW Advisory Board include supporting the Principal in the leadership of the school and assisting in partnership building across the community.   The commitment is for 6 meetings per year and meetings are held on Thursday evenings from 6.00pm. If you would like to know more about this role, please speak to Mr Saltmarsh. If you feel you could contribute to the school in this way and have the time available, please email nicholas.saltmarsh@catholic.tas.edu.au with an expression of interest that covers the following information:

- A brief letter outlining the motivation for joining the school board

- Attach a brief CV outlining background

Applications are forwarded on to the Executive Director of Catholic Education for his consideration.

On Wednesday June 4, our Kinder class had a wonderful visit to the Recycle Rewards machine. Each student brought along an item they have been saving, ready to recycle and make a difference. We use the money we earned to buy some warm Milo and milk - the perfect treat for a chilly morning! What a fun way to learn about our community and caring for our environment. 

If your child is not on the regular bus list but will be catching the bus on a particular day (instead of being collected as usual), please ensure you inform the school office before 2:00pm.

This helps us ensure all students are safe and accounted for during afternoon departures. If we don’t receive notification of this change, your child will need to be collected from school. 

Please see below the Adult Behaviour Policy that was developed by Catholic Education Tasmania. A couple of key points about this policy:

• This policy applies to all adults on school or CET premises
• All adult visitors to CET workplaces and other adults associated with CET are to conduct themselves in a calm and respectful manner
  Adult_Behaviour_Policy.pdf

  Adult_Behaviour_Policy _pdf 267.96 KB