Thursday 22 May

Dear Families,

On Monday, the focus for our staff during our Student Free Day was ongoing school improvement and effectiveness. This is a process we have worked through as a staff since the beginning of the year and we are in what is called a 'Discernment Year.' The purpose of the 'Discernment Year' is to reflect and decide upon what we want our ideal future for SBW to look like. From here we have looked at the current reality and what celebrations/ barriers there currently are.

Families, students and staff also had the opportunity towards the end of Term 1 to provide feedback through the Insight SRC survey that was sent out via COMPASS. The strategic plan that we will finalise towards the end of the year will focus on student outcomes with clear goals and actions that will be implemented to achieve both strategic and annual goals. Improvement around the school such as maintenance and potential building works will be captured in an operational plan. As a school, it is vital that we place students at the forefront of our school improvement and strategic plan. We look forward to sharing our work towards the end of the year.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Nic

Thank you to the amazing Mums, Grandmothers and special women who attended the Mother's Day Breakfast on Friday May 9.  It was great to see you all celebrate with your children and grandchildren. A big thank you to Mrs Michelle Wells for her fantastic catering and to our staff and Grade Six leaders who assisted during the morning. 

We would also like to warmly thank the Britza family for their time, generoisty and dedication in not only facilitating the Plant Stall, but also growing and potting the plants. 

The Plant Stall raised $2140 for the school. These monies will go towards school resources. 

Miss Madison Hope will be accessing Parental Leave as at the beginning of week 6. We wish Maddy and her family all the best on this exciting chapter and thank Maddy for all of her commitment, dedication and hard work. 

Last week we communicated to Prep, Grade Three and Grade Six Families that Ms Laura Willcox and Mrs Danica Littler have been appointed Co-Prep Teachers beginning Monday June 2. Ms Willcox will teach Prep on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Mrs Littler will teach Prep on a Thursday and Friday. Ms Willcox and Mrs Littler bring a wealth of experience and expertise to this role. Ms Willcox is well known within our school community, having taught across a range of classes and she will continue to teach Grade Three on a Thursday and Friday. We welcome Mrs Littler to the St Brigid’s community. Mrs Littler has completed relief work with us this year and has previously taught and been in leadership positions within Catholic Education Tasmania. 

Ms Willcox will continue to teach Grade 3 but will do so on a Thursday and Friday. Miss Reynolds will be teaching Grade Three on a Mon- Wed. We will advertise over the coming period of time to replace Ms Willcox in Grade 6 on a Tuesday.

Yesterday, our students took part in one of Australia’s most heartwarming literacy events – National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS). At exactly 12:00pm, children across the country came together to read the same book at the same time. This year’s chosen title was ‘The Truck Cat’ by Deborah Frenkel. Thank you to Mrs Plapp for reading the book aloud. In the afternoon, our classrooms were filled with excitement, imagination and connection as students enjoyed learning activities inspired by the book.

On Tuesday May 20, students in Grades 2-6 had the exciting opportunity to attend the Madagascar Jr performance, presented by the talented Burnie Musical Society. Based on the DreamWorks animated movie, the stage production brought to life the story of animals escaping from the Central Park Zoo and embarking on a wild adventure to Madagascar.

Our students were captivated by the colourful costumes, energetic performances and catchy songs. Congratulations to all students from St Brigid’s who are a part of the cast.

Last Friday, selected students from Grades 3 to 6 travelled to Stella Maris to compete in the Combined Schools Cross Country event alongside other North West Catholic schools.

Our students represented the school with outstanding sportsmanship, grace, and determination throughout the day. The course was a challenging one, with plenty of hills, but they showed great resilience and perseverance—pushing through to finish strong with a positive attitude.

This event was a fantastic example of the respect and pride our students demonstrate when representing the school. We are incredibly proud of their efforts, both on and off the course—not only for their running achievements but also for the way they supported one another and upheld our school values.

Well done, team!

Please see below our updated SBW Attendance Guideline. This guideline has been developed based on CET's Attendance Policy. Key takeaways from this guideline are:

• The Principal is unable to formally approve any unauthorised absences, noting that family holidays during school term times constitutes an unauthorised absence.
• The parent/carers and independent students must inform the school of any absence and the reason for this absence by 9.45 each day. This notification may be made via:
• Compass
• Phone on (03) 64 422167
• Email at stbrigidsw@catholic.tas.edu.au
• If a student arrives late to school, they must be accompanied by their parent/carer to the office to sign in before proceeding to class. If a student is absent and no notification has been received by 9.45 am the parent will receive a text message or phone call from the school notifying them of the unexplained absence and requesting that a reason is provided.
  _SBW_Attendance_Guidelines_2025_.pdf

  _SBW_Attendance_Guidelines_2025 pdf 242.22 KB

Capturing and sharing photos of students is a meaningful way to celebrate and acknowledge school events and achievements. However, we must adhere to policies and photo restrictions to protect student privacy. Photos and videos of students taken by staff are only permitted to be taken on approved devices and many families have opted out of providing photo permissions for their children.

As a result, this may limit our ability to share images in newsletters, on social media or through platforms like Seesaw. We appreciate your understanding as we strive to celebrate our school community while upholding the highest standards of student safety and privacy.

As part of our Positive Behaviour approach, students may receive a Heart Reward card for demonstrating our school values - Care, Connection, Courage, Curiosity. Every fortnight, Heart Reward cards are drawn out and students are invited to participate in a special activity. 

Congratulations to our Week 3 Heart Reward Students: Lila, Emerson, Morgan, Harriet, Rhett, Matilda, Jaxxon, Maya, Peter, Olive, Anakin and Luca.