Thursday September 25

Dear Families,

As we come to the end of Term 3, I want to extend my gratitude to each of you for your ongoing support. Gratitude is an important and vital practice in all of our lives, to recognise the time, contributions, efforts and work of others. At SBW, we cannot do what we do without collaborative, constructive and respectful partnerships with families and the wider community. By working together we are able to support and do better at our core business- improving student outcomes. It is important to note though that student outcomes are not just academic. At SBW, we develop the whole child- spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically and academically. Further to this, it is integral that we extend our gratitude to our staff who work tirelessly to support our students. Thank you to all of our staff for your work and the impact you are having on lives of our students. 

For the last newsletter of Term 3, I have asked our school captains, Hurley and Katelyn to share their reflections below. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and I wish you all a safe and restful break.

Nic

Dear Families,

As students at SBW this term, we have had a big focus on team building. We have participated in team building activities, such as learning how to work as a team to create and build a tower out of spaghetti sticks and tape. Later on in the term, we went to Camp Clayton for the 5/6 camp. During camp, we completed a series of activities such as the giant swing and team rescue. Learning to work together as a team is important because it is a life skill that we will need to use throughout our life, at school, in our job and at home.

From SBW School Captains,

Hurley and Katelyn

St Brigid's wishes all families a safe and restful Term 3 break. A reminder that students return to school on Tuesday October 14.

A reminder that in Term 4, students are required to wear their Summer Uniform. We encourage families to review our SBW Uniform Guidelines to ensure students are dressed consistently and in accordance with our school expectations. Please note that nail polish and nail extensions are not permitted at school. 

The Midford Uniform Shop will be open on Thursday the 9th of September in the school holidays.

The school board, led by Rachel Summers have partnered with Parkrun to organise a SBW takes over Parkrun event in Wynyard on Saturday October 18. It would be great to see SBW families there.

In last week's Burnie Wynyard Parish Newsletter, Father Jessie writes about the Gospel below.

The Gospel today reminds us clearly: "You cannot serve both God and money" (Lk 16:13). Yet, it is undeniable that people need money-for supplies, medicines, personal necessities, household expenses, rent, school tuition, and daily provisions. Even our Church requires financial resources for maintenance, repairs, programs, and outreach to and those in need. 

God, in divine goodness, provides us with what we need to survive and meet the demands of our fast-paced world. While these material resources are necessary, Jesus warns us not to fall in love with them. Life holds far greater treasures-relationships, values, principles, and faith. Too often, we lose sight of these higher priorities, settling instead for fleeting satisfaction. When wants take precedence, selfishness grows, and so does our desire for more. It is telling that those who possess abundance often yearn for even greater wealth-allowing greed to take root. 

This reflection on the Gospel from Fr Jessie gives us pause to complete our own reflection on what our prioritities are. Thank you Fr Jessie for providing this reflection. 

If your child/ren will not be returning to SBW in 2026 can you please advise the office or Mr Saltmarsh as soon as possible. We are currently in the process of finalising our staffing for 2026. Our staffing is based on current enrolment numbers and unknown changes can affect what we are able to offer. Vacancies exist in some classes for 2026. If you know of anyone who is considering enrolment, please ask them to complete the EOI form on our website (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScm1L2cknAmnetFKRHXQX7GUbwt3yXUyrdWLSGts3nDA7FxnQ/viewform) and/or contact the school office as soon as possible.

We would like to inform you of some important changes to the school booklists for 2026. The exercise books listed for next year now come with coloured plastic covers. As a result, we ask that you do not purchase additional book covers or decorative stickers. Additionally, students will no longer require a pencil case. Instead, each student will have a small container on their desk provided by the school for everyday stationery. Any extra items will be stored in a plastic pouch which is now included on the booklists.

These changes have been introduced to:

• Simplify the back-to-school preparation process,
  
• Reduce costs for families, and
  
• Ensure consistency across all student materials.

Early next term, we will provide further information regarding booklists and ordering online through Phil Hughes. 

Please contact our administration team if you have any questions.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have had members of the Wynyard Police Station come in and spend time in classes and the playground. This has been a great opportunity for our students to ask questions and learn more about the role of police in society. Thank you to Constable Luca, Constable Carmen and Constable Blake for their visits along with Sergeant Emilie for her visits and partnership. Our students shared their artwork with the Wynyard Police Station and both Sergeant Emilie and Constable Carmen were impressed with their efforts.

This term has been very busy in Grade One. We have grown beans, enjoyed some springtime art and craft and played lots of collaborative games. Each week during literacy groups we had fun exploring our focus words and concepts in different ways with our peers. We have used paint, playdough and chalk to practice our tricky words. It was especially fun on sunny days to be able to do our work outside!

From September 14-16, we were privileged to have the opportunity to attend the Teaching Matters Summit in Hobart. The three days were packed with actionable, inspiring and affirming sessions from incredible keynote speakers. One of many core insights from Dr Nathaniel Swain was how strong foundations in knowledge and skills actually create the space for students to think creatively, make connections and express their ideas in original ways. We also found Tom Bennett’s insights particularly valuable, as he highlighted the importance of clear behaviour systems that reduce distractions and build calm, focused classrooms where every child can achieve their best learning. These ideas confirmed many of the approaches we already value at St Brigid’s while also providing us with fresh strategies to bring back into our classrooms. We left the summit feeling energised and motivated to continue supporting our students with both creativity and clarity in their learning.

- Mrs Susan Archer, Miss Mallory Priest & Mrs Rachel Bryan

On the 11th-12th of September, Grades Five and Six had a blast of a time on our first-ever school camp, and we did so many fun activities.

We started off our day by getting on the bus and heading to Camp Clayton. Once there, we were greeted by one of the camp instructors. After getting a quick rundown, we headed to our cabins to set up before having morning tea, which was a piece of fruit, some cheese and crackers. After morning tea, we formed groups and headed into rotations of mini golf, beach volleyball, in-ground trampolines, and finally, Gaga Ball.

After completing rotations for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, we headed to lunch, which was lasagna and garlic bread. Once we had our delicious lunch, we were split into two groups, each participating in separate activities. One group did team building and rock climbing, while the other group experienced the giant swing and a different team-building activity. After having so much fun with the activities, we headed back to our cabins for a short break, but not for long, as we needed to head straight to tea, which consisted of beef, vegetables and mashed potatoes.

After having tea, we went to the hall where we did an MJR activity, which seemed to open up some of our perspectives. Once we did that for a little bit, we went to the cabin and grabbed our pillows so we could watch a movie and have supper. We loved having a little bit of a rest and relaxation. We got about halfway through the movie before we had to go to bed.

We started day two by getting ready to pack our things and heading straight to breakfast, which was either cereal or toast. However, we were on a tight schedule, so we immediately began the activities, which were the same as yesterday but in a different order. 

After the activities, we all had lunch, which was tortillas with our choice of meat and salad. After a yummy lunch, we packed our things on the bus and headed back to school.

All Grade 5/6 students had a blast at the school camp and made many new memories!

- Written by Ari Brooke (Gr6) & Maggie Atkinson (Gr5)

Following inclement weather for the last two End of Year Concerts, the decision has been made in consultation with staff and the school board to hold the End of Year School Concert at Marist Regional College (MRC). The End of Year Concert will be held in the Harcombe Centre at MRC on Thursday 4/12. Thank you to MRC for their support in allowing us to host the concert on their site. More communication regarding the End of Year Concert will be communicated prior to the 4/12. 

Please see below an infographic outlining Catholic Education Tasmania's (CET) Attendance policy and the importance of students attending school each day. Further below is the more formal CET policy.