Community

Every year, at Christmas time, ‘Connecting Catholic Coasties’ hold a Christmas Fete & Celebrations! This year, it will be held at Mackillop Catholic College, with all students invited from Years 7-12. There will be students attending from high schools all across our Diocese including St Peters, St Josephs, Mackillop and St Brigid’s.

Please read the information below and on the attached flyer. Then secure your spot via the Compass Event called “CHRISTMAS FETE- Connecting Catholic Coasties”.

GAMES, MUSIC, COMPETITIONS, FOOD, DANCING, TESTIMONIES, FUN.

When: Friday 24th November 4:30pm-7pm

Where: Mackillop Catholic College

Cost: $10 per student via Compass Event.

Food: Dinner & drinks are provided.

Bring your gold coins for the fete beforehand.

Dress Code: Christmas Attire! PRIZES FOR THE BEST DRESSED AND COSTUMES!

We are also running a toy drive for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal.

Limited spots are available so get in quick.

Last week, Miss Barrow’s senior art students submitted their artworks to The Gwandalan Art Exhibition.  Each student’s art was recognised in the gallery over the weekend with our students in attendance.

Their artworks were judged by Australia’s best, acknowledging each of their talents.

On Saturday afternoon, students were presented with their awards by Gwandalan Lion’s Club.  Congratulations to our senior art students and Miss Barrow for these amazing achievements.

Thank you to Chole D for attending and sharing these great photos and results with us.

Awards:

Highly commended
Layla H
Lucy L

Commended
Indi C
Madison H
Blake S
Monique RF

Achievement
Jack Macmahon

On Saturday 16 September our entertainment students attended the Bushfire Expo at Murrays Beach.  Liam D and Sophie H from the Entertainment Class provided the sound desk service during the event.  They also provided music tailored to the demographic, which was very well received.

This was a voluntary opportunity to gain valuable ‘live’ workplace experience and I am very grateful to these two students who did a magnificent job on the day.

We recently held another great Combined Family Mass with St Brigid’s and St Brendan’s coming together to celebrate.

The senior leaders from both schools were fantastic in their support and the running of Youth Ministry. There were games and snacks followed by Mass.

We would like to thank all the families who attended to celebrate with us. Your support is truly appreciated.

Next Wednesday, August 16th, our new whole-school College event “Compassion Cup” will take place on the bottom oval. This event is a great opportunity for students to showcase their sporting talent and for their peers to demonstrate strong House spirit by cheering on their respective teams.

In conjunction with the tournament, there will be a BBQ fundraiser organised to support our Year 12 students. The fundraiser will also include soft drinks and lollies which are all available to be purchased on the day.

Students are encouraged to wear appropriate MUFTI clothing on the day that represents the colour of their House. A gold coin donation for MUFTI will be set up on the front gate and this will also go back to our Year 12’s.

The timing of the event will be strict. All students must be on the bottom oval by 12:55pm ready for the first game to begin at 1pm. The event will finish at 2:30pm which means you will not have an assembly that afternoon. Period 4 will be cut 5 minutes short to allow you to get to the oval promptly.

The oz-tag tournament will take place on the bottom oval and all spectators will be seated on the edge of the field. I encourage students to bring a picnic blanket to sit on around the oval. All spectators are encouraged to cheer their team on to build up the atmosphere of the day.

Good luck to all four Houses on the day and may the best oz-tag team win!

This week I spoke to our students on assembly about the benefits of being part of a community.  I have a number of goals that I want St Brigid’s Catholic College to deliver to our children.  One of those goals is to give them a genuine sense of community, belonging to something bigger than themselves.  I want our students to feel connected to the College, to be proud to say they are a St Brigid’s student, I want them to have pride in their school and I want them to have a sense that they are important as individuals and they play an important role in supporting others and shaping the community we want to be.  I have the same goals for our past students, our parents and carers and all those that have any connection to the College.

Being part of a community offers numerous benefits that contribute to our overall well-being and sense of belonging.  Here are some key benefits of being part of our community at St Brigid’s:

Sense of Belonging: Being part of our community gives us a sense of belonging and connection to others.  It provides a space where we can share personal experiences, relate to others, and feel accepted.  This sense of belonging helps us develop a stronger sense of personal and collective identity.

 Support and Emotional Health: St Brigid’s provides social connections, friendship, and practical and emotional support.  It offers a support network of peers who can provide advice, commiseration, and encouragement.  Being part of our community can help combat feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Personal Growth and Inspiration: Engaging with like-minded individuals in a community can inspire personal growth and motivation.  As a College we have a common goal or purpose, which can encourage individuals to set and achieve their own goals.  Being part of the St Brigid’s community provides opportunities for learning, encouragement, and inspiration.

Improved Well-being: Being part of our community can have a positive impact on our overall well-being.  It can improve our mental and emotional health, as well as our physical health.  At St Brigid’s we have a space for individuals to share humour, vent frustrations, and celebrate achievements.  We offer a sense of pride and a feeling of being part of something greater than ourselves.

Diversity and Knowledge: Our community is diverse and contains a variety of opinions, ideas, and knowledge that we may not encounter alone.  Being part of a community exposes us to different perspectives and allows for personal growth through learning from others.

In summary, being part of the St Brigid’s community offers a sense of belonging, support, personal growth, improved well-being, and exposure to diverse perspectives.  It provides a space where individuals can connect, share experiences, and contribute to something greater than themselves.  I encourage everyone associated with St Brigid’s Catholic College, both past and present to truly embrace this community and share in all that it has to offer.

Last night the College held its first St Brigid’s Angels event.  It was an event for all girls of St Brigid’s and the significant women in their lives to come together to watch the Matildas play in the World Cup.

There were plenty of games, laughs, food and lots of fun had by all.

It was a great to see so many students and family members attend and we thank families for taking the time to attend.

We look forward to seeing everyone again at our next event.

Enrolments at St Brigid’s have been steadily climbing to the point now where they are very strong.  There is fantastic interest from our local feeder schools as well as significant growth coming from the public system.

I probably spend more time than is healthy thinking about enrolments and how to grow them.  The reason being is that I know what healthy enrolment numbers can do for a school.  They lead to additional resources, increased teacher numbers, more subjects on offer, greater breadth to our co-curricular activities, increased security for staff, increased competition that drives higher standards, more opportunities for our students, etc, etc.

Having worked in a developing school before, I’m also acutely aware that booming enrolment numbers can be confronting for some members of our community who are concerned that the College could become so big that students get lost in the mix.  Whilst I understand those concerns, I can assure you that at St Brigid’s we will always work hard to ensure every child is known and their wellbeing remains at the front and centre of our mind.  The pastoral care at the College is an absolute strength of ours and must be maintained.

When I think about how schools grow, I’m conscious that enrolment numbers can be influenced by several factors.  There is leadership, the student experience, vision, school improvement, reputation, demographics, location, price, reputation, marketing, academic performance, wellbeing, catholicity, sporting opportunities, co-curricular activities, and the list goes on.

Clearly all of these factors can play their part in attracting more students to our College.  Having said that, there are two other factors that in my mind contribute most to a thriving and growing school.  They are parent satisfaction and the quality of our staff which are inextricably linked.

Word of mouth continues to be a major contributor to our growth.  Satisfied parents lead to strong retention, which leads to increased enrolments.  We are so grateful to have such a supportive group of parents in our community who value the College and the opportunities it provides your children.  By no means, are we a finished product, there is still lots of room for improvement, but I feel fortunate to be surrounded by a great parent body who are willing to genuinely engage with their child’s education and drive us to be the very best school we can be.

Secondly, our staff are clearly one of our finest advertisements.  I want to be clear that when I refer to staff I mean our entire staff (teachers, support staff, office staff, our general hand).  I have been fortunate to work with some outstanding people during my teaching career and this group is second to none.  They are invested in the profession, care deeply about your children, open to improvements, prepared to go the extra mile and are genuinely committed to this community.  I thank them sincerely for all that they do in helping to grow the College.

Growing schools experience growing pains.  We will be no different but trust in the fact that what ever challenges lie ahead, we are well equipped to deal with them and will always ensure that the students are at the centre of all decisions we make.

Paul Lynch

Assistant Principal

Last Wednesday, Year 12 Hospitality created over 100 meals for Coast Hands.  These meals will go on to help feed those less fortunate in our community.