St Brigid's College Horsham

Every year without fail, in the cold dark days of August, a quiet Miracle takes place. In our gardens, at the foot of tall trees or in forgotten corners, a small white flower emerges from the wet and sodden earth. Like a secret long hidden in the dark, the snowdrop emerges without fuss or fanfare; a little white flower whose presence in these wintry days draws 'Aah' from even the bleakest soul.

Shortly afterwards come the jonquil, then daffodil and then all of the wonderful flowers of spring. But it is this little Snowdrop that first breaches the bleakness. That gently and silently hints at something or someone beyond the deepest darkness. "I shall give you treasures from dark vaults..."(Isa 45:3)

Who would have thought so delicate a and seemingly frail a flower, with her bowed head on so slender a stem could withstand the cold of August? Who could have imagined that Darkness held so precious a treasure?

The nurturing power of darkness is a great gift from God. But how hard it is for us to believe this! How difficult for us to wait with patience, with acceptance, for the creative of God to bring us through. "On those who lived in a land of death, a light has dawned' (Isa 9:2).

STRIVE FOR HEALTH & HAPPINESS -  A friendly reminder that students have access to the 'Strive for Health & Happiness' Google Classroom which has a wealth of resources for navigating through the tough days. Our Student Wellbeing Team are regularly contributing and updating information to provide you with a range of tools to assist you. Check out the Trick Shot Competition Mr McDonald added!  ?⚾️?

Please remember that the Student Wellbeing Team and your TA are always here if and when you need them.

Jake Brennan, Year 7 for his leadership and inclusivity when facilitating the WRAP game in Maths.

We also commend Miss McGennisken's Yr 8 PE class on the wonderful way they applied themselves to the girls v boys football match. They were awesome!

Our Outdoor Ed students had a amazing time at Falls Creek. They now have a deeper understanding of public and private land management and the role they have in keeping the Alpine National Park pristine. 

These experiences are meaningful to the students and give them more understanding and depth when responding to key knowledge and key skills when responding to examination questions. 

Welcome to Science Week 2021! This year’s theme is “Food: Different By Design”.

Each morning a science snippet around this theme will be presented to students in Homeroom. In our junior science classes, we will also be running a few special activities to celebrate the week.

⚡️Science Week snippet #1Geophysicists are turning peanut butter into diamond gemstones! Today’s snippet involves an unusual use for peanut butter. In his lab at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany, researcher Dan Frost simulates conditions found in the Earth’s lower mantle. At about 2,900km below the surface, the lower mantle experiences temperatures nearing 4,000 degrees Celsius and pressures that are 1.3 million times higher than the air we breathe. Whilst simulating these conditions Frost and his team stumbled upon some innovative ways to manufacture diamonds. Diamonds are composed of simple carbon atoms arranged into a crystal. As all foodstuffs (and for that matter, all living things) contain carbon, the researchers have successfully made diamonds out of a favourite sandwich filling, peanut butter.

However, the process is difficult and rather slow – a 2-3mm ‘peanut butter’ diamond takes several weeks to form. By tinkering with the ingredients that go into the diamond-making process, the researchers are hopeful that they’ll be able to make better superconductors as well as super-strong diamonds for industrial applications. Wow!

Science week snippet #2 This snippet involves a science discovery by accident! In 1905 an 11 year old boy named Frank Epperson forgot his cup of soft drink outside overnight. The next morning, he found his drink frozen and the idea for the popsicle was born. Previously people had enjoyed ice cream and sorbets, however these treats are whipped during the freezing process to prevent ice crystal formation. He named his discovery the ‘Epsicle’ and sold it on the beaches of San Francisco in the summer, quickly gaining popularity. As the treat’s notoriety grew, so did Frank, and when he eventually had children they began referred to it as “Pop’s ‘Sicle” or ‘Popsicle’ for short. Epperson later patented the name and idea and his new genre of icy sweets became a global sensation. During the Great Depression, the Popsicle company created the double ice pop so that two children could share one treat for just five cents.

Science Week snippet #4

Growing food on Mars: Of all the planets other than Earth, Mars is the only realistic option for human habitation in the decades to come and it is NASA’s intention to have humans land on this planet in the 2030s. Astrobiology researchers are currently working to determine which food crops can grow successfully in Martian conditions. This will be essential as with current technology it will take approximately 9 months to reach Mars, you will stay for about 3 months on the planet and then take another 9 months to return to Earth. Mars is small (about one 10th of Earth’s mass), cold (on average, –50 degrees Celsius) and desolate. It has a very thin, carbon dioxide–rich atmosphere that’s about one 90th the density of Earth’s. The maximum intensity of sunlight on Mars is about 43 percent the strength of the sunlight on Earth and without an ozone layer in the atmosphere, harmful solar UV radiation can damage plants. The researchers replicated the Martian soil and climatic conditions and found that wheat, lettuce, microgreens, spinach, kale, peas, garlic and onions grew well. They also found hops (an ingredient in beer) grew very well.

Entries are now open for the 2021 Premier's Spirit of Anzac Prize

The Premier's Spirit of Anzac Prize 2021 offers students in Year 9, 10 and 11, the opportunity to:

• explore Australia's proud and significant war and peacekeeping history, and
• enter to receive a $2,500 scholarship to support their education

Through the program, students are asked to express their perspectives and understanding of experiences of those who have served. This can be presented in a range of formats, including essay, artwork, video, audio, music, webpage or poem.

In 2021, prize recipients will receive a $2,500 scholarship to be administered by their school. Scholarships can be used for items and training to support a student's education, including:

• computers or other technology
• software
• fees
• extra-curricular costs (related to music, sport or other activities)
• training or courses
• equipment
• practical educational experiences
• other educational expenses, at the discretion of the program administrators

To enter, students are asked to respond to the prompt: "The Spirit of Anzac is widely considered to represent the resilience of a nation and its peoples, through their courage, endurance, ingenuity, mateship, and good humour. Explore this with respect to the experience and perspectives of Australians at war, service persons, individuals or community, in difficult times or times of conflict. The experience you explore does not need to relate directly to Australian wartime, but should demonstrate a connection to, and your understanding of, the Spirit of Anzac."

Students are encouraged to seek firsthand experiences when developing their responses, but it is not a requirement to enter.

Your entry and all required documentation is submitted by 5.00pm, Tuesday 31 August 2021.

For further information go to: https://www.vic.gov.au/soap or see Mrs Dooling (mdooling@stbc.vic.edu.au)

VICTORIAN YOUTH CONGRESS  - Would you like to join other young people from across Victoria in making your voices heard? The Victorian Youth Congress applications are now open! The Victorian Youth Congress is an advisory group of young people aged 12 - 25 who work with government to identify and advocate for issues that matter to young people.

The 2022 Victorian Youth Congress provides an exciting opportunity to get involved in the implementation of Victoria's new youth strategy, due to be released later in 2021. The new youth strategy has been informed by extensive consultation with young people, including the current Victorian Youth Congress and the youth sector, and will set a long-term vision to make Victoria the best place to be for all young people.

​Applications close on Monday 13 September 2021.If you would like further information, you are encouraged to go to:https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/…/victorian-youth-congr…or contact Mrs Dooling (mdooling@stbc.vic.edu.au) Good luck!

LITTLE BIG IDEA  - Are you a Year 7 or 8 student who has a 'big idea' that could change the world?  Well, you could win $10,000 or a $1,000 runner up prize!

Step 1 - Find a problem

Step 2 - Invent something

Step 3 - Upload your invention to the competition page

Enter a drawing, picture, or video, with 200 words or less explaining your idea. Before you start coming up with your winning idea, get those creative juices flowing by looking at previous winners and and visiting the 'inspiration station' on the following website: https://www.littlebigidea.com.au/

Online entries close at 11.59pm AEST on Friday 10 September 2021. Mail entries must be posted by Friday 10 September 2021 and received by last mail on Friday 17 September 2021.Note: Entries are only open to school students in years 3-8. If you would like to discuss entering this competition, contact Mrs Dooling (mdooling@stbc.vic.edu.au)Good luck!

ABC HEYWIRE - Storytelling Competition

Are you a young person with a great story to tell or know someone who is?  The ABC Heywire competition is calling for stories about what it's like growing up in regional Australia. The competition is now open and winners will have their story featured on the ABC!

Entries must be a true story about an aspect of your life living in regional Victoria. Stories can be in any format: text, video or audio -whatever form suits you best! Most of the entries are text but feel free to be creative! The recommended length is 400 words. NOTE: Entrants must be at least 16 on the 31st of January, 2022. Entrants under 18 years of age need to have the consent of their parent or guardian to enter.

Entries close 16 September 2021.

Go to https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/competition for further information and to view previous competition winners.

You can also talk to Mrs Dooling (mdooling@stbc.vic.edu.au) if you have any further questions or would like to discuss your application.

Attention Creative Writers in Years 7 - 9! The Kids News 2021 Short Story writing competition, supported by HarperCollins, is now open! This competition is open to students from Year 7 to Year 9. To enter, write a short story on any theme or topic of your choice. Your short story must be between 500 and 1000 words. (One entry per person)

Competition Ends: 5:00pm on Friday, 17 September 2021.Note: The school will need to upload your entry and you will also need a permission form signed by a parent/guardian to enter this competition.

First prize winners will receive an iPad, HarperCollins book pack and have their own story published as a book for 10 family members and friends.

For tips on how to write a winning story, see tips from a previous winner here:https://www.kidsnews.com.au/…/158f51715edeb5fd9401e81a67189…

STEAM CLASS - Students in our Year 9 STEAM Class have created this poster to ask our community for assistance with their STEAM project. The project aims to hand make warm blankets for animals in shelters, using donated clothing items. If you can help with a donation of clothing items for this project, please drop them into the front office so they can be recycled by our students. Thank you.

Emergency Aid for Haiti. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International) has expressed its solidarity in prayer with Haiti and immediately approved an emergency aid package of half a million Euros ($800,000 AUD) for the Haitian people. In response to this, ACN Australia has set up an emergency appeal to provide help for our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are going through a very hard time.

To donate visit www.aidtochurch.org/haiti

We are presenting a free online panel discussion titled: Tips to help families cope during Lockdowns, on August 30, 8pm to 9pm. This webinar is for parents and carers and their families, and professionals working with families who are keen to learn more about how to handle mental health challenges, wellbeing and motivation in these challenging times. There will be a chance for audience questions at the end of the discussion. 

The panel includes a range of adolescent and community health experts and parents, and we look forward to an insightful conversation and practical tips.

Event details and bookings are listed here