St Brigid's College Horsham

We thank you Lord, for this term. For the challenges, the successes, and the mistakes from which we have learnt. Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends. Give us strength and courage to do what is right: to be witnesses of our faith. Help us to be a practical Christian these holidays, to appreciate what others do for us, to give time and effort to help others. To be peacemakers in our family. Keep us safe in our activities; give us good rest and good fun. Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term. We thank you for our classmates, teachers, parents and a community that cares for us. May we always be conscious of you in our lives. Amen

Dear families,

So, we have made it through a long semester! I always find Term 2 the toughest Term as we head into the middle of winter and the days get shorter and colder. Term 3 starts in winter, however each day grows a little longer as we move towards Spring, warmth and new life.

Again, I thank the St Brigid’s community for assisting me in my transition to Horsham and in my role as Principal. During the term, I have made some decisions that may have impacted individuals in a way they would have preferred to avoid, however these decisions are always made with the best interests of the College community in heart. I have been invigorated by the positive feedback new families enrolling for 2022 have provided about how friendly and welcoming St Brigid’s is; I thank everyone who has played a role in this.

Academic Report for Semester 1 will be released on Friday 16 July. Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on the 9 and 10 August, 4-7pm.

In Term 3 we will be looking to refresh and reinforce our expectations that St Brigid’s is the best school in the State. This will come with a renewed focus on uniform – our students are our best advertisements in the community. I ask parents to take the time in the holidays to audit your child’s uniform and purchase any items that require an upgrade. There have been rumours around a change in uniform. Overall, the summer and winter uniform will not change markedly and current stock is acceptable – there are a few minor changes in style, not colour or patterns, and these will  be phased in over time. The PE T-shirt is under review and the Bucket Hat will be different and details about any changes will be released early in Term 3.

The College Canteen now has EFTPOS available and this has excited many students. Students can pay for their food items with a Debit Card. Due to the state wide policy on Mobile Phones, students will not be able to ‘pay pass’ using their phones during the day, so I encourage parents to arrange for their child to have a Debit Card ordered over the holidays, if that is more convenient. Cash will also still be accepted.

For forward planning, I would like to advise parents that we have planned a reschedule of the Professional Development Day we missed on 15 June due to COVID, to 20 July. This will be a student free day. Unit 4 classes (Yr12) may still operate on this day, however there will be no other classes. In addition to this, 16 August is a Faith and Ministry Professional Development Day where all staff will gain annual accreditation to teach in a Catholic School. This will also be a student free day.

Subject Selection for 2022 starts early in Term 3 and we have a number of information nights for parents to assist in helping your child make the right choices.

The  Year 10, 11, 12 2022 Information night will be on 14 July at 6pm (Yr 10) and 7pm (VCE / VCAL). The Year  Yr 8 and 9 2022 Information night will be held on 2 August at 7pm.

Have a safe and restful break.

Kind regards,

Gerard Raven

Principal

All our students are assigned to a vertical homeroom consisting of students from Years 7 – 12.  Home room groups stay together for their entire school life at St Brigid’s, encouraging leadership, community and familiarity and giving students a real opportunity to know each other and their advisor.  Lifelong friendships are formed where there may not otherwise be the opportunity.

The Teacher Advisor (TA) program is part of the daily life of students. Homerooms meet for 10 minutes each morning, and approximately every six weeks each student meets individually with their Teacher Advisor to discuss and monitor their academic and pastoral progress. A report over viewing the student’s academic achievement and future goals for improvement is formulated from this interview and made available to parents via our online Parent Access Module (PAM).  This regular contact builds trust and strong relationships between students, teachers and families.   It ensures that families and teachers know each student’s strengths and needs and that secure relationships are formed that guide the students along their learning journey.

Our TA Schedule for Term 2 can be found below.

Please click on the link to view the Weekly Careers News: https://www.facebook.com/St-Brigids-College-Careers-Pathways-101468101529474