St Brendan's Catholic Primary School Coragulac eNewsletter

Prayer

A Prayer for the Start of Spring

Lord of all seasons, we thank you for the promise of spring.

As the days grow longer and the world awakens from its winter rest, we see your creative power at work all around us. We pray for a new season of growth and renewal in our lives.

Like the first green shoots pushing through the soil, may we find new strength and hope.

Like the flowers that open to the sun, may our hearts open to your light.

Like the birds returning to sing, may we find our voice to share your joy.

Bless the work of our hands and the intentions of our hearts. May this new season be a time of renewal, full of life, beauty, and your abiding presence.

Amen.

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends

I am writing to you today with gratitude and excitement as I begin my journey as St Brendan’s new Principal.

First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest thanks to Leanne for her incredible leadership and dedication to our school community. Her commitment and tireless efforts have shaped St Brendan’s into the wonderful place it is today. We are all so grateful for her service and wish her a retirement filled with joy, relaxation, and plenty of well-deserved golf.

I am particularly fortunate to have spent the last six months as a member of this community, which has given me a great sense of the school's unique character. I've been able to connect with many of you, learn about our traditions, and understand the strengths that make St Brendan's a great place to be. This experience has been invaluable and will allow me to hit the ground running as we work together to build on our strong foundations.

As we look to the future, I am excited about the journey ahead. I am committed to ensuring every student feels supported and inspired to reach their full potential. I can't wait to see all that we will accomplish together.

Warm regards,
Gerard Douglas
Principal

principal@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

Welcome Back Allira!

We are so excited to welcome nack Allira Kluver, who is returning to our St Brendan's family after 12 months of leave.

Allira is joining the Prep/1 classroom, and it has been wonderful to see her recconecting with staff and students. She has a special gift for making every child feel welcome and at ease, and her classroom is already a place of warmth and connection.

We are so grateful to have her back and know our Prep 1 students are in wonderful hands!

Father's Day Breakfast

We had a great turn out for our St Brendan's Father's Day breakfast. A big thank you to Deb and Mel for cooking the BBQ. Another big thank you to Grace who organised the event and most importantly... the coffee van. We wish all the Father's and special male role models a very happy father's day for the weekend!

Year 3/4 Bike Camp

On Thursday the 9th of October Year 3 and 4 students will head off on the annual Bike Camp. This year the students will be riding from Beech Forest down to the Otway Football Ground where they will sleep for one night. Students must have bikes in great working order, gears, working brakes and a safe helmet that fits correctly with chin straps that fasten. Please start checking bikes and helmets and maybe adding in a few more bike sessions before Bike Camp. More information will be sent out in the next few weeks.

Building Project

Our school is excited to announce the next phase of our new Administration Centre project. In collaboration with the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL), we are now seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from builders for the construction of this new facility.

Anadvertisement has been placed in the Geelong and Ballarat newspapers to invite qualified builders to submit their EOI. This is the first step in a thorough process to find the right partner for our project.

Once submissions are received, our project team will work with DOBCEL to review the builders' credentials and create a shortlist. These shortlisted builders will then be invited to tender for the building works.

We are thrilled to be moving forward with this project, which will provide a modern and welcoming space for our school community. We will continue to keep you updated on or progress.

Winter Sports

The last round of Winter Sports is next Friday the 12th of September. Students are reminded to wear their sports uniform and bring the appropriate gear for their sport. Drink bottles are also essential. If we have parents/guardians who can assist with umpiring for the day or transportation, please let us know.

Cows Create Careers

This week, our Grade 5/6 students kicked off an exciting program called Cows Create Careers. This hands-on experience is designed to teach students about the diverse and rewarding career opportunities within the dairy industry.

As part of the program, our students have received 2 calves to care for and are responsible for their health and well-being. They are also learning about the science of farming, milk production, and the journey of dairy products from the farm to our tables.

We are so impressed with the enthusiasm our students have shown for this project and look forward to sharing more updates on our calf's progress in the coming weeks!

Hats - Term 4

Just a reminder that Term 1 and Term 4 of each year are our sun safe Terms and all students are required to wear hats. Please note this year we will not be keeping any spare hats at school as the sharing of hats is discouraged.

We ask all parents to ensure that each student has a hat and it is clearly labelled.

If you require a new hat or any new uniform please pop into Borne Apparel Colac and they will be able to help you.

Chooks over the Holidays

Once again the holidays are rolling around very quickly and we are putting the call out for any families that are able to help look after Angel and Gem over the holidays.

Please contact Grace or Gerard ASAP if you're interested, we really appreciate any help that can be provided.

School Wide Positive Behaviours

We are Respectful We are Safe We are Learners

Lately, our school-wide positive behaviour program has been centered on the value of respect, with a special focus on respecting equipment.

Our students have been doing a wonderful job of demonstrating this value in their daily actions. We've seen them taking care of classroom materials, packing away sporting equipment properly, and using shared resources with care. These small actions make a big difference in ensuring our school remains a safe and well-equipped learning environment for everyone.

SchoolTV - Wellbeing Platform

Followers of our Newsletter will be aware that we offer our families access to School TV. Because parenting doesn’t come with a set of instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that can support you in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting.

This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.

Below is a URL link to the St. Brendan’s SchoolTV platform.

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: DIET AND NUTRITION

We all know that diet and nutrition is vital to your child’s development and growth, but are you aware of the effects it has on your child’s brain development and how it can impact their academic achievement?

In this era of convenience, it is easy to reach for pre-packaged and processed foods to cope with busy schedules. However, these foods are usually packed full of sugar and salt which can have adverse health effects. Making a habit of reading food labels can help reduce the risks. It can also help to stabilise your child’s energy, improve their mood, maintain a healthy weight and improve their general wellbeing.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice for teaching your kids about the benefits of incorporating a healthy diet and good nutrition.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Diet & Nutrition edition of SchoolTV:

CHILD SAFETY STATEMENT

Enrolments

2026 Foundation enrolments are now open. We have upscaled our Social Media output to spread the word about our wonderful school. It has been really positive to see people responding positively to the advertisements.

A reminder that one of the best ways to advertise a school is by word of mouth. Spread the word!

Social Media

A reminder that you can follow us on the following social media platforms to stay up to date with all of the happenings in our vibrant school community.

@stbrendansprimary

Prep/1 Classroom

Wow! What a week! It has been wonderful starting back at St Brendan's and getting to know the incredible Prep/1 students. I am one very lucky teacher. Liz and Kate have been working super hard over the past 6 weeks, and have provided the students with some amazing learning experiences.

This week has been all about getting to know each other. The Prep/1's have been extremely caring and helpful, showing me how things are done around the classroom and school.

We have participated in lots of Sunshine Circle activities and play-based learning. A highlight this week was making our own kinetic sand to use during quiet time. Mel made a very astute comment, "I forgot how much Allira likes to make a mess". We've also settled in nicely to our learning routines, including Literacy and Maths.

Literacy: The Preps are learning the letters d, e, v and f and the most common sounds they represent. They have been building words containing these letters such as dig, dog and dip. The Grade 1's are working on the sound /oo/ like in book. There are three common spellings <oo> <u> and <oul>

Maths: The Preps are practising reading, writing and representing the numbers 0-20 while the Grade 1's are working on numbers in the hundreds!

A big thanks to Gerard and all the teachers, students and wider community for welcoming me back to Coragulac!

Allira Kluver

Allira Kluver - akluver@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

2/3/4 Classroom News

Welcome to Week 7!

It was an exciting week for us, as we welcomed Sister Marg Carmody into our classroom to talk about the Good Samaritans. It was lovely to see her and listen to the variety of experiences she has had in her life. For those of you who may not know, Marg was a Parish Administrator of St. Brendan's, and my boss, for 13 years!
We always love having her in our school.

The return of Allira is also a thrilling event for us. Welcome back Allira - we have missed you!

Thank you to the families who have returned the Portfolios. If you have not, could you please send them along asap.

R.E. - Marg spoke to our class about how hospitality is one of the core values in the Good Samaritan Order. She spoke about how they offer help to people in need. In some places they hold a spare place at their table for someone in need to share a meal. Marg discussed the Good Samaritan story with the children and talked about how hospitality starts when we listen with the ear of our heart.

Integrated Curriculum: We have moved onto sustainability as a focus for the rest of the term. The children have reflected on how we can be sustainable in our world. We have been learning facts about sustainability, and have learnt that Frankfurt in Germany and Copenhagen in Denmark, are two of the most sustainable cities in the worls because they have implemented a range of eco - friendly initiatives.

The Star of the Wek award goes to Ruby Wilson. Congratulations on your excellent effort!

Warm Wishes,
Mandy Sutherland
msutherland@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

5/6 Classroom News

Welcome to Week 7 of Term 3!

We congratulate Gerard on his smooth transition into the Principal's role and welcome Allira back to St Brendan's - the Prep/1s were so excited! With these changes, we have the pleasure of being part of the Year 5/6 class for the next 3 weeks of term.

Our class welcomed 2 new 'students' - a friesian heifer named Marge and a beef/cross bull named Homer. These names were voted on and after a very subtle but effective campaign - Zayne's names were chosen!
The students are caring for these calves as part of their participation in Dairy Australia's "Cows Create Careers". As well as completing classroom activities we will be visiting local dairy farms to get a more indepth understanding of milk production and the careers that the dairy industry generates.

Religious Education: Continuing on the theme of 'Integrity' we are now looking at how the Catholic Church communicates important messages to catholics and the whole world - through an Encyclical. The last Encyclical was from Pope Francis and addressed the issues of the environmnt called Laudato Si'.

We commend the 5/6 students on thir attitude and behaviour - really showing our 3 school expectations - we are safe, we show respect and we are learners.

Kate and Liz

Kate Parker - kparker@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au

Liz McGuane - lmcguane@sbcoragulac.catholic.edu.au