The St Brigid’s Catholic School Staff wish our school community 

a peace filled Christmas season.

May the joy and hope of the birth of Jesus transform your life

and allow you to embrace a love for all people.  

Gawler Parish Christmas Masses 

• Thursday 24th December 6pm (St Brigid’s ~ SAMMAT) 
• Thursday 24th December 8pm (St Brigid’s ~ SAMMAT) 
• Thursday 24th December 11.45pm (Midnight Mass)(Ss Peter & Paul Church)  
• Friday 25th December 8am  (Ss Peter & Paul Church)
• Friday 25th December 10am (Ss Peter & Paul Church) 

It is essential that people book their attendance at their preferred mass by phoning the Gawler Parish: 8522 1089

Thank you Mrs Andrea White 

We wish to acknowledge the efforts of Mrs Andrea White as our Assistant Principal – Religious Identity and Mission. This year, Andrea concludes her ten year appointment at St Brigid’s. Andrea has been instrumental in the establishment of our focus on the deep learnings of St Brigid, our commitment to living the Gospel values in our pastoral care of others and the promotion of student wellbeing programs. We extend our appreciation to Andrea for her devotion to our school and parish and thank her for her loyal support in ensuring our Catholicity has been woven into the fabric of our school culture. Andrea will continue to be a valuable part of our school community as she works one day a week providing cover for colleagues who are released to undertake their leadership roles in 2021.  

Welcome Mr Michael Proctor

We welcome Mr Michael Proctor to St Brigid’s Catholic School. Michael has extensive experience as an APRIM and will be a wonderful asset to our school community. We look forward to Michael joining our school family in 2021 and nurturing the religious dimension of our school.  Michael is the current APRIM at St Joseph’s School, Hectorville, and has indicated that he is excited to be joining our school family in January and getting to know our staff, children and families.   

Creative, Collaborative, Connected Learners - Inspired by Love 

Year 6 Graduation:

Congratulations to our graduating class of Year 6 for 2020. The evening was a wonderful celebration of growth and achievement over seven years of primary school. Thank you to Mrs. Vanderhout, Mrs. Kaczmarek and staff for their organisation, preparation and support. We also thank Father Jose for celebrating the liturgy for this milestone in our children’s education journey and wish them every success for their future. 

Instrumental Music Band Immersion Program: 

To assist with our 2021 planning we remind families to complete the expression of interest form attached for any child wishing to learn an instrument next year. We are hopeful that with the easing of Covid restrictions we hope to re-engage with the program more fully next year. 

Our Heartfelt Gratitude

In summarizing the 2020 academic year we are deeply grateful for the incredible efforts of our staff for their flexibility, creativity and dedication to our school community. Likewise, we acknowledge our families for their trust in our processes and for complying with government expectations that have been placed upon us. A special mention is made of our children who have responded remarkably to a changing world but more importantly, to a changing school with numerous alterations and modifications which they have absorbed and continued to achieve wonderful outcomes during 2020.  

At the start of the year we had planned numerous activities to celebrate our 50th birthday. Unfortunately, circumstances have prevented us from being able to undertake the majority of these. As Government regulations have restricted the ability of our school family to gather in large numbers, we have admired the resilience of our children to enter the school grounds with minimal family support. We have valued the trust that our parent community have placed in our staff who have been incredibly understanding and devoted to the children in their care.   

Fortunately, whilst our Parent Team were restricted in coordinating community events, they still were able to be involved in enabling a range of activities for our school family including our Annual Mother’s Day & Father’s Day Stall. It was deeply satisfying to be able to invite our families back into our school grounds towards the end of Term Three. Furthermore, as we entered Term 4 it was encouraging that we were able to have our school community together at Gawler South to view our 2020 Sports day. This started the reintroduction of families attending assemblies and our Ceili. Through all of the challenges of 2020 our children were still able to be engaged in our Yr 6 Community Service program, Catholic Schools Music Festival, SACPSSA Sports Tournaments and the Children’s University.  

We are grateful for the willingness of staff, children and families to work together to maintain a strong commitment to student growth and wellbeing. There have been numerous examples of our community displaying wonderful empathy in caring for each other as families have experienced loss of employment, bereavements and extreme illnesses. The ability of every member of St Brigid’s Catholic School to be mindful of the needs of another and to be conscious of their own presence in our busy world is a core trait that we aim to consolidate in 2021.  

May the Christmas season enable you to experience a deep peace and to enjoy the beauty of your children and the importance of family. 

Farewell

As we conclude another year we express our appreciation to the following staff as they conclude their association with St Brigid’s Catholic School: 

Heather Malone: Heather has provided tremendous support as an Education Support Officer – Curriculum. She has been incredibly patient in assisting children with literacy support and working with teachers to enable children to successfully access the curriculum. Her high expectations and high levels of support have enabled her to establish wonderful connections with children and to make a significant difference in the lives of many students. We wish her every success in her move to Xavier College – Two Wells.  

Victoria Xerri: Victoria is an educator who has the wonderful ability to make learning relevant, meaningful and engaging for the children in her class. She is extremely gifted in making each child feel that they are able to achieve success as a learner and that their social and emotional competencies are an integral aspect of their formation. We have appreciated her leadership in coordinating our Sports Program and for her commitment to nurturing a sense of community at our school. May she continue to enjoy her vocation as an educator at St Columba College. 

James Sutton: James has been a wonderful asset at St Brigid’s as a member of our OSHC Leadership Team and as an Education Support Officer – Curriculum. James connects quickly with children and they trust him to support them with their learning. His patience and ability to assist young people to achieve success has been greatly valued and he generously shared his skills and knowledge with classes from Reception to Year 6. We thank James for his willingness to continually immerse himself in the life of our school for the benefit of our young people and wish him every blessing as he undertakes his final year of study and works at the OSHC Xavier College – Two Wells.  

Mary-Anne Hayward: As a former parent at St Brigid’s, Mary-Anne’s ongoing commitment to our school as an Education Support Officer – Curriculum has been significant. Her patient and caring approach has enabled her to work closely with many children who have required assistance with their learning. Mary-Anne is  already working at Catherine McAuley School and will now work in a fulltime capacity at this school.  

May Heather, Victoria, James and Mary-Anne  be blessed in their new roles and know that their contribution to our school has been greatly valued.  

Keeping healthy over the holidays - for friends and family 

BeYou Mental Health and Headspace have provided some resources for our communities to support families over the holiday break. Please avail yourself to any of the information in the link below should you require support over the Christmas holiday break. 

https://headspace.org.au/friends-and-family/keeping-healthy-over-the-holidays/?stage=Live 

Vacation Care: