Good afternoon Parents and Carers, 

Yesterday was a historic day in the history of football in the State with the announcement of the 19th licence in the AFL. While many in our community may not agree with the financial commitment made by the State and the Federal governments to secure the licence, we can rest assured that this will create hope and ambition in our young men and women to continue to pursue their hopes and dreams. 

St Brendan-Shaw College has produced some exceptional AFL talent over the years, including Grant Birchall (Hawthorn and Brisbane), Matthew Richardson (Richmond), Ben Brown (North Melbourne and Melbourne), Jade Rawlings (Hawthorn, North Melbourne, and Western Bulldogs), Brady Rawlings (North Melbourne) and most recently Lachie Cowan (Carlton).  

I do not doubt that yesterday's announcement will enable many more of our young men and women to have the opportunity to reach their hopes and dreams.  

One of our College values is Hope In the Christian tradition, hope in Christ and faith in Christ are closely linked, with hope having a connotation that means the one with hope has a firm assurance, through the witness of the Holy Spirit, that Christ has promised a better world to those who are His. In our Christian faith, hope is significant in our values and beliefs.

As I reported last week, as a College community, we will explore our Values and create an explicit values statement linked to our College Mission Statement and the Archbishop's Charter for Catholic Schools. During the week, our Year 7 and 8 students explored these values and provided specific insight and examples. Other grades will be engaged in this process through their retreats over the course of the year.

At our College Board meeting on Tuesday evening, Mr Malcom Nield was elected Chair of the Board for his third term. We wish Malcolm well on this appointment, knowing that he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, and his support is greatly appreciated. A reminder particularly to our new parents we have Board vacancies and would love to have some new members nominated for our Board. If you are interested, please contact the Principal's Executive Assistant principalsea@sbsc.tas.edu.au.  

Our senior Girls Basketball team travelled to Hobart to play in the SATIS Final today and unfortunately lost 40-51. I would like to thank Ms Taya Webb, Mrs Jo Aherne, and Mr Steve Ryan for their work with the girls this season. Our young ladies are exceptionally talented; however, their efforts have represented much more than this for us as a College community. They have set an example for all our students to aspire to through their talents and how they have conducted themselves, presented themselves, and honoured their opponents with good grace.

Student well-being is as relevant in education as it ever has been. The Australian Student Well-being Framework supports Australian schools to provide every student with the strongest foundation possible to reach their aspirations in learning and in life. 

The five elements of leadership, inclusion, student voice, partnerships, and support are the foundation for the whole school community to promote student well-being, safety, and learning outcomes.

Each fortnight the College Captains and Vice Captains meet with me to discuss initiatives and an opportunity for me to hear from the students about areas they believe are essential in their education. The students have been very clear in their leadership vision centred around developing community and connection. The Student Executive has run some great initiates this year and has planned a Mental Health Awareness week in week 6 of this Term that will include a range of activities for our students during the week, including Hoodie Hump Day on Wednesday, 31 May, where students will be permitted to wear a hoodie while at school on the day and will complete a mindfulness walk during the day, and 'Do-Nut Stress Day' on Friday 2 June, where donuts will be sold at lunchtime, and staff will be encouraged not to set assignments for this day.

The College is putting measures in place to expand our Vocational Educational Training (VET) program, and we look forward to making some important announcements in the coming weeks. Our new framework will offer expanded Yr 10 -12 VET pathways for our students, acknowledging the important role vocational education plays in the education of our students and the opportunities this presents them.

A reminder that the College enrolments for Year 7 close on 12 May, as do our scholarships for Year 7, 2024, in the areas of:

Leadership, Sports, The Arts, and Academics.

Yours sincerely,

First-round enrolments for Year 7 2024 will close on 12 May 2023, so act quickly to secure your enrolment interviews early! Interested students and their families can get more information by contacting the College Enrolment Registrar at enrolments@sbsc.tas.edu.au or visiting www.sbsc.tas.edu.au/enrolments.

Don't miss out on the chance to join our vibrant and supportive learning community, where we provide a quality education that fosters critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning.

Contact us today to start your educational journey.

A reminder that applications for College Scholarships are open for 2024. Scholarships are offered for entry in Year 7. Scholarships offer discounts on tuition fees up to 50%. Scholarships are granted for the duration of the student’s education. They are subject to the maintenance of excellent performance levels as well as contributing to the life of the College.

Applications close on 12 May 2023.
Late applications will not be considered.

For more information, please contact our Executive Assistant to Principal PrincipalsEA@sbsc.tas.edu.au or visit https://www.sbsc.tas.edu.au/enrolments/scholarships

The following was published in the student notices this week:

As it is now winter, all students must wear their blazers to and from school. In terms 2&3, carrying it is not an acceptable alternative.

I understand some students don’t have ties, but the top buttons should still be done up, even without a tie.

- Ms Kim Walters

This week, our Year 7 and 8 students embarked on a journey of self-discovery during their Reflection Days. Guided by the insightful Marty Ogle from MJR 24/7, our young learners delved deep into gratitude, appreciation, thankfulness, enthusiasm, and the importance of companionship.

For the Year 7 students, the focus was on "Opening the G.A.T.E"- an acronym for grateful, appreciative, thankful, and enthusiastic. Through thought-provoking discussions and introspection, our Year 7 students explored the power of positivity and the transformative effects of gratitude on their personal and academic lives.

Meanwhile, our Year 8 students were encouraged to embrace the theme of "You are not alone," which aimed to inspire the importance of companionship in both good and bad times. Through group conversations, our students grappled with the concept of loneliness. They discovered ways to overcome it, including identifying its causes and contacting trusted individuals for support.

Throughout the day, our students reflected on their personal experiences and were allowed to share their thoughts and feelings. They asked each other tough questions, such as "Do you ever feel lonely?" and "What are the causes of loneliness?" while brainstorming creative coping strategies.

Overall, these Reflection Days proved to be a valuable learning experience for our students, providing them with the tools and insight necessary to navigate the complexities of their young lives. 

Debating last night was close, and we were all immensely proud of ourselves, with everyone in our team making it to six-eight minutes. SBSC combined our two teams, and we had a friendly debate with a team from LC (Launceston College). In speaking order, our team consisted of Xander Langley, Harriet Mendham, and Felicity Purton. 

We fought to win this debate with the mindset ‘we can’t lose.’ the topic was complex for both affirmative and negative teams, being that ‘Tasmania Should Be Ashamed of its History.’ We found the topic challenging being Negative (therefore saying that ‘Tasmania Should Not Be Ashamed of its History.’) Shame is covering up the terrible acts from our history because we are too embarrassed to admit to these! 

We managed to come up with four compelling points. And secure the win this week! We hope to continue this streak next week!

- Harriet Mendham 

Our Year 8B class has embarked on an exciting project where they will design and create their very own money boxes. This is an excellent opportunity for the students to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills, all while having fun!

As they begin the project, the students use cutting-edge technology, using computer-aided design (CAD) software to create their unique money box designs. The software allows them to create intricate digital models with great precision, using tools like a stylus or a mouse to manipulate the design elements. 

Bryce Evans (pictured below) is one of the Year 8B students working hard on his design. We are very excited to see what type of designs the students develop over the following few lessons!

Our Outdoor Education and Outdoor Leadership subjects continue to provide students with unique opportunities to learn and grow outside the classroom.

The recent trip to Meander allowed an immersive and challenging experience. The Meander River Sledding and Quamby Bluff hike were quite physically demanding, requiring students to work together and support one another. At the same time, the cooking challenge back at camp and the overnight stay emphasized creativity, teamwork, and resilience.

The trip allowed students to develop their leadership skills, build confidence, and develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

Physics students are studying motion this term. In this experiment, they used projectile launchers and data logging equipment to test their hypotheses about the optimal launch angle for a projectile.

The 2023 Senior Ball is fast approaching. Parents are welcome to attend the arrivals.
Details below!

Date: Saturday, 20 May
Time: Arrivals from 5:45pm
Where: Devonport Country Club
Theme: Masquerade 

Well done to our Girl's Senior First basketball team. The girls showed their game faces this morning and played a great match in the Grand Final against Guilford Young College. 

The girls displayed incredible skills and teamwork on the court as they gave their all to keep themselves in front of GYC. Despite their best efforts, the girls fell short in the final quarter. GYC proved a formidable opponent, but our girls played with grit and determination until the end. 

The College community, as always, is proud to have students represent us with strong sportsmanship, teamwork, and unwavering spirit throughout each season, on and off the court. 

The Skate:Life program has returned!

The dates for the program have changed slightly for winter. Skate:Life will now be on the second and last Saturday of each month from 11am - 1pm.

No need to book! Just turn up and enjoy learning how to skate with Aaron from the Drop in Skate School!

Upcoming Dates

• 13 May 11am - 1pm
• 27 May 11am - 1pm
• 10 June 11am - 1pm
• 24 June 11am - 1pm
• 8 July 11am - 1pm
• 29 July 11am - 1pm
• 12 August 11am – 1pm
• 26 August 11am – 1pm

These webinars are education sessions pitched at parents and will be on various mental health and education topics. All webinars will include a Q&A session at the end to answer parents' burning questions! 

Our upcoming webinars will be in the evenings to allow parents to attend to the live component. The webinars will be recorded and available to be viewed at a later time for 3 months. 

Upcoming topics include:

• Understanding Anxiety in Children & Adolescents (1st June)
• Managing Anxiety in Children & Adolescents (15th June)
• Understanding Learning Disorders (29th June)
• Early Entry to Kindergarten (TBC)

I would love to get the word out to as many parents as possible and would appreciate you passing this information and the flyer above on to anyone you think would enjoy these sessions. We look forward to continuing to work with you to support your students and clients.

Rosie Maunder & the Rosie Psychology Team