On Wednesday we came together as a College community to celebrate the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Service led by Fr Steven. Ashes obtained from the burning of Palms collected from the previous Psalm Sunday are placed on our foreheads in the sign of the Cross.

Along with reminding us of our mortality, the ashes on Ash Wednesday are also symbolic of grief; grief from the sins we have committed. We may not always be able to resist temptation as Jesus did, but Lent provides an opportunity to reflect, pray and repent for our sins. In doing so, many people make sacrifices or commit to life changes throughout the 40 days of lent. It’s a time for spiritual fasting so that we can cleanse our souls and renew our faith as we prepare for the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

I would like to commend all students for the way they entered into this occasion. Since arriving at the College, I have been most impressed with the reverence and respect the students hold in our special services and ceremonies.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the NSATIS Basketball gala day where our College was represented by our Senior Girls who remain undefeated and our Senior Seconds boys. The sportsmanship, College pride and genuine respect toward their opponents was really notable and ensured that our College was well represented. My 4 year old daughter Chloe loved being included in the warm down during one of the games. Thank you to Mrs Jo Aherne and Mr Steve Ryan for their commitment over the weekend.

Last Wednesday our College Captains James Watson and Felicity Purton attended the JJAMM (Joseph, Julian and Mary MacKillop) student leadership Conference with Miss Leah Sussman. While exhausted from the camp (arriving home late Sunday) all have returned to the College invigorated and transformed by the experience. I have no doubt that this opportunity has provided both James and Felicity with much growth as they explore their own leadership.

Our Vice Captains Mitchell Nield and Sarah Ellis attended Our Lady of Lourdes last Friday to lead the Student Leadership Assembly. I have received a letter of commendation from Mrs Carol Seagar for the outstanding presentation Mitchell and Sarah gave, along with the manner in which they engaged with students. Mitchell and Sarah were accompanied by Mrs Cheryl Sheehan.

I am pleased to announce that the College will be offering a Ski Trip to Mt Hotham for Year 12 and 11 students later this year. Those students who have already expressed interest will receive further information this week around the next part of the process.

We look forward to our Athletics Carnival next week. Can I please ask that families ensure students are arriving each day in full College sports uniform. This extends to students attending excursions. Non College track pants and shorts should not be worn.

We have had a number of Year 11 students return to the College this week. We welcome them on their return, and look forward to seeing them thrive in our community.

Kind regards,

As a College, we gathered together on one of the most important days in the Catholic liturgical calendar. To mark the beginning of the Lenten season, Father Steven led an Ash Wednesday Service that reminded us to consider God's abundant love and forgiveness shown to us through Jesus.

All St Brendan-Shaw College students display their connection and commitment to their school community by wearing academic and sporting uniforms correctly and with pride. The correct College uniforms are to be worn between home and school and while participating in incursions and excursions. The sporting uniform below outlines the expectation for our students while in this uniform.

Drum roll please... 
Our College Production for 2023 will be Pippin!

Pippin tells the story of Pippin, a young prince who longs to find passion and adventure in his life. He ventures through the University, encounters the Circus, joins the Army, becomes King, and even tries to settle down and raise a family. This show has comedy, a bit of tragedy, plenty of dancing and singing, a fight scene, and circus/magic scenes.

This morning, our production students learned how to perform circus skills from the professionals to prepare for their performance. Thank you to Pip, Sebastian, and Lewis at Slipstream Circus for joining us today to share your knowledge and skills with our students.

We can't wait to put on a quality College production for our community this August! Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming ticket sales!

Families are still able to purchase student photos by following the below instructions. If you require the access key, please contact the College reception. Family/sibling photos cannot be purchased. Photo catch up day for students who were unable to attend the first session will be held on Friday 3 March. 

1. To place an order for school photos go to www.leadingimage.com.au select - order your school photos, choose your state, enter your access key.
2. No credit card fees apply for online orders.
3. There is one access key for all student and family photos - please enter students' details correctly when placing you order. 
4. Once you have ordered online please keep your order reference number which will be emailed to the email address used when placing the order. You do not need to advice the school or Leading Image of your order reference number. 
5. If you lose your access key, please contact the school office to retrieve it. Leading Image does not give out access keys over the phone due to students' privacy.
6. Only parents who have ordered a family photo and pay for it before the photo day will have a photo taken.
7. Family packages must be ordered before 4:30 pm the night before photo day. 
8. The family discount is available to all families who have three or four students attending the school, where parents pay for two students and receive their third and fourth students' packages for free. 
9. Leading Image do not have control over the way your child's name appears in the photo - any changes or requests are strictly handled by the school.

Congratulations to the following students on their selection success for the Tasmanian Womens U/18 Baksetball team. Wishing you all the best for the upcoming championships!

Claire Martin Year 11
Lucy Aherne Year 10
Lucah Conkie Year 10
Gemma McCoy Year 10
Mia Aylett (reserve) Year 10 

Congratulations to Year 11 student Trent Steven, on his selection success for the National Cricket Indigenous Championships. We are excited to hear about the championship upon your return next week!

Over the weekend, our girls and boys NSATIS Basketball teams travelled to Launceston to play in the Lightning round.  

The ladies had a strong day winning three from three games and cementing their spot at the top of the NSATIS ladder.

SBSC 108 def LCGS 33

SBSC 73 def ST Pats 29

SBSC 62 def SOC 35

The boys had mixed results but still were in the top four of the ladder.

SBSC 48 lt SOC Maroon 58

SBSC 56 lt St Pats Gold 82

SBSC 49 def SOC Gold 35

The boys also had a game this week against St. Pats White in what was a very competitive game.

SBSC 78 def St Pats White 68.

This week in Tennis saw the Boys travel to Scotch Oakburn. While the team continues to improve, they were not quiet strong enough for Soctch Oakburn College going down 55-20.

On Wednesday the 1st and Thursday the 2nd of March, the College will be holding the annual College Athletics carnival. Over the course of the two days students will have the opportunity to participate in track and field events and lots of novelty events as well. Students are encouraged to come to school in their house colours and participate to the best of their ability earning valuable house points for the house cup. There will be a BBQ cooking all day and the canteen will be unavailable, so please keep this in mind. 

Tomorrow during Period 6, students in Year 7 and 9 will run their 1500m event for the Athletics carnival. Students can bring their PE uniform to school and get changed at lunchtime. All students are encouraged to participate and earn valuable house points.

Earlier this week on The Project they aired a segment about school refusal. One of the takeaways from the segment is that not taking on the challenge (ie allowing the student to stay home) does not help in the long term, and the anxiety is best overcome by facing the challenge. While I was unable to locate a recording of the segment, further information is available at this link: https://www.psych4schools.com.au/free-resources/school-refusal/

If you think your child is becoming a school refuser, please do not hesitate to contact their house coordinator or our counsellor Lynda Beaven.

In warm weather, students are permitted to carry their blazer over their arm as an alternative to becoming excessively hot on the way home. It must be visible.

Do you think St Brendan-Shaw College is the right option for your family but have yet to have the opportunity to visit? If you would like to learn more about our College programs and facilities, we invite you to join us at the College for this year's Information Evening on Thursday, 30 March, at 5:30 pm.

The evening will provide an opportunity to learn about all aspects of the College, including our pastoral care system, subjects and curriculum, extracurricular activities, and career advice.

We understand that finding the right school community is an important family decision, and we encourage parents to bring their children to the evening. Throughout the evening, staff and students will give an insight into College life and what we offer. The evening will include short presentations, and a guided tour of the College campus, with opportunities for answers to any questions you may have.

We can't wait to welcome you to our community.

On Saturday, 4 March, College staff and students will be taking over the volunteer roster at Bells Parade parkrun. Whether you are a parkrun regular or first timer, we would love to see lots of SBSC faces there that day.

If you would like your result emailed to you, please register at this website: https://www.parkrun.com.au/register/?section=form and bring your barcode along on the day. parkrun is a free, timed weekly 5km run/walk/jog, and dogs on a short hand-held lead are welcome.

Bells Parade parkrun starts from the path near the BBQ hut at 9am. Please arrive by 8:50 for the run briefing if it is your first time.