TERM 4 VALUE:

Forgiveness

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 4. It has been wonderful to see students return with such focus, especially those completing mock exams. Their calmness, resilience and commitment have been excellent.

Our value this term is forgiveness a timely reminder that growth comes from understanding, compassion and the willingness to begin again. As pressures increase throughout the academic year, this value invites us all to show kindness to ourselves and others, and to support one another with patience and empathy.

This week we marked Lent through the Seeds of Lent reflections in RPE and during Mass on Thursday. Next week we launch our 40 Acts of Kindness campaign, encouraging everyone to notice and celebrate small, daily acts of generosity.

As a faith-inclusive community, we also send continued warm wishes to everyone observing Ramadan: Ramadan Kareem. Furthermore we wish all members of our Jewish community a joyful and meaningful Purim filled with celebration, connection, and happiness.

Upcoming Events

• Monday 2nd & Wednesday 4th March: National Theatre Connections Production – Wildfire Road.
  Our talented Performing Arts students take to the stage as part of this nationwide celebration of youth theatre.
• Friday 6^th March: International Women's Day Celebration. A day of cross‑college activities recognising the achievements and contributions of women locally and globally
• Monday 9th to Friday 13th March: Raising and Giving (RAG) Week & Interfaith Reflection Week.
  A joyful week of charity activities, student leadership and community spirit & reflection.
• Thursday 19th March: St Brendan’s Careers Fair & Music Performance at the Bristol Beacon.
  An inspiring day for future planning as well as an evening showcasing our musicians on a truly special stage.
• Monday 23^rd to Friday 27^th March: Sustainability Week (Eco-Lent). A week of raising awareness around sustainability including clothes swap, sustainability visiting speakers, Digital Detox afternoon

Wishing everyone a positive and purposeful start to the term.

Kind regards

Marian Curran

Principal

Students are reminded that all stairwells are not areas in which they can sit and/or socialise. This is due to the Health and Safety issues associated with doing so. Recently, and owing to a serious injury caused by misuse of a stairwell, we have had to close down some access routes in C & E block to be strictly emergency access only.

We ask all students to continue to respect this and also to be reassured we are looking to find additional spaces for socialising and coming together as well as encouraging students to make use of existing spaces such as the cafés and sports hall area (open for sports and wellbeing activities and time together at published times).

In order to enhance site security/safety at the college, we will be locking the secondary entrance/exit gates by the new sports pavilion in the times between college coach drop offs & pick-ups ( 09:45 -14:45)

This will allow our security personnel to concentrate on one single point of entry to site that is within line of sight from their position at the barrier.

However, this will mean that for staff/students entering/leaving site between 09:45 – 14:45 the main entrance gates at the end of the drive will be the only access/exit option.

As the weather gets colder and wetter, we’re all spending more time indoors. Let’s keep our college a clean, welcoming place for everyone. Here’s what we expect:

✅Pens belong on paper, not on walls, desks, or chairs 🖊️

✅Toilet paper= toilet use only. Not stuffed back in the holders, not on walls, not anywhere else 🧻

✅Bins are for rubbish-keep floors and tables clear 🗑️

✅Treat furniture and equipment like you’d want it treated at home 🛋️

✅Respect each other’s space- no mess, no stress 🫧

✅Toilet cubicles must only be used by one person at a time. The ONLY exception to this being during lockdown where more than one person may reasonably need to use a cubicle to hide🚽

🤝Why? Because a clean, safe, and welcoming environment benefits everyone. It’s about pride in our college and respect for each other.

Bottom line: If you wouldn’t do it in your own home, don’t do it here. Let’s keep our spaces looking good and ready for everyone to enjoy. 💪

The College takes the safety of students and staff very seriously. Students should not invite friends who do not attend St Brendan’s onto the site and must wear their student lanyard and ID at all times on campus. (Students should obtain a temporary student lanyard from the main reception if they do not have their ID card with them.) Our campus personal patrol the site and can be approached if any student is concerned about their own safety or the safety of others.

St Brendan's is a cashless campus so please make sure you have a card and/or contactless payment on your phone.

If you need to purchase print credit you can do this on the College “Store” which you can access on our website or by using this link St Brendan's Sixth Form College Store

When prompted to login, click on the “Sign in with Microsoft” option, where you can use your College email and password. Your print credit account will automatically update after payment has been approved.

A reminder to all students, parents and carers to please turn right only, when exiting the College between 15:50 – 16:20 at the end of the College day.