Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you have had a good week. What a wonderful term we’re enjoying! From your incredibly positive feedback from Week 3, I know you were most impressed with the Musical, as too were we! The staff and I were so proud of the children and the way they embraced performing for such a large audience. It was lovely entertainment and such a positive experience for everyone involved.

We began this week with Remembrance Day. Annie F and Brennan C represented St Bernard’s at the Remembrance Service at the Honour Stone in Batemans Bay. Mia A, Tomás C, Isla B and Flynn A led the ceremony at school. Each year on this day Australians observe one minute’s silence at 11.00am, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts. We shall remember. Lest We Forget.

Currently Staff are busy with writing end of Semester Two reports for all students and preparing students for the end of the year. Our Semester Two reports will provide you with information on your child/ren’s academic progress over the last two terms. Teachers will gather information from informal and formal assessments, classroom observations and student work samples to provide them with the necessary information for their reports. Semester Two reports will be emailed home to parents on Friday 6 Dec (Week 8). If you have any questions surrounding your child’s report, please don’t hesitate to make an appointment to speak with your child’s classroom teacher during Week 9. Appointments can be made by directly emailing your child’s teacher.

Congratulations…

This year, Ms Jeni McCarthy participated in the Emerging Leaders Program with Catholic Education. Last week, she presented her project to colleagues in Canberra on the program's final day. Ms McCarthy’s focus was on Dr Ross Greene’s Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model, an approach she has been leading at St Bernard’s. Through this model, she has been working closely with staff and students to understand the needs of our students and collaboratively develop effective solutions.

We congratulate Ms McCarthy on her selection and successful completion of this leadership program, which has played an important role in building leadership capacity across our system.

Staffing

Staffing for 2025 is almost finalised. I am confident I will be able to announce details within the next two weeks. We have been allocated 16 classes overall and it is the task of the Executive to best plan for the 2025 school year within these parameters. The configuration of classes next year is as follows:

3 x classes of Year 1 and Year 2

2 x classes of Kindergarten, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6

We always aim to keep our K-2 classes as small as possible because as you well know, the children aren’t as independent. Once the children begin in the Primary, they are gaining more confidence and capacity. Please don’t be at all concerned about classes for next year. Class sizes have little to no effect on student achievement and engagement. It’s all about the quality of the teacher. A reminder that classes are currently being formulated for next year, if you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to email me jo.wain@cg.catholic.edu.au .

School Uniform

As we approach the end of the school year, we would like to remind our community of the importance of wearing the correct uniform to school each day. Recently, we've noticed a few uniform breaches, including variations in socks, school shoes, make-up and jewellery. While we understand that purchasing new leather, polishable black school shoes mid-term may be challenging, we kindly ask that this be prioritised for the start of 2025. Thank you for your attention and cooperation as we work together to uphold these standards.

Whole & Partial Day Unexplained Absences

Any unexplained absence reminders (for both whole and partial days) will be emailed to families on a weekly basis. Please ensure you complete the Compass absentee form via the app in a timely manner. It is a legal requirement that any absence from school has a satisfactory explanation.

Kindergarten Orientation

We welcome our youngest members of our school community tomorrow morning. Orientation commences at 9.00am. The children will be participating in activities until 11.00am. We look forward to welcoming the children as they take this big step!

Orientation Day for Year 7 Students 2025 at Carroll College

A reminder that our next year’s Year 7 students will be visiting Carroll College on Friday 29 November for their orientation day. This will be an exciting day as students familiarise themselves with their new school and make new friends. Mr Whiteford will be there to begin the day to support our students.

Key Dates:

● Kindergarten Orientation Days Friday 15 & 22 Nov @ 9.00am

● Year 5 and 6 Paddleboarding Sessions Monday 18 Nov & Wednesday 4 Dec

● Carroll College Year 7 Orientation Day Friday 29 Nov

● St Bernard’s Swimming Program Monday 25 Nov – Friday 29 Nov

● Year 3 Assembly Friday 6 Dec @ 8.45am

● Kindergarten Nativity & Final Awards Assembly Monday 16 Dec @ 8.45am

● St Bernard’s Colour Run Monday 16 Dec

● SRC & House Captain Speeches Monday 9 Dec

SRC Speeches @ 9.00am House Captain @ 11.15am

Blessings on your family this week.

Warm regards

Johanna Wain

Principal