Principal’s Welcome

Dear Parents,

Welcome to St Bernard's Primary School, Batemans Bay. St Bernard's is a Catholic Co-educational Primary School within the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn, located on the beautiful South Coast of New South Wales. The school currently has an enrolment of 340 students from Kindergarten to Year 6. St Bernard’s is a Catholic school for all, that nurtures and encourages individual students to achieve their full academic potential.

I acknowledge the Walbanja people who are the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built. We pay respects to Elders both past and present of Djuwin Country and extend that respect to all other Aboriginal People in our community. St Bernard’s welcomes you.

One of the greatest gifts I believe we can give our students in a Catholic school is Faith. Our teachings and interactions with all our families and students in our care are centred on Jesus Christ, our greatest teacher. At St Bernard's we are committed to delivering a quality, contemporary, Catholic education, tailored to the needs of individual students. Each individual student enters the classroom with a variety of experiences including cultural, emotional, spiritual and social. As educators it is our role to engage, challenge, affirm and support the growth of the whole child.

Our teachers and staff are here to support your child as they journey through Primary school. We have a highly dedicated team who are committed to delivering quality education in a contemporary learning environment. The Catholic community of the Archdiocese challenges its schools and teachers to share with parents the sacred responsibility for the educational, spiritual and emotional development of the young people in its care.

Parents are the best advocates for their children’s learning success, it is our priority to collaborate with parents in all areas of school life. Parent workshops and Parent/Teacher meetings are conducted regularly to further increase understanding of how children learn and can best be supported.

Our mission is to develop curious, creative and critical thinkers who aspire to be the best. We encourage all students to be independent and resilient learners, respectful and accepting of difference and courageous to live their faith. Our students are central to every decision we make. In partnership with our families, we strive to offer our students the best education in an environment that is both engaging and nurturing.

The future in education is exciting and our school enthusiastically embraces the challenges that lie ahead. St Bernard’s has adopted evidenced based instruction that is underpinned by The Simple View of Reading and Cognitive Science. This research-based approach informs the design of our instruction and classroom delivery. At St Bernard’s Primary School, we offer high quality learning programs to our teachers to ensure they meet the learning needs of all students living in the 21st Century. Our learning programs provide a range of educational experiences that will challenge, motivate, and encourage teachers and students to reach their full potential. Our aspiration is to ensure students and teachers are provided with the very best opportunities to learn and thrive in a positive, safe, and supportive environment.

I feel blessed to be leading St Bernard’s and I welcome your interest in our beautiful school.

Welcome to St Bernard's Primary School, Batemans Bay.

Johanna Wain
Principal