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

           KEEP ME SAFE, O GOD; YOU ARE MY HOPE  Psalm 15.

 A first reading of the texts for this week did not suggest or offer much motivation in “ what is the inspiration for me/us” from the readings? However, after a pause for a rethink and considering the readings, I had a moment on which to reflect on what is happening in our world. I came to the realisation that we are experiencing similar difficulties to those of Jesus and His community. The song Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Show sprang to mind. We are reminded that the world  in Jesus’ time was fraught with difficulties, social and political tensions for the community and for Jesus personally. Despite all that was happening Jesus stayed true to His mission of love and spreading knowledge of the Kingdom. As we look around our world , we are aware of countries and their people experiencing difficulties and distress from the ravages of war and damage caused by erratic weather: floods and fires.

 The language and imagery of the readings are often referred to as being ‘apocalyptic’ and it highlights some aspects of cosmology. Brendan Byrne ( A Costly Freedom page 196-198) comments on this part of Mark’s gospel “ a long discourse of Jesus on the future facing His disciples”.  Perhaps us? Further Brendan suggests that there is a “two pronged message.” We are to “maintain HOPE and remain sure that He will come again both as a deliverer and the One to who an account must be given so be vigilant and watchful in our pattern of life.”

 What is HOPE? Do we ever take time to reflect on the word and what it means to us in relation to our FAITH and what else it helps us to manifest?

Sister Joan Chittester in a talk she delivered on The Spirituality of Hope described HOPE as “a gift of life.”  She further explains “The spiritual task of life is to feed hope  and hope lies in the spiritual life we cultivate. Hope is not something to be found outside us. Hope is not a matter of waiting on the outside to get better. It is what happens inside. Hope is fulfilled in the future.” The spiritual task feeding hope,  is to  lead us to transform ourselves allowing us to create a real sense of hope and trust in God.

Life has many endings and new beginnings but God remains constant and eternal. We cannot know God’s exact plans but we can trust. We need to be open and alert to all of the ways the Spirit shows us God’s presence.

Veronica Lawson RSM offers us some advice. She suggests that as part of our trustful willingness we may respond to a call to pay close attention to what the “ other - than - human” Earth elements can tell us about God and God’s way. How are we treating the planet? Being aware of the distress of many countries  and people,  are we being mindful of who we are called to be?

Points to ponder in light of the readings as we travel another week!

          What do I understand hope to be?

          What gives me hope in difficult times?

          What are some signs of hope in my life?

          How can I be a light of hope to other? 

   Ken and Carolyn Evenden

Celebrating All Saints Day and its Legacy 

All Saints’ Day, celebrated on November 1st, is a special day in the Christian calendar, dedicated to honouring all saints, known and unknown. This day is a time for reflection, remembrance, and celebration of the lives and deeds of saints who have inspired and guided the faithful throughout history.

The Meaning of All Saints’ Day

All Saints’ Day, also known as All Hallows’ Day, has its roots in the early Christian tradition of commemorating martyrs. Over time, it evolved to include all saints, recognizing their contributions to the faith and their exemplary lives. The day serves as a reminder of the spiritual connection between the living and those who have passed on, emphasizing the belief in the communion of saints.

How We Celebrate

In many cultures, All Saints’ Day is marked by attending church services, lighting candles, and visiting the graves of loved ones. It’s a time to reflect on the virtues of the saints and to seek their intercession. Schools and communities often hold special events, such as processions, plays, and educational activities, to teach students about the significance of the day.

All Saints’ Day is not just about remembering the past; it’s about inspiring the present and future. The stories of the saints like Saint Bernard, encourage us to live with compassion, courage, and faith. They remind us that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things through their dedication and love for others.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and His Mission

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a very special person who lived a long time ago, in the 12th century. He was born in France in 1090 and grew up to be a kind and wise man who loved helping others.

What Did He Do?

St Bernard started a new monastery called Clairvaux Abbey. It became a place where many people came to learn about faith and how to live a good life.

He also helped a group of knights called the Knights Templar who protected people who were traveling to holy places. Bernard supported them and helped them become a strong and respected group.

St Bernard travelled around, talking to people about peace and faith. He encouraged people to live good lives and to help each other.

Saint Bernard is important because he showed how one person can make a big difference by being kind, wise, and dedicated. His story teaches us about the power of faith, kindness, and helping others. These are the values we live by at St Bernard’s. 

Dear Parents and Carers

On Tuesday evening we had the pleasure of hosting the Kindergarten Expo, showcasing our school to the parents of children enrolled for the 2025 school year. It was an opportunity to communicate our school priorities for the coming year, as well as highlighting the excellent programs and extra curricular activities we offer. Tomorrow we look forward to welcoming the Kindergarten classes of 2025 to the first of two orientation mornings where they will meet their teacher and classmates for 2025.

Berry Camp

Last week the students of Year 6 attended the Berry Sport and Recreation camp for their two night excursion. They had a fantastic time at this location, participating in a range of activities including canoeing and rock wall climbing. The students were highly engaged while on camp, striving to try new things and supporting one another. The staff who attended were most impressed by our Year 6 students. As high school approaches, they are certainly exhibiting wonderful leadership. 

SRC 2025 Leadership Speeches

Our Year 5 students are beginning preparations for their speeches for the Student Representative Council for the 2025 school year. The SRC is made up of two School Captains and four leadership team members. In addition, two House Captains for each of the Sporting Houses, Clairvaux, Lourdes, Tenison and Mackillop are selected. Students from this year's Year 3-5 are given the opportunity to listen to the speeches and to vote for candidates who they believe will be the best student leaders for our school. 

Speeches will take place on Monday 9 December at 9:00am in the school hall for the SRC and at 11:15am in the classrooms for House Captains.

St Bernard's Got Talent 

We are looking forward to the annual St Bernard's Talent Quest that will take place in the final week of school. The Talent Quest is for students in Years K-6, with auditions taking place for infants and primary age students over two lunch times in Week 8, K-2 on Tuesday 3 December and 3-6 on Thursday 5 December. 

As you might be aware, our canteen manager, Karen Cheeseman is moving on from managing our canteen to spend more time with her family. Today is Karen's last day and we wish her the very best.

Samantha Whyte is taking over the role of canteen manager and we welcome her to the St Bernard's Staff. Samantha is very experienced in managing school canteens and is looking forward to her new role. If you would like to assist in the canteen as a volunteer, please contact the front office. Samantha would love to hear from you! The canteen is open Wednesday-Friday and volunteering any amount of time in the canteen would be welcomed.

I hope that you have a lovely week ahead.

Warm regards

Karen

Term 4 in Year 6 

We have had an exciting start to the final term of primary school. We have taken a more High School approach to how we move throughout the day, as well as using our organisational skills to manage our time. This, along with our Novel Study and Health lessons are ensuring that some of us are very excited for what next year will bring. 

We’ve begun our final novel study of the year, ‘Can You See Me?’. Our book is about a student starting High School, with honest and raw thoughts on what some of us might expect. We are responding to the concepts introduced in the novel through our writing. 

Mathematics is continuing to inspire and excite Year 6. We’ve spent some time learning about symmetry in the real world, as well as Cartesian Planes and more complex 3D shapes. 

During art this term we have studied various drawing techniques. We also found Mr Whiteford’s drawing skills are far beyond Miss Nagel’s. 

In Week 2 we raised money for our Mission Day, donating our time, money and expertise to create exciting activities for our fellow students to play. It was a fun and creative way to raise money for others in need. 

In Week 3 we participated in our amazing musical event, Moana. It was exciting to be a part of such a well loved movie, brought to life with our very own Year 6 friends on stage. The performances were outstanding, and we enjoyed the experience. 

Week 4 highlight was camp. A very heartfelt Thank You to Mrs Smith, Miss Turner, Mr Maynard and Mrs Coggan for their time, support and care on camp. We excitedly faced new challenges with enthusiasm and maturity. Each student had the opportunity to shoot their teacher with a bow and arrow, possibly a highlight for many! We threw boomerangs, learnt to canoe, participated in rock climbing, started a fire with flint and then cooked a damper over our fire. These were only the structured events! We also played volleyball, pickleball, tennis and basketball. Despite less sleep than normal, we all headed back home Friday afternoon, happy and pleased with a wonderful 3 days.      

Student quotes:

Seth L: I had fun! The cabins were nice, sleeping was hard.The activities were fun.

Emerson: I liked camp. It was fun. I liked the activities. 

Pranav: Camp was really fun,I enjoyed it a lot.

Isla: I really like camp because of all the activities and the food was really good.

Gemma:I loved archery,cookouts, canoeing and the food was good. 

Kye:The pickleball was fun, I like pickleball now.

Micah:I think that all the camp activities were pretty fun, my favourite was the canoeing. 

Sienna: The activities were pretty fun and I'm glad they gave us free time. 

Dante: Camp was fun and I really liked canoeing.

Matthew: I liked going to Camp. I liked doing archery tag, rock wall climbing and canoeing.

Korban : My favourite activity was archery tag and swimming after canoeing.

Campbell: My favourite thing about camp was the archery tag. 

Arthur: My favourite thing about camp was rock climbing and archery tag.

Tyler My favourite thing about camp was the canoeing and archery tag.

Seth W: My favourite thing about camp was rock climbing.

Lucy: At camp all the activities were super fun, my favourite was rock climbing.

Dusti-Rae: At camp I liked all of the activities, but my favourite was the rock climbing especially when I went blind folded. 

Amaya: At camp I had so much fun and my favourite activities were rock climbing and cooking damper.