Dear Parents and Carers

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Year 6 camp at the Berry Sport and Recreation Centre from Wednesday to Friday. It was a wonderful experience in an excellent location, with a range of fantastic activities on offer.

The students were an absolute pleasure to spend time with. Their behaviour throughout the camp was exemplary, and they approached each activity with enthusiasm, resilience, and teamwork. We were incredibly proud of them, and I’m sure their families will be too.

In Week 2 of Term 3, Year 5 will travel to Tharwa in the ACT for their camp to Birrigai, where they will be learning about the history of the Gold Rush. Soon after, Year 4 will go to Canberra for an overnight excursion, visiting attractions in our capital city.

It is always an exciting and very valuable learning time for our students and we appreciate the support of parents as well as the staff who give their time to attend. 

These camps are always an exciting and enriching part of the school year. They offer valuable opportunities for learning beyond the classroom and help students build independence, confidence, and connection with their peers. We are very grateful for the support of our parents and the dedication of our staff who generously give their time to make these experiences possible.

Spirituality Retreat

Leaders of our Catholic schools are fortunate to be provided with time to focus on spiritual growth in intervals during the school year. I recently travelled to Galong with fellow principals to participate in a Siloam retreat for two days. The theme of the retreat was Receiving: The Synodal Leader, and focused on scripture from the Acts of the Apostles. The idea of seeing clearly and walking with others was emphasised, as we participated in discussion and prayer. Each of us were given the opportunity to share our thoughts, relating the teachings of Jesus and the early church, to how we carry out our role as Catholic leaders in schools.

The opening prayer of our Siloam retreat captured the essence of this well:

Loving God,

You have called us to lead, to serve, and to build communities of faith and learning.

Inspire us through the example of the early Church - bold, Spirit-filled, and united in Christ.

May our decisions be embedded in love, our conversations marked by listening, and our mission grounded in the Gospel.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful leaders.

Amen

Fr Joshy Kurien

We are very happy to welcome Fr Joshy to the St Bernard's Parish. Fr Joshy has moved from the Goulburn parish where he was parish priest for Goulburn and outlying towns. Fr Joshy joined us today to support the students at the Year 6 Confirmation Retreat Day at Carroll College. We look forward to working in partnership with Fr Joshy. 

Bay Theatre Players -Fantastic Mr Fox

Year 4 students will attend a live performance of the exciting story Fantastic Mr Fox at the Bay Theatre Players next Friday 20 June.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience live theatre, and we are proud to support several students from St Bernard’s who will be performing in the show. Congratulations to Year 5 and 6 students Eva C, Harper B and Holly B who are performing in the production. 

Lunchtime clubs
This term we have different activities happening at lunchtime to cater for students’ interests. Our lunch time activities include:

• Monday: Board Games in the iCentre with Mrs Rosenbaum/ SRC Meet with Mrs Coggan and Mr Maynard
• Tuesday: Choir with Ms Guthrie
• Wednesday: Chess Club with Mrs Keough
• Thursday: MakerSpace/Coding Club in the iCentre with Mrs Holmes                                   Mini Vinnies Meetings with Mrs Smith
• Friday: Drawing and Games with Mrs Nussdorfer

Lunchtime clubs are great a way to build student engagement, social skills and inclusion for all students.

Cultural Learning Pathway Meetings

This week, Aboriginal students from Years 1 to 6 and their families have taken part in Cultural Learning Pathway meetings with Mr Riley Nolan, classroom teachers and Contact Teacher for Aboriginal students, Mr Marynard to plan cultural goals for learning. The process of goal setting is one that we all value. It is very much about building close connections, focusing on how we can all work together to create excellent opportunities for each child's cultural learning. 

Compass - Absences via the Parent Portal
If your child is absent from school for a whole day or longer, please submit details of the absence via the Parent Portal in Compass. This should be completed within 7 days of the absence. Unexplained absences for your child will be displayed on your homepage when you log in to the Parent Portal. If an unexplained absence appears that you believe to be incorrect, please send an email to the Front Office.

If a student is away for three days or more with no explanation, classroom teachers will follow up with parents to check in on the student. Please know that we are here to support and work in partnership with all families.

I hope that you are able to join us for the Athletics Carnival tomorrow which will be held on our top oval. Students have been preparing for a number of weeks in their PE and Sport lessons. I thank Mrs Angela Holmes in advance for the time she has given to organise the carnival and teach the students.

Warm regards,

Karen

Mrs Karen Hadley

Principal

The Lord Will Provide

Greetings to you all.

I am Fr. Joshy Kurien, born in the beautiful land of Kerala, India, on September 3rd.  I am the second son and the youngest child in my family, blessed with three wonderful nieces and two nephews. I feel truly fortunate to be the youngest, surrounded by the love and support of my family.

My journey to serve God has been shaped by the unwavering encouragement of my parents, brother, and three sisters. My mother and my older sister, who is a nun at St. Joseph of St. Marc, especially inspired me to follow this sacred calling. From a young age, I knew in my heart that I wanted to serve God as a priest. Growing up in a deeply Catholic family that cherished faith and community, I was blessed to have their guidance and support every step of the way, as I prepared to follow God's plan for my life.

In 2010, I embarked on a new chapter by coming to Canberra. I have a passion for learning about diverse cultures, believing that each one is a unique gift from God. Embracing the richness of different traditions and perspectives helps us discover many ways to connect through faith, love, and understanding.

I was ordained a priest on April 20, 2012, and began my ministry as an assistant priest at St. Gregory’s Parish in Queanbeyan. Since then, I have served as a parish priest in Cootamundra, Harden, and Goulburn, each experience enriching my faith and deepening my love for community. Now, I am joyful to be part of the Batemans Bay community, eager to serve and grow together.

Being a priest fills my life with happiness and purpose. I look forward to this new chapter with hope, gratitude, and a heart full of blessings.

My guiding motto is: The Lord will Provide!

With warm blessings,

Fr. Joshy Kurien

Parish News: Arrival of Father Joshy Kurien

What a delight it was to meet our new Parish Priest, Fr Joshy Kurien.

Father Joshy comes to us from Goulburn where he spent six years working with the community at Mary Queen of Apostles Parish.

Students in Year 5 attended Mass with Father Joshy last Friday, where the students enjoyed listening to his Homily. The teachers were incredibly grateful for the manner in which he engaged with the students in bridging their understanding of the Gospel during this time.

Our next class Mass will be held in Term 3, with Year 4 attending Week 1 and Years 6 and 1 attending in Week 2. Classroom teachers will be certain to include this in their weekly memo in case you would like to attend.

Mini Vinnies News - Winter Appeal

Our fundraising focus for Term 2 is the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal.

On Tuesday 2 June, students came to school with winter themed crazy hair and purchased cupcakes to raise money to help those feeling the effects of our bitter winter. There were lots of wacky and wild hairstyles to be seen! Check these photos out:

Winners of the crazy hair competition on the day were rewarded with a movie pack. What a great way to spend a chilly winter day!

Infants: Winner -  Lourdes N   Runner-up: Noah L

Primary: Mackenzie W   Runner-up: Alyssa O

You can still purchase a student-designed ‘snowflake’ on Qkr! for $5.00, $10.00 or $20.00. These funds will be used to purchase items to support families during the winter months. Items might include warm blankets and gloves.

Contact Mrs Keough if you have any questions.

SAVE THE DATE: NEXT EXCITING EVENT

Friday 27 June - Whole School Mass: Winter Appeal 9:15 am St Bernard’s Parish Church

Friday 27 June - Pyjama Day - Gold Coin Donation - funds to go towards the Winter Appeal.

Begin With The Heart

Congratulations to 1KM who won the Begin With The Heart class challenge for Week 6. The class challenge was to follow the HEART Empathy: I do treat others how I would like to be treated.

Our students will now focus on an appreciation value for the coming two weeks: I take care of the equipment and learning spaces. Students will be rewarded hearts in their classroom heart jar whenever they demonstrate this value. Good luck to the classes who are hoping to win.

Sacramental News: Confirmation

Today, students attended Carroll College with students from St Mary’s Primary School for our Confirmation Retreat Day. We are sure you have seen the amazing images shared on our social media pages.

We would like to thank Mrs Belle Barling and Mrs Anna Smart for their organisation of the day. Special thanks also to the Youth Ministry students from the College for their leadership of the Year 6 students. It would be remiss of me not to mention Mrs Coggan and Mr Maynard who have walked the journey with the students and who supported them during the day. We are truly blessed to have such committed and passionate educators at our school.

Just a reminder that next Thursday is the Family Catch-up Night for the families of students who are receiving the sacrament of Confirmation later this month. The evening will commence at 5:00 pm in the meeting room at the Church. Please ensure you bring your booklet along for Father Joshy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. It was lovely to see students back at school this week rested and ready to learn. We appreciate families making the change to winter uniform, especially as the cooler weather sets in.

Rocket Maths We are continuing to introduce Rocket Maths throughout the school. Years 3 - 6 are using this resource as a whole class activity to support the development of number fact fluency.

Rocket Maths is a supplemental learning resource that teaches students addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions. Specifically, the program teaches math facts–the basic building blocks of all math. Students practice saying facts aloud while a partner corrects. After practice, students take a one-minute test daily, to determine if they are ready to move on to the next level.

The Classroom Support Team has also started using the Rocket Maths resources in Years 1- 6. Checking in with students identified as needing a little extra support. This only takes a few minutes every couple of days. The students involved are expressing that they are enjoying using these resources, are achieving success, and developing a positive mindset towards their Maths learning.

ICAS

ICAS is an educational assessment designed to target students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English,Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies. Students from Years 2-6 will have the opportunity to enter this online competition for subjects listed, with the exception of Writing, which is only available to students in Years 3-6.

It is important to note that the assessments are targeted for students wishing to extend themselves academically and to take up the personal  challenge of competing in an international assessment.

Every student who enters will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers in Australia will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

28 July 2025 – The last day for parents to register for their child’s ICAS participation via your school’s PPS.
Cost for each Assessment (excluding Writing)- $20.95
Cost for Writing Assessment- $24.95

To learn more about this year’s exciting ICAS competition, visit: (icasassessments.com/products-icas/)

More information about ICAS will be shared via a COMPASS News Item next week.

Protective Behaviours Curriculum- Report

In the coming weeks, classes will focus on the final key message of the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum: Report. Students will learn the importance of telling a trusted adult if they feel unsafe, even if they’ve managed to make themselves safe. This helps ensure adults can take action to protect them and prevent future harm.

NSWCPS Cross Country

Beatrix F, Jordan L and Van C ran at the NSW Combined Primary Schools Championships on Wednesday 11 June. Congratulations to these athletes for being selected to run at this level is an outstanding achievement. Running 2km in 8 and 9 minutes is exceptionally quick and we are very proud of your efforts. Beatrix F was awarded a bronze in the 11yr Girls 3km finishing in an incredible 12:39. She will now run for a spot in the National Championships, at the NSWPSSA Cross Country next term.

You may have heard about boundaries, but what do boundaries actually mean?  Here is an explainer.

Personal boundaries are the limits and rules we set for ourselves within relationships. A person with healthy boundaries can say “no” to others when they want to, but they are also comfortable with opening themselves up to close relationships.

A person who always keeps others at a distance (whether emotionally, physically or otherwise) can be said to have rigid boundaries. Alternatively, someone who tends to get too involved with others can be said to have porous boundaries.

Common traits of rigid, porous, and healthy boundaries:

Most people have a mixture of different boundary types. For example, someone could have healthy boundaries at work or school, porous boundaries in romantic relationships, and a mix of all three types with their family.

The appropriateness of boundaries depends heavily on setting. What is appropriate to say when you are out with friends might not be appropriate when you are at work or school.

Some cultures have very different expectations when it comes to boundaries. For example, in some cultures it is considered inappropriate to express emotions publicly, while in other cultures emotional expression is encouraged.

Warmly,

Damian Gerber
Student & Family Counsellor,

St Bernard’s Primary School

Happy Birthday to all of our students that have or will celebrate their birthdays in June.

We hope you enjoy your special day.

Influenza vaccination

Influenza can be a serious illness, but can be managed well if you’re vaccinated.​

A yearly flu vaccine can provide protection from serious illness.​ Getting the flu vaccine is quick, easy and recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.

The flu vaccine is free for people who are most at risk of severe illness, including: ​

• Children aged 6 months to under five years​
• People aged 65 and over​
• Aboriginal people from 6 months of age​
• Pregnant women​
• Those with serious health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, immune disorders, obesity, severe asthma, kidney, heart, lung or liver disease.​

Everyone aged 2 years and older can get a flu vaccine at a pharmacy.

Book your flu vaccine at your GP or pharmacy today: healthdirect.gov.au/nswfluvaccine 

For more information, visit health.nsw.gov.au/influenza 

Call Healthdirect is a NSW Health service that provides families with free, easy access to health advice, care and treatment for non-life-threatening conditions. 

Call Healthdirect