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Dear Parents and Carers
I trust that you have had an enjoyable week. The end of term seems to be approaching very quickly. Only 31 days until Christmas… can you believe it! I love this time of the year as the children’s anticipation and excitement builds as we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus. This weekend we begin the Season of Advent. We are reminded to slow down and focus on the Christmas message of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. The first Advent candle will be lit at Mass this weekend, all families are welcome.
Today we celebrated Mass as a whole school with a focus on Mission Week. Fr Tom reminded us about the importance of Mission Week and taking time out to think of others, showing kindness and generosity through our actions. Thank you to all our families for supporting Mission Day. The funds raised will go towards supporting children's malnutrition and education in Ethiopia.
On Monday 12 December, our Kindergarten students will lead the school in the nativity story at 9.00am in the Hall. All families are welcome to join us.
Parent Teacher Interviews/ Semester Two Reports
This term we have prioritised Parent/Teacher Meetings to discuss your child’s social, emotional and academic growth. The teachers have commented that they have very much enjoyed meeting with parents last week and being able to share positive stories of growth from the past two terms. One of our teachers said “I found having Parent Teacher Interviews in place of comments highly valuable. The opportunity to talk face to face with parents and carers allowed for a more personal approach and provided opportunity for greater dialogue”.
Semester Two reports will be sent home through Compass to all families on Wednesday 7 December. If you have been unable to meet with your child’s classroom teacher, please don’t hesitate to be in contact.
Annual Improvement Plan
This term our Leadership Team met with Tim Smith, Performance & Improvement Leader at Catholic Education to discuss our data and plan for the 2023 school year. Our students are central to every decision we make. In partnership with our families, we are committed to offering our students an excellent education in an environment that is both engaging and nurturing. Our focus at St Bernard’s continues to be on Explicit Teaching and improving student outcomes in Literacy and Numeracy. Our Annual Improvement Plan consists of three measurable targets that lead to our ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. Some of our targets for 2023 include:
- To increase student growth in NAPLAN in writing, aligning with State averages.
- To continue the trend of decreasing Year 5 students in the bottom 2 bands (5%) and middle 2 bands (15%) in Numeracy.
- To align Year 3 Spelling NAPLAN achievement data with the state average.
- To increase teacher capacity to record formative assessment.
- For students to be able to apply their learning in Religious Education in real life, measured through social justice projects.
Information from Parent/Staff/Student surveys and assessment data informs our direction each year and supports us in setting goals for future improvement and growth.
Talent Quest
This week and next week our SRC along with assistance from Mrs McRae, have organised auditions for our St Bernard’s End of Year Talent Quest. Students from all grades across the school are invited to audition and showcase their talent. This will be held on Tuesday 13 December commencing at 9.00am in the Hall. Parents are invited to come along and enjoy the show.
Book Fair
Thank you to all the children, parents and staff for their support of the Book Fair this year. It has been a wonderful success with many books being purchased for the children to read. A special thank you to Theresa Hopman for her high level of organisation and the many extra hours of preparation for the event. All funds raised will go back into our iCentre to purchase resources.
Last Thursday night we had a wonderful Christmas dinner with the P&F and some of our parent community. A special thank you to Tori Vincent for her Christmas chocolates and to Melissa Franzen for coordinating the dinner and decorating the table. It was a lovely way to finish the term and thank parents for their ongoing support.
Kind regards
Johanna Wain
Principal
WORTH THE WAIT
The beginning of this new Liturgical Year (Year A) is a good time for us Catholics to reflect on how blessed we are to have a liturgy that provides us, over a three year cycle, with most of the text of the four Gospels of the New Testament at Sunday Mass.
For this year (Year A) Matthew is the major source of the Sunday Gospel readings. In the following two years we have Mark (Year B) and Luke (Year C). John might be seen as a sort of fourth man used to supply some deeper insights he gained through many decades of prayer and meditation, on the life of his beloved Master. The Confraternity of Divine Worship which selects readings appropriate to the Season tries to find readings in the Hebrew Scriptures (including the Psalms) which gel with the Gospel.
In his Gospel, Matthew’s aim is to show that God’s saving plan for the Jewish people is realised in the person of Jesus Christ. He is writing for a Jewish Christian readership In the First Century AD. He repeatedly draws attention to the Hebrew Scriptures where they point to Jesus as being prefigured in some characters, like Moses the Liberator, or in the sayings of the Prophets.
The history of the Jewish people is one of waiting for God’s intervention and the fulfilment of his Covenant with Abraham, Noah and Moses. For us Christians, God’s intervention began when the Virgin Mary, under the power of the Holy Spirit , conceived a child. Mary became the first Adventist as she waited for the arrival of that child. Joseph, her husband, receives angelic guidance that Mary would “bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Matt 1:21)
The Church in its Liturgy encourages us to relive the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy by having a feast for the Conception (The Annunciation), then The Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, already six months pregnant with John the Baptist, whose birthday we also celebrate. And yet four weeks out from celebrating the birth of Christ the Church asks us to think about the afterlife.
Let us think about life being lived at two levels. At one level, Mary and Joseph were ordinary law abiding citizens. That’s why they were on their way to Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral town, as required by the Roman census. But at another level they are divine agents in an event that will change the course of human history. God will enter into and become part of humanity in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, later to be called the Christ, the anointed one of God.
The roller-coaster history of the Jewish people was aimed at achieving this moment in time. And why? To show the Jewish people and through them, the whole world that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (See John 3: 16-17)
We are blessed to believe in Jesus Christ, true God & true Man. Stay awake. Be alert. Today Jesus through Matthew gently reminds us that “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt 24:44) At another level he is already here. Speak to him. Joe Quigley
Dear Parents and Carers,
Yesterday I had the pleasure of supporting Mrs McRae and Year 6 during their integrated learning session in the iCentre. They were discussing, researching, and documenting Government and non-Government Organisations (NGO’s) providing aid.
Today is Mission Day and we will be supporting one NGO called Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission is the Australian agency of the international Pontifical Mission Societies. In over 160 countries, Pontifical Mission continues Jesus Christ’s mission in the world: that all may have life to the full.
Supporters of Catholic Mission have helped fund projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific, South America, and remote communities of Australia for over 175 years. Generous contributions have built churches and schools, delivered community health programs, supplied water and sanitation facilities, and brought the Good News of the Gospel to some of the most isolated regions of the world.
Catholic Mission supports people working in mission and raises funds for mission, both here in Australia and around the world. The money that we raise for Catholic Mission today will support the Church in Ethiopia. Focus needs are:
- children's malnutrition (goat farms/sustainable resource)
- children's education (scholarship program)
- women's vocational education (employment)
Short videos on these projects can be found at https://www.catholicmission.org.au/see-our-work-in-action/meki, https://www.catholicmission.org.au/see-our-work-in-action/community
I thank you for your generous support of Mission Day and the Pontifical Mission Society.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb
The Year of Walking Together
This week the eldest child in the family were given a special prayer card from Archbishop Christopher Prowse.
This prayer card is a reminder for us that this is the year of Walking Together. Just as the risen Lord walked alongside the disciples on the road to Emmaus and drew them from anxiety to hope, may we open ourselves up to do the same.
Archbishop Christopher reminds us to actively pursue solidarity as an Archdiocese, fostering a “mindset which thinks in terms of community and the priority of the life of all”.
There are several spare prayer cards which I will leave in the foyer area if you would like an additional copy.
Blessings on your weekend
Sharon Beashel REC
Dear Parents and Carers
Aboriginal Otitis Media and Aural Health Program
Katungul Aboriginal Medical Service will be visiting our school on the 5, 6 and 7 December in Week 9. They will be offering a service to check the hearing of all Aboriginal children attending our school. The screening checks are very simple and will be carried out during the school day in the office area. If the test indicate any problem that may need to be followed up parents will be contacted. Parental consent forms for this service will be sent home tomorrow with the eldest child in the family to be returned by Friday 3 December.
SRC Leadership Speeches
Next Monday 28 November, students from Year 5 will be presenting their election speeches to put themselves forward as candidates for possible election onto the School Representative Council and for House Sports Captain. The presentations for SRC will be held in the Hall before an audience of students from Years 3 – 5. Voting will take place at the conclusion of the presentations.
Parents are welcome to attend the speeches in the Hall at 9.30am.
The House Captain Election speeches will be held after recess at four different locations in the school. Years 3 - 5 members of the four Sports houses, MacKillop, Tenison, Lourdes and Clairvaux, will vote for their House Captain at the conclusion of the speech presentations.
The 2023 School Captains, SRC members and House Captains will be announced at the Candle Ceremony on Thursday 8 December.
We are very proud of the Year 5 students and look forward to the presentation of their speeches next week.
Mathematics ICAS Awards
The Mathematics ICAS awards have now arrived. Students who participated would have received their certificate yesterday. There are three students whose awards will be presented at next week's assembly as they received above participation level.
Red Nose Day
Congratulations to everyone who supported Red Nose Day last Friday. A total of $322.65 was donated for the MussellRowers surf boat crew of which Shanon Small is a crew member and $416.90 was made for Red Nose Australia from the sales of red noses & pens. It was a fun day for all.
Awards Assembly Week 8
Next Friday 2 December, the students of Year 4 will lead us in a school assembly, beginning at 8.50am. We warmly welcome parents to attend.
Carroll College Orientation Day
We wish our Year 6 students a wonderful day tomorrow at the Carroll College Orientation Day. A reminder that parents will need to transport their child to and from the College to attend the day.
I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend.
Warm regards
Karen
Year 6 have enjoyed the last 7 weeks immensely! There have been several highlights for us. Our camp at Jindabyne was fantastic. We tried lots of new activities such as archery, bike sliders and orienteering. Our trek to Mt Kosciuszko was epic! Many of us saw snow for the first time and our ride on the chairlift from Thredbo was incredible.
We have just completed four weekly lessons in SUP and surfing. We are experts now and we are so grateful for having had this opportunity to learn some new skills and enjoy our stunning coastal environment.
Our final three weeks of primary school will see us preparing for our Year 6 Graduation and all the celebration activities. It is hard to believe that our time at this beautiful school is almost over!
