Dear Parents and Carers

National Reconciliation Week began last Saturday 27 May. It is a time for all Australians to continue their learning about our Aboriginal stories and culture, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Last week our Year 6 students led us in a beautiful assembly, highlighting the importance of reconciliation for Australia’s traditional owners and paying respect to the Stolen Generation. “This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, Be a Voice for Generations urges us all to keep up the momentum for change. The theme encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives – where we live, work and socialize” https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/actions-to-be-a-voice-for-reconciliation-2023/ .

Teaching and Learning
On Monday Jenny Smith, Rebecca Brady and myself met with Brendan Lee to record a podcast focused on our journey at St Bernard’s. Brendan Lee works with schools as a consultant in refining their school improvement processes, managing change and providing professional learning. He has presented at various conferences including Sharing Best Practice (Sydney), ACHPER’s Early Career Teachers Conference and the Science of Teaching and Learning (SoTLA). Brendan’s website and link to his podcast is as follows: ‘Learning with Lee’… https://www.learnwithlee.net/about-learning-with-mr-lee-2/ 

We were very proud to share our St Bernard’s journey and dedication to improving student outcomes. Our teachers at St Bernard’s are committed to instructing our students using evidenced based instruction that is direct, systematic, and explicit with the goal and purpose being for all students to learn, enjoy and understand. Classroom teachers assess students using reliable evidence-based assessments and use this data to differentiate for student's needs, tailoring lessons to small groups or individuals. High Impact Teaching Strategies evident across classrooms include corrective feedback; examples and non-examples to embed concepts; connecting vocabulary to reading and writing and opportunities to retrieve information through daily and monthly reviews. Teachers are seeing student growth which is affirming for their practice.

This week, teachers have been collaborating to moderate writing samples across stages. The teachers are moderating to ensure that they can make consistent and comparable judgements of student learning and evaluate their practice. Our central focus continues to be on teaching and learning to ensure that all students are reaching their potential. 

Parent Satisfaction Survey- Tell Them From Me
This week we are inviting students, teachers and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an essential part of our whole school evaluation and planning process. We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and well-being at St Bernard’s Primary School. The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You can access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below: http://tellthemfromme.com/9v5w4 

School Fees
Term 2 Fees have been generated and sent out via email. As advised in previous emails, we have moved onto a new finance system and the preferred payment method is by BPAY. Due to the new system, our Biller Code and the Family Reference Numbers have changed, so please check that you have the new numbers before making a payment using BPAY. Statements will be automatically generated every month to your email. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Bel Coppin bel.coppin@cg.catholic.edu.au

Enrolments
Enrolments for 2024 are continuing to grow. If you know of anyone wishing to enrol for next year, please encourage them to contact our office for an application form or complete the enrolment form online. Enrolment packages have been sent to all Year 6 families from Carroll College. I encourage you to submit your forms as soon as possible. 

Welcome...
Over the last two weeks, we have welcomed two new families to St Bernard’s. We welcomed William B (3D) and Sienna B (5D) and Whaylen L (KL) and Kiesha L (2J) to St Bernard’s. We look forward to you being a part of our St Bernard’s community. 

Blessings to you and your family.

Kind regards

Johanna Wain
Principal