Dear Parents and Carers

Jo will be on leave for a further two weeks. Her father is now in palliative care and Jo will remain in Melbourne to be with him and her family. It is a very sad time for Jo and her family and I know that many of you are keeping her in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to contact me at any time over the next two weeks, please do not hesitate as I continue in the role as Acting Principal in Jo's absence.

Mission Week

This week children have been learning about Timor-Leste and the children in this country who are far less fortunate than them. The opportunity to consider the needs of others, pray and to take action to help with mission projects along with their class mates is a very powerful lesson. Thank you for the donations you may already have made for the Socktober Challenge today. We are looking forward to the Mission Market Stalls tomorrow. Please join us for Mass at 9.15am in the church tomorrow morning if you are able to.

Official Opening and Blessing Invitation

As mentioned in last week's newsletter, we will be holding the Official Opening and Blessing of our refurbished amenities and canteen on Monday 30 October at 11.30am in our school hall, with the State Member for Bega, Dr Michael Holland attending. This project was completed in Term 4 of 2022 and has been an excellent improvement to our school buildings, aligning with other modern facilities in our school. Please see the invitation for all parents and carers to attend in this newsletter. Please RSVP by next Monday 23 October for catering purposes.

Class Allocations for 2024

During this term, we will be finalising our staffing arrangements for 2024. I would like to take the opportunity to discuss our Class Alloca­tion procedures. We are currently preparing for our 2024 Kindergarten Parent Expo to be held on Thursday 9 November. Kindergarten class groupings are being developed at present and in conjunction with Preschool teachers and parent information. Creati­ng class groupings is a collabora­tive process involving class teachers, specialist staff and the school executi­ve team. St Bernard’s consists of grade levels of 2 and 3 streams. Each year, class combina­tions are changed. When creating classes, we consider the following:

• Gender
• Individual learning needs
• Interpersonal rela­tionships
• Social dynamics
• Medical needs
• Class size

Every child will be placed in the best grouping to enhance learning and social development. Classroom teachers will create class groupings in consultati­on with their grade partners, paying parti­cular atten­tion to the factors highlighted above. All class lists are sent through to the Principal and confirmed with the Classroom Support Teacher and School Execu­tive Team. Students will be advised of their class and teacher during the “Step Up” session held in the last week of Term 4 on Thursday 14 December.

I believe our teachers make the best decision for each student. Parents who wish to raise particular concerns regarding the placement of their child/ren in particular classes should put the concern in writing and email it to me at present, by Friday 3 November. karen.hadley@cg.catholic.edu.au

Council of Catholic School Parents- eSafety Webinar

As part of CCSP’s ongoing collaboration with eSafety, the Term 4 parent education webinar Getting started with social media: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram will be held on Thursday 9 November 2023 from 7.30am - 8pm

This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in primary schools.

It will cover:

· creating a positive digital identity

· privacy and sharing online

· managing what you see online

· good practices in group chats

· help-seeking.

Registrations can be accessed using the following link. eSafety webinar

Teaching and Learning

At St Bernard's our core challenge is to improve student outcomes. Rosenshine says, “The terms explicit teaching or direct instruction are summary terms for recent findings on effective teaching. They refer to a systematic method of teaching with emphasis on proceeding in small steps, checking for student's understanding and achieving active and successful participation by all students”. 

Yesterday Brooke Wardana provided a demonstrated an English lesson in Year 1 and observed some teachers in the classroom, providing feedback on their lessons. This coaching process, where an expert teacher provides feedback is known to achieve the most effective results to enhance teaching practice and it is highly valued by our staff for professional growth. We thank Brooke for working in our school as part of the Catalyst program.

Pupil Free Day- Wednesday 25 October

Next Wednesday is a Pupil Free Day. St Bernard's, as well as our K-12 Catholic Pathway schools on the coast, have been selected in the first wave of schools in our system to participate in Classroom Mastery Professional Learning led by Dr Tim McDonald. Classroom Mastery is a behaviour management program for primary and high schools in Australia. Our schools were chosen, recognising the importance of a common approach to classroom management.

We thank you for making alternative arrangements for your children next Wednesday.

P & F Meeting

We are holding a P&F meeting next Monday in the staffroom at 5.30pm. This will be the final P&F meeting for the year where we will discuss fundraising ideas for 2024. We welcome any parents who would like to join us.

I wish you a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Warm regards

Karen