Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back to our final term for the year. I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing break with your family. We are looking forward to the term ahead.

Welcome…
This week we welcomed three new students to St Bernard’s. Zara (3KT) and Ava (6W) and Mikayla (5M). We look forward to you being part of our St Bernard’s Community.

Staffing News
Fr Loi will be moving on at the end of this year to take up his new role as Parish Priest at Weston Creek. While we will greatly miss Fr Loi, we are very appreciative of the support, care, and leadership he has provided throughout his time with us at St Bernard’s. His presence has been a blessing, and we wish him all the best in his new parish. We are also pleased to announce that Fr Joshy Kurien has been appointed as the new Parish Priest of St Bernard’s, starting next year. We look forward to welcoming him into our community.

We are excited to welcome Naomi Beatty to our team this term. Naomi will be teaching MacqLit for Year 5 and 6 on Mondays through to Wednesdays, stepping into Mrs Beashel’s role. Additionally, Islah Lopez and Emily Shooks will continue in their Classroom Support Assistant roles, providing support to students.

Staff Spirituality Day
On Monday, we participated in a Staff Spirituality Day, led by Anne Staines and Nathan Galea from the Catholic Identity Team. The theme, Walking Together, invited us to reflect on our roles within Catholic education and our own personal faith journeys.

Acknowledging that we are all at different stages of this journey, we were reminded of our mission as evangelisers: to listen and walk alongside the families we serve. This day’s reflection centred around the scripture reading The Road to Emmaus, encouraging us to explore what this passage means to us, both individually and as a part of our vocation.

Our greatest strength lies in the support we offer one another. By walking together, we demonstrate more than just physical proximity—it symbolizes a shared journey of faith, growth, and commitment. Each of us plays a vital role in our collective success as a school community, contributing to a mission that continues to flourish through teamwork and shared purpose.

Archdiocesan Assembly
This Saturday, Jenny Smith, Jeni McCarthy, and I will have the privilege of attending the 2024 Archdiocesan Assembly in Narooma. This Assembly is an important gathering for the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, where we will be celebrating the Year of the Holy Spirit. Together, we will explore new opportunities for evangelisation and the path of synodality, reflecting on how we, as a local Church, can walk forward with renewed mission and purpose. 

In many ways, the Archdiocese today is walking a path similar to the first Apostles, who relied on time, prayer, and discernment to declare, “It seemed good to us and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 15:28). As we gather, we are united in this same spirit of seeking, listening, and following the Holy Spirit's guidance in our shared journey of faith.

We look forward to sharing our experiences with you after the event and the ways in which we can continue to grow together as a community of faith.

Student Reports

CE has advised schools that Semester 2, 2024 reports will have a general comment for all children. This general comment will provide a summative comment for the year, areas of achievement and areas to focus on for the following year. A-E grading and attendance information will remain as normal. An invitation/notice will be provided to all parents to meet with their child's teacher and to clarify any matters arising from the Report Grade or General Comment. 

School Musical
The students have been busy preparing to perform the Moana Kids Musical to an audience. We have two performances scheduled:

• Thursday 31 October at 1.00pm
• Thursday 31 October at 5.30pm 

The students have worked incredibly hard to bring this beloved story to life, and we can’t wait for you to experience their energy, passion, and talent on stage. All costumes need to be brought to school in a bag labelled with your child’s name by Monday 21 October. The Cast and Ensemble are asked to remain at school before the evening performance. If any parents are working on the evening of the performance and have difficulty bringing their child/ren back to school, please email me and I will make further arrangements.  jo.wain@cg.catholic.edu.au  

Tickets are $6 each and can be purchased through Compass Tix from now. Please click on the following link. https://compasstix.com/e/lfcrfmau70  Please note that you will need to choose your seating at the time of purchasing your tickets.

All students are expected to be at school for both performances. Tickets are selling fast!

Term 4 Dates

Please refer to the Term 4 Calendar for all dates. Some key dates for Term 4 include:

• Year 4 Assembly – Friday 18 Oct
• Mission Market Stalls and Mass – Friday 25 Oct
• Musical Performances – Thursday 31 Oct
• Year 6 Camp - 6-8 Nov
• Kindergarten Expo and Stalls – Tuesday 12 Nov
• Year 3 Assembly – Friday 6 Dec
• Year 6 Graduation Mass and Awards – Thurs 12 Dec
• Candle Ceremony – Fri 13 Dec
• Kindergarten Nativity & Colour Run – Mon 16 Dec
• Year 6 Disco at the RSL – Tuesday 17 Dec
• Year 6 Big Day Out/ Last day of Term – Wed 18 Dec

Please check our Google/Compass calendar for dates for this term. I thank all families for their ongoing support.

Blessings on your family this week.

Warm regards

Johanna Wain
Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

It has been lovely to welcome the students back to school this week. Everyone seems well rested and happy to be back to the routine of learning with their classmates.

This term is particularly busy with many special events taking place. We are all extremely excited about the upcoming performance of Moana on Thursday 31 October. Performing Arts teacher, Ms Guthrie has planned a series of whole school rehearsals over the next two weeks, leading up to our final performances, details of which are included on our school calendar. 

Swimming Intensive Program

In Week 7, the week starting 25 November, students will participate in a week of intensive swimming lessons at the Bay Pavilions. We are very pleased to have been successful in applying for a grant to subsidise the cost of lessons for all students. This week a checklist has been sent home with each child for parents and carers to indicate their children's level of swimming ability. This will assist us to organise groupings and instructors for the program. We are sure that the swimming intensive program will be highly worthwhile for all students. Please see Compass for more details about the event and for access to give your consent and to make payment.

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Year 5 and 6 students will once again take part in Stand Up Paddleboarding at Casey's Beach next month, a result of a further successful grant application to subsidise costs for parents. We know how valuable this experience is for our students, providing an opportunity to develop a new skill on the water, while interacting with their peers and enhancing wellbeing as students spend time in nature. More details about this will be communicated through Compass in the coming weeks.

Safety Online
St Bernard's is committed to helping students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be safe and respectful users of technology. 
We are also aware that students’ online experiences often move seamlessly between school and home, and are therefore aiming to develop, with your support, a whole-of-community approach to keeping our students safe online.
The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety.gov.au) provides information and tips that you can use with your family to help create positive experiences for your children online. 

Reporting when something goes wrong online
If your child experiences something harmful online such as cyberbullying, image-based abuse or illegal and restricted content, you can report it directly to the social media service, game, app or website where the incident occurred.
Often young people will need the support of an adult to report. The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety.gov.au) advises taking the following steps:
1. Collect evidence before reporting to the platform or taking other action. If the issue is ongoing, make sure you collect screenshots showing what has been happening and for how long.
2. Report to the platform where it happened. Use The eSafety Guide to help you. After you report, the service may remove the content straight away. They may also block those responsible or delete their account. If the post involves something illegal like grooming, they may refer it to law enforcement or another agency to take further action.
3. If the platform does not take action, you or your child can report it to eSafety. eSafety will ask you to complete an online reporting form and include evidence.

“ For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve”

After reading today’s Gospel it is evident that the disciples were still not understanding the message Jesus was trying to explain to them: a case of listening but not really hearing what He was saying. Jesus continually explains the importance of service and sacrifice in the life of a true disciple. To be fair, we can also understand that there are times and some circumstances when we feel like Jesus. Are we able to identify times when we are in a group- family get togethers, friends, work,  classroom and become aware that people are listening to what is being said or discussed but are they really HEARING of what is being said?

James and John, once they realised that Jesus was a leader, approached Him, suggesting that they could be of service in leadership roles. They assumed that Jesus, as a ruler would emulate the rulers or those in authority at that time. He then talks to them about how the rulers of the time used their power and authority. James and John were hoping to share in that power and authority.

Jesus’ teaching was in effect counter cultural to the rule of the time and a contrast to the dynamics. He was trying to explain, imbed in the community what was required of a true disciple. As we read this, we could reflect on the models of authority in our society and also look at our own version or understanding of authority.

We need to consider the word ‘authority’ and if we believe that power and honour are part of demonstrating authority. In themselves are power and honour negative attributes? Power meaning having the capacity to make things happen and honour is a human desire- we yearn to be honoured/appreciated. The difference in Jesus’ world is that we understand power and honour when they align with His terms, affecting good.

Unfortunately ego sometimes enters the equation giving power and honour a different slant. We can all probably think of people who, through their authority,  official recognition or not, have used their power and honour and  are examples of the way Jesus turned worldly ideas of power and authority upside down.

True leadership is about humility and service as Jesus keeps telling His disciples and indeed us. It is not about seeking honour and power for ourselves. The 2nd reading today from Hebrews reminds us that Jesus knows what it is like to be ‘human’ as He ‘has been tempted in every way that we are’. He is always ready to help us. We just need to ask. Jesus, help me to follow your example of humble service. Teach me to love others as You love me. Give me the strength to serve selflessly.

  Ken and Carolyn Evenden

This week our staff participated in a Spirituality day facilitated by Anne Staines and Nathan Galea. Our theme for the day was Walking Together as people of hope and action. Our purpose for the day was to better understand the importance of walking together in the evangelizing mission of the school and as an ecclesial body of the church. We spent time breaking open the Gospel “The Walk to Emmaus” Luke 24:13-35 and taking away the key messages of encounter discipleship and mission. 

This Saturday Father Loi, Mrs. Wain, Jeni McCarthy and I will be attending the Archdiocesan Assembly for Canberra Goulburn in Narooma. The purpose of the assembly is to explore the theme “Come Holy Spirit.”. This will focus on celebrating the Year of the Holy Spirit and consider opportunities for evangelization and synodality in life and mission of our local church into the future. This is a wonderful opportunity for all to gather, discuss and discern what seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us in the areas of encounter discipleship and mission. 

Mission Week 

In Week 2 we will participate in Mission Week. This will commence with Socktober on Wednesday with K-2 and 3-6 participating in year group penalty shootouts through the day. Each class will be making a sock soccer ball using recycled materials so they can gain a sense of how children in poorer countries find innovative ways to play with fewer resources. We have currently raised $359 which is amazing with all proceeds going to Catholic Mission to support students and families in Mongolia.  

Here is the link if you wish to donate to this worthy cause.

    https://www.socktober.org.au/fundraisers/StBernardsPrimarySchoolBatemansBay

Next Friday we will join together as a school and parish to celebrate Mission Week Mass at 9.15am. Mini Vinnies will lead us in the Mass along with Father Xavier. We will then participate in our Mission market stalls at 11.30 to raise funds for students and families in Mongolia.  We are looking forward to a great day together. 

Blessings for the week ahead,

Jennifer Smith

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Year One Launches into Term 4

Year One have made a great start to Term 4. They have enjoyed being reunited with their friends and sharing stories of their holiday adventures. 

We had a very special visitor on Tuesday, Youth Engagement Officer Senior Constable Linton from the Youth Command who came to talk to us about being respectful and safe. The students were very engaged and this experience has been a wonderful lead into our learning in Health this term around safety.

English

During English, we have started to explore fairy tales. We are learning to recount the events in a fairy tale, and we look forward to writing our very own fairy tale adventures.

Last term, we became experts in writing an informative text. The students had the opportunity to learn about the structure of an informative paragraph using prompts and scaffolds. They used their knowledge of sentence structure to create their own paragraphs after reading a text and taking notes about a variety of animals.

Handwriting and keyboarding skills has formed part of our English curriculum this year, with the students showing a great improvement in their ability to use correct formation and grip. Our keyboarding, word processing and Power Point skills are also quite impressive!

Mathematics

Our learning in Mathematics has provided us with many opportunities to expand the students' base number knowledge. We have been learning about multiplication through arrays and organising counters, as well as introducing the students to the concept of the multiplication symbol as a representation of ‘groups of’.

We have used concrete materials to learn about 3D objects and volume, and we completed hands on activities to explore measuring using informal units. Check out our exploration of measurement! We love the chance to make and learn.

Creative Art

We created many pieces of art last term and explored a variety of mediums. Each week we experienced a different method. For example, we spent time learning how to draw, paint and use clay. Check out our clever creations!

Storyline

Towards the end of last term, we celebrated our learning about zoos with our Storyline Open Classrooms. It was wonderful to see so many family members come into the classroom and join us. 

This learning experience provided a chance for the students to connect their learning in a purposeful way to showcase their expert knowledge on a specific animal.

We are incredibly proud of the skills applied and the growth that the students demonstrated during this learning.

Religious Education - Tea Towel Project

As part of our Storyline learning experience and to culminate our Religious Education learning, the students have made connections to caring for God’s creation and making a difference in the world. Students have drawn an animal, and these sketches has been placed onto a tea towel that can be purchased by our families. We hope to raise awareness around conservation work at the Mogo Zoo for endangered animals and raise a little bit of money to donate to the zoo for this cause. 

We have finally received our proof and we can’t wait to see the final product! Here is a sneak peek of our outstanding art.

We have many events to look forward to this term. The ‘Moana’ musical, swimming lessons and Mission Market Day are just a few of the things that will keep us all very busy! 

This term is certain to go quickly and we can’t wait to see what things the students will achieve this term.

Ms McRae, Miss Manwaring, Mrs Keough and Mrs Rosenbaum

Year 1 Teachers

 Thursday 24 October 2024

 5:30pm - 8:45pm