Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you have had an enjoyable week. Yesterday we celebrated our Ash Wednesday Liturgy as a whole school led by Deacon Eden. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, reminding us of prayer and fasting. Deacon Eden engaged the students in conversation around the meaning behind this significant season, reminding us to be generous and kind towards others. The students were sprinkled with the ashes reminding them to be the face of Jesus. Lent is a special time where we can stop and think about prayer, fasting and alms giving. We are encouraged to shift the focus from ourselves to assisting others. Pope Francis based his Message for Lent 2022 on a passage from St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” (6:9-10).

This week we have been talking to the students about empathy with our focus being “using kind words and kind hands”. As the staff see students reaching out to their peers and showing random acts of kindness, the jars are filling up with heart tokens in each classroom. Our Student Representative Council are demonstrating excellent leadership and assisting in this area. Our vision “St Bernard’s is an inclusive Catholic School Community that begins with the heart and nurtures and empowers future learners.” As a way of bringing our Mission Statement to life, each day I am witnessing our students making positive contributions to our school community, thinking of others and being the face of Jesus. We look forward to sharing some stories with you over the next couple of weeks.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on the evening of Thursday 31 March at 5.00pm at St Bernard’s Church. I ask that you join with our community in praying for our children receiving this Sacrament this year. Our prayers are with Johana D, Molly M, Ava G, Mackenzie, W, Mia B, Reeve T, Lucas V, Emie A, Ellena D, Levi O, Jace T and Georgina W and also with Sienna N, Indiana A and Lilly G will receive the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday 24 April. All families are welcome to attend. A Commitment Mass is planned for this coming weekend, Saturday 6.00pm and Sunday 9.00am/5.00pm for those children receiving the Sacrament. It would be great if your family could be there to show their support. We encourage the children’s classmates to attend to support their peers. 

This term our St Bernard’s community is stepping up in March to raise awareness of autism spectrum. Some students from across the school will be challenged to walk 10,000 steps each day, for 8 days, while raising much needed funds to support people on the autism spectrum. Thank you to Ms McCarthy and her team for their support of this important fundraiser. The Council of Catholic School Parents are promoting a free webinar for parents with students on the autism spectrum. Myfuture is hosting a free insights webinar with Autism CRC to help parents support children on the autism spectrum in post-school transitions and career planning using myWAY Employability. The team from myWAY Employability will discuss topics such as:

• Starting challenging conversations about the future
• Identifying personal strengths, interests, and sensory preferences to guide career exploration and work experiences
• Providing a just right challenge
• Building self-determination.

The webinar is being held 9 March at 4.00pm. You can register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1366920972620471309 

https://ccsp.schoolzineplus.com/parenttalk?nid=15&article_id=133

Congratulations
Last Thursday a number of our students from Years 2 to 6 competed at the Southern Region Swimming Carnival in Narooma. We thank Mrs Angela Holmes for once again organising a fabulous event for the swimmers in our region. Congratulations to the swimmers who will be competing in Canberra at the Archdiocesan carnival next Tuesday 8 March.

Claim the Date

With restrictions easing, it has been lovely to welcome parents into the school. On Thursday 24 March, we are hosting a Welcome Barbeque and Disco for all families, starting at 5.00pm-6.30pm in the Lean To. Sausage sandwiches will be available and treats can be purchased in the canteen, organised by the P&F. 

We look forward to welcoming Mrs Hadley back from leave on Monday. Next Tuesday 8 March until Friday 11 March, I will be away at The Catholic Leaders’ Day and Retreat at the Gibraltar Hotel in Bowral. This is an opportunity for system leaders to gather and receive valuable input on system priorities. The Retreat component of the week allows for spiritual growth and personal development. Mrs Karen Hadley will be Acting Principal in my absence.

Tomorrow we farewell Ms Leonie McRae. Ms McRae has completed her 5 week practicum with us. We thank Ms McRae for her contributions over the past 5 weeks and wish her all the best with her future study. 

Blessings to you and your family this week.

Kind regards

Johanna Wain
Principal 

Angelus Address of His Holiness Pope Francis for the First Sunday of Lent 2019

            The Gospel passage for this first Sunday of Lent (cf. Lk 4:1-13) recounts the experience of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. After fasting for 40 days, Jesus is tempted three times by the devil. First he invites Him to change stone into bread (v. 3); then, from above, he shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and the prospect of becoming a powerful and glorious messiah (vv. 5-6); lastly he takes Him to the pinnacle of the temple of Jerusalem and invites Him to throw himself down, so as to manifest His divine power in a spectacular way (vv. 9-11). The three temptations point to three paths that the world always offers, promising great success, three paths to mislead us: greed for possession — to have, have, have —, human vainglory and the exploitation of God. These are three paths that will lead us to ruin.           

The first, the path of greed for possession. This is always the devil’s insidious logic He begins from the natural and legitimate need for nourishment, life, fulfilment, happiness, in order to encourage us to believe that all this is possible without God, or rather, even despite Him. But Jesus countervails, stating: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’’’ (v. 4). Recalling the long journey of the chosen people through the desert, Jesus affirms his desire to fully entrust himself to the providence of the Father, who always takes care of his children.           

The second temptation: the path of human vainglory. The devil says: “If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours” (v. 7). One can lose all personal dignity if one allows oneself to be corrupted by the idols of money, success and power, in order to achieve one’s own self-affirmation. And one tastes the euphoria of a fleeting joy. And this also leads us to be ‘peacocks’, to vanity, but this vanishes. For this reason Jesus responds: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve” (v. 8).           

And then the third temptation: exploiting God to one’s own advantage. In response to the devil — who, citing Scripture, invites Him to seek a conspicuous miracle from God — Jesus again opposes with the firm decision to remain humble, to remain confident before the Father: “It is said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (v. 12). Thus, he rejects perhaps the most subtle temptation: that of wanting to ‘pull God to our side’, asking him for graces which in reality serve and will serve to satisfy our pride.

These are the paths that are set before us, with the illusion that in this way one can obtain success and happiness. But in reality, they are completely extraneous to God’s mode of action; rather, in fact they distance us from God, because they are the works of Satan. Jesus, personally facing these trials, overcomes temptation three times in order to fully adhere to the Father’s plan. And he reveals the remedies to us: interior life, faith in God, the certainty of his love — the certainty that God loves us, that he is Father, and with this certainty we will overcome every temptation.           

But there is one thing to which I would like to draw your attention, something interesting. In responding to the tempter, Jesus does not enter a discussion, but responds to the three challenges with only the Word of God. This teaches us that one does not dialogue with the devil; one must not discuss, one only responds to him with the Word of God.           

Therefore, let us benefit from Lent as a privileged time to purify ourselves, to feel God’s comforting presence in our life.

May the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, icon of faithfulness to God, sustain us in our journey, helping us to always reject evil and welcome good.  

                                                                                   -  Pope Francis

‘Come back to Me with all your heart’ (Joel 2:12)

THE LENTEN JOURNEY - SIGNPOSTS

The Gospel of Luke sets the mood for the Lenten Journey - the Temptation of Jesus

in the Desert – a powerful signpost to inspire our Lenten Journey. As Rolheiser reflects:

Religiously, the richest image we have for Lent is the image of Jesus going into the desert,

voluntarily, to fast and pray. Scripture tells us that Jesus went into the desert for forty

days and, while there, he ate nothing.  

This doesn’t necessarily mean that, literally, he took no food or water during that time,

but that he deprived himself of all physical supports (including food, water, enjoyments,

 distractions) that protected him from feeling, full force, his vulnerability, dependence,

and need to surrender in deeper trust to God. And in doing this, we are told, he found

himself hungry and consequently vulnerable to temptations from the devil – but also, by

that same token, more open to God.

The desert, by taking away the securities and protections of ordinary life, strips us bare

and leaves us naked, both before God and the devil. This brings us face-to-face with our

own chaos. That’s an image for Lent. (Rolheiser OMI, 2008)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you were guided by The Spirit to take some time out from the noise and

many demands of life. In the silence of the desert wilderness, you searched and

struggled to discern what was to be the will of the Father. You were given this decisive

time to see what it means to be faithful.  

We pray now for the wisdom and honesty to be faithful followers of your way.  

We pray during this Lenten stillness to be open to the promptings of your spirit, so that

we too may share in your mission to bring hope and healing to our world. Amen

(Elligate, M. (2021) Restoring Freshness in the time of Lent, Garratt Publishing

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday we held our first school gathering for the year. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Lent is the most important season of the Church year, because it prepares us for Easter, which is the holiest, most special day of the year for Christians.

At Baptism, when we became part of God’s family, we were anointed with special oil in a cross on our foreheads.  The ashes that were sprinkled over our heads yesterday remind us that we are human, and we make mistakes.  They remind us that since we are God’s children, we can ask God for His forgiveness and with his help we can become the children He wants us to be. During Lent, we become closer to God through: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

Deacon Eden read the gospel to us, blessed, and distributed the ashes with Mrs Wain and gave us a special blessing for our Lenten journey.

Thank you to our team of Year 6 students: Noah A, Amy C, Remi C, John F, Ryan L, Jackson M, Erica S, Joshua T and Elyssa W who reverently and confidently assisted with the liturgy.

Caritas Australia

Project Compassion boxes and purple altar cloths were presented to each class. Children who are eldest in families will bring a Project Compassion Box home. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia (the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development) to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice.

We encourage you to put social justice into action this Lent by supporting Caritas. Project Compassion boxes can be returned to the front office at the end of the term or alternatively donations can be made online via the Caritas Australia website at: https://www.caritas.org.au/donate/a-just-world-for-all/

Reconciliation Commitment Mass

First Reconciliation Candidates will attend Commitment masses this weekend. Mass times are Saturday 6.00pm, Sunday 9.00am and 5.00pm. We ask for your continued prayers for these children and their families:

Emie A, Mia B, Scarlett C, Johana D, Ellena D, Ava G, Molly M, Levi O'S, Reeve T,
Jace T, Lucas V, Georgina W and Makenzie W.

A Message from Pope Francis

With our hearts aching for what is happening in Ukraine, let us not forget wars in other parts of the world, such as in Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia… I repeat: May weapons be silenced! God is with peacemakers, not with those who use violence.

Blessings on your weekend

Sharon Beashel REC

The Role of Decodable Readers in Phonics Instruction

The English curriculum for beginning readers includes or recommends decodable books. They can also be commonly referred to as decodable readers, decodable texts, or controlled texts. Decodable books are used for the practice of applying phonics skills within connected text such as sentences and paragraphs.

To better understand the value of decodable readers in reading instruction, it is important to understand the differences between decodable readers, levelled readers and rich texts.

Decodable Readers 

Decodable readers are texts that introduce words and word structures in a carefully planned scope and sequence. The order that the word structure is introduced often aligns with the scope and sequence of the curriculum. In this way, students can apply the phonics skills they are learning and build confidence in their abilities to read full sentences and short stories.

Decodable readers are sequenced to include words with more complex structures which students learn during their explicit literacy instruction.

By design, decodable readers are often simple in their layout and with minimal illustrations. Early readers should be encouraged to attack words using their phonics knowledge and decoding skills (Hempenstall, 2003).

Teachers use decodable texts to track student progress and their application and mastery of phonics skills. They use the information to plan follow up instruction that will ensure children continue to make progress and master foundational language skills required.

Using Different Books for Different Purposes

Effective literacy instruction is not limited to only encoding and decoding words. Regular exposure to a variety of books and rich texts occur within the daily Literacy block. The aim is to build students’ knowledge of content or concepts across other subjects, expanding their vocabulary and comprehension skills so that they can communicate life skills such as empathy and critical thinking.

Designing comprehensive literacy instruction requires a good understanding of what decodable readers are, why they are needed, and how they should be used.

Decodable readers can build students’ feelings of success because they reinforce the cumulative nature of early reading development and increase students’ opportunities to practice essential skills with more than just isolated words (Cheatham & Allor, 2012)

Southern Region Swimming

Last week our fantastic swimmers:

Beatrix F, Addison G, Hayley D, Evie P.

Mia A, Sophie B, Indi A, Georgina W, Evie P, Arthur S-D, Beau C, Ethan S, Milo D.

Annie F, Isla B, Campbell R, Oscar J, Tyler M, Matthew S.

Ruby B, Lily D, Laila C, Molly W, Hailey I, Rogan H, Kobi B, Sam S-D, Dylan M.

Remi C, Amy C, Elyssa W, Mishell F, Charlie J, John F, Henry A.

all represented St Bernard’s at the Southern Catholic Schools Swimming

I am very proud to say that they were amazing ambassadors and swam so well. For many of them it was their first representative event and they were so excited. Our Junior Boys, Senior Girls and Senior Boys relay teams were very successful and have been chosen to swim at the Archdiocesan Carnival in Queanbeyan next week. Congratulations to:

Arthur S-D, Campbell R, Beau C, Oscar J, (Ethan S).

Molly W, Lily D, Ruby B, Laila C, (Remi C).

Charlie J, Henry A, John F, Samuel S-D, (Rogan H).

We also have some very fast individual swimmers:

Indiana A, Mia A, Ruby B, Amy C, Laila C, Annie F, Beatrix F, Addison G and Molly W.

Henry A, John F, Charlie J, Oscar J, Arthur S-D and Samuel S-D.

These students are the fastest in the Southern Region and are also swimming next week at the Archdiocesan Carnival. We wish them well.

St Bernard’s Cross Country

Our students have begun training for our annual Cross Country to be held on Wednesday 6 April. They have been so impressive in developing their fitness and stamina. A note will be sent home to all families with more details about the events and times in the coming week but save the date as it will be fantastic to have parents and families join our students.

Upcoming Sport Dates

Tuesday 8 March Archdiocese Swimming

Friday 11 March Archdiocese Cricket trials

Monday 14 March Archdiocese Soccer trials

Friday 25 March MacKillop AFL Championships in Wagga- Henry A and Jackson M are competing

Friday 1 April Archdiocese Netball and Rugby League trials

Wednesday 5 April St Bernard’s Cross Country

Have a wonderful week.

Angela Holmes

  Week 5 Class Awards

Presented : Friday 25 February 2022.

Congratulations to the following children who received class awards this week. It is great to see so many children working hard and receiving acknowledgment for their efforts - well done to all!