Dear Parents and Carers

Our vision at St Bernard’s is to create a community of learners who are inspired and committed to living a life that embraces the Catholic faith and traditions. As

The first Sunday of the school holidays is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the lead up to Easter. The Sunday Mass will focus on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Any students who are at Mass on Sunday are invited to join in the procession with Fr Rex and Deacon Eden. All families are welcome. Next Thursday 7 April, Year 6 will lead us in the Stations of the Cross at 11.30am in the Hall. The Stations are a Lenten tradition. To assist us to imagine the scene in Jerusalem, we are asking the students to come dressed in biblical dress to be part of the crowd. Easter is a time for us to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

On Friday, we will celebrate Easter with the students by holding an Easter Hat Parade. I know the students are very much looking forward to creating an Easter Hat and I think we will have a special appearance at the parade. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page.

Journey with Jesus Retreat

Last Wednesday our Year 6 students participated in a Journey with Jesus Retreat day facilitated by a team of CSYMA leaders from Canberra. CSYMA represents Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia. The CSYMA has been helping young people in their journey of faith with Jesus for many years now.

Cross Country

Next Wednesday 6 April St Bernard’s will host the annual Cross Country Carnival for Kindergarten to Year 6. Students in Years 3-6 who do not wish to compete for a chance to make it on to the next level, will have the opportunity to participate in a 1km fun run. All students are invited to come dressed in their house coloured t-shirt and their Sports Uniform. Information was sent home through Compass last week. All families are welcome to join us.

Enrolments 

From 2-6 May, St Bernard’s will join with Catholic schools across NSW and the ACT to celebrate the annual Catholic Schools Week (CSW). We are immensely proud of our Catholic heritage, and are committed to celebrating and showcasing the achievements of our students. Catholic Schools Week is about forging and strengthening relationships between everyone who has a stake in our schools – students, staff, families, priests, parishioners, and members of the wider community – by showcasing our activities and actions. During Catholic Schools Week, we take the opportunity to highlight not only the best of what we do, but also what happens in our schools every day.

During Catholic Schools’ Week, our students will be involved in the following:

• Carroll College Year 7 Enrolment Night - Monday 2 May
• Kindergarten 2023 Open Day – Tuesday 3 May
• Kindergarten Teddy Bear's Picnic at St Bernard’s – Thursday 5 May
• Year 6 Leadership Day at St Mary’s – Thursday 5 May

St Bernard's welcomes all who are wishing to enrol their child for 2023. Application forms for enrolment are available at the School Office or you can enrol at St Bernard’s by completing a web-based application form found at https://stbernardsbb.nsw.edu.au/enrolment. All new families applying for enrolment are interviewed by myself.

On behalf of the staff and students of St Bernard’s, we look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week with you!   

Uniforms

At St Bernard’s, we encourage our students to wear their uniform with pride. Please support us by ensuring that your child wears the correct uniform each day. If for any reason your child is unable to do this, please contact the school in writing. Lost Property is located in the Front Office should items go missing.

Last Thursday we had a wonderful time celebrating the beginning of the school year at our Welcome Barbeque and Disco. It was lovely to see so many families and friends connecting with each other. Thank you to Nicole P, Katie SD,

Kelly J, Alyssa McR and Jeni M for the wonderful treats you made and sold on the evening. Also a special thank you to the staff of St Bernard's for their support and time. We look forward to celebrating many more events this year. 

We continue to keep the Ukraine community in our prayers. 

Kind regards

Johanna Wain
Principal

Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.

https://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Prayer-resources/A-prayer-for-Ukraine

Dear Parents and Carers,

Tonight, we have twelve students from Year 3 making their First Reconciliation. As a school community we feel very privileged to be supporting the children and your families on this sacramental journey. Prayer filled congratulations to: 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. We know that tonight will be a very special occasion for you all.

What does Reconciliation do to me? Reconciliation reconciles me with God and with the Church community and gives me a new start. It frees me when I openly and honestly say what wrong I have done. It makes me feel even more free when I hear with my own ears that God has forgiven me. (YOUCAT for Kids)

Stations of the Cross

Next Thursday, Year 6 students will lead our school community in walking the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross is an imaginative and reflective prayer exercise. It will help the children understand Jesus’ experience leading up to his resurrection at Easter. 

Project Compassion Boxes 

Thank you very much for the donations that you have made in your Caritas Australia Mission Boxes during Lent. Mission Boxes can be returned to the front office during Week 11. All monies will be forwarded to Caritas Australia on your behalf. A big shout out to Year 2S who have made an enormous effort with their donations. Mrs Socha is so proud of your efforts!

Caritas Australia: End poverty, promote justice, uphold dignity

Lismore Flood Appeal

Thank you to our SRC members for taking the time at the disco to collect funds for the Lismore Flood Appeal. To date we have raised $400.00. Food vouchers will be purchased for families in need. I heard this morning that due to heavy rain, South Lismore had to evacuated again. Any further donations for the appeal can be left at the front office.

 

Palm Sunday Mass

Children are invited to attend Palm Sunday Mass on the 10 April beginning at 9.00am. They are asked to gather outside the church by 8.50am. Children will then process into the church waving palms. Biblical clothing (or casual dress) can be worn. If you would like your child/ren to read during the Mass, please contact either Mr Maynard or myself via email. We look forward to seeing you there.

Blessings on your weekend

Sharon Beashel REC

       

Dear Parents and Carers

As we approach the end of the first term of this school year it feels like so much has been achieved. We have certainly made the most of restrictions being lifted, as students have been involved in many extra-curricular activities that have enriched learning. The learning in classrooms has continued to be focused and full of rigour, as students follow routines supported by Explicit Direct Instruction and whole school scope and sequences for important content delivery. 

Catalyst and Coaching for High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS)

Next Monday and Tuesday teachers will be engaged in professional learning and instructional coaching in the area of Explicit Direct Instruction. Jared Bussell is one of the directors of Shaping Minds, and is an experienced educator, leader and curriculum expert who also provides high quality professional development to schools on effective literacy and numeracy instruction. Shaping Minds have extensive experience driving school improvement through a focus on curriculum and evidence-based instructional methods. The results that Jared and his team achieve stem from investing deeply in connecting schools with validated, research-driven practices and providing long-term pragmatic support for those teachers implementing them.

We are very fortunate to be receiving this level of quality professional learning in our school to continue to develop our delivery of High Impact Teaching Strategies.

Positive Partnerships

Positive Partnerships is a national project funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment through the Helping Children with Autism program. They work in partnership with families, educators and communities to strengthen positive outcomes for young people on the autism spectrum, creating connections and opportunities for an inclusive culture where autistic students belong and thrive.

https://www.positivepartnerships.com.au/workshop/?eventtemplate=98-2-day-parent-carer-workshop-nsw&event=736

School Year Book

By now you would have received a copy of the 2021 Yearbook which chronicles the learning and experiences that we had at St Bernard's last year. I hope that you enjoy looking through this with your family. Thank you very much to Mrs Theresa Hopman who compiled the Yearbook. I am sure that you will agree that this is a very special document.

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Karen

Assistant Principal.

Art

Year 2 and S1J have enjoyed creating some magnificent artworks this term and our classrooms are full of amazing designs. During one of our lessons, we learned about the Italian artist Modigliani and created self-portraits using the characteristics that Modigliani was famous for - long necks and long oval faces. We wonder if you can work out who is who?

Religion

Year 2 and S1J have discussed the story of Noah and the Flood and how old the stories are in the Bible. We discussed how floods have been around for a long time and were common in the time of Noah. We linked our Religion with the Dreamtime Stories in Dhurga with Trish.

This Term we have been exploring the concept of Time in the past present and future. We have investigated special days that happen in Australia and around the world and compared them to our own personal celebrations.

In our English lessons we have been reading stories that have focused on memories and special milestones in peoples lives. We especially loved Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Margaret Wild. This story explores the memories of an elderly lady in a nursing home who shares her memories with a boy who lives next door. We were inspired to create our own memory boxes in visual arts, and we filled them with treasures and photos of our own.

AFL SKILLS DAY

This Tuesday we enjoyed a morning of practising our hand eye, kicking balance and coordination skills with John Dyball and our year 5 and 6 helpers. We had a blast!  

MacKillop AFL Championships 

Congratulations to Henry A and Jackson M on their fantastic skills at the MacKillop AFL Championships last week. The boys travelled to Wagga for the competition and played against students from across the state. We are very proud of you representing our school at such a high level of competition. Henry and Jackson both said it was a fantastic experience and they were tired but very happy after playing so many games. Congratulations to Jackson who made the possibles and probables team. 

  Week 9 Class Awards

Presented : Friday 25 March 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!