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Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to Term 2! With Easter occurring in the middle of the school holidays, I am sure many families took advantage of the timing to be with family and friends and enjoyed some much-needed time for yourself after the busyness and challenges presented in Term 1. My family and I attended Mass on Easter Sunday. Fr Rex reflected on the true meaning of Easter, providing time to appreciate and understand the mystery behind this significant event in our Catholic tradition. John O'Donohue wrote "May the spirit and light of this Easter season bless us all, watch over us and protect us on our journey, open us from the darkness into light of peace and hope and transfiguration ”(John O’Donohue)". As we move into Term 2, the staff of St Bernard’s continue to support and foster a love of learning in each individual child to achieve their full potential.
I begin by congratulating Mrs Socha and William Mason, who were married during the holidays. We wish you all the happiness for the your future together.
Indiana A (Year 3) was baptised last Sunday by Deacon Eden and Father Rex. Congratulations to Indiana on receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. Becoming baptised marks the beginning of a journey of faith together with the family of the Catholic faith. Indiana pledged her faith and belief in Catholicism, with the support of her family and the parishioners. It was a beautiful celebration.
WELCOME…
Last week we received correspondence that the Archbishop has accepted a request from Fr Martins to extend his leave as Parish Priest of Batemans Bay until December 2022 to enable Fr Martins to continue his studies. In order for this to happen, there has been a priest swap. From 29 April until 16 December 2022, Fr Martins will be the priest in residence at St Thomas Aquinas Charnwood and Fr Tom Thornton will be the priest in residence at Batemans Bay. Deacon Eden will be ordained this year and will continue to support at St Bernard’s. We very much look forward to welcoming Fr Tom back to St Bernard’s and it will be lovely to have Deacon Eden supporting us for the remainder of the year.
We thank Fr Rex for the support and care he provided to the students last term while Fr Martins was on leave.
This term we also welcome Elizabeth Coggan and Dawn Penberthy to new roles. Mrs Coggan will be teaching 5D for Term 2 while Mrs Metcalf is on leave and Mrs Penberthy will be supporting students on Monday, Tuesday and Friday each week. We welcome you to the St Bernard’s team!
St Bernard's welcomes all who are wishing to enrol their child for 2022. Application forms for enrolment are available at the School Office or you can enrol by completing a web-based application form found at https://stbernardsbb.nsw.edu.au/enrolment Parents wishing to enrol their child for Kinder for 2022 are encouraged to apply during the advertised period each year, 3 May - 30 May (late enrolments are accepted subject to places being available). All new families applying for enrolment are interviewed by the Principal or a member of the School Executive Team. Interviews for Kinder enrolments are conducted in Term 2 and Term 3 and parents are advised if a place is available. To be eligible for enrolment in Kindergarten a child must turn 5 on or before the 30 July in the year of admission.
CATALYST
As we look towards Term 2, we will continue to focus on embedding High Impact Teaching Practices to improve student outcomes. Each term we are building on our understanding of the Catalyst initiatives. Catholic Education is also expanding on the support provided to schools. We have been through a lot of change over the past couple of years. All our decisions are central to students, and it all starts with the pedagogy! The Scope and Sequence provides us with consistency across the school. Term Two Day One we focussed as a staff on High Impact Teaching Practice in Action, delivered by Catalyst professional learning presenter Dr Lorraine Hammond. Our focus was on Writing. The Professional Learning facilitated was excellent! At St Bernard’s, we began the implementation of Explicit Instruction across Kindergarten to Year Two last year. This pedagogical approach has already delivered improved learning outcomes and active participation in the classroom. Next week, Jared Bussell is visiting St Bernard’s to continue providing support to the Leadership Team and staff in delivering high impact teaching practices.
CANTEEN & TOILET REFURBISHMENTS
Over the stand down period, works have begun on the Canteen and Toilet Refurbishment Project. This is very exciting and will be an improvement on our current buildings. The Hall Area will be used as a building site. There will be no access to the Hall for Term 2. (We will be able to open the Hall for Open Day only). Fencing has been placed around the building site. Bus lines will need to line up in Bandur’s Barn and the Lean To. Early buses will line up in Bandur’s Barn and late buses in the Lean To. A portable toilet block has been placed in the Staff Car Park with fencing around it.
ANZAC DAY
Thank you to our Staff, Parents and Students who were able to attend the ANZAC Day March. St Bernard’s was well represented and I was very proud to be leading
with our students. ANZAC Day is a significant event, and it was wonderful to see so many of our students participating and showing their support.
CROSS COUNTRY
We had a wonderful start to the term, beginning with our St Bernard's Cross Country Carnival. We were so proud of the students for participating in the various races. Thank you to the parents who supported with the Canteen, your help was most appreciated. A special thank you to Mrs Holmes for her incredible organisation and preparation for the day. Congratulations to all the students for their participation and team spirit.
The Staff and I look forward to another rewarding term with you. Student reports and Parent Teacher Interviews will take place towards the end of this term. Please don’t hesitate to come and see me if you have any questions or concerns.
Kind regards
Jo
Johanna Wain
Principal
PETER PASSES THE TEST
Today's first reading (Acts 5: 27-32, 40-41) gives us a very different picture of our first Pope, Peter the Apostle, from the Peter who denied Jesus three time when his Master was being tried before the High Priest, Caiaphas (Matt 26: 69-76) . That triple denial ended with Peter leaving the courtyard of the High Priest's house and weeping bitterly.
What had changed? Jesus had risen from the dead.
In today's Gospel the apostles have returned to Galilee acting on the message that the women brought back from the empty tomb. "He( Jesus) is going before you to Galilee; it is there you shall see him, just as he told you." (Mark 16:7) We can be pretty sure that after the horrific events of the previous Thursday night and Friday the followers of Jesus would have been keen to escape from Jerusalem as quickly as they could.
John nominates five of the seven disciples who fled back to the Sea of Galilee: Peter who decides to go fishing; Thomas the Doubter; Nathanael ('An Israelite in whom there is no guile'); James & John, the sons of Thunder. Not naming the remaining two gives the reader and the listener the opportunity to inject themselves into the story. Remember reading was not a universal skill in the first century AD and most of the early Christians had the Scriptures read to them. The listeners can imagine themselves as the seventh disciple. Let us do the same.
We've spent all night in a tiny boat, fishing and catching nothing. Grumbling. Mulling over what happened in Jerusalem. What's our future? When dawn finally breaks we spot a stranger on the shore. He calls out: "Have you caught anything, friends?" We should have taken notice of that word "friends" but when you're tired, miserable and dispirited you don't pay attention to these things. When we yelled back “NO”, he said, "Throw the net out to the right side and you'll find something.."
Well, you know the rest. The stranger was the risen Lord. When we got ashore He had a fire going. There was bread and some fish. That brought back memories of the glory days when He had fed thousands of people. He invited us to breakfast. He took the bread, broke it and gave it to us and the same with the fish. We were dumbfounded. Jesus was back. He lived.
After the meal Jesus took Simon Peter aside and in a scene reminiscent of Peter's treble denial of Jesus, Peter is forgiven and makes a three-fold confession of faith. Peter is confirmed in his leadership. He is to feed his Master's sheep. Today's first reading with Peter emerging defiant after being arraigned before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin bears witness to the fruit of Jesus'
Resurrection and Ascension, namely the coming of the Holy Spirit who ignited an unquenchable fire of missionary zeal in Peter and his fellow Apostles.
Almighty & Eternal God, we implore You, be a constant guide and support for Pope Francis as he continues the task You allotted to Simon Peter to shepherd, steward and renew your wandering flock. This prayer we make through Your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the Unity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Joe Quigley
We extend a very warm welcome to Fr Tom Thornton to the Parish. Fr Tom is arriving this weekend. We hope he enjoys his time with us. |
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you had a lovely Easter with family and friends. We were certainly blessed with some beautiful weather and opportunities to enjoy downtime.
Liturgically, our Easter season continues for 50 days (seven full weeks after Easter Sunday) ending on Pentecost Sunday. Each Sunday during the next seven weeks is treated as a Sunday of Easter.
The season of Easter is when we literally live in the mystery of our Initiation into Christ's Body. During these weeks, we savour the meaning of our Baptism, the richness of the community, and our mission to the world.
Our Baptism is the passage from death to life. It must be a shattering passage ~ shattering the smallness of our minds and hearts and opening us more completely to the mind and heart of Christ. In this way we pass over from death to life. We bring life in all its vitality to the world by the new way in which we live our lives a way that is informed by the Gospels.
Eastertide is when we live in the renewed energy of Christ risen and present in this world!
Our warmest congratulations are extended to Indi A and Emie A and their families. Indi was baptised last weekend during the Easter season, while Emie received the sacrament of First Reconciliation. We thank Fr Rex Curry for supporting the children in their preparation for and reception of these sacraments.
Confirmation Dates Year 6
Catholic students who have received the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and Eucharist are eligible to receive the sacrament of Confirmation this term.
Dates for Confirmation are:
Wednesday 11 May - Family Enrolment Meeting 5.00pm-6.00pm
Saturday 21/Sunday 22 May - Commitment Mass 5.00pm/9.00am-5.00pm
Friday 10 June - Retreat Day Carroll College
Thursday 16 June - Reconciliation (during school hours)
Saturday 25 June - Sacrament of Confirmation 5.00pm
Parish News
Next Monday we will farewell Sr Marie with a special morning tea at school. Sr Marie has been an integral member of our parish and school community in recent years. She has assisted with reading in Year 1 and attended our school liturgies, masses, assemblies and social get togethers. We are really going to miss her. Our every blessing goes with Sr Marie as she returns home to Wagga.
Archbishop Prowse has accepted a request from Fr Martins to extend his leave as Parish Priest of Batemans Bay until December 2022. This will enable him to continue his studies, while being Parish Priest at St Thomas Aquinas Charnwood.
Fr Tom Thornton will be priest in residence at Batemans Bay until the end of the school year. We very much look forward to welcoming Fr Tom into our parish and school communities.
Deacon Eden will continue to support Fr Tom during this time.
St. Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal
The 2022 Vinnies Winter Appeal will officially be launched on the 1st of May. This appeal always highlights the importance of a community-based response to tackle social injustices, particularly homelessness. All donations during the Winter Appeal are directly distributed to support those families in our local community who are most impacted.
How can schools help? We could donate Winter Woollies... Gloves, Socks, Jackets, Beanies, Blankets, and Sleeping Bags or even host a Soup-er Hero Day!
Watch this space for updates about our 2022 Vinnies Winter Appeal
Many blessings on your weekend
Sharon Beashel REC
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that you had a joyful Easter and were able to have some rest over the school holiday break. It has been wonderful starting back this term with the Cross Country Carnival. The students participated to the very best of their ability and cheered one another on from the side lines. We wish the team of students who will represent our school tomorrow at Wolumla a great day of running. Thank you to Mrs Holmes who has prepared the students during PE lessons and who organised such an enjoyable carnival on Wednesday.
Catholic Schools Week
Next week there are a number of events to celebrate Catholic Schools' Week. Please find below information about these events:
Monday 2 May |
Year 7 2022 Information Evening at Carroll College for Year 6 2023. The evening begins at 5.30pm in the hall with a tour of the College from 6.15pm. Please see the flier for more details. |
Tuesday 3 May |
St Bernard's Open Day Kindergarten 2023. Please invite any family or friends who wish to enrol their child next year. The day will run rom 9.30am-12pm |
Eurobodalla Netball Cup St Bernards will enter mixed teams of interested students from Years 3-6 to play against other schools at Captain Oldrey Park, Broulee |
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Wednesday 4 May |
Kindergarten Teddy Bear’s Picnic at St Bernard's Primary School
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Year 6 Leadership Day at St Mary’s Primary School, Moruya |
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Thursday 5 May |
Enviromentors Workshop -Composting Year 1 and 2 |
Friday 6 May |
St Bernard's Mother's Day Classroom visit - 8.15am - 9.00am Enviromentors Workshop -Composting Kinder and Year 3 |
Mother's Day 2022- Classroom Visit and Mother's Day Stall
St Bernard’s would like to warmly invite all mothers, guardians, and grandmothers to attend school between 8.15am and 9.00am on Friday 6 May. Due to the building works happening across the school, we are unable to hold our usual Mother’s Day breakfast. This year we invite you to come in for a classroom tour led by your child and collect a special treat.
The Mother’s Day Stall will also occur on the same Friday in the iCentre. This will be a lovely opportunity for your child to purchase a gift for their mother or other special person in their lives.
We hope you can join us for this special celebration next Friday morning!
As the mornings and days start to become colder, some students may choose to wear their Winter Uniform. Winter Uniform must be officially worn by all students from Tuesday 14 June. Boys can wear grey shorts or long grey pants throughout winter and girls now have the option of wearing long navy socks up to the knee with their tunic. All students are required to wear our navy woollen jumper with their school uniform and the sport jumper with sports uniform.
Our St Bernard’s Winter Uniform requirements are as follows:
GIRL’S WINTER UNIFORM St Bernard’s checked tunic or navy pants St Bernard’s blue shirt Navy tights or long navy socks to the knee Black polished leather shoes. Navy blue woollen jumper with school crest |
BOY’S WINTER UNIFORM Grey long trousers or grey shorts St Bernard’s blue shirt Grey socks Black polished leather shoes. Navy blue woollen jumper with school crest
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I hope that you have a lovely weekend.
Karen Hadley
Assistant Principal
Term 1
Week 11 Class Awards
Presented : Friday 8 April 2022.
Congratulations to the following children who received class award this week. It is great to see so many children working hard and receiving acknowledgment for their efforts well done to all!
KB: Amelia M, Jayla R. | KBH: Jacob B, Aidan S, Tahiti H. |
1C: Zaden F, Kate W, Eve P-K. |
1M: Charlotte H, William O'C, Layla S, Evie M. |
2S: Xavier L, George S-D, Quinn S. | 2T: Remi C, Indianna L, Abel M. |
S1J: Deric B, Oliver H. | 3DH: Kingston A, Aurora B, Eva H. |
3W: Sophie B, Beau C, Charlotte F. | 4C: Ava G-N, Gemma M, Annabelle W. |
4K: Annie F, Oscar J, Tyler McD, Joshua M, Golden P, Mia S, Dante T. | 5D: Marco H, Arsh K. |
5M: Joel F, Lachlan J, Lawson M. | 6F: Noah O'S, 6F. |
6M: Bailee H, 6M. |