Dear Parents and Carers

The term seems to be flying by rather quickly. Teachers are beginning to prepare for student reports that will be sent home to families on Friday 24 June.

As Winter is beginning to approach and the weather has turned cooler, we are noticing an increase in the number of absences due to people feeling unwell. Although we have had some staff away, we have managed to maintain classes and keep school as normal as we can, albeit with challenging staffing situations. Thank you for your understanding when regular teachers are away. As you know, staff or students with COVID must isolate for a week. Please continue to contact the school if your child has COVID. All staff and students who display any COVID symptoms, must not attend school. If a student presents unwell at school, we will contact parents to come and collect them. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time.

National Sorry Day 2022
Today is National Sorry Day, when Australian people remember, acknowledge and

respect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were part of the Stolen Generation. Today our Years 3-6 Aboriginal students and Year 6 students participated in the Batemans Bay Bridge Walk to represent our school community. After walking across the bridge, the students enjoyed lunch and participated in commemorative activities at the Clyde Foreshore. We keep our Indigenous students and their families in mind at this time as we celebrate a shared history and encourage positive and respectful relationships.

Successful Grant!
Good news, we have just been successful in receiving a $10,000.00 grant to support our students’ mental health, wellbeing and fitness. We would like to expand our sport program by offering some outdoor sports that students may not be able to experience at home.  In Term 4, our Year 5 and 6 students will participate in an outdoor paddle boarding experience that will provide the children with a great way to get out in nature and in our coastal environment. The program is designed to support the wellbeing of our students at St Bernard’s, building their resilience and self-esteem under guidance and support from teachers. We are very excited to be offering such a fantastic program! 

Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP)

CCSP have arranged with the eSafety Commissioner to hold three webinars during 2022. 

The 3 webinars are: 

Helping Kids Thrive Online

Suitable for parents and carers of children aged 5-12 years

Wednesday 8 June 7.30pm –8.30pm 

Cyberbullying and online drama

Suitable for parents and carers of young people aged 11 to 18 years old.

Tuesday September 20, 7.30pm-8.30pm 

Popular apps

Suitable for parents and carers of young people aged 13 to 18 years old.

Wednesday October 26, 7.30pm-8.30pm 

Helping Kids Thrive Online

Suitable for parents and carers of children aged 5-12 years

Wednesday 8 June 7.30pm 

This Term 2 webinar offers tips about how to support young people to socialise, learn and have fun online safely. It explains how to access information, use technology safely and navigate new online platforms. 

It will cover:

• how to talk to young people about online risks on different social media platforms and games  
• how to help young people develop skills to protect themselves when they are online  
• where to go for help if things go wrong and how to access mental health support and information through eSafety.  

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/715182158220149006

Congratulatiuons...

Scarlette S in Year One has personally raised $442 for dance for sick kids which will go toward Ronald McDonald house. Her group (Stepz dance studio) have raised $1621.18. Scarlette will be dancing on average 2 hours every day. What a great fundraiser and amazing effort from Scarlette for such a worthwhile cause. We are very proud of you Scarlette. 

Blessings to you and your families this week. 

Kind regards

Johanna Wain

Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have been very fortunate to have several RFW clinicians with us in school this week. Jess (social worker) and Julia (psychologist) have delivered the Seasons of Growth program, managed educational assessments and presented professional learning opportunities for staff on Trauma and Classroom Behaviour.

Billie (Occupational Therapist) also provided an afternoon session for staff on Regulation and made several observational visits to classrooms. We are so very grateful to be able to access this support through Bushfire Recovery.

Mini Vinnies

Mini Vinnies is about doing good works in the community, but it is also about young people meeting to talk and share ideas and concerns, to have fun and to support each other. The Vinnies model of :

“See, Think, Do” is a great way to get our students talking about their spirituality: by connecting their beliefs and values with service activities and issues in their community, they can make their faith real, meaningful and relevant.

Our Mini Vinnies team meets each Thursday at lunch time. We have 23 students who are very motivated by the model. We begin every meeting with the Mini Vinnies prayer.

Mr. Gary Norris will present our Mini Vinnies team with their badges next Thursday 2 June during lunch time.

The team have identified the following as their priority this semester:

• Environmental - rubbish on the playground and recycling
• Helping the poor and disadvantaged – St. Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal
• Friendship – children without friends to play with at break times

Last week the children reflected on a story called, ‘An Afternoon in the Park.”

The story was about how an old lady and a boy experienced God through their interaction with each other. We often experience our God in the people we meet and the simple actions of kindness that can be shared.

A big thank you to Isabella L, Lily S and Lawson M who produced beautiful artwork as a way of reflection.

Begin With the Heart Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have shown our HEART values this fortnight.

Aurora B – kindness, Molly M – kindness, Ellie-R M – creativity, Tigerlily B - kindness, Cali Z – respect, Mila W – compassion, Hudson A - respect, Charlie L - determination, Alyssa O'B K - kindness, Jacob B – resilience, Avia N, James P, Harlo P,  Alice M-M, Chloe T, Lachlan J - kindness, Noah A, Lily D, Cooper S, Quinlan C, Belinda G - responsibility and respectful and Derrick B – thoughtfulness.

Confirmation Retreat Day

Thank you to those families who attended Confirmation Commitment Masses last weekend. Father Tom and Deacon Eden were delighted with your attendance.

Year 6 will be attending a Confirmation Retreat Day at Carroll College on Friday 10 June. Please check the COMPASS portal for consent and key information.

A Poem - The Kids who are Different by Digby Wolfe

Here’s to the kids who are different:

The kids who don’t always get A’s

The kids who are twice the size of their peers

Or have noses that go on for days.

 

Here’s to the kids who are different:

The kids who are just out of step

The kids they all tease

Who have cuts on their knees

And whose sneakers are constantly wet.

 

Here’s to the kids who are different:

The kids with a mischievous streak

For when they are grown

As history has shown

It’s their differences that make them unique.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend

Sharon Beashel REC

Dear Parents and Carers

Today Aboriginal students from Years 3-5 and all Year 6 students took part in the Sorry Day Bridge Walk with other school students and members of the local community. We thank the Eurobodalla Boys to Men group who organised this event in Batemans Bay and invited us to take part. The students gathered on the northern side of the bridge and walked together to the Clyde Foreshore, in solidarity and ackowledgement for the Stolen Generations. At the conclusion of the Bridge Walk, the students came together for speeches, dancing and a BBQ lunch.

Tomorrow is the beginning of National Reconciliation Week. Students in all classes will have a lesson with Trish as well as opportunities throughout the week to learn about the significance of this year's theme 'Be Brave, Make Change'. We will have a 'Sea of Hands' created by the students on display in our school walk way to mark Reconciliation Week, with some students making a pledge for the action they might be able to make. We hope that you can come into school to see our 'Sea of Hands' next week.

Personal Learning Pathway Meetings

Next week, over three days, we will be conducting PLP meetings for Aboriginal students in Years 1-6. I look forward to the opportunity to meet with the students, parents and teachers to set goals for learning. It is particularly appropriate to be meeting during Reconcililation Week, as we work to consider how best we can nurture the cultural, social, and academic development of the Indigenous students in our school.

Variety Night Performance at Carroll College

The Year 2 students, along with some of the cast members of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, with guest appearances from some Year 6 students, will take the stage at the Carroll College Variety Night towards the end of term. The students have been practicing two songs with Mrs Nussdorfer and Mrs Smith that they will sing on the night. Students from St Mary's, Moruya will also be performing. The Carroll College Variety Night is held every second year and there is always a fantastic display of talent. We can't wait to see our students perform. The Variety Night is on Wednesday 22 June in Week 9.

Assessment and Reporting

Determining student achievement of learning outcomes and reporting to parents is a very important part of the teaching and learning cycle. At St Bernard's we conduct a range of assessments including diagnostic tests and summative assessments at a certain point, as well as formative assessments which occur each day. Checking for understanding during the course of a lesson is an important way that teachers are able to collect data about student learning and make decisions about levels of achievement at a point in time. Teachers ask questions to check for understanding, choose non-volunteers so that everyone can be called on for accountability and ask students to write their answer on a whiteboard and 'chin it' to show their response. Most importantly, teachers make decisions about where students need to move next, and design their teaching accordingly. Semester One reports will be graded using an A-E Common Grade Scale from Years 1-6 and in Kindergarten, with a 4 point grade scale, from Above Expectation to Experiencing Difficulty. Student reports will be sent out electronically through Compass on Friday 24 June in Week 9. Parent/ Teacher Interviews will take place in Week 10. Bookings for Parent Teacher Interviews will come out through Compass within the next few weeks.

I hope that your weekend is enjoyable.

Karen

MacKillop Soccer Championship

Good Luck to Samuel S-D who competes in the MacKillop Football Championships today and Friday. He will be playing with, and competing against the best 11 and 12 year olds from Catholic Schools across NSW. We can’t wait to hear how much fun you have.

  

Rugby Union Gala Day

Yesterday Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students participated in a gala day for Rugby Union organised by the Brumbies. Our teachers had a fantastic time with this amazing group of students. We were very impressed with the kindness, team spirit and skill development the students displayed throughout the day. Thank you for a wonderful day. 

Angela Holmes

Term 2  

Week 4 Class Awards

Presented : Friday 20 May 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!