Dear Parents and Carers 

We have certainly hit Winter this week! The days and the mornings are now getting colder as we move into the Winter months. Just a reminder that all students should be wearing full winter uniform from next Tuesday 14 June. Boys can choose to wear long grey pants or continue wearing grey shorts and girls have the choice between navy pants or a tunic. Winter uniform is to be worn until the October long weekend.

Semester One Reports/Parent Teacher Interviews
Over the next two weeks, I will be reading every student’s Semester One report for 2022, providing me with a clear understanding of each individual student’s academic progress, efforts and social interactions. I really enjoy reading each individual report, seeing their growth, achievements and successes for the Semester. Reports for Semester 1 will be available on Compass on Friday 24 June. Meetings to discuss your child’s progress for most classes will be conducted in Week 10. I encourage all parents to book their preferred meeting times using the on-line booking system in Compass. If you are having difficulty making a booking, please contact the Front Office and we can make your booking for you. An email will be sent home tomorrow.

Parent Mathematics Online Session
A reminder that we are holding a Mathematics Session online for parents focusing on the topics of Explicit Instruction in teaching, Mathematics Daily Review and the Year 5 & 6 Maths Pathway Program. We had such positive feedback from the parents who attended a couple of weeks ago, that we have decided to run an online version on Tuesday 14 June at 5.30pm. The online information session will be held in Microsoft TEAMs using the following link:

Microsoft Teams meeting

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110277181@teams.bjn.vc

Video Conference ID: 137 921 806 7

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+61 2 9158 7141,,268738127#   Australia, Sydney

Phone Conference ID: 268 738 127#

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We hope that you can take this opportunity to come along to this session.

Internet Safety
Technology is continuing to play a significant part in our world today. Students are continually using technology as a way to socially interact with peers. However, no matter how confident and sensible we think our students are, it is necessary to monitor and guide all online activities. As parents, we must have open conversations with our child/ren about what they should and should not do online. Next Tuesday 14 June, Donna Clarke, Batemans Bay School Liaison Officer, will be meeting with Year 5 and 6 students to discuss cyber safety and the responsibilities that come with using technology.

Director’s visit
Yesterday, Mr Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn visited St Bernard's. Mr Fox met with the Executive Team to discuss our future direction at St Bernard’s and our priorities. Then Mr Fox visited the classrooms to see the great teaching and learning happening across the school. Mr Fox spoke to the students and had a conversation with our Year 6 SRC. It was wonderful to hear the positive feedback from the students on St Bernard’s. They said that they loved learning Maths and English and their friends, teachers and sport were definitely a favourite! Thank you to the St Bernard’s staff for their dedication to teaching and learning and providing opportunities for students to engage in a range of learning activities.

Building Update
This week I met with Monarch builders, Steve Pocock and the architect to discuss progress with the toilet/canteen project. The Senior toilets are coming along nicely and the tiling looks fantastic. We have had some delay due to a moisture problem with the Infants Toilet Block. The Infants toilets and the canteen may not be complete by the beginning of Term 3. There may be a 1-2 week delay. The Senior toilets will be in operation for Term 3. This will mean that the portable toilet block will be removed and all students will have access to the Senior toilets. I have the next meeting in the last week of term, where I will provide you with another update.

Congratulations
Congratulations to Beatrix, Annie, Mikinley and Keira, who competed at the MacKillop Cross Country event in Sydney on Tuesday. A special congratulations to Beatrix who came third out of 52 runners in the 8/9 years age group. What an incredible achievement!  

Kindergarten Interviews
It has been great to see the faces of new Kindergarten 2023 students and their parents arriving for their meetings with me this week. Introductory discussions are being conducted over the next few weeks. If you know of anyone who is yet to fill in their enrolment form, please let them know that enrolments are now open.

Information Centre News
It is great to see so many students choosing to use the iCentre at lunchtime. Could parents please remind their children to return any books they have had for two weeks or more. Also, please remind your children about bringing their book bags to school so they can borrow books. There are hundreds and hundreds of new and well-loved books for students to read. A special thank you to Mrs Hopman for all she does in managing our iCentre. The Book Fair was very successful and Mrs Hopman is looking forward to purchasing some new books to add to our library. 

Blessings to all families. 

Kind regards

Johanna Wain
Principal

THE TRINITY – GOD’S DEEP LOVE FOR US 

The Feast of the Trinity is about the intimacy of God’s presence to us in our world.

Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ shares historical insights which enable our understanding of this mystery of our faith.

The Feast of Trinity Sunday was celebrated throughout the whole Catholic Church only quite late – in the 14th century. In earlier times every Sunday was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. This was evident in the frequent reference to the Father, Son and Spirit as one God in the prayers of the liturgy. No special feast was needed.

The prayers and the focus of the Feast are very theological. That is to say, they express the Church teaching about the Trinity rather than exploring the place that Father, Son and Spirit have in the life of Christians and of the Church.

The emphasis on teaching about the Trinity can be traced back to one of the greatest challenges to Christian faith that took place in the 4th century. Christians became divided by the way in which they thought of God. Previously they had all prayed to the Father and to Christ and had recognised the work of the Spirit in their Christian lives. At the same time, they had insisted that the Christian God is one, in contrast to the many Gods of the pagans. Few were concerned how these convictions fitted together. In the 4th century, however, there was fierce debate in which the foundations of faith were at stake.

The crisis began when some Christians questioned the relationship between Jesus, the Son of God, and God the Father. The Christians who believed that Jesus was lesser than the Father then forced their opponents to address another central question. If Jesus, the Son of God, the Father and the Spirit are all God, how can they be the One God to whom Abraham and Jesus prayed, and not two or three Gods.

The Church called to resolve the disputes did not explain how God is three and one, but used the language of one God in three Persons to assert both that God is one being and that Father, Son and Spirit share fully in divinity. The prayers and sermons on the Feast of the Trinity make that point again and again. It is not an explanation but a way of speaking that respects the full mystery of God’s love for us.

It really celebrates something much deeper: the depth of God’s involvement with us in the salvation that Jesus brought us. It insists that when Jesus spoke to us, God speaks, when Jesus dies on the cross, God dies in him, that when Jesus rises and ascends to God he takes us with him and that when the Spirit works within our lives and Church, God works within us.

The Feast of the Trinity says that our world is not God’s colony under colonial management but is God’s home. It is about the intimacy of God’s presence to us in our world and in the Church through Jesus.  

https://www.australiancatholics.com.au/article

Dear Parents and Carers,

In the lead up to the St. Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, Mini Vinnies will be holding a secondhand stall. The stall will be open at lunch time on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 June to raise money.

Students can bring to school pre-loved items of theirs to donate. Donations can be dropped off in the office each day.

On the days that the stall will be open students can bring in some money to buy something at the stall.

Please help and donate. It would mean a lot for the Winter Appeal and the many people it helps.

Kind Regards

Isla Blass and the Mini Vinnies team.

Dear Parents and Carers

At the beginning of this week I attended a retreat for Assistant Principals at Galong near Harden. The retreat was on the topic of 'mercy' and was led by the deputy Director of Catholic Education and other key personnel. Over the two days there was opportunity to reflect on the teaching of Jesus through journalling and prayer. The words of Pope Francis resonated with particular clarity about what it means to act with mercy, acknowledging the dignity of the human person:

Be inclusive of all people, not indifferent when faced with injustice, see the potential for a cultural revolution in simple gestures to reach people in ways that knows no limits. 

Quality Teaching and Learning

During yesterday's visit from Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ross Fox, Jeni McCarthy presented data showing significant learning growth of students throughout our school in areas of Literacy and Numeracy. Ross Fox has been instrumental in bringing Catalyst and Explicit Direct Instruction into Catholic schools in the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese and, as early adopters of this pedagogy, we were very keen to highlight the impact that this high impact instruction is having on student learning at St Bernard's. Student growth in the area of Spelling has been most significant in the time since we have implemented Spelling Mastery, taught four days a week across Years 1-6. Maths Pathway data was also shared with our Director, showing the vastly improved results of students in Year 6 as they enter Year 7 to continue the Maths Pathway program at Carroll College.

Next Tuesday evening we will present information on our teaching of Mathematics in an online format as we are aware that some parents were not able to attend in the school earlier this term. Please see the link that Jo has provided if you would like to link in. 

Cyber bullying

The esafety commissioner website is an excellent source of information for parents and children about being safe online. Many children are involved in online messaging as they interact through gaming or exclusive messaging apps. Monitoring this behaviour can sometimes be challenging as this form of communication can lead to inappropriate behaviours. The esafety website suggest the following as signs to watch for if you believe your child might be experiencing cyber bullying:

being upset after using the internet or their mobile phone
changes in personality, such as becoming more withdrawn, anxious, sad or angry
appearing more lonely or distressed
unexpected changes in friendship groups
a decline in their school work
changes in their sleep patterns
avoidance of school or clubs
a decline in their physical health
becoming secretive about their online activities and mobile phone use

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/cyberbullying

In all instances, if you believe that your child might be exhibiting any of these behaviours, and is the victim of cyber bulllying, please do not hesitate to be in contact with us. It is our priority to support your child to be happy and safe.

Have a lovely long weekend. I hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy time with your family and friends.

Karen Hadley

Well-Being Wednesday

Your health and well-being should be your number one priority, nothing else is important. (Robert Cheeke)

Every now and then we need to stop and take a break. We need to take time out just for ourselves to breathe, to destress and to calm. Things can become so busy we forget about ourselves needing to stop, to pamper and to relax and to take care of our inside as well as the outside. This is not only necessary for adults but also for children.

So, last Wednesday, Year 5 joined their buddies for a Well-Being Wednesday session. It was a very special moment. One we are sure the Year 5 students will never forget.

After settling into the Kindergarten rooms and joining up with their buddies the Year 5 students were taken through the myriad of activities that they and their buddies could choose to wander through and explore. It was very exciting.

Students then went off and began to make some cookies, blow bubbles, colour  in, play with kinetic sand, draw pictures with chalk on the concrete, build with blocks, make a train track, read books, enjoy a salon experience, and play some games. 

At first there was lots of excitement and noise, but slowly everyone relaxed and began to enjoy the moment, basking in the gentleness of the activities, the fun and the friendship being shared. What could have been a chaotic time, turned into a lovely gentle meandering moment. Giggles, laughter and smiles rippled through the space, and a bubble of wellness enclosed the Kindergarten classrooms.

It is funny how time flies when you are having fun, and everyone was very surprised when we realised that lunch time was approaching. We didn’t want the moment to stop. It goes to show how important these opportunities truly are.

The Well-Being Wednesday Buddy moment finished with a shared picnic lunch. After this School life returned to normal, back to class, back to lessons, back to learning, however we felt ‘better’. We were more relaxed and all of us were thinking about the next time we would see our buddies. Hopefully it will be sooner than later!

Year 5 and Kindergarten hope this week, that you too can find time in your busy life to stop, to pamper, to relax and to take care of your inside as well as the outside.

Many blessings and have a wonderful week of wellness.. 

CPSNSW Cross Country

An enormous congratulations to Keira A, Mikinley B, Annie F and Beatrix F who competed in the Combined Primary School NSW Cross Country Championships in Sydney on Tuesday. The girls ran their 3km in just over 13 minutes and the 2km in just under and just over 9 minutes. This is exceptional. Beatrix F was third in her event and was awarded a bronze medal. She now races on Friday 22 July for a position in the team that will compete at the National Cross Country. What a special achievement for Beatrix and all our runners. 

Angela Holmes

Term 2  

Week 6 Class Awards

Presented : Friday 3 June 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!