Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers
I am sure that you would agree that the students' performance of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang last week was fabulous! The students demonstrated a wide range of creative talents and the show was very entertaining. Jessica Guthrie's Performing Arts lessons with the students during Term 3 in the hall and the earlier lessons with Ann-Maree Nussdorfer ensured a very polished show. We are so proud of everyone!
Thank you very much to the parents who donated their time to work in the canteen and to those who baked slices and other treats to sell before the performances. Also thank you for supporting our school fundraising by purchasing ducks for the Duck Race which will be held later in the term. I know that the Year 6 teachers and students were also very grateful for the support they received for their end of year raffle.
It is wonderful to be able to once again plan activities for our school community to enjoy.
Yesterday Erica S competed in the Stage 3 Archdiocesan Public Speaking competition all the way from camp in Jindabyne! Erica is to be congratulated on the excellent delivery of her topical speech on, “Why I would like to be Prime Minister”. Erica and Mrs Beashel enjoyed viewing the winning speeches by students from Queanbeyan and Eden which were presented online.
Outdoor Education Program
Students in Years 5 and 6 will participate in a four week outdoor education program beginning next Tuesday 1 November. The activities will be facilitated by Surf the Bay instructors and will involve Stand Up Paddleboarding at Corrigans Beach and Surfing at Surf Beach. We were very fortunate to be successful in a grant we applied for through Batemans Bay Rotary Club earlier this year and this has contributed to part of the costs associated with this extra-curricular activity. We anticipate that the students will not only experience physical health benefits through the program but will also have the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills and a sense of well being as they interact in our beautiful coastal environment with their peers.
World Teacher's Day
This Friday is World Teacher's Day in Australia and the theme is 'Hats Off to Teachers'. Keep an eye out for our Facebook post this Friday with our Hats Off to Teachers selfie. We really are very appreciative of everything that the teachers in our school do to make sure St Bernard's is an excellent place for learning.
Our Year 6 students will return from their three night stay at the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation camp tomorrow. We know that they have had a wonderful time away and we look forward to hearing their stories on their return. Thank you in advance to Suzie McRae, Liz Coggan, Sharon Beashel and Brendan Maynard who have been away with the students.
Have a wonderful weekend. Jo will return on Monday after the Catholic Leaders Day and meetings held over the past three days.
Warm regards
Karen
TO CATCH A GLIMPSE
The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II reminded me of her first visit to Australia in 1954. The memory tied in with Luke’s story in today’s Gospel about Zacchaeus and the effort he put in to catching a glimpse of Jesus.
On 4th March 1954 as part of her tour, the Queen was scheduled to visit the Heidelberg Military Repatriation Hospital in Heidelberg West. My family lived nearby. I was seventeen years old and responsible for looking after my younger siblings, As school children, they had been given a school holiday. They were also allocated positions at the barrier lining the royal cavalcade. I had to find my own vantage point.
Despite being dressed in my best 1950s clobber, I climbed up a cyclone wire fence that gave me a clear view of the intersection where the Queen’s Rolls Bentley would turn towards the entrance to the Hospital. As luck would have it the Rolls did slow down at the intersection. The canopy was down so I had a clear view of the royal couple, but just when I might have been able to see the Queen’s features she turned away to wave at the crowds on her right. All I got was a view of a pale blue bonnet.
There are obvious differences between my experience and that of Zacchaeus. I knew the Queen and her role in the British Empire. This visit was a unique event in Australian history.
What did Zacchaeus know of Jesus? That he was a faith healer? A miracle worker? A prophet? Or had he heard perhaps from a minor tax collector in Capernaum (Levi/Matthew?) that Jesus mixed with people at the margins? Zacchaeus was curious. I was ego-tripping.
Unlike me, he was a despised senior public servant who collected taxes for a foreign government (The Roman Empire) and became very rich by fleecing the local population. He was also very short. So throwing aside any self respect he might have had, he sought a vantage point in a leafy sycamore tree. To see without being seen. Probably much to the amusement of the locals.
Imagine his surprise and joy when Jesus stopped beneath the tree, looked up & said: “Hurry down, Zacchaeus! I must stay in your house today.” How did Jesus know Zacchaeus’ name? (Inappropriately it means “pure/innocent”) Why does Jesus expect him to agree to his request for hospitality?
The locals were gobsmacked. They grumbled: “This man has gone as a guest to the house of a sinner.” Indeed Zacchaeus was. His avarice as a tax collector was there for all to see.
Zacchaeus, in the presence of the Lord, sees himself for what he really is and wants to make amends, right away. “I will give half my belongings to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone I will give back four times as much.” This is a conversion that can be compared with that of Saul’s on the road to Damascus. Except that Zacchaeus is never mentioned in the Scriptures again.
Wherever I am in my spiritual development, some days I may feel strong and confident, other days weak and fearful. I need to remind myself that God is forever loving me. I do not have to change, grow or be good in order to be loved. Rather I am loved so that I can change, grow and be good. Look at Zacchaeus. His natural curiosity led to a complete change of heart.
Here I am, Lord. I place my trust in You. Joe Quigley
Welcome to a snapshot of Year 1!
In Maths, we have been learning how to interpret data on picture graphs. As a class, we created our own graphs on favourite oceanic animals and favourite colours. We learned that interpreting data means explaining information on a graph.
In Literacy this week we have been reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We wrote sentences with a specific structure that included the conjunction ‘because’. We also worked on building words and sentences using ‘ed’. Each week we work on a fluency passage to help build our accuracy, rate, and expression when reading.
Last week we read The Little Mermaid. During Visual Arts, we created our own mermaid tails using water colours, paper plates and glitter. We focused on creating lines that added to our design.
In Religion this week we looked at the symbols used in Sacraments. We talked about what each symbol represents and drew a picture to show our understanding.
In Dhurga we looked at Australian animals and made a chatterbox that gave us some facts about each animal. The Dhurga word for Koala is guraban. The Dhurga word for wombat is banggaada. The Dhurga word for platypus is yaranbul. There is no Dhurga word for Bilby because they are not native to the area.
Canberra-Goulburn Representative Sport for 2022
Just a quick reminder that the 2022 Cricket, Tennis and Basketball trials are coming up quickly!
The Cricket trials are on Friday 4th of November – Closing Date for registrations is this Friday 28th October
The Basketball and Tennis Trials are on Friday 2nd December – Closing Date for registrations is Friday 25th November
Touch Football trials are Wednesday 7th December – Closing Date for registrations is Monday 5th December
If your child would like to trial for any of these sports, please contact me and I will send you further details of what is involved and how to register.
Canberra-Goulburn Representative Sport for 2023
AFL, Rugby League, Netball, Soccer and Rugby Union nominations will all open early in the new year and I will send details regarding these as soon as they open.
Weekend Tennis
Congratulations to Annie F and Beatrix F who attended the Under 10 NSW Teams Championships held in Bathurst over the weekend. They enjoyed the experience immensely.
Have a fantastic week. Angela Holmes
The Year 6 Students would like to thank the local businesses for their donations to our raffle that we ran during the school performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Our donors were:
Batemans Bay Sports Power
Batemans Bay Icecreamery
Batemans Bay Bakehouse
Isle Boutique
Cafe 7
Andrea's Hair Studio.
We would also like to thank all the people who bought tickets and to congratulate our winners ! Your support helped us to raise $400.00 ! This money will go towards buying more outdoor furniture for the Primary playground.