Dear Parents and Carers

We’ve enjoyed another busy week at school. As we move towards our final week of term, there are still a number of significant events planned that the students are very much looking forward to.

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday and is the final Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week. During Lent, we have been preparing to celebrate Easter. On Palm Sunday we join Christ as he enters Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. In the coming days, we will relive the mystery of his death and resurrection. By joining ourselves to Christ, God’s grace will lift us up and rescue us. Take a green branch from your garden. Gather the family together and, with each person holding a branch, pray together. The Sunday Mass will focus on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Any students who are at Mass on Sunday morning at 9am are invited to join in the procession with Fr Loi. All families are welcome. 

Next week we are celebrating Easter at our K-12 Combined Schools Mass at Carroll College. All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will attend the Mass. This is a unique opportunity where our three Catholic schools come together to celebrate our faith and unite in prayer as one community.

We have a big day next Tuesday with our Cross Country Carnival planned to begin at 9.30am. Please join us on Tuesday morning to cheer on our enthusiastic runners as they compete for selection in the Southern Region team. The next level of competition will be held in Wolumla in Week 1, Friday 28 April. Our Easter Raffle will be drawn at the Cross Country Carnival. Thank you to all our families who donated chocolate and a special thank you to the parents who came and assisted with the wrapping!

This week all staff participated in professional learning focusing on trauma. This was led by Kerri Cronan-Dixon, Child Protection Officer at Catholic Education. We learnt how the brain works for children experiencing trauma, the different ways they respond to trauma and how we can best support our students.  

When referring to trauma, single incident events usually have a clear beginning and end. Once the event is over, survivors can reach a place of safety and may be able to seek help and recover. Complex Trauma is ongoing, or repeated frequently, so there is little time to recover. Complex Trauma often occurs in secrecy, so the person is unable, or afraid to talk about it and get help.

Complex Trauma has more wide-reaching effects. This is not just because people with Complex Trauma have had more episodes of trauma. There are a number of additional reasons why Complex Trauma results in more significant problems. The term complex trauma describes the problem of children’s exposure to multiple or prolonged traumatic events and the impact of this exposure on their development, including brain development.

If you are concerned that your child has experienced trauma, please reach out for support. Our door is always open. Our School Counsellor, Faith Costigan, works Monday to Wednesday each week. Referrals can be made through myself. The staff are here to support all students. 

Staffing Update
Mr Brendan Maynard is taking Long Service Leave for the first seven (7) weeks of Term 2. To accommodate Mr Maynard’s leave, Ms Jessica Guthrie will be teaching Year 5M and then she will embark on her maternity leave. Ms Guthrie already teaches the students for Performing Arts each week, so the children are very familiar with her. This is an ideal arrangement as the children already have a relationship with their teacher this year. We wish Mr Maynard a wonderful holiday! 

We welcome Ms Ann-Maree Nussdorfer to the team for the remainder of the 2023 school year as Performing Arts Teacher. Ms Nussdorfer will be teaching an explicit music program and we are planning a dance program for Term 4. Stay tuned for further information.

The Catholic School Parents Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (CSPACG) Council are actively working in our Archdiocese. The Council's purpose is to provide a forum for discussing and representing families on educational issues and other issues that impact Catholic school families. The Council also aims to promote family engagement, provide advocacy, leadership and support to all Catholic School families. You can follow their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/cspacgcouncil

Blessings to you and your family.

Kind regards

Jo

Johanna Wain 
Principal 

River of Suffering’

I saw the river over which every soul must pass to reach the kingdom of heaven, and the name of that river was suffering: and I saw the boat that carries souls across the river, and the name of that boat was love.’ [St. John of the Cross ‘River of Suffering’].

Many of us know about suffering from personal experience. While outwardly we may smile and appear happy yet the burdens and wounded places of the human heart are not far from anyone of us. We are all making our way across the ‘river of suffering’ and every person benefits from being carried in the ‘boat named love.’ While we may bounce back from inevitable losses and suffering we can do more than just endure suffering. Depending on our responses, suffering provides untold opportunities for inner transformation.

Jesus enters his River of Suffering.

Christians during this Holy Week beginning with Palm- Passion Sunday witness the manner in which Jesus enters into his suffering. George Basil Hume OSB in ‘Searching for God’ pg.144 speaks of this: ‘We learn the secret of the Resurrection when we learn the secret of the cross. And it is when we are called to share in some way in the suffering of Christ that we come to understand not only what he experienced but what this was leading to.

For every cross leads to resurrection. I like to think of life as each day being prepared by God’s providence, and it is in many ways the road to the cross. But it leads to a greater understanding of Our Lord, a greater sharing in his resurrection. Each day should see me more humble, every day more willing to accept what comes my way. Thus I become more closely united to the Lord – grow as I grow in grace, in the love of the Father.’

‘We need a God who knows about pain ... it is not at all a popular idea, even among Christians’ Barbara Taylor wrote in her book ‘God in Pain’ 1998, pg 118. ‘We prefer a God who prevents suffering, only that is not the God we have. What t

he cross teaches us is that God’s power is not the power to force human choices and end human pain. It is, instead, the power to pick up the shattered pieces of our life and to make something holy out of them – not from a distance but close up.’ With St Paul may we pray: ‘I share in the Passion of Christ, to share in his Resurrection’

                                                                                                Sourced by: Marie Weatherall

Dear Parents and Carers

On Tuesday evening sixteen children from our school made their First Reconciliation. It was a very memorable night, not only for the children but also for their families and our parish community. During the liturgy, Father Loi read the story of The Forgiving Father (Luke 15: 11-32) and spoke meaningfully to the children about God’s forgiveness.

After individual reconciliation each child lit a candle as a sign that they had received God’s forgiveness. Thank you to the children who were so engaged and reverent during the celebration, to our families and staff who offered their support in so many ways.

Project Compassion

Thank you for your support of Caritas during Lent. If you have a family Project Compassion Box at home with donations in it, could it be returned by Monday 3 April. By donating just a small amount, you can help provide essential support such as improving access to clean water, healthcare and education for children and families around the world.

Sunday 2 April: Palm Sunday Parish Mass 9.00am – St Bernard’s Church

The Parish has invited children to participate in the celebration of Holy Week.
Palm Sunday Mass will be held on Sunday 2 April at 9.00am. Children will carry palms into the church during the beginning of Mass. Dressing in attire like that of Jesus' time is encouraged. Towels, tea towels, dressing gowns and sandals are easy props! Some children will also be asked to join the Offertory Procession and read Prayers of the Faithful. If you are attending, could you please let us know via Compass. Mr Maynard, Mrs Wain, and I will support this Holy Week event.

Wednesday 5 April: Combined Schools’ Easter Mass - Carroll College Broulee

On Wednesday 5 April St Bernard's students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will travel to Broulee to join St Mary's and Carroll College in our annual Combined Schools' Easter Mass.
Transport: Buses will leave St Bernard's at 9.45am and return to school at 12.30pm.
Clothing: Full School Uniform
Mass: 10.30am -11.30am
Parents: Invited to attend
Food: Students need to bring their own recess and are welcome to purchase a Special Easter Pack from the Carroll College canteen that consists of a hot cross bun, popper and Easter egg for $2. 

Blessings on your weekend

Sharon Beashel REC

Dear Parents and Carers

Suddenly we are nearing the end of term and while this seems difficult to believe, we know that many students are ready for a rest and are looking forward to a holiday break. There have been some wonderful highlights this term, with the teaching and learning in classrooms certainly being a standout to me. The routines and instruction that teachers deliver each day in the classrooms is of a very high standard and we know that this is already having excellent results. This week the Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ross Fox asked our leadership team if parents noticed the learning and high quality instruction in the school. It was affirming to share the positive feedback stories that we receive from parents and how we know that many of you are also noticing the learning progress your child is making. We thank the teachers and Classroom Support team for the way that they ensure students are receiving excellent instruction and support.

Child Safety Program

Throughout Term 2, our school will be implementing the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum with students in Years K-6. The curriculum is based on principles of best practice in child safety education and centres around three key messages: Recognise, React and Report. Through a series of lessons, students will learn how to recognise, react and report when they are unsafe or find themselves in situations that can have a significant detrimental effect on their physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing.

Information about the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum can be found at www.education.qld.gov.au/child-safety-curriculum.

Easter Egg Hunt 

Tomorrow afternoon we welcome you to join our final Awards Assembly for Term One. The students of Year One will present an item and the SRC leaders from Year 6 will introduce various parts of the assembly. We hope that you might be able to join us then.

School Photos

School photos arrived yesterday, and they will be distributed to students this afternoon. If your child is absent today, they can collect their photos from their classroom teacher on their return to school.

If you have any questions, please be in contact.

Have a lovely weekend.

Karen Hadley

Welcome to a snapshot of Year 2!

We have settled into our literacy routine with ease! Students are participating in Spelling Mastery, Let’s Decode and Daily Review lessons each day. They are given the opportunity to segment, blend and spell words. During our genre writing lessons our focus has been on creating a personal recount. Most days students engage in fluency pairs. This is where they partner read for 3 minutes at a time, practicing to become more fluent and competent readers.  

In Mathematics, we have been learning about place value using MAB blocks. We have been learning how to add and subtract 2-digit numbers by regrouping base ten blocks. Year 2 have enjoyed estimating and measuring lengths of different objects using both formal and informal units. We complete our Daily Review lessons each day. This enhances our knowledge and understanding of previous concepts taught.

During Visual Arts we have been creating amazing artworks that represent the ocean and under the sea environment. We have used a variety of mediums including water colours, oil pastels, pencils and textas. Another highlight was creating our own self portrait. The students take great pride in their artwork and have created artworks with careful attention to detail.

In Dhurga Trisha has shared Dreaming stories with us. One of our favourite stories was about The Dolphins. The story comes from the Wwuble people who originate from the Bundjalung area (far north coast of New South Wales). Students drew illustrations about the story and shared their favourite part. Trish has also taught us about the importance of a yarning circle. We really enjoy listening to each other and sharing ideas.

In Religion, students have been learning about living in accordance with God’s plan for all creation: living safely and happily in community and in caring and loving relationships. Students have explored the story of Noah’s Ark and the symbol of the rainbow. The rainbow is a special symbol from the story of Noah. It reminds us of God’s promise of love for us and creation. The students explored the meaning of each colour of the rainbow. We enjoyed learning about St Patrick and celebrating his life by taking part in activities and dressing up in green.

Stellar Performing Arts

Magic Mystery Workshop - Autumn School Holidays

Get ready to shine with Stellar Performing Arts Academy's Autumn school holiday workshop - 'Magic Mystery'! Designed for children aged 6-12, this workshop will transport your child into the magical world of drama, where they'll explore their creativity, develop their acting skills, and ignite their imagination.

Over two fun-filled days, your child will work with our experienced drama tutors to rehearse and prepare for a spectacular end-of-workshop performance. They'll learn new theatre techniques, build confidence and teamwork skills, and forge unforgettable memories with their fellow actors.

Our talented team are committed to nurturing your child's confidence and creativity, helping them reach their full potential. This is the perfect opportunity for kids to immerse themselves in the thrilling world of theatre, and showcase their talents on stage. Don't miss out on this stellar experience - sign up now at www.stellarperformingarts for our 'Magic Mystery' school holiday drama workshop!

Holiday Workshop: Magic Mystery

Date: 17th + 18th April, 2023

Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm 

Early Bird Price: $130 until 3rd April, 2023

Full Price: $165

www.stellarperformingart.com

info@stellarperformingarts.com

Brooke: 0439 718 828