Dear Parents and Friends,

Yesterday our Year 6 students were very fortunate to have Valentino Guseli visit their classroom and speak to them about his successes in the Winter Olympics.  He was both inspirational and a wonderful role model for our students. Valentino spoke to the students about always trying their best and never giving up on their dreams. Following the session, one of our Year 6 students, Arsh said ”he now knows that he should never give up on his dreams and continue practicing”. What an important message for our students who are about to take the next step in their education journey.  

NAPLAN INFORMATION
This year there have been some updates regarding NAPLAN results and how they will be communicated to parents and carers. With the transition of all students taking the NAPLAN tests online, the reports will be simpler and clearer, ensuring a better understanding of our students' performance in each domain.

NAPLAN questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum in English and Mathematics. NAPLAN tests are only one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. As they are held once every 2 years for each student, they cannot replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress. Along with other school assessment reports, NAPLAN individual student reports can be used to discuss your child’s progress with their teacher. 

From 2023, proficiency standards replace the previous numerical NAPLAN reporting bands and national minimum standards. Education ministers agreed 2023 was the right time to introduce this change alongside moving NAPLAN to March. Proficiency standards provide simple and clear information on student achievement. They are set at a challenging but reasonable level expected for the child at the time of NAPLAN testing, based mainly on what has been taught in previous years of schooling. 

The proficiency scale has 4 levels:

• Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
• Strong: The student’s result demonstrates proficiency by meeting challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing
• Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing and are approaching proficiency.
• Needs additional support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

ACARA - Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority 

NAPLAN plays a crucial role in providing our school and parents with valuable information. It enables meaningful conversations between teachers and parents about the development of our children's foundational skills. We believe that these changes will continue to enhance our understanding and support for our students, allowing us to nurture their growth and success.

‘Tell Them From Me' Survey
The ‘Tell Them From Me' improvement survey for staff, students and parents has now been extended to 16 June. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process. The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL included here http://tellthemfromme.com/9v5w4 Your input is valued and appreciated. 

ACU students
We currently have a pre-service teacher Sarah Culeen from The Australian Catholic University, Canberra, in our school to complete her third year placement in 2J. Students in their third year are required to teach in a rural school over four weeks. We are confident that Sarah will enjoy her experience at our school and will learn so much working alongside her mentor teachers, Mrs Smith and Mrs Hicks.

Semester One Reports/Parent Teacher Interviews
Over the next two weeks, I will be reading every student’s Semester One report for 2023, providing me with a clear understanding of each individual student’s academic progress, efforts and social development. Reports will be sent home on Thursday 22 June. Meetings to discuss your child’s progress for all classes will be conducted in Week 10 on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 June. I encourage all parents to book their preferred meeting times using the on-line booking system. Information regarding reports and interviews will be sent home tomorrow to parents. 

Overnight Camps
Next term, our Year 4 and Year 5 students have overnight excursions planned. Year 5 are heading to Birrigai from Wednesday 26 July – Friday 28 July (T3 Week 2) and Year 4 will be going to Canberra on Wednesday 20 September – Thursday 21 September (T3 Week 10). We will be completing a thorough risk assessment before we attend in partnership with Catholic Education. The opportunity to go away with peers and experience activities outside the classroom provides many valuable learning opportunities for students. Year 6 students will be going to the Cooba Sport and Education Centre at Berridale in Term 4 Week 4, Wednesday 1 November – Friday 3 November). 

Lunchtime clubs
This term we have different activities happening at lunchtime to cater for students’ interests. Our lunch time activities include:

• Monday – Board Games in the iCentre/ SRC Meet with Mrs McRae & Mrs Coggan
• Tuesday – Choir is led by Ms Nussdorfer & Mrs Smith
• Wednesday – Chess Club
• Thursday – Mini Vinnies with Mrs Beashel/ Coding Club in the iCentre with Mrs Holmes
• Friday – drawing and games in the iCentre

Lunchtime clubs are great a way to build student engagement, social skills and inclusion for all students. They are very popular and a great addition to St Bernard’s!

Uniform
All children should be wearing Winter uniform next Tuesday. Please refer to our website if you are uncertain of the requirements. Please ensure EVERY item of clothing is marked with your child's full name. We are receiving lots of jumpers at the office, and many are brand new with no name. 

Wishing all families an enjoyable long weekend.

Kind regards
Jo

Dear Parents and Carers,   

The St Vincent de Paul Society launched their Winter Appeal last week.   

The St Bernard’s school community has always been proactive supporting this campaign, as it assists many residents in our local community who are in need.  

To support the Winter Appeal, we will be holding a Beanie and Pyjamas Day on Friday 16 June. You are invited to begin the day with us by attending Mass at 9.15am.  

The Batemans Bay Chapter of St Vincent de Paul would appreciate donations of warm blankets, jumpers, beanies, gloves, and scarves. All gold coin donations will support this request. Additional donations can be left at the school office.  

Our Mini Vinnies Youth team will be proactively supporting the Winter Appeal and Mass. We thank them for their ongoing support of social justice issues for the poor.

Dear Parents and Carers

Gurumbangamba Mentoring and Transition Program

Last Friday I attended Carroll College with five students from Years 5 and 6 to participate in the Gurumbangamba Mentoring and Transition Program for Aboriginal students. The purpose of the program is to make connections between local primary schools and the College, becoming familiar with staff, the learning spaces and the range of curriculum opportunities. The students gathered in the new room for Aboriginal students, Marra Marra which means school of fish in Dhurga. Key to the success of the program is the involvement of the Year 11 and 12 Aboriginal students who facilitate the activities and get to know each primary school student as they engage in various collaborative activities. The Year 5 and 6 students look forward to attending two more sessions of the mentoring program during the year. 

Confirmation Formation Day 

Tomorrow Year 6 students from our school as well as from St Mary's, Moruya will attend a Confirmation Formation Day at Carroll College. Senior Year 10 students from Carroll College’s CSYMA team (Catholic School’s Youth Ministry Australia) will be facilitating the day, along with teachers and support staff from the three schools.
The day will begin with prayer followed by ice breaker games. There will also be a variety of rotational activities. Fr Loi will attend the Formation Day with us.
Our students will also be provided with another opportunity to transition into the high school environment and build friendships with students from other schools.

Assessment and Reporting Student Progress

Teachers are currently administering a range of assessments to determine student learning achievement at this point of the semester. PAT Adaptive online tests in Maths and Reading as well as Dibels assessments are administered to determine the acquistion of various literacy skills, providing very clear information about what students know and the level of progress they have made since the beginning of the year. The Adaptive tests provide an individualised test pathway, adjusting according to student responses to provide a more precise picture of student achievement.

Importantly, the data informs future teaching and learning programs. Teachers use data from these formal assessments as well as formative assessments taken during the course of everyday teaching and learning, to inform summative decisions about student learning. This summary is communicated in Semester Reports with parents and carers. Parent Teacher Interviews will follow the issuing of Student Reports and will be an opportunity for teachers to provide detailed information about student learning and application in various areas of the curriculum.

AFL Skills Day 

Wow! What an exciting term the students of Kindergarten are enjoying! We started the term with the AFL Skills morning on our first day back after the holidays, participating in different activities throughout the morning and learning new skills while having fun with our classmates. Kicking, tackling, passing and jumping,  Kindergarten students definitely have some AFL stars in the making.

Mother's Day morning 

We had a lovely morning in May welcoming our Mums, Grandmothers and special women to our Mother’s Day Pamper Palace. With coffee and pastry in hand, our visitors enjoyed a pamper session fit for a queen. Nails were painted, bracelets made, hands massaged and for the brave, hair was even brushed. It was a lovely opportunity for the Kindergarten students to show their immense appreciation for all the wonderful women in their lives.

Wallabies Visit

Week 5 was a very exciting week for Kindergarten. In the lead up to the 2023 World Cup, St Bernard’s was selected by the Australian Wallabies to host a coaching clinic for our students featuring two classic wallabies, Morgan Tirinui and Andrew Walker. Kindergarten students were excited to meet Morgan and Andrew, learning some new skills and talking with the players.

Teddy Bear's Picnic 

In Catholic Schools Week we enjoyed a visit to St Mary’s Moruya for the Teddy Bear’s Picnic. We participated in Teddy Bear inspired activities that were loads of fun. From dancing to decorating and everything in between, there was something for everyone and every bear to enjoy. The day concluded with a lovely lunch of sandwiches, healthy snacks and of course some tiny teddies. Yum!

Quiz Worx Puppet Show, "God is Great" 

Another exciting event held during Week 5 was the Quiz Worx puppet show titled "God is Great". Kindergarten students loved the music, dancing and puppets. Listening to the parable of the lost sheep from Luke 15 gave the students the opportunity to reflect on the love that God has for them. We were very proud of our written responses after the show as well.

Levi’s Project Disco 

The fun continued in Week 5 when we attended the school disco to raise funds for Levi’s Project. We danced and laughed with our friends, and thought it was a great way to spend our time at school! The gold coins we donated will go towards a very important cause helping to find a cure to brain cancer. 

Book Fair with Buddies

Last week our Year 5 buddies accompanied us to our very first Book Fair at St Bernard’s and helped us write our wish lists to take home! There were so many fantastic books and things to see at the Bookfair, some of us needed a few pages just to capture all of our wishes for the list.

Police Visit

There was much excitement in Kindergarten yesterday afternoon, as Senior Constables Mitchell Davis and Kieran Bryant from the NSW Police Force came to visit. The officers spoke to students about the role of emergency services within our community, discussing ways the police keep our community safe. Students had a wonderful time exploring the highway patrol vehicle and talking with our visitors. A big thank you to Mitchell and Kieran for sharing their time and expertise with us!

There is never a dull moment in Kindergarten at St Bernard’s and the remainder of Term 2 will be no exception to this. With our very first assembly coming up, it should be a fantastic end to the term of learning and enjoyment in Kindergarten.

Term 2

Week 6 Class Awards

Presented : Friday 2 June 2023.

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!