Dear Parents and Carers

Book Week Parade

This week is Book Week, celebrated across Australia in schools and libraries. The Book Council of Australia has announced the winners of the short-listed books which have been recently published and we are very fortunate to have many of these in our school library for children to borrow. On Friday our celebrations of books and reading hits a peak with the book character parade which begins at 8.45am in the hall. We hope many of you might be able to join us for this fun event. We would also like to thank you in advance for your support and efforts to make this a fun dress up day for the children. Book Week is not a one off dress up day for Mrs Keough. Each day this week, Mrs Keough has come to school dressed as one of her favourite Harry Potter characters. Spot the teachers on Friday, who have a special outfit planned.

School Visits

Over the next few weeks we will be hosting a number of school visits from teachers and school leaders from schools from our local area as well as Sydney and interstate. We have been approached by these schools to view the teaching and learning in our school and to meet with teachers to discuss the way Explicit Direct Instruction is being delivered in classrooms. Of particular interest to these teachers from different schools is the use of Spelling Mastery as a program used in multi-age groups from Years 1-6, Let's Decode phonics instruction and the teaching of English and Mathematics using Daily Review and other high impact teaching strategies. This is an excellent opportunity for our school to also benefit from sharing our learning and explaining how this has improved student learning outcomes. 

We continue to learn as well, and as part of the expert coaching process we have undertaken over the past three years, we will have Jordan O'Sullivan from Shaping Minds work in classrooms with teachers. This is a highly effective way for us to improve our pedagogy and Explicit Direct Instruction delivery.

Father's Day Breakfast

Next Friday 1 September, we will celebrate Fathers, Grandfathers and all special people who are like Fathers to the children in our school. Breakfast of bacon and egg rolls and tea and coffee will be served in the Lean-to from 7:30am. Following breakfast, Year 6 will lead us in a special Father's Day assembly in the hall commencing at 8.45am. We hope that you can join us. RSVP to assist with catering is via a link which was emailed to all families. Please complete your order online before next Monday 28 August.

E-Safety Information- Children and smart phones.

You may have questions or concerns about the right age for your child to own a smart phone. The e-safety Commissioner has helpful advice for parents and carers about this on their website and communicated through recent webinars. As you know, a smartphone is about much more than making phone calls. It allows your child to spend time online using their own device, rather than a shared family device or computer. It literally puts the online world in their hands. 

The right age for your child to have a smart phone will depend on their level of maturity and your family routine. The e-saftety Commissioner advises that it is worth asking yourself the following questions before handing over a digital device. 

• Does my child have a good sense of responsibility? 
• Are they able to stick to the rules? 
• Do they show a good understanding of actions and consequences? 
• Do they come to me or another trusted adult when they are distressed or if they encounter problems? 
• What are the rules about when and where my child can use their smartphone? For example, will they only be able to use it while they are away from the house, and not in their bedroom at night. 

For younger children it may be best to start with a mobile phone without internet access, and only introduce a smartphone when they demonstrate an appropriate level of maturity. There are a range of mobile devices available that allow you to control which tools or services your child has access to.  

Students receive information at school about online safety as part of the curriculum, however it is also very important for parents and carers to stay informed and communicate and monitor internet use at home.

Girls Campaign and DARE Day for Boys

In Week 9 of Term 3, students in Years 5 and 6 will take part in the Girls Campaign facilitated by local teacher Kimberli Eke and the DARE Day program for boys, led by the Youth Liaison Team from St Vincent De Paul in Canberra. While the Girl Campaign is one that many people may be familiar with, the DARE program is new for our school. The focus is on developing skills and the mindset to be Daring, Authentic, Resilient and Empowered. We are very pleased that we have this special day to offer the students in Year 5 and 6 this term, where they will build on classroom learning from the Personal Development and Health curriculum.

Jo will return next week following her time in Canberra as part of a school registration panel and after attending the annual Principal, REC and Clergy meeting.

I hope that you have a restful weekend and I am sure I will see many of you tomorrow morning at the book character parade.

Warm regards

Karen Hadley

         Who do you say I am?

Have you ever wondered what people close to you think of you? What sort of a person do they think you are? Often, it is not until a funeral, that people often get a glimmer of who we are.

Christine Bryden, a CSIRO Science author, policy and planning officer and advisor to the Australian Prime Minister, was diagnosed with dementia at age 46 in 2012. Her diagnosis left her reeling with shock. As a single mother of three girls age 19, 14 and 9 she was fearful about their future and her own: ‘Would I live to see them grow up?’ Christine was so grateful for the support of an Anglican Priest who met with her every month to ‘pray with and encourage me. She suggested I write about my feelings and insights and from this, a book emerged’ – since then Christine has published 4 books in relation to living with Dementia. You can imagine Christine asking this question: ‘Who do you say I am?’ In her books and interviews she challenges us to include people living with dementia in our lives and remember they are whole human beings with body, mind and spirit just like any of us. She shares the following insight: ‘As we become more emotional and less cognitive, it’s the way you talk to us, not what you say, that we remember. We know the feelings but don’t know the plot. Your smile, your laughter and your touch are what we connect with. Empathy heals. Just love us as we are. We are still here in emotion and spirit, if only you could find us.’ [2005].

Jesus asks: Who do you say I am?

The question Jesus asks in today’s Gospel must always be paramount in our lives: Who do you say I am? What answer do I give with my words, with the way I live? Simon, in the Gospel, declares Jesus is truly ‘the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ Simon Peter seems to sense this mystery, this insight, in proclaiming his faith. He seems to use words beyond his understanding since they expressed the faith of the new born faith Community. It is on Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus built his Church. Jesus focus on earth was proclaiming the Kingdom of God. As his follower am I also focused on the values of the Kingdom – love, justice, forgiveness, mercy & compassion? Is this what my life is about? As a follower of Jesus does everyone who sees me, see also the God who revealed himself in Jesus? In the end my answer to Jesus’ question is reflected more in the life I live than the words I utter. Like Christine Bryden, let us embrace life and the people we encounter, with great love and respect.                                                                         

Marie Weatherall

Dear Parents and Carers,

We had such a wonderful time celebrating the feast of St Bernard last week. Thank you to our energetic and enthusiastic staff who as always go above and beyond to make these special occasions possible. The children loved their French morning tea, disco dancing and spending time during the afternoon attending a variety of Club activities.

Fr Loi spoke so favourably about the student’s participation during Mass. I was also very proud of our Year 6 leadership team – SRC and House Captains, who took on special roles during the celebration. Your commitment in rehearsing and participating in the Mass was such a positive example to our younger students. Well Done!

Year 2 ROAR-SOME News!

ENGLISH 

In Literacy, students continue to engage in Daily Review each day. This routine allows our students to practise, consolidate and build automaticity of knowledge, skills and strategies from their short term to their long term memory. Students have been exploring fiction and non-fiction texts about dinosaurs by Australian authors. We have been learning to write a story summary about the books that we have been reading during our shared reading using a paragraph outline. This term we have also prepared an acrostic poem for The Mayors Writing Competition. Our poems were based on the theme CHANGE and were inspired by our STORYLINE dinosaur theme. We were able to apply all of our grammar and writing skills, to build our poems using lots of adjectives and alliteration. We designed our own title page with our names just like real authors. 

MATHEMATICS 

Each day, students begin their mathematics lessons with a Daily Review where students use their own whiteboards to share their mathematical thinking around topics that have previously been taught. This term we have completed a range of activities that have been focusing on adding and subtracting using base ten blocks and a written algorithm, telling quarter past and quarter to times, counting number patterns, solving word problems using bar models, dividing and multiplying by 2 and 5 and estimating collections. The review of previous learning helps students recall words, concepts and procedures effortlessly and automatically when they are needed to solve problems or to understand new material. 

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

In Religious Education Year 2 have been exploring the scripture of the passage of the Giving Father and ways we can make loving choices everyday at home and at school. St Bernard's day was celebrated during Week 5 with lots of fun being had by all. Year 2, along with the rest of the school, participated in clubs and learnt about the history of St Bernard.

HSIE
This Term, Year 2 students have been busy being paleontologists exploring dinosaurs and fossils. Our Museum is starting to come together with a very special inclusion of a viewing area of a nursery to watch and wait for our six dinosaur eggs to hatch out in Week 10. We are very excited for what is to come over the next few weeks and can’t wait for you to visit our museum.

HEALTH

During Health, Year 2 have been learning about healthy choices and healthy lifestyles. We have focused on the importance of choosing nutritious foods to support our wellbeing. We have set healthy goals and created our own advertisement to promote healthy eating through a poster. Year 2 have been analysing advertising and reflecting on the choices that they can make next time they visit a fast food outlet.

In our sport lessons, we have been working on ball skills of kicking, bouncing, catching and dribbling. Year 2 students enjoy moving their bodies, staying active and being healthy because we know how good this is for our body and brain. We have loved learning how to play netball on Friday’s with Kate from Netball NSW.

VISUAL ARTS

Our art lessons this term are linked closely to our Storyline Unit. Students are demonstrating their understanding and skills through a variety of mediums. Below is a small selection of different art we have completed this term which include volcanoes drawn using pastel, fossils using pastel and paints and replicated dinosaur skeletons using cotton buds. We think they look very realistic !

DHURGA

This term Trish has been teaching us about Australian animals. Last week we learnt about the echidna and the kookaburra. Did you know that the kookaburra has three songs? We also learnt that the echidna are monotremes meaning they lay one egg. Their baby is called a puggle. During NAIDOC week we got to experience singing with members of the Djinama Yilaga Choir, who taught us two songs in Dhurga. It was very special for Year 2. We were such great singers!!

Canberra Goulburn Athletics Championships

Congratulations to all of our students who competed at the Canberra Goulburn Athletics Championships. You were outstanding and many of you were competing for the first time. St Bernard’s is so proud of you.

Astrid B, Beatrix F, Charlie M, Aurelia S, Lucas VD S, Noah S, Lilly G, Georgina W, Harper B, Ollie L, Arthur SD, Annie F, Matthew S, Tyler M, Brennan C, Korban S, Ruby B, Keira A, Hailey I, Isabella L, Rogan H, Sebastian C, Samuel SD.

We had some fantastic results, with Beatrix F being awarded Junior Girl Champion for the Archdiocese, an outstanding achievement. Beatrix has qualfied in eight events and broken the Junior Girls 800m record as well. All of our relay teams qualified for the NSW Catholic Schools Championships which is wonderful and our Junior Boys relay team broke the Canberra Goulburn record which is an amazing team result. Our individual athletes also ran and jumped so well. Lily G was 10 yr Girls 100m Champion, Ruby B has been selected in 800m and 1500m, Charlie M in 100m, Arthur S-D in Discus and Samuel S-D in 200m. These students will now compete at the Combined Primary Schools NSW Athletics on Monday 18th September in Sydney. We wish you well in your training.

Angela Holmes