Dear Parents and Carers

We’ve enjoyed another busy week at school. This week, we have entered into the most important time in the Church’s Year – Holy Week. Holy Week commenced with Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) last weekend and was celebrated with a School Mass. It was lovely to see so many families present. Today is Holy Thursday and marks the end of Lent when the Church begins the celebration of the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This morning we were reminded by Year 6 about the significance of Holy Week. I thank Mrs Beashel, Mr Whiteford, Ms Nagel and the Year 6 students for leading us in a very prayerful service. Mass this evening, begins a three-day liturgy – known as the Easter Triduum spanning Friday, Saturday, and ending with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. This three-day period allows time to truly experience and appreciate this tremendous mystery.

After Mass last Sunday, the Parish farewelled Mrs Philomena Billington. Mrs Billington has been a wonderful support to both our St Bernard’s parish and school. Mrs Billington has been a teacher, Principal and Director of Catholic Education in the Sandhurst diocese in Victoria. Her passion is education and she has given her time and wisdom generously to our staff at St Bernard’s. We have been so fortunate to have Mrs Billington working alongside us over the past few years. On behalf of St Bernard’s, I would like to sincerely thank Mrs Billington for everything she has done over the years and wish her all the very best with this next chapter of her life.

Bus Transport
The NSW Government, through the School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS), provides subsidised travel for eligible school students between home and school each Monday to Friday during school terms. As a school, we work closely with Priors bus company and we are proactive in dealing with issues as they arise. We are committed to supporting the bus company to ensure the safety of all students, and above all else, disrespectful behaviour will not be tolerated. We ask for your support in speaking to your child/ren about their experience whilst travelling on the bus. Please know that all incidents on the bus are taken seriously and will be followed up at a school level as well as with the Priors bus company. I have spoken to students this week to remind them about travelling safely and always demonstrating respectful behaviour.

School Counsellor
This term we have welcomed a new school counsellor to St Bernard’s. Damian Gerber is working Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each week. The counsellor is a member of the school’s pastoral care program and works with students, families and school staff to assist in the emotional, social and educational well-being of the students, their families and the school community. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions around referrals.

Assessment to Inform Teaching and Learning
Over the last few weeks, all classes have been involved in English Assessments. The assessments have been focusing on decoding and comprehension. The purpose of assessing student learning is to assist classroom teachers to plan for explicit teaching experiences that best cater for individual student learning needs. As we endeavour to improve practice, and increase teacher and student capacity, we are committed to enhancing the educational opportunities we provide for all students at St Bernard’s. Enrichment, differentiated learning tasks and small group/individual support are some of the strategies implemented in the classrooms to tailor learning for individual students. The data is analysed by teachers and used to make decisions about student learning, informed by current evidence. If you have any questions about your child/ren’s learning please feel free to make an appointment to see your classroom teacher.

Safety in the Carpark & at Morning Drop Off
A reminder to please take care in the mornings when bringing your child/ren to school. Every morning cars and buses are coming and going. Parking is available in the Church carpark. If you are dropping off out the front of the school in the mornings, please be cautious when parking and encourage your child/ren to look both ways before stepping onto the road. In the afternoons, please ensure your child/ren stay with you in the Church carpark as there are cars backing out of car spots and entering the carpark. Your children’s safety is of paramount importance. Please refer to Mrs Hadley’s page for the procedures for the Church carpark.

This week Years 1-6 families would have received the 2023 Yearbook. This is a great keepsake for the students to look through memories and achievements of the past year.  A special thank you to Theresa Hopman for the incredible job she did with creating the 2023 St Bernard’s Yearbook. It looks fantastic and we very much appreciate the time and hard work that you put into this special book.

Easter is early this year. Please note that there is no school tomorrow (Good Friday 29 March) or Monday 1 April. Congratulations to all our prize winners. Thank you to all families who donated chocolate and a special thank you to Melissa Franzen and Debbie Reid who came and assisted with the wrapping!

We will celebrate Easter with the students by holding an Easter Hat Parade in the Hall at 8.45am on Tuesday. Students are welcome to come to school in mufti. Students are asked to make an Easter Hat at home or come along with some bunny ears! Parents are invited to join us for the parade.

A reminder that School Photos are happening next Friday 5 April. All students are asked to come dressed in full school Summer uniform.

Enjoy your extra-long weekend and I wish all our families a safe and holy Easter.

Kind regards
Jo

Johanna Wain
Principal  

Dear Parents and Carers

It was wonderful to have such a well attended community event yesterday with our Welcome BBQ and Disco. Thank you for coming along and taking the time to connect with others. I hope that you were able to meet some new people from our school community and strengthen connections with existing friends. I know many of the students had a wonderful time and had been looking forward to seeing their friends at the BBQ and Disco for some time!

Catalyst- Explicit Instruction and teaching behaviour

As many of you may know, St Bernard's have been teaching using Explicit Instruction pedagogy for a number of years. As advanced implementers of this approach to teaching and learning in Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn, our school has a strong assessment schedule in place, use High Impact Teaching Practices; have a whole-school focus to use a low-variance curriculum and use assessment to determine the need for student intervention programs.

This year we have been teaching aspects of behaviour within our school in an explicit way, using routines and scripts supported by the Classroom Mastery approach, led by Dr Tim Macdonald. The three routines that we have focused on this term have been, entry and exit routines for moving into and outside the classroom, and movement around the school. These behaviours are taught in an explicit way using common scripted language and a cue to start. Students have been practicing and receiving feedback from the teachers. In Term 2 we will be working on transitions when moving throughout the school.

Year 6 Science and STEM Enrichment Program 

This term the first group of Year 6 students have  participated in the STEM and Science Enrichment program on Tuesday afternoons at Carroll College. The students have joined with peers from St Mary’s, Moruya and have been taught by Carroll College teachers, Mr Andrew Kenneally and Ms Danielle Ciuffetelli. This initiative is aimed to provide our students with an enriching learning experiences in a high school environment as part of our K-12 Catholic School Pathway.

Didier D and Romy B have written about their lessons this term.

STEM

Romy and I have really enjoyed having the privilege of going to Carroll College and making, designing and building a rocket. Some of the skills we learnt include aerodynamics, stability, weight and shape. In the first lesson we started designing the wings and shape.  In the second lesson we started to build and stabilise our rocket for the next week. Some of the materials we used were duct tape, empty bottles and cardboard. Hopefully in the third lesson we will be able to launch our rockets with a special bottle rocket specially made for this purpose. There will be two prizes- one for distance and the other for aesthetics

Science

We have also enjoyed doing forensic science at Carroll College. In the first lesson we looked at 3 crime scenes, recorded data and evidence and put it into a bag in which we wrote our name, date and group number. The next week we looked at forensic testing when we put sample colours on a piece of blotching paper then put the crime scene evidence on it too, we then put some water in the cup and watched the samples rise up. In the next lesson we looked at the way different drinks react to cabbage juice.

Walkers Carpark Afternoon pickup

To assist with safety at afternoon pick up from the Church Carpark we would like to explain the following procedure that we have in place:

• Students are led to the top gate in one of three groups based on alphabetical order. Kindergarten students are in the first group unless with a sibling. This practice is in place in an attempt to lessen the amount of movement at one time in the carpark.
• Students are asked to move to the gate where the teachers on duty are situated and to indicate where their parent/carer is located before being permitted to walk into the carpark.
• Parents/carers are asked to move towards their child at the gate to ensure that no child is left to walk for an extended time through the carpark without a parent/carer close by.
• All children are asked to remain with their parent/carer and move towards your parked car. 
• Please do not remain in the carpark area to gather with others as children can at times be unsupervised if left to play in this area.
• Entry to the car park by car is best accessed from the northern entry, away from the pick up gate where students are walking towards parent/carers.
• Please avoid driving your car past the pick up gate on the southern end of the carpark.

Child Safeguarding

The safeguarding of our students is the top priority of our schools and the Catholic Education Office.

Safeguarding is a term used to describe the protection of and human rights of vulnerable people. This may be due to their age, culture or trauma background, or they may be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn is committed to complying with Child Safe Standards. 

Our commitment to every student

Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn is committed to keeping children safe in all schools. We have adopted the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Child Safeguarding Commitment, which states:

Our safeguarding approach

Our approach to child safeguarding is outlined in the CECG Child Safety Policy. This policy includes the CECG Commitment Statement, the many aspects of child safety, how we ensure young people are safe, and our compliance with the Child Safe Standards.

Our approach to child safety may be visualised as a ‘web’ or curriculum, with many aspects linking together to contribute to its strength. As a child safe organisation, we strive to understand and follow our legal obligations, use contemporary safeguarding practices and involve all stakeholders – particularly children and families – in safeguarding functions.

For further information please follow the link: https://cg.catholic.edu.au/safeguarding-our-students/

Warm regards

Karen

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. (Ps 118:24)

The song we sing in Mass is so uplifting and joyous! It is one of those songs that unites us, strengthens us and brings such happiness to our souls! It is truly a song of worship and praise and cherished by all. An Easter song for the ages.

Today is the day we rejoice and be glad! It is the day the Lord has made. We recall and celebrate that Jesus rose, left the tomb and went out into the light of a new day and that we have been delivered/freed and saved.

Just as the Israelites celebrated the delivery from slavery (Exodus 15:20) so do we take time to rejoice and celebrate our delivery from sin through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection.

In John’s Gospel we are told that the women arrived at the tomb, in the dark, to find it empty. The disciples are alerted and also arrive to see the tomb empty. They are worried, unsure, disbelieving and are concerned that Jesus’ body is missing and has been taken. As we read this text , we too are left perplexed and left pondering the whereabouts of Jesus,  until Simon Peter enters the tomb and it is revealed that the linen is still present and the napkin is folded.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. John 20:6-7

Thieves and soldiers alike would not leave the materials in such a way. The disciples realise the meaning of what they have previously been told by Jesus,  and now know and understand that Jesus has risen from the dead! They have moved from the dark of uncertainty into the light of revelation!

In our own lives a new day has dawned and we have arisen from our slumber to welcome this Easter Sunday. We move through the motions of tidying and making our beds and readying ourselves for the new day ahead. We leave the darkness of the night and walk out into the light of the day to live life to the fullest. Our Lenten journey of preparation, cleansing, getting rid of the old yeast and deepening our relationship with God is now transformed like a new day from the night and we are called to, even challenged to, now go out as new unleavened bread to be witnesses to our faith of the resurrection of Jesus and to be people of sincerity and truth.

That truth being  that Jesus has risen, we are saved from sin and  have eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing this, we are called to rejoice and be glad and live out the Easter experience, sincerely, in all we do and all we say, each and every day that we arise and awake!                                          

 Happy Easter.

Brendan Maynard                                                                              

It was very early in the morning when Mary Magdalene went among the graves to find Jesus: 'it was still dark'. It must have been unnerving to find an empty space where a stone and a body should have been. The resurrection took everybody by surprise, even those who had heard Jesus say, 'Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up' (Jn 2:19).

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The discovery of the empty tomb – although so simply told – is an astounding event that completes the Paschal Mystery: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Whilst Christ’s willingness to go to his death on the cross was an extraordinary statement of God’s love for humankind, it is his rising again from death that offers all Christian people hope. It is the second disciple – the one whom Jesus loved – who is the first to grasp the meaning of what has happened inside the tomb. 

The gospel tells us that upon entering the tomb and seeing Jesus’ burial cloths lying there, ‘he saw and he believed’. 

Unlike the later encounters with the risen Lord, this disciple recognised the truth and significance of what he saw in the empty tomb. He didn’t need to see the risen Lord to believe. 

Perhaps it is he that we can best identify with. Not in a position to physically encounter the risen Christ, we are capable of seeing the signs of his resurrection and continuing presence in the world and choose to believe. (Greg Sunter)

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross is a form of prayer used traditionally in Lent. Each of the 14 Stations retells part of Jesus’ Passion (his suffering and death) through images and words. The Stations of the Cross is a meaningful way to introduce children to Jesus’ Passion, breaking it down into stages that they can reflect upon and remember. The Stations are more than the retelling of a story: they are a prayerful participation in the event that lies at the heart of Christianity – Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

Today, our Year 6 students and their teachers shared with us a very dramatic presentation of the Stations of the Cross. We thank them for the time and preparation of this most powerful prayer. 

 Catholic Voice

The Easter edition of the Catholic Voice will feature a story on the St Bernard’s Mini Vinnies team. Thank you to Ava G, Levi T and Molly M who were interviewed for the article.

Project Compassion - Caritas during Lent

Mini Vinnies students held a Coin Line this morning in the lean To. The Coin Line was in support of the 2024  Project Compassion Appeal.

The team have learnt about the needs of families and children living in the Philippines, Samoa and Malawi. The total amount raised this morning will go towards helping these communities.

First Reconciliation

Please remember the following children and families in your prayers as they continue to work together in preparation for the sacrament of Reconciliation - Charlie O, Emily G-B, Natalie N, Alice M-M, Elsie W, Grace R, Indie F, Zaden F, Johann D, Mason L and Raph C.

Reconciliation will be held on the 11 April at 5pm in St.Bernard’s church.May the mystery of Easter bring joy, happiness and hope to your family.

Blessings

Sharon Beashel

Religious Education Coordinator

Learning in Science

with Mrs Tyler        

The Science room has been alive with discoveries! 

It has been a fluttery, inspiring term in Science with mesmerising Science occurring right in front of our eyes! The Science room has been thriving with the life cycle of Monarch caterpillars on display, safely living and transforming in their enclosure, supplied with Milkweed leaves daily by our resident Monarch expert, Mrs Hopman. Our keen St Bernard’s junior scientists check in daily to assist with their care and observe the metamorphosis on display, with tiny eggs hatching, all sizes and growth stages of caterpillars living on their branches and munching happily all day long, and chrysalises quietly evolving. We have watched the emergence of two Monarch butterflies so far (Sunny and Flutter) and our students have reported regular, very exciting sightings of them in the playground.

Our students have also learnt about the Science behind metamorphic life cycles, complementing the biology learning units for Term 1 that focus on the growth and change of living organisms, along with their features and characteristics, with deepening understandings about the science of animal and plant classification.

Kindergarten students have been exploring different types of materials in Term 1, including their properties and uses in known objects. Kindergarten had an impressive knowledge of what materials things are made from and where materials such as paper and metal come from. This week they had lots of fun creating a ‘Materials Monster’, decorated with creative flair! 

Our Stage 1 students have also explored the formation and features of plants and seeds, with activities such as dissecting soaked beans to find and name their separate parts, and successfully germinating bean seeds this week. A variety of thriving bean seedlings were carefully transported home by our Year 1 and 2 students, ready to be nurtured into thriving plants. 

Stage 2 students now know all about the five vertebrates: reptiles; birds; fish; amphibians and the three kinds of mammals, with a close look at Australia’s vast array of pouched marsupials and egg-laying monotremes. They have now been exploring the pollination of flowers for seed and fruit production and were amazed to learn about the horribly stinky existence of the tropical, fly-loving corpse flower.

It has been a disastrous term for Stage 3 students…in the most interesting way! Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and landslides have been fascinating and not too frightening to learn about for Year 5 and 6 students as they also understand how the crust of the Earth’s and its plate tectonics now work. Australia is an ancient land, sitting in the middle of a tectonic plate where not a lot of dramatic disasters happen, but we have discovered the history of volcanoes in the area, including Mount Gulaga, which is the core of an ancient volcano that last erupted when dinosaurs roamed in the Cretaceous period! 

Lastly some of our students have shared their Scientific discoveries at home with us, from Natalie N and Florence N successfully raising butterflies from caterpillars discovered in their garden, to Ethan S who germinated ordinary popcorn kernels and grew his own popcorn plants, with a cob donated for us to cook and eat in the Science room this week! These very natural popcorn cobs were a success and we congratulate Ethan on his fantastic agricultural experimentation! Our St Bernard’s junior scientists are truly filled with clever curiosity and wonder in their natural world. 

Representative Sport Trials

Congratulations to Annie F and Beatrix F who represented St Bernard’s at the Canberra Goulburn Netball trials last week. Congratulations also to Beau C, Taj P and Jace T who played in the 11yr Rugby League and Campbell R and Tyler M the Senior Boys Rugby League. All the students said it was a fantastic experience with lots of fun and tough competition. Tyler M has been selected to play at the MacKillop Rugby League Championships on 10 May in Canberra. He will play the best of Catholic Schools from all of NSW and we wish him well.

NSWCPS Swimming

I have the honor of attending the NSW Combined Primary Schools Swimming Championships as a technical official next week. I am excited to be able to watch our students compete. Congratulations to Charlie M, Annabelle T, Addison G and Beatrix F who compete in the Junior Girls 4x50m Freestyle. Other competitors include Arlo W 50m Freestyle, Hudson A 50m Freestyle, Annabelle T 50m Freestyle and Beatrix F 50m Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Individual Medley.

Cross Country

The St Bernard’s School Cross Country was run last Friday and it was a fantastic, fun day. Thank you to all the parents who came to support our students. Your support is always greatly appreciated. Particular thanks to Kaylyn and Chris who assisted all day, your efforts were amazing.

The staff were very impressed with the increased participation, cooperation and support amongst the students. Congratulations to all students who completed the course. Your fitness and stamina were amazing! Listed below are the top six places:

12/13 year Girls Race 3km - Annie F, Tegan W, Jayden G, Romy B, Gurnoor K and Amaya B.

12/13 year Boys Race 3km -  Tyler McD, Didier D, Matthew S, Brennan C, Jayden B and Campbell R.

11 year Girls Race 3km - Lilly G, Molly M, Mia A, Willow B, Indiana A and Ava G.

11 year Boys Race 3km - Tomas C, Ethan S, Beau C, Arthur SD, Sion D and Taj B.

10 year Girls Race 2km - Beatrix F, Charlie M, Brooklen S, Eva C, Lucy B and Azami S.

10 year Boys Race 2km - Noah S, Quinn S, Lucas V-D, Xavier L, George S-D and Beau O'D.

8 and 9 year Girls Race 2km - Astrid B, Charlene M, Kate W, Indie F, Elsie W and Annabelle T.

8 and 9 year Boys Race 2km - Raph C, Lehan D, Toby S, Cooper M, Brodie B, Zac C and Will O'C.

Year 2 Girls Race - Juliette D, Tahiti H, Alyssa O'B, Charlie L, Ivy A and Torah O’D.

Year 2 Boys Race - Hudson E, James W, Jacob B, Hudson A, Mack P and Mace M.

Year 1 Girls Race - Kaitlyn D, Harper A, Miranda S, Emerson B, Lyla T and Valentina D.

Year 1 Boys Race - Van C, Daniel S, Daniel M, Roland S, Rhylan B,and Lucas F.

Kindergarten Girls - Indi L, Laci M, Frankie C, Addilyn M, Isabel K and Seanna S.

Kindergarten Boys - Logan B, Hudson W, Louis B, Bodhi W, Elliot W and Javier D.

The top 6 students from the 8-13 year races are now part of the St Bernard’s team who will compete at Wolumla Recreation Ground, on the Princes Highway, Wolumla on Wednesday 8th May. Congratulations to these students and good luck with your running.

Congratulations to the Cross Country winning house, Lourdes.

Upcoming Sport Dates

Wednesday 03 April - NSWCPS Swimming Homebush

Friday 5 April - MacKillop Hockey Championship in Goulburn

Monday 8 April - Year 3-4 AFL Gala Day

Tuesday 09 April - Canberra Goulburn Soccer trials

Wednesday 1 May -  RESCHEDULED K-2 AFL Skills Day at school

Thursday 2 May - Southern Region Cross Country

Next term we will be starting our Athletics season. Our Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 27 June. We would love to invite all our families to attend.

Have a wonderful week.

Angela Holmes