Dear Parents and Carers

The term seems to be flying by rather quickly.

When these gifts influence our thoughts, we find ourselves thinking more compassionately, wisely, and with greater understanding. Our words become more encouraging, kind, and truthful, reflecting the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. Our actions show these gifts most visibly, as we act with love, courage, and integrity towards others. Fr Loi's emphasis on the tangible expression of these gifts in everyday life highlights their practical and transformative nature. It's through living out these gifts that we can truly witness the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not just for ourselves but as a testimony to those around us.

As they take this next step in their faith journey, please keep the Year 6 students in your prayers. All families are welcome to join us at Mass on Sunday 23 June at 9.00am.

Last Sunday was National Sorry Day. The theme for 2024 is ‘Now More Than Ever’, encouraging all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation. National Sorry Day is an annual event in Australia on 26 May. It commemorates the Stolen Generations; the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly separated from their families. “Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples” https://www.reconciliation.org.au/our-work/national-reconciliation-week/ .

National Sorry Day begins National Reconciliation Week. Yesterday we celebrated the Combined Schools’ Mass with Carroll College and St Mary’s Primary School Moruya. It was very special to celebrate Reconciliation Week together and share in the growth of our students as they transition from Primary School to Secondary School. I congratulate the staff and students at Carroll College, St Bernard’s and St Mary’s for their coordination of the Mass yesterday.

Technology
The overuse of technology by students has become a growing concern for us as teachers as it is affecting some students’ academic performance and overall well-being. Lack of sufficient sleep can lead to decreased concentration, memory, and cognitive function, which are crucial for learning and academic success. Students who do not get enough sleep may find it difficult to pay attention in class, retain information and interact positively with their peers. Students who use technology late at night may exhibit behavioural issues such as irritability, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These behaviours can disrupt classroom activities and negatively impact the learning environment for both the student and their peers.

To mitigate these effects, students and parents can adopt several strategies:

• Implement technology time constraints: Establishing a cut-off time for technology use in the evening can help ensure that students have enough time to unwind before bed. This can promote better sleep hygiene and improve overall sleep quality.
• Encourage Alternative Activities: Promoting activities that do not involve screens, such as sport, drawing, or playing board games, can help students relax and prepare for sleep.
• Remove electronics from the bedroom before your child goes to the bed.

Please see below some information from the e-Safety Website around gaming.

What is the right amount of gaming time?

Even though gaming can be positive, it needs to be balanced with other meaningful activities like getting enough sleep, connecting with family, socialising with friends, being active and completing schoolwork. There is no magic number of hours, but your child may be spending too much time playing games if their gaming starts to have negative impacts on them or your family.

Look out for signs such as:

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• not doing so well at school
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches or eye strain
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• getting angry when being asked to take a break from online activity, or appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family.

In some cases, setting clear limits as a family may be enough to help you to deal with too much gaming. But if you notice any changes in your child that concern you, contact a counselling or support service to help you. You can also read eSafety’s guide to managing screen time for parents and carers to manage the amount of time your child spends gaming or create a Family Tech Agreement together. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/gaming

The e-Safety Website has excellent resources for parents and students to support them with use of technology. Parents can play a key role by monitoring their children's technology use. By addressing the impact of night-time technology use, students can improve their sleep and academic performance, leading to a more balanced and productive school day.

iCentre News
It is great to see so many students choosing to use the iCentre at lunchtime. There are hundreds and hundreds of new and well-loved books for students to read. Next week we are hosting a Book Fair in the iCentre. It will be open every day at the following times:

• 8.00am - 8.40am
• 2.45pm - 3.15pm

All students will have the opportunity to visit the Book Fair next week. Thank you for your continued support. 

Carroll College Variety Night
St Bernard’s and St Mary’s Primary School have been invited to attend a Performing Arts Variety Night at Carroll College on Wednesday 3 July Week 10. This year St Bernard’s has decided to showcase an item from the musical Moana involving Year 5 students and our Choir will also perform a song. All families are invited to join us and be entertained by the students from our 3 Catholic Schools on the Coast. More details will follow in the coming week.

Blessings on the week ahead.

Warm regards

Johanna Wain
Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

This week is National Reconciliation Week. The theme for 2024 is ‘Now More Than Ever’, encouraging all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation and to reflect on the impact of past government policies, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being forcibly removed from their families. Last Friday over 80 of our students joined with many community members in a walk across the Bhunduu Clyde River in solidarity and were called on to do sorry rather than just say sorry. 

Yesterday our three Catholic schools gathered in prayer as a K-12 community for the Combined Schools’ Mass with the theme of National Reconciliation. Students from all three schools contributed to elements of the Mass. We were particularly proud of the students who featured in a reflection video, commenting on what made them proud as Aboriginal students and the meaning of Reconciliation. 

React- Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Lessons

Students in all classes have been learning to recognise if they are safe or unsafe in the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum. Our safety lessons will now be focusing on the second safety message: react.

When children recognise that they are in an unsafe situation, we encourage them to think about what they could do to be safe again. They will have opportunities to think about ways to react using real-life scenarios. Our students will also learn that breaking the rules (e.g. saying no to an adult who is behaving inappropriately) is sometimes necessary so that they can become safe again.

Please take the time to talk with your children about what they have been learning about safety and, in particular, the ways they could react if they are unsafe to make themselves safe again. Talking with your child about ways to stay safe will help them to develop life-long safety skills.

Tournament of the Minds- Enrichment opportunity

Selected students from Years 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to train for the Tournament of the Minds regional competition that will take place at the Australian National University, Canberra on 7 September. Mrs Keough will work with 15 students on Wednesday afternoons leading up to the competition day.

The students participating in Tournament of the Minds are required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges from the disciplines of the Arts, STEM, Language Literature or Social Sciences. Teams select one Long Term Challenge from the disciplines above. They then work collaboratively, without outside assistance, to prepare their solution. This solution is performed to a panel of judges and an audience, at the Regional Tournament Day in September.

Objectives 

• Provide the stimulation of real, open-ended challenges
• Develop creative problem solving approaches and techniques
• Foster cooperative learning and team work
• Promote knowledge and appreciation of self and others
• Encourage experimentation and risk taking
• Expand and reward creative and divergent thinking
• Stimulate a spirit of inquiry and a love of learning
• Develop enterprise
• Celebrate excellence

We are very pleased that we can offer this opportunity to our students.

Winter Uniform

All students are required to wear their winter uniform from Tuesday 11 June (Week 7) after the long weekend. The winter uniform is as follows:

A reminder that jewellery is restricted to the wearing of a wristwatch, religious medal with chain, signet ring, sleepers or studs for pierced ears with no more than one earring in either or both ears. Hair is to be clean, neat and tidy at all times and is to be off the face ie. fastened back with a clip or hair tie, with longer hair tied back at all times. Mullets, mohawks and patterned shaving are not permitted as hairstyles. The wearing of make–up and/or nail polish is not permitted.

Warm regards

Karen

REMEMBERING THE LAST SUPPER

 In this digital age it is popular to have a meme - a picture, a cartoon, a short video on social media that makes a person or an animal memorable by something important or funny they‘ve said or done.

Most memes are short-lived, but Pope Francis has defied the odds.

Since 2015 a simple photo of Pope Francis has been used by faithful Catholics to spread sayings of the Pope throughout the world.  Regrettably the Web being the Web,  that same image has been abused.

However, I don‘t want you to be distracted by the negative aspects that accompany twenty-first century communications, but rather to draw your attention to the initiative that some of our young Catholics have shown in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Here‘s how the Apostle to the Gentiles Paul passed on to the Corinthians the Good News of what happened at Christ‘s Last Supper with his Apostles:

“This is what I received from the Lord and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.‘ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ’This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death." (First Corinthians 1: 23 -26)

Over time the memorial meal shared by the early Christians became a Thanksgiving Communion and then a Eucharistic Sacrifice. The lowly dining table became a solid altar - the centrepiece of our liturgical worship.

I learned recently that it was/is a custom in the Middle East for a parent to kiss the table before a family meal as a sign of gratitude for the food and drink on it and as a gesture of affection for the family gathered around it.

Also it was the practice of the Temple priest to kiss the altar on which he is about to kill the sacrificial animal.

Hence the ritual Kissing of the Altar at the start of our Mass.

We thank you, Lord, Holy Father, for nourishing us with the precious Body and Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. May it give us the strength to persevere along the path of Happy Destiny, where with your Son and the Holy Spirit, we may enjoy the promised heavenly banquet forever and ever. Amen

Joe Quigley

CONFIRMATION 2024

STOLES: Just a reminder to all parents, that children’s stoles need to be brought into either the school or the parish offices no later than Friday 31May so that they can be taken to be embroidered. 

UPCOMING KEY DATES:

  * Confirmation Retreat Day will be held at Carroll College on Wednesday 12 June.

  * Confirmation Reconciliation Week 7

  * Catch-Up Meeting Thursday 13 June @ 3.30-4.00pm at the church

       Join us a for pizza and a chat  - Workbooks are due

FOR THOSE PARENTS WHO HAVE NOT YET RETURNED THE ENROLMENT FORM, COULD YOU PLEASE DO SO IN THE NEXT WEEK.

The cost for the Confirmation program is $40.  For anyone who has not yet paid, the parish bank details are below for your convenience:

      A/C Name:  St Bernard’s Operating

      BSB:  062-786   A/C No:  00012939  REF:  Family Name-Confirmation

International Catholic Schools Conference - A Current of Grace 

I had the pleasure of attending A Current of Grace Conference in Canberra on Monday and Tuesday May 20-21. The focus of the conference was on renewing the Catholic Schools as centres of Evangelisation. 

The role of schools in the Church’s mission is to provide formation opportunities for their staff and students to so they can become disciples of the Holy Spirit and follow the call to God’s mission by revealing God love to others. 

Schools are key environments for fulfilling the evangelising mission of the church. St Bernard’s provides a range of faith formation programs to our students. These programs are also connected across our K-12 pathways. Our key programs are: Mini Vinnies, CSYMA program Journey with Jesus, Sacramental Retreats. Caritas Mission and social justice programs.     

One of the Key Speakers that resonated with me was the Director of Catholic Education in Scotland, Barbara Couper. She identified 3 key words that should underpin our work in Catholic schools today. They are Intentional, Inspirational and Inclusive 

A key feature of their work in schools is based on the Popes writing from Laudato Si and his call to care for the environment and each other. 

“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on one another.”

Combined School Mass 

Theme – Reconciliation Week “Now More than Ever 2024” 
On Wednesday 29th May we witnessed the Holy Spirit’s Grace alive and present at our Combined School Mass.The mass was co-celebrated by Father Loi and Father George. Father Loi spoke about the importance of reconciliation as a process. He explained that we must reconcile with ourselves first before we can reconcile with others. He concluded his homily asking us to care and respect one another and care for God’s creation now more than ever.  

It was a beautiful service with representation from students from the three Schools, Carroll College Broulee, St Bernard’s Batehaven and St Mary’s Moruya as part of the K-12 pathways. The students were reverent and prayerful and enjoyed a treat afterwards before heading back to school.  

Jenny Smith 

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Open Day

During Catholic Schools Week, we joined prospective 2025 Kindergarten students and their families to showcase our amazing school. Our very clever Kindergarteners escorted their new friends through a variety of stations, including Sport, Music, Literacy, Science and Technology rotations. 

Mother's Day Morning 

We had a lovely morning in May welcoming our Mums, Grandmas 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, hands massaged, hair styled and for the brave, makeup applied! It was a lovely opportunity for Kindergarten students to show their immense appreciation for the wonderful women in their lives. We hope all the mothers and motherlike figures were spoilt. 

Teddy Bear's Picnic 

It was wonderful to see the excitement of the students as they participated in the Teddy Bear’s Picnic last Friday. This was a great example of our connection with our Pathway schools, as St Bernard’s Kindergarten students met up with students from St Mary’s for a fun-filled day. We are very grateful to the Carroll College SRC students for the leadership and engagement they displayed whilst participating in activities. From dancing to decorating and everything in between, there was something for everyone and every bear to enjoy. For some students, it was extra special as they reconnected with friends from preschool or day-care. The day was finished off with a lovely sausage sizzle, healthy snacks and of course some tiny teddies whilst watching Paddington Bear. It was a bear-y good day!

AFL Skills Day 

Wow! What an exciting term Kindergarten is enjoying. We started the term with the AFL Skills morning on our second day back after the holidays! The weather was awesome. We enjoyed different activities throughout the morning, learning new skills and having fun with our classmates. Kicking, tackling, passing and jumping, Kindergarten definitely has some AFL stars in the making.

Buddies

At St Bernard’s, one of the important ways we build community relationships is through our ‘Buddies’ program. Each Kindergarten student has a ‘buddy’ in Year 5. These very special friends support our newest school members as they settle into life at big school. So far this year, our amazing Year 5 buddies have joined us for picnic lunches, school masses, craft and reading activities and sports sessions. Kindergarten is always so excited for these times. Thank you, buddies, for making our start to big school such a positive experience!

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, we look forward to showcasing our learning with you in Week 8!

Representative Sport

On Tuesday Noah B, Oscar J and Korban S played Rugby Union at the Canberra Goulburn Representative trials. These talented front rowers played so well against players from across the Archdiocese. Noah and Korban have been selected to play at the MacKillop Championships in Forbes on 30 June and 31 July, we wish you every success.

Good Luck to Arthur S-D, Annie F and Beatrix F who will play in the MacKillop Football Championships in Goulburn tomorrow.

Archdiocesan Cross Country

Congratulations to Annie F, Astrid B, Lilly G, Brooklen S, Eva C, Noah S, Charlene M and Lehan D who also ran at the Canberra Goulburn Cross Country Championships. They raced against students from Catholic Schools across Southern NSW and there were lots of very quick times. The students did an amazing job and even managed a smile for me after such a long way.

Noah S, Astrid B, Lehan D, Beatrix F and Raph C were selected to now compete at the NSW Combined Primary School Cross Country. They will travel to Sydney and will compete against Catholic schools from across the state. Such a wonderful achievement we are very proud of your efforts.

Upcoming Sport Dates

Friday 31 May - MacKillop Soccer Championships

Wednesday 5 June - NSWCPS Cross Country 

Wednesday 19 June -  Year 5 and 6 Rugby Gala Day

Thursday 27 June - St Bernard’s Athletics Carnival

Sunday 30 June  - MacKillop Rugby Championships

Have a wonderful week.

Angela Holmes

Term 2

Week 4 Class Awards

Presented: Friday 24 May 2024.

Congratulations to the following children who received a class award in Term 2, Week 4. It is great to see so many children working hard and receiving acknowledgment for their efforts.

Well done to all!