Wow, it’s the end of Term 3!
This term (supposedly the quiet one!) has been filled with many learning, extracurricular and social justice events including the Zone Athletics Carnival, Father’s Day BBQ, PJ day, Bunnings BBQ, Confirmation and Colour Fun Run. Phew! No wonder we are all tired.
I would like to extend a huge thanks to all of the staff, students and members of the wider community who attended and extended a helping hand at any of our events. We as a community are truly blessed to have so many people willing to assist.
Moving into holidays I wish you a safe and relaxing break.
Love & Light
Lisa Gerrard
REFLECTION by Diane Bergant CSA
Both the reading from the prophet Amos and the gospel narrative pointedly condemn the lifestyles of the rich. It is not wealth itself, but the complacency and the disregard for others that it too frequently generates, that is denounced. Biblical covenant is a communal concept. It emerges from a society that insists on mutual responsibility. Today’s readings invite us to consider the covenant bond we have with others. How do we measure up?
The fundamental image of God reveals mercy and compassion. However, we cannot disregard the fact of judgment. Amos pronounces a woe against his own people; Abraham declares that there is an unbridgeable chasm between the saved and the condemned. Paul speaks here of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ who will bring judgment when he comes. Judgment will be determined not primarily in terms of our obedience to law, but in view of our fidelity to covenant commitment.
Righteousness is a covenant term. It is a quality of God that is shared with us by means of our covenant bond. Paul admonishes Timothy, and us, to pursue this righteousness, along with devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Some of these virtues focus on our relationship with God, but most of them are directed toward our relationship with others. Those who are less fortunate are our sisters and brothers. If we take lightly our covenant obligations and allow them to languish at our gates, we will have only ourselves to blame when we find ourselves facing the harsh judgment of God.
Congratulations to the children who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday 19th September. It was a privilege to be present to witness these children confirming their faith and becoming empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Georga, Ryan M, Gianluca, Jessie, Liam, Jeremy, Kiara, Daniel M, Patrick N, Takara,
Sam M, Ryan W, Ava, Aaliyah and Oliver.
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PARISH: Altar Servers' Roster July 6 - Nov 3, 2019 Download |
27/9 - Class Mass Year 1
27/9 - Assembly
27/9 - Last day of Term 3
14/10 - School Resumes for Term 4
17/10 - Kindergarten Excursion
23/10 - Linda's Lunches Resumes
29/10 - School Photo Day
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2019 Term 3 Parent Calendar Download |
13/9 - Erin L
14/9 - Sofia S
19/9 - Benji B
22/9 - Dimitrios M
24/9 - Sienna B
25/9 - Caitlyn O
26/9 - Patrick H
26/9 - Khaled H
28/9 - Jada N
28/9 - Ryan D
We have received some feedback from CEDP about our PBS4L program. The initial implementation of the program has been a success with the students being aware of the expectation to be a safe, respectful learner and are interested in seeing the progress of their house in the star token tally. As a school we have procedures and expectations in place to ensure that every child can be safe, respectful learners. We will continue to evaluate and adapt the PBS4L program to suit our community’s needs.
We have some colourful new signs around the playgrounds and school, which feature Bernie Bright, reminding everyone of the expectations.
It is affirming to know that our students continue to carry our expectation offsite; specifically at the pool during the swimming program. At all times, even during the heavy rain, students remained safe and respectful, and of course they had a wonderful time learning the water safety skills which are so essential to our lifestyle.
At the assembly tomorrow the winners will be announced for this latter part of the term. As you can see from the tally it is a close call between all four houses.
| Bernadette | Clare | Francis | Mackillop |
| 38 | 41 | 39 | 33 |
These past two weeks have seen our staff and students wrapping up projects in preparation for the terms end.
Our office staff have also been working hard to finalise budgets and projections in preparation for our roll over next term. As a part of this we ask that if you are not returning to our school in 2020 that you let Hala or Emma know so that the appropriate paperwork etc can be attended to.
Anthony will remain as AP until the years end and the following people will be taking on new contracts for Term 4:
Simone Farago will be Co-ordinator 2 - managing Literacy & PBS4L
Louise Williams will now work Thursdays in Year 3 & Fridays in Year 4
Chloe Strawbridge will take the other 4 days in Year 3 as Miss Leanne goes on long service leave for Term 4.
Anthony Kensell will be in Year 5 on Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays and Anna Beard will be in Year 5 on Thursdays & Fridays for Term 4.
There seems to be rather a large number of children coming in late without a parent to sign them in and provide a reason. These unexplained partial absences together with full days where no note is being provided come up as inconsistencies in Compass. At present our total number of unexplained absences is at around 300. In such a small community as ours this number is quite staggering.
While being a mum myself, I get the fact that kids get sick but as a parent, knowing that class attendance documents are legal documents, I understand that it is my responsibility to address why my child does not fulfil their legal requirements and attend school.
As I’m sure that everyone is aware there is a form available via skoolbag or even just sending an email to the school website is an easy option done on the day to overcome the need for follow up documentation.
Each letter sent home regarding unexplained absences is recorded on your child’s digital file and if their attendance becomes chronic (less than 70%) CEDP asks us to explain why these children are not at school.
Attendance Rate: 84.3% - To unpack this a little more, this means that 84.3% of our students have an attendance rate of 90% -100%.
School Photography Date: 29/10/2019
ONLINE ORDER CODE: 9BK 8ZG AKF
Online Order link: https://www.advancedimage.com.au/keycode/keycodefinder.aspx?keycode=9BK8ZGAKF
School photography day is coming up very soon. This year we are using a new company to take our school photos and you will have the option to pay online.
Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link above or by using the envelope that has been sent home.
Important Information:
School photos purchased online DO NOT require envelopes returned to school
Don’t forget to order your sibling photos now
Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases after photo day
Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken
Sibling photographs must be ordered either online or by order envelope prior to the day of photography. A photograph will not be taken without an order. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at the school.
Thank you and we look forward to a successful photo day!
As a community of learners, we will be holding our Kindergarten Orientation Evening for the Kindergarten 2020 parents on Wednesday, 16 October at 6:30pm. At this time, parents will receive important information about our school and Kindergarten in general. Please note that this meeting is for parents and will take place in the School Hall.
To set your child up for success at St Bernadette’s Primary School, we have a Transition Program for children starting Kindergarten next year. Your child is required to attend the following transition opportunities, which will take place in the Kindergarten classroom. Children are asked to bring along morning tea to have during ‘Little Lunch’.
Wednesday, 30 October 10:00am to 11:30am
Wednesday, 6 November 10:00am to 11:30am
Parents and children are invited to attend the Transition Program together so that the children will become familiar with their school. Whilst the children are in the Kindergarten classroom, parents are invited to the School Hall where various guest speakers will offer valuable information about preparing your child for school.
We know that starting something new can be a challenging time, so it would be beneficial for your child to attend both sessions of the Transition Program, especially if they are a little anxious.
We are looking forward to working with you in partnership and seeing you at the Parent Orientation Evening and also seeing you during the Kindergarten Transition Program.
Linda's Lunches will resume taking orders in Term 4, Week 2.
Christmas 2019 and January 2020: COSHC Operation Dates
To assist COSHC families in planning their education and care needs over the Christmas closure period and to plan bookings for Vacation Care in January 2020, a calendar of Closure Dates and Operational Dates has been issued to all families enrolled with COSHC.
COSHC will be closed on:
Summer Vacation Care Program commences on Monday 6 January to 24 January 2020
COSHC will re-open on Wednesday 29 January 2020.
Hello everyone,
Welcome to our last newsletter of the term. We had the Colour Fun run a few weeks ago and everybody got to feel how to be coloured like a very messy and colourful rainbow! Everybody had a big blast of fun. We would also like to thank the P&F committee for setting this up for all the kids and volunteering to splash the colours on everybody - we had a BLAST!
These last 2 weeks all the children have attended swimming at Sydney Olympic Park. While there, Year 5 and 6 have seen the AFL team, none other than the Giants! The students had a lot of fun and learnt a lot of things and even those who aren't confident swimmers still participated and had so much fun. We’ll be coming back next year.
For the last time this term thank you for reading and we hope you had a wonderful term 3 and learnt a lot. Have a spectacular holiday, goodbye everyone.
By Brandon, Will and the rest of the SRC.
On September 16, Amelia N & Heidi S attended the NSWCPS Athletics Championships, competing in the MacKillop Athletics Championships. It is a fantastic achievement to reach this very high level of competition, which is reserved for the best athletes in all Catholic schools throughout NSW.
Amelia competed in Discus and 1500m, Heidi competed in the 800m.
Congratulations to both girls!
Our whole school has been participating in the Swimming Program at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre for nearly 2 weeks.
The children have been making a splash down at the pool and their smiling faces are proof of this. While we are sure they are a little more tired at the end of the day and extra hungry, the valuable water safety skills they are learning are essential for our lifestyles today!
The P&F would like to thank all the families, staff and children who helped make our major fundraiser a success. It was wonderful to see so many families join in on the fun and support the children as they participated in the activities held that day. There was a wonderful community vibe filled with fun and excitement. We are working very hard to finalise the figures and prize orders from the colour fun run, so please bear with us! The prizes are expected to be delivered within the first few weeks of Term 4, and once the organising company finalises the final figures, we will be sure to share it with you all – we cannot wait!
The P&F will be handing out the ice blocks from the colour fun run on this day at lunch time.
In line with our Colour Fun Run, the P&F put on a colourful canteen day. The children were offered a large variety of colourful delicious treats that day. We thank all the wonderful parents who volunteered their time to help serve at the canteen. A total of $178.00 was raised. Thank you!
Summer stock available now:
Girls Dresses in size 5, 6, 8, 12 and 14 $10 each
Boys shirts in all sizes $5 each
Boys shorts in all sizes $5 each
Sport shorts in all sizes $5 each
To purchase, please text Cathy on 0416 048 169 with your requirements.
On behalf of the P&F we would like to thank all of our school community for their kindness, generosity and patience thus far. Without the support of everyone in our community, we wouldn’t be able to create the successes of each event this year. We would like to wish you all a safe and relaxing break as we enter the last term of our school year. We look forward to seeing you all in Term 4!
Nancy Assad
P&F President
St Bernadette's Primary, Dundas Valley is a community focused, Catholic parish school catering for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. The school strives to build a Christ-centred community where faith is integrated with daily life. We provide learning and teaching experiences which enable the children to deepen their faith understandings, investigate, solve problems and explore their learning. We recognise the importance of creating a learning environment that provides opportunities to develop 21st century learning. Technology is integrated into the learning at St Bernadette’s in all Key Learning Areas.
Attendance Rate: 82.6%