St Bernadette's Primary School Dundas Valley

Newsletter 2020 Term 1 Week 6

FROM THE PRINCIPAL...

Dear families of St Bernadette's,

Last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Lenten Season in the Catholic Church. As we gathered as a school and wider community we heard Father Benedict talk about all the ways we could give of ourselves during this preparation time for Easter.

During this time it is a great time to reflect upon the immense gift that we were given in the form of Jesus’ suffering and death so that we may have the opportunity to find our own path to God. 

Father Benedict also called us to remember that all of Jesus’ actions came from a place of love. It is through love that we can give of ourselves completely. 

So during the coming weeks of Lent be mindful of the ways that you can give and receive to those around you. Putting yourself out there and being vulnerable before others is one of the purest forms of giving of yourself.

Love & Light

Lisa Gerrard

(on behalf of the St Bernadette’s staff & students)

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Every Thursday morning, I have been working with Year 1 using our new coding robots, BlueBots. A BlueBot is a floor robot which can be controlled by using the buttons on the top of the robot or using a PC or app. We are using the BlueBots to introduce coding to the students, which is a part of the Science and Technology syllabus. 

The Year 1 students have been using the buttons on top of the robot to direct the robot on a chosen path. At the moment, we have directed the bots to coloured two dimensional shapes that are stuck to a 12 grid mat. After the students decided on what shapes they would like to bot to travel to, they need to build a sequence of steps and have a partner follow the steps to complete the path. When the partner had completed the steps, they discussed whether the code worked. If not, they worked together to see how the code sequence could be improved for next time. 

This activity not only sits within our Science curriculum but also Mathematics as the students discuss shapes, colours and distance from one point to another. It also encourages Speaking and Listening from the English syllabus as the students work together to achieve an outcome. We look forward to writing stories about different ‘places’ our BlueBot will visit and then plotting a course for them.

BlueBots at work

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION...

REFLECTION by Greg Sunter Second Sunday of Lent A Gospel Reflection

In all three versions of this Transfiguration event that appear in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the context in which the event occurs is identical. That’s a little unusual with these three gospel writers who like to put their own spin on events and often play with the chronology or settings of events. However, in this case, all three writers report the Transfiguration event as taking place immediately after a particular sequence of events. Jesus has asked the disciples who they think he is and Peter has made his confession of faith by declaring that Jesus is the Messiah. This declaration is followed by Jesus teaching about the demands of discipleship and then the account of the Transfiguration. Furthermore, all three versions are directly followed by an account of a man who brings his possessed son to Jesus for healing after the disciples have tried and failed to cast out the demon.

When all three of the synoptic gospels use the same story with little variation and all three retain the same context around the event then there are some pretty clear signals that this was a commonly accepted sequence of events and their sequence holds significance. The core message of this sequence of stories is about the faith of the disciples. Whilst Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah, he and the others don’t really yet know what this means. In the Transfiguration, they are given the clearest possible indication of Jesus’ identity and yet they’re confused and scared by what they witness. The following failure by the disciples to cast out a demon shows that they still haven’t understood fully who and what Jesus is.

During this Lenten season, like the disciples, we are called to consider who Jesus is and what role he plays in our lives.

St Bernadette’s Parish Megamusical 2020—Audition Notice:

The inaugural Parish Megamusical was staged two years ago in the school hall.  It showcased an amazing array of talented musicians and singers. The great news is that it is on again on 15 May 2020.  The primary purpose of the Megamusical is to develop, encourage and showcase the musical talent within our Parish. In addition, any funds raised on the night will be donated through the Manning Foundation to the victims of the recent bushfires, droughts and floods. We are looking for a variety of musical talent including solo singers, groups and choirs, as well as musicians of all types and experience.  Auditions will be held in the Creative Arts Room at St Bernadette’s Primary School at 7pm on Wednesday 11 March and 2pm on Saturday 14 March (NOTE ADJUSTED SATURDAY DATE).  Our Megamusical will again be co-directed by Father Benedict and John Petre. If you would like to attend either of the auditions, or seek further information, please contact either Father Benedict or John Petre via the Parish Office.

 

Altar Servers' Roster 7th March - 12th July 2020

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SCHOOL NEWS...

Upcoming Events for Term 1

5/3 - First Holy Communion Classes 4:30pm - 5:30pm 

6/3 - Whole School Mass lead by Year 5 

6/3 - Assembly 2:30pm 

6/3 - First Holy Communion Classes  4:30pm & 5:30pm 

12/3 - Cross Country 

12/3 - First Holy Communion Classes 4:30pm & 5:30pm 

13/3 - School Banking 

13/3 - Class Mass - Year 1 

13/3 - First Holy Communion Classes 4:30pm & 5:30pm 

17/3 - St Patricks Day - Kindy 

2020 Term 1 Parent Calendar

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Happy Birthday

20/2 - Milania B  

23/2 - Eamon B 

26/2 - Ray M 

26/2 - Angelica B 

28/2 - Yichen X 

3/3 - Alex J 

3/3 - Adam H 

4/3 - Chloe X 

As a community of Learners

This week we had an Open Day for Prospective Parents who are looking to enrol their children for 2021. We had a great turn out with more than 40 enrolment packages taken. It’s wonderful that the good news about what a great school we have is spreading to the wider community.

Enrolling now for 2021!

As we are now taking enrolments for 2021 please don't leave your application until the last minute. Enrolment forms are available at our front office or via the school website. http://www.stbernadettesdundas.catholic.edu.au/

Assistant Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following children for receiving an Assistant Principal Award. 

Kindy                      Saacha C           
Year 1   Claire L
Year 2   Max C
Year 3   Natalie H
Year 4    Ian B
Year 5   Angelica B
Year 6   Lauren T


Gentle Reminder

Drive Thru

When using the Drive thru option before or after school please ensure that you do not overtake the car in front as this creates a dangerous situation for those using Cox Crescent. It costs nothing to be a little patient but it goes a long way to ensure all are safe.

Speeding through the school zones and parking illegally:

During the past couple of weeks we have had Highway Patrol cars and Council Rangers watching our school zone. So please assist us in keeping your children safe on their journey to or from school and drive safely! 

Thank you

Thank you so much to the parents who organised and helped out last Tuesday on Pikelet day. Thanks also to those families who supported this event by allowing their children to purchase these yummy treats!

There were many happy little faces which makes these events worthwhile.

PBS4L

The focus for this week is we protect our bodies. There is no lesson for this as it fits in with Protective Behaviours.

Week 7 focus is We are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing all the time.

School Fees

Please be aware that 2020 School Fees Statements were issued and sent home to families. If you have not received your statement for any reason, please contact the office immediately. It would be appreciated if your payments are made in accordance with the due date listed on your statement. Should you wish to make an arrangement to suit your needs, or if you have any queries regarding your fees, please contact our Finance Officer Mrs Haddad. All conversations are strictly confidential.

Attendance

As you can see as a school community our attendance rate is quite low compared to our target of 90%. While we understand that children get sick and some leave is necessary, we ask that you just have your child’s learning at the front of your mind as it’s amazing how 5 minutes a day can add up to a considerable amount of learning time missed.

 

Medical Illness

A reminder to all families that if your child is unwell or has been to the doctors and has an infectious disease please keep them at home until they are well enough to return to school. 

Parish Driveway

As per our reminder in last fortnights newsletter, please DO NOT block the Parish driveway on Cox Crescent. This driveway is in regular use by our Fathers and it should not be blocked at anytime. Thank you for your co-operation. 

Parent Contact Booklet

Thank you again to all of the families who have provided their details for our school contact booklet. We have had many more returned this term and we will share these details again. 

If you would like to have your details published among the community please complete the form below and return to us Friday 13 March 2020. We will be making the final print for this year and distributing on Friday 20 March 2020. 

Permission to publish

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EXTRA CURRICULAR...

Diocesan Swimming Carnival

Recently 3 children represented St Bernadette’s at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival. This is a great achievement, where competition is against the best swimmers in the entire diocese.

Congratulations to Ian B, Preston B & Heidi S!

As always with swimming there were some outstanding results, with Ian & Heidi progressing to the MacKillop Trials! 

Ian B - 50m Freestyle (2nd), 50m Backstroke (1st), 50m Breaststroke (2nd), 50m Butterfly (1st), 200m IM (1st)

Heidi S - 100m Open Freestyle (1st and new record), 50m Freestyle (1st and new record), 50m Backstroke (1st), 50m Breaststroke (1st and new record), 50m Butterfly (1st and new record), 200M IM (1st and new record)

Amazing results for St Bernadette’s once again, with more to come from the MacKillop trials!

CHILDREN'S CORNER

Year 2 - Art Appreciation

Year 2 have been hard at work creating masterpieces with Miss Cath in their creative arts lesson. They have been experimenting with a variety of materials  to paint with such as wool and using acrylic paint in a vast array of colours. The inspiration for their creations has come from artist Jackson Pollock who Year 2 have been learning about and appreciating. 

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PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION NEWS...

St Patrick's Day

To celebrate St Patrick's Day on the 17th March, Kindergarten will be hosting a green coloured food morning tea at the canteen. Items are sold from the canteen for between 50c and $2.

A note has been sent home to Kindergarten parents and if you would like to volunteer please hand back your note by Thursday 12th March. 

Pikelet Day

The P&F would like to thank Year 5 for hosting the Pikelet Day Canteen last Tuesday and all the parents who volunteered their time to help. A special thank you to Katherine Cicala for sourcing and getting those yummy pikelets as a donation from Woolworths Carlingford. It was a huge success with all pikelets sold out and the kids loved them. A total of $246.20 was raised!

Thank you

We had the biggest turn out for a P&F meeting for a number of years this Term. Thank you to all parents who had taken time out of their busy schedules to come and voice your thoughts and opinions on the various topics discussed. We believe the children of the school benefit more as more parents participate.

We look forward to see everyone at the next meeting!

Contacting the P&F

The P&F now have an email address which will allow for parents to provide feedback and suggestions. Please do not hesitate to contact us on:

pandf.dundasvalley@gmail.com

COMMUNITY NEWS...

St Bernadettes Primary School

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: 84.6%