St Bernadette's Primary School Dundas Valley

REFLECTION by Fr Michael Tate

Holy Ghost, Holy Gust

In the very old days, the ‘Holy Spirit’ was known as the ‘Holy Ghost’. It comes from the old English word ‘gust’ which ‘blows wherever it pleases’. St Luke’s account of Pentecost tells of what ‘sounded like a powerful wind from heaven’. This is the Divine Wind, this is the Holy Gust, the Holy Spirit. Out of nowhere, this mighty Gust burst into the disciples’ lives with gale force, sweeping away their fear.

The Divine Wind is nothing less than the Breath of God. ‘O Breathe on me Breath of God’ is one of the most beautiful hymns, sung to a traditional Irish melody. One verse goes: ‘O Breathe on me Breath of God . . . until this earthly part of me glows with thy fire divine’. It is like a log at the back of the fireplace late at night. The log is intact but absolutely glowing through and through with fire. It is to be the same with us.

Peter was inspired to preach to the crowds ‘with a loud voice’ about ‘Jesus the Nazarene’ and the fact that ‘God raised him to life’. That is the gospel. That is the message which those who breathe with the breath of God have been preaching since the birthday of the Church at Pentecost.

We could pause for a moment to pray an ancient chant of the Church:

‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,

and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they will be created,

and you will renew the face of the earth.’

We are delighted to once again be attending Mass with the parish, both as a school and in class groups. As parish Masses begin at 9:00am, the classes involved will assemble at 8:45am, in order to be seated in the church before Father enters. Your extra effort to be at school by 8:45am on these days would be greatly appreciated. Please see the roster for when your child will be attending Mass and/or Reconciliation.

Week 6:

Thursday, 2nd June and Friday, 3rd June : Stage 3 Canberra Excursion 

Week 7:

Friday, 10th June : Staff Development Day (This is a pupil free day)

Week 8:

Thursday, 16th June : Canteen Hot Chocolate & Chips, a fundraiser for the Year 6 dinner 

Week 10:

Friday, 1st July : Athon Activity Day.  The information for this day will be sent home in the coming weeks.

• Sausage Roll Day - $351

• Election BBQ - $853

• Sausage Sizzle Day - $479

• Sushi Day - $155

• Mother’s Day Stall $572

• Sausage Sandwich Day $347

As previously indicated, all funds raised this year will contribute towards our high-maintenance costs. We don’t have a maintenance fee included in the school fees, this expense continues to be a challenge to the school; so far we have spent over $50K on maintenance (such as cleaning service, waste, water, air conditioning, building and landscaping maintenance.)

We are also aiming to replace necessary equipment in the school, such as a new oven for the canteen, to be able to assist with future canteen fundraiser events and a new vacuum cleaner to replace the broken one.

Thank you so much to our school community which has supported our Vinnies Winter Appeal. Your very generous donations of socks, beanies, gloves, scarves and blankets are much appreciated. They have been donated to Vinnies at Harris Park and Penrith and will be given to those most in need.

Thank you for supporting Stage 3 in their social justice initiative and responding with mercy to the suffering and hardship of others.

We are currently finalising Kindergarten enrolments for 2023.

If you have a child who you wish to enrol please download the enrolment form from our website or pop into our office to pick up one.

Attendance Rate: 70.8%  - To unpack this a little more, this means that 70.8%  of our students have an attendance rate of 90% -100%. 

A reminder that classes commence at 8:55am.

To help your child have a positive start to the school day it is important that they are at school on time.

Being at school a little before 8:55am allows them to have time to calm themselves and be confident in knowing they are prepared and ready to learn. It also gives them time to say hello to their friends and classmates.

Arriving late can cause stress to the child entering a class that is already working and it can cause disruption to the lesson that has started.

If we were 5 minutes late every day x 5 days = 25 minutes lost each week. 25 minutes x 10 weeks of each term = 250 minutes each term.

That adds up to a lot over the course of the year.

So please be mindful of what time your child  is arriving at school. It is important we establish good routines as it sets our children up for success.

If your child is late, they must come to the school office to be signed in by their parent or carer. They are not to be dropped late and left to run through the school gate unaccompanied.

Isla - 23/05

Madison H - 24/05

Antonio - 28/05

Devanshi - 31/05

Stefan - 31/05

Hailey - 02/06

Just a reminder that any treats sent in are kept to a minimum and individual.