St Bernadette's Primary School Dundas Valley

Newsletter 2022 Term 4 Week 4

FROM THE PRINCIPAL...

Dear Families of St Bernadette's

What an awesome day we had on Tuesday! Our new Kindy students for 2023 attended their first of two orientation mornings. As always, the staff and students of St Bernadette’s were welcoming and inclusive. There were smiles aplenty as they walked out with their sheep drawings and lots of stories to tell about their first experience of “big school”.

The coming weeks are definitely going to be busy. It's a time of the year where we spend a great deal of time wrapping up the year of dancing, sport etc.

As we know this is also a time when staffing for the upcoming year occurs. With 2022 coming to a close we have two staff members leaving us to continue their teaching journeys in new pastures. Our Assistant Principal Mrs Jackie Willard has taken up the position of AP at Good Shepherd Primary School in Plumpton and Mr Dan Southwell-Keely has taken a position at Sacred Heart in Westmead. While we are sad to say farewell to Jackie and Dan, we wish them every success in the next part of their journey.

In the coming weeks we will be recruiting for these positions and I will then be able to finalise our teaching team for 2023.

Stay well and take care, 

Love and Light

Lisa Gerrard

Principal

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

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL...

Over the past week, our staff have been taking part in Professional Learning about students who have English as an Additional Language or Dialect. These students are those whose first (or home) language is not Standard Australian English and require additional support to develop Standard Australian English language proficiency. These students may be born overseas or in Australia but the first language they have heard or have spoken in is a language other than English. By understanding the first languages of our students, our teachers can develop strategies to assist these students at their stage of Standard Australian English development.

As a school and a Diocese, we value the diversity of languages in our schools. Research has shown that students who are literate and proficient in their first language, will be able to become literate and proficient in another language. Over the next week, we will be asking students about their first language and what languages they use at home. The more information we have, the better we can assist our students to develop the language needed to succeed at school.

Have a wonderful week,

Jackie Willard

Assistant Principal

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION...

Sunday 06 Nov 2022

Gospel

Lk 20:27-38

Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well, then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’

Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’

REFLECTION by Fr Michael Tate

                                   Billy Elliott and the Resurrection

Billy Elliott was a boy brought up in a strife-torn mining town in the north of England. He discovered a passion for dancing. At an interview at the Royal Ballet School which was going badly, he was asked: ‘What do you feel when you’re dancing?’

‘I’ve got fire in my body.’ And he got the scholarship because the panel realised that when Billy danced, he became ‘fully alive’: bodymindspirit fully integrated. When Billy danced, everything that Billy was, was dancing.

That is what our Resurrection is all about. Our whole personality will be dancing with the radiance of Divine Fire coursing through our bodymindspirit. The Sadducees’ small-minded sarcasm could not grasp that we will be bodies transfigured, translucent to divine light and energy.

We could take a moment to pray that, by the grace of God, our bodies will dance, enflamed by Divine Love.

Community Of Learners

Stage 1 Religion Work

This term in Religion Stage 1 are exploring the question How can we as peacemakers help build and sustain relationships? 

At the beginning of the term we brainstormed the different ways we can be peacemakers and added these actions to a kindness chain that now hangs in our classrooms. 

This week we looked at what it means to show mercy and forgiveness. The students spent some time reflecting on how showing mercy and forgiveness helps us to be a peacemaker and sustain relationships with others. 

Mass Calendar

SCHOOL NEWS...

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER


Week 4:

Friday, 4th November: Swimming Carnival - age based Carnival

Week 5:

Tuesday, 8th November: Kindergarten 2023 Orientation Day 2

Friday, 11th November: NRMA Incursion Program ( All Grades)

Friday, 11th November : School Disco 

Week 6:

Friday, 18th November: Year 2 Canteen Day

Week 8:

Wednesday, 30th November: First Reconciliation 

Friday, 2nd December: Christmas Concert

Week 10:

Monday, 12th December: Year 6 Graduation Dinner

Wednesday, 14th December: Year 6 Liturgy & Morning Tea

Thursday, 15th December: Last day of Term 4 for Students

Friday, 16th December: Staff Development day ( no students at school )

Week: 11:

Monday, 19th December: Staff Development Day ( no students at school )

Tuesday, 20th December: Staff Development Day ( no students at school )                                       

Term 1 2023 :

Week 1:

Friday, 27th January: Staff return 

Week 2:

Monday, 30th January:  Year 1 - 6 MAI testing (no classes on this day)

Tuesday, 31st January: Year 1 - 6 First day of classes

Tuesday, 31st January: Kindergarten MAI testing (no classes for Kindergarten)

Wednesday, 1st February: Kindergarten First Day

Stage 1 Excursion

Last Thursday our Stage 1 students were finally able to attend their very first excursion at Rouse Hill Estate. Shortly after arriving we put on our costumes, received our name badges and headed back in time to the year 1889 to learn first hand about what school life was like in the late 19th century.

Throughout this immersive experience the students were able to take part in a recreation of classroom activities including practising writing on slates, completing a science lesson about the life cycle of a silkworm, a sewing lesson, a drawing lesson as well as maypole dancing in the yard. It was a fantastic day where the students were able to make distinct comparisons between schooling then and now.  

Stage 2 Visit to Taronga Park Zoo

Despite the pouring rain as we travelled along the M2, we arrived at Taronga Zoo safely just after its opening. Splitting into two large groups aided by parents and Miss Simone and Mr Kensell, we began our journey through the zoo. We were lucky enough to participate in a zoo lesson under the guidance of zookeeper Alex. She taught us more about living things and their life cycles. We had a great time especially meeting the bush turkeys and ibis that roam freely around the zoo. A huge thank you to the teachers for organising this fantastic excursion.

Leaving School

Please notify our office as soon as possible, if you know that you may be leaving St Bernadette’s at the end of this year. As you know, you are required to give ten weeks notice if you are leaving. Please contact our office for a copy of a leaving form that must be completed.

We thank you for your ongoing support.

Attendance

Attendance Rate: 67.2%  - to unpack this a little more, this means that 67.2%  of our students have an attendance rate of 90% -100%. 

Year 3 Dancer Extraordinaire

Recently, Year 3 student Tahlia N, competed in a dance competition. She participated in a range of styles, placing in all. We congratulate Tahlia on her efforts.

Happy Birthday

Jackson D -  26/10

Ella T - 31/10

Jasmine - 3/11

Adam - 6/11

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

Clothing Pool

If you wish to purchase any items from our school clothing pool, please email the school office via dundasvalley@parra.catholic.edu.au . If the items are available, they will be sent home with your child. We are no longer able to have uniforms paid for via QKR! app, as unfortunately refunds aren't able to be processed if your required uniforms aren't available.  Therefore all payments need to be processed via EFTPOS only in the school office. 


Our Digital Sign

We would love to advertise events in our community so if you know of an upcoming event please email the details to dundasvalley@parra.catholic.edu.au.

Don't forget to collect your Bread Tags!

COMMUNITY NEWS...

Community Health Advice

St Bernadette's 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.