St Bernadette's Primary School Dundas Valley

Newsletter 2022 Term 1 Week 10

FROM THE PRINCIPAL...

Dear Families of St Bernadette's

Well we made it! A whole term of uninterrupted face to face learning. 

This term has been a great start to 2022. We have seen many students join our great community and share their love of learning.

As this is our final newsletter for term 1, I will take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Easter. This joyous season of the year gives us many opportunities to take stock and reflect upon the enormous sacrifice Jesus made for us. During the journey through Holy Week and the lead up to the celebration of Easter Sunday one can only imagine the myriad of emotions faced as Jesus prepared himself to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live and come to know Him.

Take this precious time to spend time with your family and friends being the face of Jesus to as many people as you can. I pray that you continue to stay well and we look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

Stay well and take care.

Love & Light  

Lisa Gerrard

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

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL...

What a wonderful start to 2022 we have had! It is great that we have been able to stay open and face to face all term, with minimal disruptions to our teaching and learning. 

We are returning to Assemblies this week but due to the high COVID numbers in the community, we will be holding these under the COLA for the time being, in the open air, where we can stay socially distant. Parents are welcome to attend this Friday the 1st of April at 2:20pm.

Another wonderful activity we can return to is Library borrowing. Our beautiful new library is open for borrowing and the students will be able to borrow books over the holidays to keep up their reading. Please ensure your child has a Library bag to take books home so they do not get damaged in their school bag. Next term, we should be able to open the Library for more lunchtime sessions to give the children a place to relax and recharge in a more peaceful environment. 

I hope you enjoy a wonderful, relaxing break with your family. 

Have a wonderful week, 

Jackie Willard

Assistant Principal


RELIGIOUS EDUCATION...

Sunday, 3rd April 2022

REFLECTION by Dianne Bergant CSA

Lent ends on a note of wonder.   In the face of all the mighty works that God has already performed for the people, God promises something even more  magnificent. 

Throughout this season we have reflected on the marvels that God accomplished in the lives of the people, cutting a covenant with Abraham, leading the people out of bondage, revealing God's own personal name, bringing them into a land that is bursting with life.  Now God says: You haven't seen anything yet. 

The first reading proclaims that something new is about to appear.  In the gospel, this new thing unfolds before our eyes.  Here we see Jesus neither rejecting the law nor changing it.  Instead, he shows that the law, as good as it might be, serves something higher.  He shows that the mercy and compassion of God exceed the authority of the law.  Once again we see that the readings of Lent are less concerned with mortification and penance than they are with divine graciousness and our response of joy and thanksgiving. 

Paul is not satisfied with the blessings of the past.  In fact, he considers them rubbish when compared with knowing and being united with Christ.  Life with Christ transforms us from people who are caught in sin to women and men who have been forgiven.  Life in Christ is the new thing that God has fashioned for us.  God is the one who creates something new; we are the ones who are re-created.

Year 3 Religion Work

This term in Religious Education, Year 3 has been guided by the question - How is God present in my Life?

The students have created their own interpretations of the Holy Trinity.

Tahlia

The students have also used the “Peeling the fruit” strategy to develop an understanding of the scripture story of Jesus’ Baptism and pictures related to this story. 

Terrence
Chloe
Lydia G

Year 3 have also discussed the Holy Spirit and the Gifts given on the feast of Pentecost.

Scarlet J
Scarlet J
Mia

Update from Father Christopher

Father Christopher would like me to inform the community that there has been a change to receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. He has decided to invite children who are in Year 7 or older (not Year 6) to participate in this program from this year. 

If you have a child in Year 7 who wishes to participate in this Sacramental program, please contact the parish on 9871 4414 for further information.

Sacramental Program

Term 1

Lessons : Week 10 .

Week 10 : 31st Mar or 1st April.

Term 2

1st Practise – Sunday 29th May 3.30 – 5pm. (Please meet in the church – Compulsory)

Final Practise – Sunday 5th June 3.30 – 5pm. (Please meet in the Church- Compulsory)

 First Holy Communion – Sunday 19th June at 11.30am.

SCHOOL NEWS...

Enrolment for 2023

We have now begun Kindergarten Enrolment interview process 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.

School Fees

Please be aware that 2022 Term 1 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. 

Also, a friendly reminder if you know that you will be leaving our school please notify our office as soon as possible. CEDP requires a ten week notice for a leaving student.

We thank you for your ongoing support.

Executive Director's Summer Reading Challenge

The Executive Director's Summer Reading Challenge was open to all Primary and Secondary students over the summer holidays. Students are challenged to read as many books as they can. Congratulations to the following students who participated:

Tadiswa S (Year 1)

Chloe K (Year 1)

Christian P (Year 5)

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Term 1:

Week 10 :

Thursday 31/03/22 : Sausage Sizzle Lunch

Friday 1/04/22: School Assembly at 2:20pm under Cola

Week 11: 

Thursday 7/04/22: Dance Fever final lesson ( Parents are invited to watch)

Friday 8/04/22 : Last day of Term 1

                             Mufti Day ( No Theme)

School Holidays  

9/04/22 - Monday 25/04/2022

Term 2: 

Monday 25/04/22 - Anzac Day ( Public Holiday)

Tuesday 26/04/22: First day of Term 2

A Gentle Reminder

Being situated in a very narrow street can pose a number of challenges when dropping off and picking up our children. Some of our smaller students are so full of news about their day that they take a little longer to get into the car and buckle up. Here are a few pointers that may make this process a little easier:

  • Ensure that the children enter from the footpath (passenger) side of the car.

  • Dont ask your children to put their bags in the boot.

  • Make sure that the children know how they are supposed to be going home.

A few issues to consider:

  • Be mindful of not blocking our priests or neighbours driveways. This can stop these people from entering or leaving their residence which can result in frustration and complaints.

  • Please don't block the pedestrian crossing as this can impede the view of other drivers so that they don't see people crossing.

  • Try to be patient and considerate and take turns in allowing people to turn onto Cox Crescent. This will alleviate congestion on Evans Road.

 Using the parish car park to pick students up from the back gate continues to be an issue. Last week a staff member approached a parent who was parked in the wrong spot to ask them to move their car to a designated spot and they were met with a verbal attack. The staff take their duty of care (the safety of your children) very seriously and do not deserve to be spoken to in a disrespectful manner. 

 A few pointers to consider:

  • Do not park in the centre 4 car spots as it is unsafe and blocks the flow of traffic.

  • Reverse park into the marked spaces.

  • Get out of the car to collect your child/ children, hold their hand or walk closely beside them until you reach your vehicle.

  • Do not allow children to run between the cars or play on the grass. The car park is not a place to gather as it is unsafe for children with so many cars moving around.

I hope that these ideas will resonate with you and that you will work with us to keep everyone safe.

Clothing Pool

If you wish to purchase any items from our clothing pool please email the school office via dundasvalley@parra.catholic.edu.au . The items are to be paid for via EFTPOS only in the school office. Another option is to order and pay via the QKR! app.


Attendance

Attendance Rate: 69.5%  - To unpack this a little more, this means that 69.5%  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.

Principal Morning Tea & Assistant Principal Awards

For 2022 we will continue our Assistant Principal awards.  Mrs Willard will update our community on the upcoming events and present two students from each class with an award based on achieving a personal best.

Once a term a Principal’s Morning Tea will be held where two students from each class will be selected according to the nominated criteria.

Term 1 - Encouragement

Term 2 - Positive Behaviour

Term 3 - Christian Service 

Term 4 - Academic Excellence

Happy Birthday

Yvonne - 22/03

Nicky - 24/03

Samara - 25/03

Anthony - 28/03

Sebastian L - 30/03

Noah P - 01/04

Eva - 02/04

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

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 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.