St Bernadette's Primary School Dundas Valley

NAPLAN changes from 2023

As you may be aware, 2023 NAPLAN testing will be held from 15 March 2023. There will also be changes to the way that NAPLAN results are reported.The numerical bands (1-10) will be replaced with four proficiency standards for each school level that sits NAPLAN. Parents and carers will receive information about their child’s NAPLAN achievement based on the following 4 levels of achievement:

Exceeding

Strong

Developing

Needs additional support.

Strong means that the student is meeting the expectations of the literacy and numeracy skills required for their school level. 

The descriptors for each category will make it clear to parents what their child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing, and teachers will continue to work with you to meet your child’s needs. NAPLAN will remain one of many useful ways that we assess your child’s learning and support needs. 

NAPLAN is one source of information about your child’s academic performance. It is important to maintain a positive and calm approach to the days leading up to these standardised assessments, as well as during the test period.

Have a wonderful week, 

Rebecca Boidin

Assistant Principal

The blessings upon which we meditate today are undeserved gifts from God.  They were not earned. The graciousness of God transforms us in such a way as to effect new beginnings.  It can be seen in the promises made to Abram.  He leaves the past behind and moves into a new future.  It can be seen in the psalm response.  The Lord delivers us from death and inspires us to look to the future.  It can be seen in the reading from 2 Timothy.  Through Christ Jesus we are called to a new life of holiness; we escape the fetters of death and are brought into the freedom of the resurrection.  We see it in the gospel, a glimpse into the future glory of Jesus which, through grace, we will be able to share.  Lent is a time of new beginnings which find their origin in the abundant blessings of God.

The ultimate blessing of God is Jesus himself.  As Abram was called to be the source of blessing for all others, as Peter, James and John were chosen to witness the transfiguration of Jesus, so today we too are invited to look to Jesus for inspiration during this holy season.  Paul speaks of the salvation that Jesus brings as having come, not because of any works of righteousness that we might have performed, but because of the grace of God.  Once again the Lenten readings focus on the merciful action of God in our lives, and in the end they point to Jesus.

© Dianne Bergant CSA

CHILDREN'S DISCUSSION STARTERS

A beginning point for discussion of this week's Gospel with children:

What are your favourite quiet places?

What sort of things do you like to do in your quiet place?

Quiet places can be very good for praying. Take a moment to think of when you can go to your quiet place this week.

What or who can you pray for?

© Creative Ministry Resources Pty Ltd

It was wonderful to see so many different cultures represented at our WYD23 fundraising Mufti-Day. The children looked amazing! Thank you for your kind and generous donations toward this very important event. We were able to raise the total amount of $765.38

As part of history Year 4 have been learning about life before the arrival of the Europeans. Ryad, Lydia and Terrence would like to share with you what they have learned using slides which they have researched and created.

We have also used Indigenous art symbols to help tell our stories of how our families came to Australia. Here are three examples from Nerso, Mia and Gabby.

There will be no assembly in week 7 as we will be having a whole school Liturgy at 9am. Parents are invited to attend this.

All class and Assistant Principal awards will be presented at the end of the liturgy. 

Thanks so much to all of the parents who were able to attend our meeting last night. We covered a lot of ground and have a good plan in place for the fundraising events to be held in 2023.

Such events will include:

• Canteen Days

• Special lunch deals

• A colour fun run and tabloid event that we are hoping to hold on a Friday afternoon to include whole families.

• PJ Movie night

• Disco

We also discussed (as you will see in the meeting minutes sent out via Skoolbag) what the money is going towards. One of the items on the list is to build a sensory playground to replace the current ageing equipment. This is not a cheap project so we may not raise all of the funds required this year but we will keep you informed of how much we have raised after each event so that you can see how close we are to achieving our goal. 

Thanks again for your ongoing support.

Each year, Project Compassion comes as a timely reminder of the importance of solidarity and how a single act of kindness – whether big or small, can make a life-changing impact in the lives of those who need it most. The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’. This phrase is a powerful affirmation that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It is also a call for all of us to play our part in making the world a better place by working together as sisters and brothers in finding long-term solutions to global issues.

To raise a donation to Project Compassion this year, the students of St Bernadette’s will be holding a Mission Marketplace on Friday 24 March (Week 9).

Each class will plan, organise, advertise and run a “market stall” of games, treats or competitions.

The students can purchase tokens for 50 cents each via the qkr app, which may be spent at any of the stalls. There is no limit to the amount of tokens purchased. Items at the stalls will be priced in multiples of 50 cents. All tokens must be spent on the day - no balance will be kept for future events.

The students are excited to begin planning their market stall, having lots of fun on the day and playing a part in making the world a better place.

Gentle reminders:

Smart watches with messaging capability & mobile phones:

Please remember that smart watches and mobile phones need to be handed into the office upon arrival to school and picked up with the office bag each afternoon. Children need to be left to concentrate on their learning and not being distracted by texts during class time. Any communication/message needs to go through the school office.

Communication regarding children’s behaviour:

All communication regarding children’s behaviour should be addressed by first contacting the child’s teacher. If there is a need to escalate this then please contact Miss Boidin or Mrs Gerrard.

At no time is it appropriate to address this with another parent as it can cause uncomfortable relationships. 

Being at school on time:

It has come to our attention that a number of children are arriving after 8.55am. While I understand that things can happen to cause delays, we ask that you do your best to have your child at school on time to lessen the disruption to class learning time. As you can imagine a number of students arriving late can disturb the class and daily routine. Arriving on time allows students to socialise with their peers and begin the day in a calm and focused manner.

 

Congratulations to the following children who are representing St Bernadette’s at the Cumberland Zone Swimming Carnival next Tuesday!

Jackson C

Samara C

Jayden E

Ayden H

Liam M

The 2023 Premier reading challenge is now open.

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. 

$150 in vouchers to help with school expenses

Families can apply for $150 in vouchers for each child who attends a primary, secondary school or home-schooling in NSW in 2023. Find out more about the Back to School NSW Vouchers.