St Bernadette's Primary School Dundas Valley

Welcome to our first newsletter for Term 2.

This fortnight has been busy and we are looking forward to our Mother’s Day celebrations. Our mothers are such an important part of our lives and no matter how old we are we still seek their advice. Being a mum has been one of the most important jobs I have ever undertaken. Seeing your child grow and excel makes your heart burst with pride and unconditional love. So I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our mums and mum figures in our lives a very happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Stay well and take care.

Love & Light  

Lisa Gerrard

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

REFLECTION by Dianne Bergant CSA

This Sunday is traditionally referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday.  However, the readings for today focus more on the flock than on the shepherd.  The overarching theme appears to be unity in diversity.  Placing this theme within the context of the Easter season, we might refocus it slightly and suggest that today we celebrate the presence of the Risen Lord in communities of difference.

Unity in diversity is first found in the divine union of the Trinity.  All other models of unity flow from it.  Both the first and the second readings depict communities made up of people from every nation, race, people and tongue, Jews and Gentile alike.  This is precisely the makeup of most communities today.  Parishes and religious groups that were born with a particular cultural identity have changed in complexion and composition.  Despite the obvious differences, all are children of the one God, all are joined in their common confession of faith.

Not everyone is happy with diversity.  Some within the early community resented the success of Paul and Barnabas and they tried to turn the people against them.  This sounds strangely familiar to us.  Religious groups born out of struggle and hard work, that were lovingly nurtured and that grew strong, often resist what they perceived to be the invasion of foreigners.  If these people could only take as their model the company of the blessed revealed in John’s vision, they would see that those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb come from every nation and race and people and tongue.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, a day when we remember our mothers and other women who love us in a very special way. On Friday 6 May we will come together  to honour and give thanks for our mothers, grandmothers and those who care for us. We would like to say “Thank you” for all that they do for us. We will also take this opportunity to present our St Bernadette awards to one student in each grade who embodies the qualities of St Bernadette. We warmly invite mothers and mother figures to join us for this special liturgy at 10:15 am in the Hall, followed by Morning Tea.

This term all students will be taking part in Social Emotional Learning (SEL). These lessons will be in Bernie Buddy groups (mixed groups of K-6 students). They will be assigned a teacher who will teach the weekly focus.

SEL assists students develop the competencies and skills that support their understanding of resilience and regulate emotions, behaviours and relationships with others. It explores: 

• creating an understanding of, and managing their emotions

• setting and achieving positive goals 

• feeling and showing empathy 

• developing and sustaining positive relationships

• making responsible decisions

The SEL lessons will examine the following areas:

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness enables students to recognise the impact of emotions and thoughts on behaviour. It includes assessing strengths and weaknesses accurately, leading to a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism. 

Self-Management

Regulating emotions to handle stress, control impulses, and motivating oneself to persevere in overcoming obstacles, setting and monitoring progress toward the achievement of personal and academic goals; expressing emotions appropriately.

Social Awareness

Being able to take the perspective of and empathise with others; recognising and appreciating individual and group similarities and differences.

Social Management

Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation and resistance to inappropriate social pressure, preventing, managing, and constructively resolving interpersonal conflict; seeking help when needed.

Problem Solving

Making decisions based on a consideration of all relevant factors, including applicable ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms; the likely consequences of taking alternative courses of action; evaluation and reflection.​

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.

Week 2:

Friday 6th May : Mother's Day Liturgy & Morning Tea

Week 4:

Friday 20th May : Sausage Roll Meal Deal (Orders done via Qkr once the note is sent home)

Week 6:

Tuesday 31st May : Athletics Carnival ( At Barton Park)

Thursday 2nd June & Friday 3rd June : Stage 3 Canberra Excursion 

Week 7:

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

Mother’s Day Stall

Thank you to all of our families that have supported our Mother’s Day preparations this year. I know that the children will love to choose a special gift for their mum. We appreciate the support of the pre-purchasing via Qkr. It has been tricky to try to work within these new guidelines and we appreciate your patience.

Book club magazines went home last week. If you are looking at ordering please do so before the closing date of Friday 13th May 2022.

All orders are to be processed by the parents or carers online. Payments in the office will not be taken.

Attendance Rate: 69.9%  - To unpack this a little more, this means that 69.9%  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.

Nicolas L - 07/04

Ivo - 07/04

Joshua - 08/04

Alex - 12/04

Sam - 12/04

Scarlet J - 12/04

Jackson - 14/04

Jessica - 16/04

Stevania - 20/04

Alvin - 22/04

Morton - 27/04

Jayvis - 28/04

Soane - 29/04

Jasmine - 30/04

Jayden L - 30/04

Daniel - 03/05

Ruby - 04/05

Terrence - 07/05

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