From the Principal

Principal - Ms Julie Di Noto

Loving God,

We are currently in the Season of Creation, a special time to celebrate the wonderful gift of our common home.

Thank you for the beauty of the earth, the trees and flowers, the animals and birds, the water and the sky.

Help us to care for your Creation with grateful hearts, thoughtful choices and loving actions. May we notice the beauty around us and remember that we each have a part to play in protecting our world for generations to come.

May this Season of Creation inspire us to live with wonder, gratitude and care for all that you have made.

Amen

Dear St Bernard’s Community,

It is hard to believe that this is the final newsletter for Term 3 and what a busy term we have had! The students have been engaged in explorative hands-on learning in their Science Inquiry units this term, and with the introduction of our new STEM lab they have been building and testing prototypes based on the design engineering process. Students fundraised fiercely and participated in the Walkathon, engaged in various activities celebrating St Bernard’s Feast day and Book Week, had the privilege of having the opportunity for their grandparents and dads/male role models to visit and many older students had the opportunity to participate in the District Athletics Competition. Incursions involved learning about electricity for our 5/6 students and heat for our 3/4 students and our Prep to 2 cohort had an excursion to ‘TwisteEd Science’ which specialise in high-energy, hands-on STEM experiences. Our 5/6 students participated in a ‘Courage to Care’ Upstander Program, which aims to educate and empower students to stand against prejudice, racism and all forms of discrimination, grounded in the universal values of respect, empathy, fairness and active citizenship. In amongst all of this, the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy was paramount in our daily teaching and class masses continued. Thank you for all the community support during Term 3, from our parent volunteers for BPC events and excursions to families who join us for assembly and parents who participated in Student Learning in Action sessions. 

Our Walkathon highest fundraising winners were presented with their prizes at last week's assembly. Congratulations to our highest fundraiser Alexander (Grade 6) who raised a massive $1102. Our second highest fundraiser was Violeta (Prep) who raised $720 and third place was Jaxon (Prep) who raised $671. I would like to acknowledge the amazing effort from all fundraisers across our school, especially our 4th, 5th and 6th highest fundraisers; Sami who raised $657, Henry who raised $535 and Lana who raised $447.  Our highest fundraising class was Prep D who collectively raised $2647. They will enjoy a special lunch treat including hot chips, a juice box and a Zooper Dooper next Wednesday.  Thank you once again to everyone who participated, fundraised and supported this wonderful event.

Last Friday, our Dads and special male role models gathered together to take part in a paper plane challenge. The competition was serious as teams worked together to design and create the most aerodynamic plane! It was wonderful to see the level of engagement, enthusiasm and excitement from everyone involved. Our three winning teams throwing the furthest distance were first place Tommy/Dad, second place Samuel/Dad and third place Jaxon/Dad. A huge thank you to Krispy Kreme Fawkner, who generously donated 8 dozen delicious donuts for everyone to enjoy. 

Our Father’s Day Stall and Raffle were also a great success. It was lovely to hear our students thoughtfully considering which gift would be just right for their dads and special people. Thanks to the generosity of our school community, we raised a total of $1675.  Thank you once again to our fabulous community who continue to support these wonderful events. Your involvement helps make these special occasions so memorable for our students. Also, thank you to our BPC members who organised and led this fundraiser and our hard working parent volunteers. Every contribution brings us one step closer to creating an exciting new playground for our students!

Prize winners are:

1st Prize: Anthony B (Photography session valued at $650)

2nd Prize: Alexander V (Fire Bit donated by Bunnings Coburg)

3rd Prize: Grace (Gift hamper donated by Anthony Cianflone)

4th Prize: Christopher (Mini Golf Family Pass donated by Hey Caddy Northland)

5th Prize: Henry L (Gift Hamper donated by Nestle Australia)

6th Prize: Eloise and Harry G (Noi Pizzeria voucher)

7th Prize: Eloise and Harry G (Bridge Rd Brewers voucher)

When enrolling at our school, families are asked to provide permission for their child’s photographs to be used for various purposes. This may include internal school use, as well as publication on our website, newsletters, social media and other general promotional materials.  If you would like to update your child’s photo permissions at any time, please feel free to contact the school office. We can provide you with a new permission form to complete.

We are in the process of creating a brand new website. To support the development of the content for the website, staff from MACS will be attending the school to film and photograph students and staff for promotional purposes on Wednesday 16th September.  These videos and photos will appear on our school website, social media accounts and in other promotional collateral of St Bernard’s.

Your child may appear in these videos in the following format:

• Question and answer session

• Small group setting with the Principal and other staff

• Larger group setting either in the classroom or outside in the playground.

If you do not wish your child to participate in these videos or photos please email me at jdinoto@stbernardscoburg.catholic.edu.au by Friday 11 September.

In Term 4 I will be holding two community conversations which is an opportunity for parents/carers to join me to share ideas, thoughts and feedback about the progress and updates at St Bernard’s this year.  It will be a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the changes we have made, celebrate our progress and hear your thoughts about our school community and what improvements you would like to see moving forward. See flyer below for session details.  I am looking forward to sharing this conversation with you and hearing your ideas and feedback.

Our recent ‘Mini Bernie’s Little Scholars Taste of School’ sessions were well attended. These sessions showcased our new STEM Lab and engaged young children with the curriculum area of Science. 

Next Term we will begin our Prep 2028 School Tours. Please share our tour dates with neighbours, family and friends. Thank you for your continued support. 

A reminder that your participation is encouraged in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings that students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. Completing this anonymous survey will help inform the ongoing improvement of St Bernard’s Primary School. The survey is now open and closes Friday 18th September. A pin is required to login which has been sent home via email. The survey link is www.orima.com.au/macsfamily If you cannot locate your pin, please contact the office. 

After six years of dedicated service to St Bernard’s, we say a heartfelt farewell to our much loved Administration Officer, Ms Nicole Ballinger. Nicole has been a valued member of the St Bernard’s community for almost 20 years, first becoming involved as an active member of our parent community. Over the years, she has become a familiar, friendly and calm presence in our school office, always ready to support our students, families and staff with warmth and care. Nicole’s kindness, professionalism and extensive knowledge of our school community have been greatly appreciated. Her contribution to St Bernard’s has been significant, and she will be very much missed by our entire community. We sincerely thank Ms Nicole for her years of commitment, care and support and wish her every happiness and success as she begins the next chapter of her journey. We hope she enjoys the opportunity to slow down, spend more time with her family and embrace all that this new chapter has to offer.

Ms Nicole’s final day at St Bernard’s will be Thursday, 8 October (Week 1).

We have seen an increase in students bringing fidget items to school including squishies, stress balls, and cubes. Fidget tools (not toys) can be used in the class to help with concentration, sensory regulation, anxiety, attention and participation in learning. St Bernard’s supports access to fidget tools in class when students genuinely need them to support individual needs and readiness to learn. It is important however that the fidgets brought to school are safe, appropriate and supportive of learning for everyone. Some fidgets are not appropriate for the school environment including those that are noisy, unsafe or disruptive in a classroom context. 

Unsafe fidgets include:

-Squishy balls, and other gel-filled balls or powder-filled balls. These are a safety concern as they split, break, leak, create a mess and can clog up our plumbing system. 

-Those that stretch in a way that can be used to slap or hit others

-Those designed to entertain rather than achieve core goals around focus and regulation

Please ensure the above fidgets are not brought to school.

Fidgets that are appropriate for the school environment are quiet, durable, and can be used discreetly without interrupting others.

Safe fidgets include:

-Discreet pencil/pen-top or hand fidgets

-Fidget cubes (not gel ones)

-Pop-it or push-button fidgets

-Smooth sensory stones or small textured objects designed for sensory regulation

St Bernard’s supports student access to fidgets in class providing they are used as tools, not toys, and are safe, purposeful and appropriate for the learning environment. A discussion should be had with your child’s teacher about whether a fidget may be required for your child in class. We also encourage families to have conversations with students to find the fidget right for them, that is safe, purposeful and appropriate for the learning environment.  We aim to work in partnership with you so we can create a learning space where all students can regulate, participate and feel included while also keeping everyone safe and engaged in learning.

A reminder that hats are now required to be worn. As a SunSmart school we have a sun protection policy that meets the Cancer Council of Victoria criteria. The purpose is to reduce student and staff exposure to ultra violet (UV) radiation to reduce sunburn and the risk of skin cancer. We encourage the wearing of sunscreen and sunglasses and enforce the wearing of hats from September until the end of April.

Our SRC will be organising a Footy Dress Up day on Thursday 17th September and will be selling Zooper Doopers. More information will be shared soon.  

My Principal award this fortnight went to Ollie N for the way he confidently shared his learning about his playground swing constructed in STEM, addressing parents during a school tour. Ollie showed wonderful persistence when encountering a problem with the design, adjusted his thinking and worked collaboratively with his learning partner to refine and improve the prototype. Well done to Ollie for being a resilient, collaborative and confident learner. 

A friendly reminder that the final fee payment for the year is due by the end of Term 3. Thank you for your continued support in keeping your school fee payments up to date. Your timely payments are greatly appreciated and help support the ongoing resources required for our school to operate effectively and continue providing quality opportunities for our students. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Have a wonderful remainder of Term 3. 

Warm regards

Julie Di Noto (Principal)