From the Principal

Principal - Ms Julie Di Noto

Prayer for Grandparents

Loving God,

We give thanks for our grandparents and all the special people who love and care for us like grandparents.

Thank You for their wisdom, kindness, patience, and the stories they share. Thank You for the love, encouragement, and guidance they give so generously.

Bless our grandparents with good health, happiness, and peace. Help us to show them our love and gratitude through our words and actions each day.

May our school community continue to grow in faith, love, and respect for one another, following the example of Jesus.

Amen.

Dear St Bernard’s Community,

Term 3 is now well underway, and our classrooms are filled with engaged learners, curious minds, and purposeful learning as students embrace new challenges and opportunities each day.

A heartfelt thank you to all our wonderful grandparents who joined us for our Grandparents' and special family members' celebration last week. It was a joy to welcome everyone into our school, visiting classrooms, joining in a joyful Mass celebration, and sharing morning tea together. Seeing the smiles, conversations, and precious moments shared across generations was truly special. Grandparents' love, wisdom, encouragement, and unwavering support are treasured gifts that enrich our families and our St Bernard’s school community. Please see the Grandparents Day Tribute Video  shown at Mass.

Thank you to all our families for supporting our Collaborative Learning Conferences and Specialist Expo earlier this term. It was wonderful to see the smiles and pride on the faces of our students and families. There was such a special buzz of excitement throughout the school. From students overcoming their nerves to present, to parents confidently sharing their drumming, sporting, artistic skills and other talents. It was wonderful to see our community come together in this way. The Specialist Expo was very well attended, providing a fantastic opportunity to showcase our brand-new STEM lab and celebrate the incredible learning taking place across our specialist areas. I look forward to gathering community feedback about our modified reporting student progress and achievement cycle later in the year. 

Our consistently outstanding NAPLAN results have continued this year, reflecting the dedication and expertise of our teaching staff. These results are a testament to our hardworking teachers, who know their students well and carefully tailor the support and challenges needed to help every learner achieve their best. Individual NAPLAN results have now been shared with all Grade 3 and Grade 5 families.

Our annual St Bernard’s walkathon will be taking place on Friday 7th August at 2.15pm. Students are encouraged to come to school wearing party themed casual clothes representing their house colours. You should have received your sponsorship form. There are great prizes for the highest fundraising students and class. We will be raising money for new playground equipment. The permission form for the walkathon has been shared via NPortal. If you have difficulties accessing it, please contact the office. Please note that due to the walkathon we will hold our 5/6 assembly on Monday 10th August at 2.50pm.

IMPORTANT:  BPC Bank Account Details have changed

Please UPDATE your saved account details for "St Bernards Social Club" and change to:

Account Name: St Bernard's Primary School Coburg East PARENTS & FRIENDS 

Account Number: BSB : 08-3347 Acc: 925508949

Going forward all BPC fundraising payments need to be made to this new account

I am delighted to share that St Bernard’s Primary School has received a generous anonymous donation of $5,000 to enhance literacy resources across the school. This wonderful gift will enable us to purchase a range of novels for our Years 3 - 6 novel study program, as well as additional high-quality texts to strengthen our Prep - Year 2 home reading program. We are incredibly grateful for ongoing community support, which will enrich our students' learning and foster a lifelong love of reading. 

Seesaw is a wonderful platform that allows families to gain an insight into the rich learning experiences taking place in our classrooms. Throughout the term, teachers make every effort to share examples of student learning, celebrations, and important class information so families can stay connected with their child's learning journey. As classroom teaching and student wellbeing remain our teachers' priority, the frequency of posts may vary from week to week and responses to messages may not always be immediate. We appreciate your understanding that there may be times when teachers are unable to post regularly due to the many demands of the school day. As Seesaw is primarily a platform for sharing learning and classroom updates, if you have a question or concern about your child's progress, wellbeing, or another matter requiring discussion, please contact your child's teacher to arrange an appropriate time to talk. This ensures that important conversations receive the time and attention they deserve. Together, we can continue to use Seesaw as a positive way to celebrate learning and strengthen the connection between home and school.

Due to family commitments, our beloved Physical Education teacher, Ms Tijana, has made the difficult decision to resign from her position at our school. During her nearly two years with us, Ms Tijana has worked tirelessly to provide our students with a wide range of sporting opportunities while delivering a high-quality Physical Education program. Her enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to promoting active and healthy lifestyles have had a positive impact on our students and the broader school community.

On behalf of our entire school community, I would like to sincerely thank Ms Tijana for her hard work, passion, and contribution to St Bernard's. We wish her and her family all the very best for the future. Ms Tijana's last day at our school will be Thursday, 13 August. The Physical Education program will continue as normal for the remainder of the year, and I will keep our school community updated regarding Ms Tijana’s replacement.

From 31 August to 18 September families are invited to participate in the annual Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). Please read this letter of informed consent for further information.  Staff and students from grades 4-6 will also be participating. The survey provides us with valuable information about how our school is performing and provides guidance to support the ongoing work to improve our school. Information regarding access to the survey will be provided later this term. 

The safety and wellbeing of every child is our highest priority. As part of the Victorian PROTECT Child Safe requirements, all school staff are legally required to report any reasonable belief that a child is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect. Our staff receive regular training in child safety and mandatory reporting to ensure every child is supported in a safe, caring, and respectful environment. We are committed to working in partnership with families to promote the safety and wellbeing of all children in our care. The Victorian Government has recently updated PROTECT requirements. In response to this our Child Abuse Identification and Response Policy has been updated. For more information about PROTECT visit https://www.vic.gov.au/protect-schools   

This term we will begin our preparation for school review early in Term 4.  Conducted every four years, the process involves an external reviewer allocated to our school who examines how effectively St Bernard’s is fulfilling its mission, improving student learning and wellbeing, and meeting the expectations of the relevant education authorities. The review uses evidence from across the school community to identify strengths, celebrate our achievements, set priorities for improvement, and support ongoing strategic planning and continuous improvement. On Friday 14 August, there will be no school for students, as staff will begin to prepare for our school review. 

I was pleased to work with the first two ‘Principal for the morning’ recipients who traded 120 ‘gotchas’ to work in the office. They both made wonderful ‘Principals’ working hard to do some Principal jobs.

Maddie - ‘I felt really happy and excited to be Principal. I enjoyed checking the classrooms to make sure the doors were clear for safety.’ 

Zac - ‘I felt excited and happy because I got to do an announcement in the special office room and I also got to give out gotchas.’

Last week, my Principal’s Award recipient was Thomas P from Prep D. Thomas is a wonderful role model in our Prep class and school community. He brightens our school every day with his big smile and the warm way he greets both students and adults. Thomas is inquisitive and asks thoughtful questions which shows his love of learning, and willingness to try his best. Thomas makes a huge effort to help others and invite classmates to play which reflects his kind and inclusive nature. Thomas truly lets his light shine every day at St Bernard’s, making our school a happier and more welcoming place for everyone. Congratulations to Thomas. 

Have a wonderful fortnight. 

Warm regards,

Julie Di Noto (Principal).