Dear Parents,

Yesterday it was Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of the Church’s season of Lent. Lent is the time that we prepare for Easter. More information can be found on the R.E page of our newsletter.

Enrolments 2026

Enrolments for 2026 are now open. We have a number of opportunities for prospective families to find out more about our school.

We have tours, an Open Morning, Information Sessions (both online & in person) and a Taste of School. To make a booking visit the school website. https://www.stbernardscoburg.catholic.edu.au/

Help Needed

We would like to place our enrolment posters in local businesses and services. If you have a relationships with a local business and would be happy to ask them to place our poster in their window or on their notice board, we would greatly appreciate the help. Please come to the office to collect a poster.

Artist in Residence Program

Each year we have an Artist in Residence Program that focusses on either the visual or performing arts. This year is a Performing Arts focus and we are excited to announce that we will be working with Circus Crew on a circus skills program and ultimately a performance. The program will run in term 3 with the culmination Circus Show on Thursday 18th September. Please note this date in your calendars.

Smart watches

A reminder that should students have a smart watch of any kind, they must be set to school mode and cameras are to be disabled during school hours. Photos are not to be taken by students at school on any device.

School Advisory Council

Our School Advisory Council (SAC met for the first time last Thursday. The members of our Council are Fr Leo, Mr Reed and myself as Ex-officio members and our parent members are Nahrain (mother of Nathanial) Renee (Mother of Henry and Frankie) Gabriel (mother of Angus and Isaac), Tyson (father of Bronson & Heidi) and Hayley (mother of Trey & Rein).

After each meeting a member of the Council provides a summary that we will publish in our newsletter. The summary from last week’s meeting is below.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy) begins next week for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

NAPLAN is made up of tests in the 4 areas (or ‘domains’) of:

reading
writing
conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
numeracy.

These assessments are undertaken nationwide, every year and are one aspect of each school’s approach to report and assessment. It is important to remember that these are a snapshot of learning on one day in March and are not the only measure of how a student is going.

The Resilience Project (TRP)

The Resilience Project is committed to teaching positive mental health strategies to prevent mental ill health and build young peoples capacity to deal with adversity.

Students engage in weekly lessons to strengthen their practice of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy.

Each week on our Wellbeing Page there will be valuable and informative clips, articles and snapshots to help build parents’ and families’ understanding and awareness eg TRP before we hold a parent session in term 2.

Over the next 5 weeks, we will include information about each of the guiding principles.

Assembly this Friday

The whole school assembly is this Friday 7th March at 3.00pm in the hall, Year 1/2 classes will be hosting.

Joanne Doherty

Principal

Student Advisory Council

The school community has settled in well, with a successful Welcome Breakfast and Mass bringing families together to start the year at St. Bernard’s. Teachers explored updates to the revised English Curriculum V 2.0 during a school closure day to strengthen their understanding of the changes and reporting requirements. The Resilience Project has commenced, engaging all students on Mondays, with further details to follow in the newsletter. Extracurricular clubs, including Dance, Chess, the L.I.T Centre, Green Team, and Music Lessons, have seen high participation across all year levels. Joanne and Iain collaborated with the BPC on fundraising plans, focusing on the possibility for new turf inserts for alternative play spaces. Additionally, the board reviewed Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) updated Code of Conduct to prioritise safety for students, staff, and volunteers. The school is also seeking local businesses to advertise in support of the community.

Renee