Dear Parents and Carers

It has been a very eventful and joyful fortnight at St Bernard’s! We’ve celebrated the feast day of our school and parish patron, St Bernard, enjoyed the excitement of Book Week culminating in our character parade tomorrow, and cheered on our talented students at the Canberra Goulburn Athletics Championships who competed today. These special events are a vibrant part of our school life and reflect the spirit and energy of our community.

Amid all the activity, teaching and learning in the classroom remain our core focus. Students continue to engage deeply in their daily English and Mathematics lessons, showing great enthusiasm and progress in their learning.

I’ve also had the pleasure recently of meeting some of our 2026 Kindergarten students and their families. It’s always a delight to welcome new members to our school community and to share what makes St Bernard’s such a wonderful place to learn and grow.

As a Catholic school that welcomes everyone, we are proud of our strong sense of faith and belonging. Our Religious Education program and the prayer life of our school invite students to learn about Jesus and reflect on His teachings in a meaningful way. This spiritual foundation is something that truly sets us apart and contributes to the caring, inclusive, and values-driven environment we offer.

On Thursday last week we had the wonderful news that Mr Matt Lowe and his wife Rebecca had welcomed their son Reuben into the world. Ms Ella Mitchell has also now started her leave in preparation for the birth of her child. We wish Matt and Ella and their famillies the very best at this special time.

New families

Recently we have been very pleased to welcome new students to our school.

• Khalid N in Year 3W
• Harrison K in Year 4W
• Savannah H in Year 2N

We hope that you and your family have a wonderful association with our school.

Tournament of the Minds

On Sunday 31 August, a team of Year 5 and 6 students will represent our school at the Tournament of the Minds competition in Canberra. The students include:

Ava J, Remi F, Ava G, Alyssa D, Mia B, Beatrix F and Sarah S.

Under the guidance of Mrs Rebecca Keough, the students have spent a number of weeks preparing for the academic challenge of the competition. 

The students will compete in the STEM challenge.The combination of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics principles provides an integrated approach for students to deepen their conceptual understanding and use their creative and critical thinking skills to solve the challenges within an authentic context.

We thank Mrs Keough for her leadership and dedication to this extension opportunity for our students. Thank you also to the team of 14 who were part of this program and then the final 7 students who will compete in Canberra. We wish you every success and look forward to hearing all about it when you return.

Archdiocesan Public Speaking

Congratulations to Beatrix F of Year 5 who will compete at the Archdiocesan Public Speaking Competition at Sacred Heart Central School in Cootamundra on the 12 September. Beatrix was runner up in the Southern Region Public Speaking competition last week. She will present her 3 minute speech on the topic: 'What would I do with a time machine?'  Beatrix will be an excellent representative for our school and region.

Storyline

In all classes, students are engaged in their Storyline learning on topics within the Geography and History curriculum areas. Teachers have created engaging opportunities for students to learn content, as they become part of a narrative, taking on the persona of a character within their learning area. Students in Kindergarten are learning about farming and have had a visit from the Ralston family to learn about oyster farming and are also hatching their own chickens in the classroom. Year 3 are learning about the history of Batemans Bay and will be going on an excursion led by Riley Nolan to learn about the Dreaming Stories connected to the local area near our school. Year 5 have created a goldrush town within their classroom and are playing a goldrush game to experience what it would be like to live at this time in Australian history.

Please make sure you save the date of Tuesday 23 September from 9am-10am, when we open the classrooms to share the students' learning with you.

Changes to Drop-Off Zone on David Avenue

The Roads and Traffic Authority has recently made changes to the drop-off zone on David Avenue, just outside the bus zone near the school.

This area is now designated as a “Drop-Off Only” zone between 8:00am and 9:30am. During this time, drivers may stop for up to 2 minutes and must remain within 3 metres of their vehicle.

To ensure the safety of all students, we kindly ask that parents avoid using nearby driveways to turn around or drop off children. Reversing onto the street can pose a serious hazard, especially with children walking along the footpath towards the school.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep our students safe.

Father's Day Celebrations
Our annual Father’s Day Breakfast will be held on Friday 5 September from 7.30am to 8.30am in the Lean To. All students are welcome to invite their fathers, grandfathers, uncle or special friend to come and receive a bacon and egg roll for breakfast to celebrate Father’s Day. The breakfast is prepared by the Staff at St Bernard’s (There is no cost involved). To assist with catering, can you please complete the survey below and indicate the number of bacon and egg rolls you would like for your family in the link below by Friday 29 August. There will be a vegan option of a sausage sandwich.     

Following breakfast, you are invited to stay for Assembly in the Hall starting at 8.45am. This will be led by our Year 6 students. The children will also have the opportunity to purchase something special at the Father’s Day Stall with their class following the assembly in the iCentre. Parents are able to purchase vouchers through Qkr! or children can bring money in on the day. A description of gifts are in Qkr and can now be ordered.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STBBFathers2025

We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow morning for our Book Week Character Parade in the hall starting at 9:00am. Everyone is welcome!

Warm regards

Karen

Karen Hadley

Principal

WHICH ROAD ARE YOU ON?

Over the last two weeks we have been told to ‘stay awake’ and ‘there will be division’. This week we are told to take the narrow road. What is Jesus telling us? Are we not saved by Jesus death and resurrection? Heaven is open for business can we not just stream in as the people He saved?

He died to give us the gift of salvation but what good is a gift if it is not used? Children’s favourite gifts are obvious: they are battered, colour and texture dulled by handling, perhaps bits are broken off! Similarly we do not get a new car to admire it in the garage. If these gifts are so obviously used should not the precious gift of salvation be even more treasured and worn?

Operation Christmas Child

Each year, St Bernard’s Primary School works alongside the organisers at Samaritan’s Purse to construct shoe box packages to go overseas to those less fortunate than us.

This year we are inviting your family to either contribute a shoebox or to send in an item to support Mini Vinnies to be able to package boxes ready to go.

All of the items must be new. Unfortunately, second hand items are not able to be donated.

Please see below the items we are asking each class to contribute:

If your family would like to donate a small shoebox, please see the attached flyer on what to do, or call Mrs Keough who will be happy to send more information home for you.

More information about this initiative can be found here: https://occ.samaritanspurse.org.au/

Students who will be participating in the sacrament of First Eucharist gathered at the church on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August to participate in their Commitment Mass in preparation for the sacrament.

Father Joshy highlighted that as part of the preparation, he will be presenting a special homily each week to support the students and their families on this important faith journey. He is encouraging families to make time in their schedule to prepare for the sacrament by attending weekly Mass.

Please keep our candidates in your prayers as they walk in Christ’s light as they get ready to complete their first holy communion.

Please see below the key dates for Eucharist candidates:

Save the Date:
First Eucharist Retreat Day	Thursday 28 August, Carroll College ** Please complete Compass Permission for this event **
Family Catch-up Evening	Thursday 5:00 pm  11 September, St Bernard’s Parish
Sacrament of First Eucharist Mass	Sunday 14 September 9:00 am

Feast of St Bernard Celebration

What an outstanding celebration! 

Attending Mass with our whole school is always such a joyous occasion. The Mass was led by our Year 6 Leadership Team, who read reverently and demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.

Thank you to those families who joined us on this special feast day, and to Father Joshy for his support and guidance of our students.

Upon returning to school, we learnt about our patron saint and then, we enjoyed a French recess. We then came together with our peer support groups to participate in a trivia challenge and STEM challenge to build a model of the Eiffel Tower. The students had a wonderful time, with many gifts and talents demonstrated as they worked in teams to participate as part of a team.

The afternoon was spent in classrooms exploring French art. Each class was inspired by something French, and then indulged in an artistic journey of creation. What a magnificent way to finish the day. This art will be on display in the hall as classes finish.

A big thank you to our amazing staff who always work so hard behind the scenes to make this magic happen. You are amazing!

Feast of St Mary of the Cross, Mary Mackillop

We hope you were wowed by our sensational Kindergarten Students on Friday 8 August, as they led a whole school Liturgy about Saint Mary MacKillop. A big thank you to Mrs Davis, Mrs Armstrong and Mrs Rosenbaum for leading the students so graciously through this beautiful experience.

One of Mary’s well-known sayings is “Never see a need without doing something about it,”. This is a key message we share with our students here at St Bernard’s Primary School.

Mini Vinnies News

We welcomed Mr Gary Norris from St Vincent de Paul Society on Friday 8 August to our assembly to receive our donations from the Winter Appeal.

Mr Norris was impressed with our massive donation of $1,300 which was converted into Kmart vouchers to purchase blankets, clothing, warm socks and winter clothing for those in need.

Thank you to Azami, Ella and Ruby for representing our Mini Vinnies Team so beautifully, and presenting our donation to Mr Norris. 

Begin With The Heart

Congratulations to 5KT  who were the winners of our first Begin With The Heart. They demonstrated the value Honesty: I ask for help with my learning when I need it. What a great effort you have put in.

Begin With the Heart: Term 3 2025
Week/s	Heart Focus
5 & 6	HEART – Empathy    I never see a need without doing something about it.
7 & 8	HEART – Appreciation  I contribute my gifts and talents in the classroom.
9 & 10	HEART – Respect  I allow everyone the right to learn.

Kind regards,

Beck

Rebecca Keough

Religious Education Coordinator

Dear Parents and Carers, 

This week, as we celebrated the feast day of St Bernard, I took some time to reflect on my journey at St Bernard’s. I began my time here as a Year 2 student, not long after

the school first opened. Back then, there were fewer than 80 students. Even as a child, I could sense that there was something special about the St Bernard’s community—the warmth, the spirit, and the genuine care from the staff made a lasting impression on me.

One of the people who inspired me most was my Year 6 teacher, Gary Norris—now representing St Vincent de Paul. His dedication and passion for teaching planted the seed in me to one day return as a teacher myself and contribute to the community that shaped me. Throughout my journey, I have felt the presence and guidance of our patron saint, and I feel a deep connection to his spiritual influence on our school. It’s this sense of purpose and faith that continues to drive me. I hope all students who participated in this week’s St Bernard’s Feast Day activities felt a meaningful connection with St Bernard and our wider community.

Increased Age Restrictions for Online Platforms

As parents and educators, one of our key responsibilities is helping children understand how to use social media safely—before they are exposed to it.

We’re increasingly supporting families with issues related to students accessing inappropriate content or struggling with online behaviours. My first piece of advice is always to check the age restrictions. No primary school student should be using age-restricted social media platforms.

New rules mean under-16s won’t be allowed to create or keep accounts on some platforms. This is because being logged in increases the chances of exposure to harmful content and unhealthy online pressures. Social media is designed to keep users engaged, which can impact a child’s wellbeing and development.

While most platforms currently set the minimum age at 13, delaying access until 16 gives young people more time to develop digital skills, impulse control, and resilience. It allows more time to teach them about online risks, how to stay safe, and where to go for help.

By waiting until they’re older, we give young people the best chance to use social media in a healthy, informed, and safe way.

Resources to support families: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

Father’s Day

The Community Council is preparing for our annual Father’s Day Stall! This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to purchase a small gift for a special father figure in their lives.

Vouchers are now available for purchase via the Qkr! App.
Students will be able to make their selections from the stall on Friday 5 September.

We are also seeking parent volunteers to assist with packing the gift bags on Wednesday 3 September at 2:00pm. If you're available to help, please let us know—with a few volunteers, the task should take no longer than 30 minutes.

Thank you for your continued support!

Book Week

Tomorrow, students and staff will come to school dressed as their favourite Book Week character!

This year’s theme, ‘Book an Adventure’, celebrates the exciting journeys that stories can take us on.

The 2025 Book Week feature artist, Jess McGeachin, has beautifully captured this theme in his artwork—a whimsical map filled with imaginative characters and magical places. His illustration invites young readers to embark on fantastical journeys and discover the limitless worlds that books open up. As an award-winning Australian picture book illustrator, Jess’ work encourages children to imagine, explore, and create adventures of their own.

We invite parents, carers, and younger siblings to join us for the Book Week Parade at 9:00am in the hall. We look forward to seeing everyone there and celebrating the joy books bring to us all. 

Kind regards,

Jeni

Ms Jeni McCarthy

Assistant Principal

Year One’s Learning Journey Term 3 2025

English

This term, Year 1 has been expanding their knowledge of sentence writing by using our knowledge of sentences to create simple informative texts. We have also been exploring adjectives, and how they make our writing more interesting. 

We are using a variety of strategies to help us to encode and decode words. During our reading, we have practiced paired fluency routines, which has seen all of us grow as readers. 

Our shared texts have been rich in vocabulary, where we have explored words such as delectable, united and flounder. Some of our favourite books have been Girraffe’s Can’t Dance, Blossom Possum and Edwina the Emu.

Mathematics 

Our learners have become very confident in creating number bonds, finding missing numbers on number lines and telling the time on digital and analogue clocks. We have been measuring using informal units, learnt a variety of strategies when adding and subtracting numbers including bridging. Students are becoming very fluent with fact families and using mental strategies to solve problems. We have excelled at representing numbers using base ten blocks and at creating repeating patterns.

Religious Education

During Religious Education, we have been exploring how people of faith make a difference in their community. 

This week we attended Mass at St Bernard’s Church, where we saw how communities come together to celebrate! 

This has included learning about being called, missions and the actions that people take when they are called. We look forward to looking towards our local community to see how people enact their faith, with some very exciting visitors looking at coming to talk with us in Week 7.

Visual Arts

Each of our art lessons has centred on our weekly text. We have been learning about blending, collage, contrast, texture and space whilst creating amazing animal pictures to compliment our learning for Storyline.

Storyline

Our Storyline unit has centred on learning about animals, their needs and their habitats. We have explored the role of a zoologist, discussed the needs of animals in different locations and considered what features animals have and why these are important. We are very excited to be learning about how to care for a special animal, and can’t wait to welcome you into our classroom to share our learning in Week 10. 

iCentre

Each week we go to the Library to borrow books, this is a fantastic way for us to build our love of reading and to enrich our minds. We also spend time learning how to type and navigate a variety of tools in Microsoft Powerpoint. We are very quick at logging in now, and we can add a new slide, type text, change font and we are learning to insert pictures. Aren’t we clever!

Mrs Rebecca Keough, Mrs Ella Mitchell, Mrs Melissa Reed, Mrs Laura Canning & Ms Alyssa McRae

Year 1 Team 

Today Emerson B, Ashton S, Vander C, Nalu G, Sietta G, Lebron C, Jordan L, Indie F, Astrid B, Annabelle T, Winter W, Raph C, Lehan D, William O'C, Beatrix F, Charlie M, Aurelia S, Brooklen S, Avia N, Lucas V, Noah S, Remi C, Lilly G, Georgina W, Sion D, Ollie L, Liam C and Finn H had the amazing experience of competing at the Archdiocesan Athletics Championships at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Competing are our four relay teams:

Junior Girls - Astrid, Sietta, Annabelle, and Indie.

Junior Boys - Jordan, Lebron, Lehan, and Raph.

Senior Girls - Charlie, Lilly, Georgina, and Beatrix.

Senior Boys - Sion, Lucas, Finn, and Ollie.

In Track Events - 100m and 200m - Nalu, Vander, Ashton, Jordan, Lebron, Raph, William, Lehan, Noah, Lucas, Sion, Ollie, Finn, Liam, Emerson, Sietta, Indie, Annabelle, Charlie, Beatrix and Lilly.

In Track Events - 800m and 1500m - Vander, Raph, Noah, Astrid, Brooklen, and Beatrix

In Field Events - Winter, Aurelia, Avia, Charlie, Beatrix, Raph, Remi, Noah & Ollie.

Congratulations to all these students on such an outstanding achievement.

Tennis Coaching

Students are enjoying sessions of tennis coaching in school sport and PE sessions. Year 3-6 will be given the chance to play tennis at the Todd Woodbridge Cup Gala Day in September. Thank you to our local coach Rob Frawley and all our staff for supporting this fantastic program.

 Upcoming Sport Dates

Tuesday 16 September - Year 3 and 4 Todd Woodbridge Cup Tennis Gala Day Broulee      

Thursday 18 September - Year 5 and 6 Todd Woodbridge Cup Tennis Gala Day Broulee

Wednesday 24 September - NSW MacKillop Athletics Sydney Olympic Park

Kind regards,

Angela Holmes

Sports Coordinator/PE Teacher 

Resolving Anxiety:  The Benefits of Challenging, not Accommodating

One of the most surprising things I learned in my professional training was that anxious kids who receive an overly comforting or accommodating response from adults actually tend to do worse and end up with higher levels of anxiety in the long run. How on earth could this be the case?

Children often report anxiety in the context of friendships, family, phobias (fears) or sleep disturbances due to anxious thought patterns. I think the natural and understandable response of many parents is to provide some reassurance. For example, if a child is preoccupied with worries about loved ones dying, they might remind them about statistics about death or remind them that their home is safe, or that their parents are strong and healthy. It may seem counterintuitive, but the strongest evidence for anxiety interventions suggests that such approaches don’t really resolve the underlying issue, and may even make it worse. The underlying problem with anxiety is not anxious thoughts themselves – they’re just thoughts after all – but rather the way anxiety hijacks the mind.

What major research has found to be the “gold standard” treatment for anxiety in therapeutic settings, is an approach known as exposure therapy (https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/exposure-therapy-anxiety-disorders). The gist of exposure therapy is: an approach that encourages kids to confront their worries head-on, rather than feeling limited by them. In other words, it focuses on increasing a child’s ability to tolerate discomfort (within reason) rather than increasing patterns of avoidance.

There’s only one problem with exposure therapy: very few child therapists/counsellors actually teach it. I think this is a great shame, because if I’ve learned anything from working with kids, it’s that kids can be incredibly resilient, often more so than anyone gives them credit for.

If your child suffers from anxiety and you’re interested in giving this a try, here are some simple suggestions for how you could implement exposure therapy techniques at home:

· Encourage kids to explore the nature of life and death and don’t try to protect them from the harsh realities of life too much. We can assist kids to understand that life is sometimes unfair and the world can sometimes be a cruel place, but that we can look upon any challenging situation as an opportunity for personal growth.

· We can support kids that have death phobias to explore spiritual/religious teachings about death, if appropriate.

· Encourage kids to face situations that are causing them to worry. For example, if your child is socially anxious, find social events that align with the child’s interests/hobbies and give them a few little pushes outside their comfort zone. They may surprise themselves – and you.

· Start out with mild/easy challenges and work your way up to bigger/scarier ones. Create a challenge ladder to track and celebrate your child’s progress on facing their anxiety triggers.

Warm regards,

Damian

Damian Gerber

Student & Family Counsellor

Term 3

Week 3 Class Awards

Presented: Friday 8 August 2025.

Well done to all!