St Bernadette's School

From our Leadership Team

Last Tuesday, during our Pupil Free Day, our staff participated in a Visible Wellbeing showcase where some of our teachers presented the work we have been doing in this space for the past 18 months, while others had the opportunity to learn from other schools. This was a very valuable learning experience, led ably by Marlo and Donna. Both Marlo and Donna also presented their work to the School Board on Tuesday night, which was warmly received. Please find attached some parent Visible Wellbeing information at the end of this newsletter that focuses on Emotional Management.

For the first time, we also ran OSHC on the pupil free day, which was successful with 11 students attending. We look forward to continuing to provide this service for our families.

Over the past two weeks, we have been delighted to welcome 23 new Mid-Year Reception students for their transition visits, which will continue weekly until the end of term. It has been wonderful to see how welcoming and inclusive our students and staff have been during these visits, helping our newest members feel at home at St Bernadette's.

Last week, over 20 students from Years 5 and 6 travelled to Barratt Reserve at West Beach to compete in the SAPSASA Soccer Carnival. Both the boys' team and the girls' team competed strongly in their respective groups, learning and improving over the course of the day. It was great to see students grow their confidence in their soccer abilities, as well as develop teamwork and leadership skills throughout the carnival. Well done to all the students involved – you represented St Bernadette’s proudly!

We have a number of sporting carnivals and excursions coming up on our calendar. In order for us to proceed with these events, we require the support of parent volunteers. Parent Volunteers are required to have a Working with Children Clearance and/or Catholic Police Clearance. If you are able to support us as a volunteer please contact the Front Office for further information.

The Sacramental program for St Ann’s Parish is now completed for another year. We congratulate three of our students from the Year 4/5 classes – Anna, Chibuifem, and Hayden – who celebrated the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion last week.

Finally, yesterday you would have received a staffing announcement informing you that Matthew Min has won a Deputy Principal role at St John the Baptist, Plympton, commencing Term 3. We are thrilled for the opportunity this presents for Matthew, but we know he will be very missed in our community. We are seeking a replacement for his varied roles and will communicate this to you as soon as this process is finalised.

God bless,
Michelle, Matt and Ben

From our Year 4/5's

Excursion to the Maritime Museum
This term, Year 4/5L & 4/5B had an exciting and educational excursion to the Maritime Museum as part of our HASS studies. Students explored the journey of the First Fleet, learning that it took 252 days for the 11 ships to travel to Australia. They gained insight into life on board, including the types of food people ate, where they slept, and the different roles held by convicts, marines, police, and free settlers.

A highlight of the day was exploring a demonstration ship, where we got to see firsthand the cramped sleeping quarters and conditions faced during the voyage.

The class also learned about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including how they cared for the land, hunted, prepared food, and used natural resources to build shelters and tools. We were amazed by the knowledge and skills used to live sustainably in harmony with the environment.

It was a memorable day full of discovery, helping students connect what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life experiences.