Bernardo T E R M O N E 2 1 S T M A R C H 2 0 1 8 Dear Parents, Guardians and Students, March Reflection Dear Lord 23rd 9:15am Year 6 Focus Group 26th Foundation 2019 enrolments open 9:15am school tour 28th Taste of School & 1:00pm students finish early end of term one 29th Staff PD Day (no school for students) 30th Good Friday April 16th Term 2 commences Follow us on Facebook St Bernard s Primary School East Coburg You created all people in your image. We thank you for the astonishing variety of races and cultures in Australia and in our community. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of friendship and show us your presence in those who differ most from us. Grant that we may always promote the justice and acceptance that ensures lasting peace and racial harmony. Grant that we may show equal respect to all persons of different cultures that we may come across. And help us to remember and appreciate that we are one country, with many stories. Staff Changes Term Two Amen Next week we will farewell three of our staff. Miss Afroditi leaves us next Wednesday to await the arrival of her second baby. We wish her well and will wait excitedly to hear the news of the arrival in May. We also farewell Miss Lidia who has been with us teaching Italian last year and for the first term this year. Miss Lidia is taking up a position at secondary school and we wish her well as she begins a new chapter in her career. Finally, we bid farewell to Miss Janine, from our office, who will retire next week. Janine has been an asset to St Bernard s over the past 14 years and we are very sad to see her go. We know however, that she is already planning many exciting adventures as she takes time for herself and her family. On behalf of the community I thank each of the staff leaving us for their contributions to or school. You will all be greatly missed. Assembly At this week s assembly (Year 1/2) there will be a short performance by Miss Nadia s lunch time dance group. As always, families are welcome to join us in the school hall at 3:00pm. End of Term/Start of Term Dates Term one ends for students at 1:00pm on Wednesday 28th March. Term two commences on Monday 16th April. SCHOOL Principal: Joanne Doherty St Bernard s Primary School 36 Patterson Street East Coburg Vic 3058 Email: schooladmin@stbernardscoburg.catholic.edu.au Website: www.stbernardscoburg.catholic. edu.au Phone: 9384 8500 Fax: 9383 1721 PARISH Parish Priest: Fr Leo De Marzi St Bernard s Parish 60 Sheffield Street East Coburg Vic 3058 Phone: 9386 1214 Fax: 9386 1495 Masses Weekdays - Monday to Friday 9:30am Weekends - Saturday 8:30am 7:00pm (English) Sunday 9:00am (Italian) 10:30am (English) OSHC Director: Carmel Carpinteri St Bernard s OSHC 40 Patterson Street East Coburg Vic 3058 Phone: 9386 8498 Email: stbernardsoshc@optusnet.com.au
Easter Paraliturgy and Easter Bonnet Parade Next Wednesday 28th March, we will be holding an Easter Paraliturgy, Assembly and Easter Bonnet Parade in the school hall from 11:30am 1:00pm. We hope to see you there! Working Bee - New Date Unfortunately we are unable to proceed with the Working Bee on Saturday 5th May. The Working Bee will now be held on Saturday 2nd June. Sorry for the inconvenience, hope you are able to lend a hand on this day. Year 7 2020 Enrolments in Catholic Secondary Schools Enrolments for students in Year 7, 2020 in Catholic Secondary schools close in July/August this year. Please contact the school where you intend to enrol your child, regarding the relevant date for that school. 2018 School Fees A reminder to families that there is a discount of $100 is applied when school fees are paid in full before the end of March 2018. Remember to deduct this amount if you are paying your account online (reduced total $1,400). Congratulations Congratulations to Kingston (3/4R) and Adrian Li (Foundation E) and their family on the safe arrival of a baby boy, Caleb. Fete Committee We have a few people who have very kindly offered to be part of our Fete Committee and we would like more. Please consider helping us with this exciting community event. I will contact those who have already volunteered to organise a meeting. If you are interested, please contact me: Telephone: 9384 8500 Email: schooladmin@stbernardscoburg.catholic.edu.au Winter Uniform We will change over from summer to winter uniform next term. Students will have a two week changeover period, where they may wear either summer or winter uniform (not a mixture of both). All students are required to be wearing their full winter uniform by Monday 30th April. Mini Fete/Catholic Mission In November last year, the students at our school held their annual mini-fete. The money raised was sent to the Uganda Catholic Mission Project to contribute to the purchase of an ambulance. The much needed ambulance has arrived! The community of St Luke s in Burunji, Uganda are now able to provide emergency medical care and safe transport for their patients. Our students should feel very proud of their contribution to this worthy cause. Regards, Joanne Doherty Principal Bernardo 21st March 2018 2
Physical Education Phil Pearson Guess Who is off to the Victorian State Swimming Championships? Ruby Kenda, in Year 3/4, last week competed at the Regional Swimming Championships. She took part in the 50m freestyle and butterfly events. She needed to finish in first place in either event to qualify for the Victorian State Swimming Championships, to be held in mid-april. Ruby finished in first place in the butterfly with a winning margin of approximately 5 seconds. Unfortunately, she just got touched out on the line in the freestyle and finished in second place, by an extremely narrow margin. That means that Ruby will be off to the State Championships and will compete in the butterfly event. Ruby and her family should be very proud of the way that she has performed and we can only hope that she performs in the same manner at her next event and becomes a State Champion. Congratulations Ruby. LIT Centre Josephine Natoli Good news! Our library now subscribes to the World Book Web. Our World Book subscription allows us to give you and your family access to this valuable reference source at your home computers 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. To access the World Book Web, follow these simple steps: 1. Go to www.worldbookonline.com 2. Enter Username stbs3058 Enter Password library Save your user name and password for faster login simply tick the box labelled Remember my ID and password. The next time you visit World Book the login prompt will already contain your username and password. Once you arrive at the World Book home page, you should bookmark the page or add to favourites for easy access to World Book in the future. Parents and Friends Association Due this Week 22nd March - Hot Cross Buns orders 23rd March - Easter Raffle tickets Last Day of Term Fun 28th March, 12:30pm -1pm (last day of term) - Easter Bonnet Parade, Easter Raffle drawn, Egg Guess winner announced.. get creative with the kids and make your bonnets this weekend. Easter Raffle Hamper Goods Please place non-perishable food (including Easter eggs), kids/family activities and home-wares in the box in your child's classroom. Helpers Needed Friday 23rd March 9am in Bernie s: coffee, counting raffle money, hamper making...many hands light work! Save the date if you are free :-) Bernardo 21st March 2018 3
Parish News Fr Leo De Marzi PROJECT COMPASSION - PALM SUNDAY - MARCH 25 th 2018 When Psyche Mae featured in Project Compassion 2008, she was living in a squatter settlement, near a rubbish dump in the Philippines. She is now a social worker, with plans to study a Master s degree, whilst helping others emerge from poverty, thanks to the support of individuals and Caritas Australia. Please donate to Project Compassion 2018 and help improve the health and wellbeing of communities in the Philippines so they can work towards eradicating poverty, providing a just future for all. PROJECT COMPASSION - WEEK 6 - PHILIPPINES - A JUST FUTURE STARTS WITH OPPORTUNITY When Psyche Mae featured in Project Compassion 2008, she was living in a squatter settlement, on the edge of a giant rubbish dump outside Manila in the Philippines. Her family was forced to pick through the rubbish to sell what they could to survive. In 2018, Psyche Mae is now a young social worker, achieving her dream of helping others struggling to leave poverty behind them - with plans to study a Master s degree. Thanks to the support of individuals and Caritas Australia through Project Compassion, the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) program helps people like Psyche Mae to learn job and income-generating skills, encourages education, addresses health and runs programs that enable members to save money and take out small, low interest loans. It s estimated around 5,000 people are assisted directly or indirectly by this program. Psyche Mae s mother has also become a part-time sewing teacher, her father works with the House Repair program, both run by FCJ and her three brothers and sisters are stying hard. With their jobs and the help of a community savings plan - Psyche Mae s entire family managed to lift themselves out of poverty and build a just future. PRAYER That we recognise the suffering Christ in those most marginalised and vulnerable to exploitation, and that we are moved to stand up and do what is right in order that all people can live life to the full as Jesus promised. REFLECTION - PALM SUNDAY Many of us over the years have seen film and television productions of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We could be tempted to see Palm Sunday as a historical re-enactment of the tragic events in Christ s life. Unlike those who witnessed this procession through Jerusalem 2000 years ago, we celebrate this day in the light of the resurrection. We know that sadness and death have given way to new life and that Christ has triumphed over death, so we too live in hope. As hope-filled people, we appreciate the significance of our prayer, fasting and almsgiving as they intensify during this week - the only week in our Christian calendar the Church calls holy. These Lenten acts draw us back to God and each other. Through the liturgies of Holy Week, we participate in the remembrance of Jesus final days. We are mindful too, of the many women, men and children around the world who are most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice. These are the face of the suffering Christ in our time. One such face is Psyche Mae who when featured in Project Compassion in 2008, was a teenager living with her family in a squatter settlement on the edge of a giant rubbish dump outside Manila in the Philippines. Fast forward to 2018 where Psyche Mae, her parents and siblings have managed to life themselves out of poverty to a new life where they have built a better future. Psyche Mae herself is now a qualified social worker for the Philippines Government, helping informal settlers and people with disabilities. She is a hard worker, working full-time and studying after work at university, where she plans to continue to study for Master s degree. This story illustrates that renewal and the opportunity for new life can be the start of a just future, where people can become the architects of change in their lives. Bernardo 21st March 2018 4
Out of School Hours Care Bernardo 21st March 2018 5