T2 Week 6

This term we’ve been truly blessed to welcome four amazing pre-service teachers completing their final placements at St Bernadette’s: Olivia (4/5L), Blake (4/5B), Ella (6D), and Celine (RA). Each of them has made an exceptional contribution to our school community—building strong relationships with students and delivering exciting, engaging learning programs, all with the guidance of their mentor teachers. Their presence has brought great benefit to our whole community, and we send them off with our warmest wishes as they prepare to enter the teaching profession in 2026.

In Week 5, we gathered for a significant liturgical celebration led by the 4/5B class for Reconciliation Week. The liturgy honoured the culture and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, centred around this year’s theme: “Bridging Now to Next.” This theme calls us to look to the future while honouring and learning from the past. Together, we gave thanks for the deep cultural richness and wisdom of our First Nations peoples—the oldest living cultures in the world. We celebrated their connection to land, animals, and community, and reflected on how we can continue to honour and incorporate their traditions into our own lives.

This Friday, the 4/5L class will lead our whole school in a Pentecost Mass. Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season and is often referred to as the birthday of the Church. It commemorates the moment the disciples and early Christians received the Holy Spirit, 50 days after Easter.

Continuing our focus on Catholic Identity, we also celebrate a special milestone for three of our students—Hayden, Chibuifem, and Anna—who have been preparing through the Sacramental Program at St Ann’s Parish. Next week, they will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion—important steps in their journey of faith. We congratulate and pray for them as they take these sacred steps.

As we head into the long weekend, a reminder that Tuesday, 10th June is a Pupil Free Day. For the first time, Camp Australia will be running a full-day session. Families wishing to use this service must book in through Camp Australia. 

Wishing you all a safe and restful (extra) long weekend with plenty of time for family and connection.

God bless,
Michelle, Matt and Ben

Reconciliation Week is a time to learn about some of Australia’s history and its Indigenous peoples. The Year Twos discussed ways we could build a more united future and celebrate ways we could be kind, respectful and inclusive of others in our day to day lives. Our children are the future, so it was heartening to see them genuinely reflecting on the past, present and future of reconciliation, being mindful of this year’s theme…“Bridging Now to Next.”

We all had so much fun creating our beautiful Reconciliation poster. You can also see by the photos, that the children thoroughly enjoyed making the colourful musical instruments with the Indigenous-style designs, by the joyful expressions on their faces.

Lynda Moser and…The Gang

In Year 6D we have been working on Information Reports in writing this term. We have been lucky enough to have Miss Hosking, one of our Pre-Service Teacher's from Flinders University, teaching us all about how to inform our audience in the most entertaining way. Here is a snippet of some of our introductions below, where our job was to 'capture the reader's attention'. 

The Up's and Down's of Cheetahs
Did you know cheetahs live in hot savannahs? They mostly live in Africa and Iran but are rarely found in India. Although cheetahs are known for their amazing speed, did you know they could swim?! They only swim when they really need to. From their orange fur to their special diet, cheetahs are very interesting animals to learn about.
Sohan 

The danger of Cheetahs
Did you know that a cheetah is faster than Usain Bolt's top speed? The cheetah can double Usain Bolt’s top speed. Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth. A cheetah is a hunter not really prey, since cheetahs are the fastest land animal. Even if other animals tried, they would probably not succeed. These speed creatures are faster than any human ever.
Aarya

Eastern Lowland Gorilla 
If one gorilla was as heavy as ten humans, could 100 humans beat 1 Eastern Gorilla?  Eastern Lowland Gorillas all live in a pack with the leader, known as a silverback. These gorillas live in tropical rainforests devouring fruits, although insects are on the menu too. Do you think Gorillas have the strengths to beat 100 men?  The stats can let us know how vigorous they are, or how frail they are. 
Sakar

Life of a Mandrill Monkey 
Did you know Mandrill Monkeys are the largest monkey in the world? Mandrill monkeys live on average up to 20 years but when in a zoo they live up to 40 years. Mandrill Monkeys also live in rain forests. They also hunt for insects, snails, worms and frags. The Mandrill Monkey is the worlds largest monkey reaching up to 37kg for male and 15kg for female. It lives in tropical rainforests because of the rich food source and shelter the rainforest offers. It is estimated that there are about 4,000 individual Mandrill monkeys in the world. 
Prathiv

Cheetah
In the lonely, dry desert creeps up an animal. It hides near a rock and spots its vulnerable prey. This animal runs to get to the prey and then suffocates so it dies almost instantly! This specific animal is called a cheetah. It’s the fastest land animal and can run up to 130km/h. They are almost heavier than the average human and are scarce in population, but they are well protected by their sharp fangs and claws also their jaw dropping speed.
Kabir

Old Man in the Sea
A playful sea otter spends their life in the sea with family. They love to hunt food like crabs, sea urchins, octopus and other marine invertebrates. They also love the sea because they play with friends or relax with their baby’s all day every day with their unique manners and exceptional behaviour.
Adut