This Week is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of our Church.

Through the witness of the apostles, Pentecost became recognised as the birth of the Church. The disciples, once fearful and uncertain, ( as we can be as well ) were transformed into courageous witnesses who spread the message of Jesus to people of many nations and languages. This event highlighted the universal mission of the Church and the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in Christian life.

Specialist Theologians and Church leaders have further developed the understanding of Pentecost as a celebration of unity, mission, and renewal. Modern Christian communities see Pentecost not only as a historical event but also as an ongoing invitation for believers to live with faith, courage, and openness to the Spirit’s guidance in everyday life.

For Clairvaux, schools and faith communities today, Pentecost reminds us of the importance of community, inclusion, and using our gifts to serve others. It encourages our children and us to become active witnesses of compassion, justice, and hope within the world around them.

Brendan

2027 Prep Enrolments

Tomorrow, families with a child commencing Prep in 2027 will receive notification regarding their enrolment application to Clairvaux.

For families who already have a child or children attending Clairvaux, this news will further strengthen your family’s connection and involvement within our school community. For some, it may also mark the milestone of welcoming your youngest child into school life as the kindergarten years come to an end.

For our new families, this will be an exciting beginning for them as they prepare to commence their  journey with their first child at Clairvaux and become part of our vibrant school community.

This year we received a very large number of applications. We will have 100 new prep children in 2027.  Application numbers were 140+.  While many families will receive an offer in this first round, unfortunately some families will experience disappointment at this stage. A waitlist process will remain in place for those families. Confirmation of acceptance of an enrolment offer must be received by 5th June.

I would like to sincerely thank our current families for the way you advocate for our school. Your support plays a significant role in strengthening our community and reputation. We are a community of 429 families who all want the very best for their children. By choosing Clairvaux, you have made a commitment to be part of a large and connected school community.

With this comes shared expectations regarding the quality of teaching and learning, as well as the school’s educational reputation within the wider community. At Clairvaux, we continue to build a community grounded in our vision of being an “authentic learning community shaping and enriching our world” within our Catholic school context.

Little things that happen around here

It is always great  to hear about the little elements of kindness or good moments that happen at Clairvaux.  We received this message from a thankful Mum this week.

A side note, there’s a boy in grade 6 named Jacob M, I think he is Finn’s buddy. I would like you to pass on to his teacher/parents how kind and helpful he is to the preps. On two occasions he has walked Leo from the church car park gate to his playground at drop off when Leo was feeling reluctant to leave me. It’s so heartwarming to see, and Leo instantly feels happy and confident to say goodbye to me. 

There are many examples of leadership shown by all of our Year 6 students. The care and support they demonstrate each day reflect the true spirit of servant leadership.

Professional Learning for Leaders - Clarendon visit

This week, four members of the Leadership Team had the opportunity to attend Clarendon College Ballarat for a School Practice Observation. The purpose of the visit was to support our collective professional learning by observing school leaders and teachers in action. Through these observations, we were able to see strong teaching practices firsthand, deepen our shared understanding of implementation, and engage in professional dialogue to learn both from and with colleagues.

Although we were working within a different educational setting, many of the practices we observed aligned closely with our instructional model. The experience provided valuable opportunities for us to reflect on, refine, and further strengthen the Clairvaux model.

This week marks the halfway mark of Term 2.  The year is flying.

Brendan

Sacrament of Confirmation

Let us pray.

Dear God,
We pray for our Year 6 students
as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Sunday.

Send your Holy Spirit upon them
and fill them with your gifts of wisdom, courage, understanding and love.

Help them to be confident in their faith,
to make good choices,
and to use their gifts to care for others.

May they always remember
that they are loved by you
and that your Spirit is with them,
guiding them each day.

Bless our Confirmation candidates,
their families, sponsors and teachers
as they celebrate this special moment in their faith journey.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Father’s Day Mass

Year 3 families, fathers, grandfathers and special ‘father figures’ are invited to join us in celebrating a special Father’s Day mass on Thursday 3rd September at 9.30 am in St. Bernard’s church.

St. Bernard’s Day Celebrations 

What a wonderful day of festivities we enjoyed last Friday as we celebrated St Bernard’s Day!

Our celebrations began with a beautiful Whole School Mass at St Bernard’s Church, where we gathered to celebrate the feast day of our patron saint and reflect on how we can continue to shine our light through our words and actions.

The excitement continued with our annual Lap-a-thon for Mannya. It was wonderful to see all our students enthusiastically getting involved, running, walking and cheering each other on as we raised funds for our sister school, St Aloysius Primary School in Mannya, Uganda. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the Lap-a-thon such a success.

Throughout the day, students also took part in a range of fun activities connected to our ‘Shining Our Light’ theme. Our classrooms and learning spaces were buzzing with creativity as students created ‘Bee’ displays, celebrating the ways we can all bee like St Bernard – being kind, helpful, caring and friendly.

Students who were spotted bee-ing like St Bernard were given a special token, with seven lucky students then drawn to receive a beautiful hand-crocheted bee. A very special thank you to our Performing Arts teacher, Sarah Ferguson, for generously creating these gorgeous bees for our students!

Our year levels were also busy designing and creating new stickers for our Touchstones. We loved seeing the creativity and thought that went into each design. The winning designs will be announced in the coming days, so stay tuned!

Don't Forget Our Lap-a-thon Sponsorship

Most importantly, our Lap-a-thon doesn’t finish with the running! We now need to follow up on sponsorships and collect donations so that we can continue to support the children and families of Mannya.

Donations can be made online through School 24 → Events → Lapathon for Mannya until Friday 28 August.

Thank you to our wonderful Clairvaux community for helping our students shine their light and make a difference to the children of Mannya. A special thank you to Cyndie Mumford and our Year 4 CSC representatives for their organisation and support in making this special day possible.

St Bernard's Day 2026

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This term in Prep, we have continued our learning about living and non-living things as part of our CCed curriculum. As part of this learning, the children designed and created their own “Bug Hotels” to provide safe and suitable habitats for insects and bugs. Our Bug Hotels, which have been placed around the school, have already attracted a variety of creatures, including ants, snails, and cockroaches, allowing students to observe living things in their natural environment.

Yesterday, each Prep class was also gifted a class pet — a stick insect. The students are very excited to welcome and care for their new pet. Throughout the term, the children will have the opportunity to name the stick insect, learn about its needs, and take responsibility for ensuring it has adequate food, water, and a safe environment to survive and thrive. Watch this space… 
     

Alongside the Carnivale, our Clairvaux Connect group are busy organising lots of fun events for our community. Coming up we have junior school social catch ups, more treat days and a Dads night. Keep a lookout for more information regarding these events.

On Thursday 11th June at 7pm we will be holding our AGM for Clairvaux Connect. Please watch for an email in the next week about the roles we are hoping to fill.