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

Congratulations to all our Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation over two masses celebrated on Sunday 30th August.  

It was wonderful to see our students participate with such reverence and respect throughout the celebrations.  They embraced special roles including candle lighting and reading, renewed their Baptismal promises and received the special anointing with chrism from Bishop Martin Ashe.

We also extend our gratitude to the students’ sponsors, whose guidance, encouragement and support are such an important part in this step of their faith journey.  

The celebrations were meaningful and memorable occasions for our students, their families and our wider school community.

A special thanks to Fr Tho who con-celebrated the masses with Bishop Martin and to our Year 6 teachers - Marg, Rod, Sarah, Andy and Scarlett -  who prepared the students so beautifully.  We are also grateful to our wider staff community who were there to support our students and lend a hand throughout the day.

We are very proud of all our Year 6 students as they continue to grow in faith, live out the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit in their everyday lives, look for ways to make a difference and follow the example of the values embodied by their sponsors and their chosen saints.
      

    

St. Bernard’s day  -  Lap-a-thon Sponsorship

Thank you to all families who have generously supported our Mannya Appeal following our recent Lapathon on St. Bernard’s day.    We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of our school community.  Every donation, no matter the amount, makes a real difference to the lives of children and their families.

Donations can be made online through School 24 → Events → Lapathon for Mannya until the end of Term 3,  with Friday 18th September being the final collection date.

Touchstone sticker winners

As part of our St. Bernard’s day festivities, each Year level was allocated one of our Clairvaux Touchtones and set the task of designing a sticker.  We are very pleased to be able to announce the winning designs:

Prep:  Friendship  Audrey Davis  Prep PP

Year 1: Kindness Amelia Hall  Yr 1 LB

Year 2: Belonging Tommy Norton Yr 2 MR

Year 3: Happiness Eve Ryan  Yr 3 JB

Positivity: Valencia Martin Yr 3 JB

Year 4: Connection Ava Torpie  Yr 4 KB

Year 5: Respect Sophie Groves Yr 5 VR

Year 6: Purpose Siena Dougherty  Yr 6 ST

Growth Sabelle Carmody Yr 6 MM

Congratulations and we look forward to seeing your designs created into stickers that we can award to students in our school who live out our touchstones.
      
      
  

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.