Celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation.

This weekend, our Year 6 students will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Martin. This marks a significant milestone, as it is the final Sacrament of Initiation our students receive during their time at Clairvaux.

As a Catholic school, we come together with the broader parish community not only as an educational community, but as a vibrant faith community. It is in these sacred moments that faith and life meet in ways that are deeply meaningful and transformative for our young people.

Through Confirmation, the virtues and fruits of the Holy Spirit are bestowed upon our Year 6 students to strengthen their personal faith journey and contribute to the growth of the wider Church:

We keep our Year 6 candidates, their families, and sponsors in our prayers as they take this meaningful step in their Christian lives.

Loving God,

We pray for our Year 6 students as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Martin this weekend.

Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their guide and helper.

Fill their hearts with the gifts of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control  May the grace of this sacrament encourage them to live their faith with courage, to walk with kindness, and to be a light for others in our school, parish, and wider community. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

2026 School Review: Initial Insights & Looking Ahead to 2027

As we move through the term, our leadership team and staff are well underway with planning and budget preparations for 2027. Setting the right conditions to ensure Clairvaux continues to thrive, maintain high standards, and meet our growth targets is a complex and rewarding challenge, and our recent school review has provided valuable guidance for this journey.

This week, we reached a major milestone in our review process as we met with the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) review panel, Marita Richardson and Chris Bence. This comprehensive review evaluated our progress across five key school spheres: Leadership and Management, Learning and Teaching, Religious Education, Student Engagement, and School Community.

While we await the final written report from MACS, we are proud to share some initial insights and key panel commendations presented during Wednesday’s final meeting:

• Religious Education & Faith: Clairvaux is building a coherent, collaborative approach to Religious Education. Through the MACS RE curriculum, sacramental programs, Scripture, liturgical experiences, Godly Play, and Catholic Social Teaching, our students are supported in developing a deep, meaningful connection to their faith.
• Learning & Teaching: We continue to demonstrate a strong commitment to evidence-informed, consistent teaching practices aligned with the MACS Vision for Instruction, ensuring high-quality classroom experiences for every child.
• Leadership & Professional Coaching: Our positive coaching culture reflects the MACS Vision for Leadership. Shared professional learning and collaborative priorities are building collective expertise across our teaching staff.
• Student Engagement & Wellbeing: We have established a welcoming foundation built on belonging, strong relationships, and positive environments. Consistent routines, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and tiered supports ensure every student feels known, supported, and ready to succeed.
• School Community: We deeply value our respectful partnerships with families, recognizing the vital role you play in supporting your child’s faith, learning, and growth.

What’s Next? These initial insights validate the hard work of our staff and students while providing clear direction for our next phase of growth. Once MACS delivers the final formal report, leadership will use these findings to shape our next multi-year School Improvement Plan (SIP) and guide our strategic budget decisions for 2027 and beyond.

Next week we will gather with other Catholic schools in Werribee who were also under review to commence our 4 year Strategic School Improvement Plan and 2027 Annual Action Plan.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clairvaux Weekly Buzz: Community Highlights, Athletics & Excursions!

Dear Clairvaux Families,

There is so much happening at Clairvaux every week! Every week our Year 6 leaders  capture a wonderful snapshot of the energy, learning, and achievements across all year levels. 

Media Spotlights & Community Achievements

• Page Turners in the Press! Keep an eye out for the latest edition of the Geelong Advertiser! A huge shoutout to Jack Hammond (3MN), who was featured in the local paper for his outstanding book review.
• City to Surf Athletics Champions: On July 24th, a whopping 78 students represented Clairvaux with pride at the City to Surf Athletics Day! Everyone gave it their all on the track and field. Congratulations to the 19 students who have qualified to compete at the Bellarine Division Athletics Day coming up in September.

 Around the Classrooms

• Prep | Real-Life Heroes Visit: Our Preps enjoyed an extra special outdoor visit from Victorian paramedics! Sitting outside in the sunshine, students learned how paramedics keep us healthy. A highlight was having a Prep volunteer sit up on the bench while the paramedics demonstrated how gear like blood pressure cuffs and finger monitors check a patient's heart and pulse.
• Year 1 | Artifacts with Grandparents: Continuing their unit on Then and Now, Year 1 celebrated a special Mass followed by an artifact sharing session. Grandparents brought in wonderful items from the past to share. It was a beautiful opportunity to connect our history studies with our Clairvaux family community.
• Year 2 | Exploring Geelong’s Heritage: In CCed, Year 2 students have been studying local historical landmarks. They created artwork featuring St Mary’s Basilica, focusing on its history as the tallest spire in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Year 3 | AFL Clinics & Classic Tales: Students enjoyed a footy clinic run by SEDA College students, practicing core AFL skills and playing team games. In reading, they completed The Wind in the Willows and watched the film adaptation—with Mr. Toad being the clear crowd favorite!
• Year 4 | Perspectives in History: Year 4 has been studying the First Fleet, writing thoughtful diary entries from the perspective of Indigenous Australians to explore what life was like prior to settlement.
• Year 5 | Debating Showcase: The highlight of the week for Year 5 was participating in interschool debates against Drysdale Primary School, demonstrating fantastic critical thinking and public speaking skills.
• Year 6 | Melbourne City Walking Tour: Year 6 caught the train into the CBD for an exciting history tour led by guides Branda and Joy. Exploring landmarks like Federation Square and The Block Arcade, students examined the topic "Waves of Change" and how diverse cultures have shaped our capital city over time.

Thank you to our teachers, LSOs, children, and parent community for making Clairvaux such a vibrant place to learn!

Debating News from Year 5

Barwon Junior Debating Round 4 vs Bellaire Primary School

Round 4 was another unseen debate topic, which meant that teams weren’t made aware of the topic until 30 minutes prior to their debate.

Topic: Camping grounds in National Parks should be free of charge

Debate #1 Clairvaux B (Negative) vs Bellaire B (Affirmative)

A hotly contested debate, saw Clairvaux B lose in a close one. Tom, Matteo and Lewis should be commended for their carefully constructed arguments that were practical and some clear rebuttals to the other team also. A big thank you to Ignatius for his support also. The final score was 225-219.

Debate #2 Clairvaux A (Affirmative) vs Bellaire A (Negative)

In what was described by judges as a close and high level debate. Lachlan, Claire and Van came out ahead in a razor close victory with scores reading 229-227. Congratulations to Van who was awarded best speaker! Thank you to Ruby for her support on this one! 

A big thank you to Lauren for her dedication making sure the debaters were prepared!

Jake 

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With only three weeks to go until the end of term let’s all maintain the energy and passion and finish the term satisfied with all the learning that happens every day at Clairvaux.  

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

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 

Previous Next

National Child Protection Week is an annual Australian campaign led by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN), grown from NAPCAN's founding in 1987 by Rosemary Sinclair AO and Christine Stewart. For over 30 years, NCPW has brought together government, non-profit, corporate and community partners to promote a shared, community-wide responsibility for keeping children and young people safe and well, encouraging everyone to play a part in prevention before harm occurs

WHAT WE KNOW:

• Children thrive when their families get the support they need.
• To treat all of Australia’s children fairly, we need to make sure every family and community has what kids need to thrive and be healthy.
• Parenting can be like navigating waters. Everyone may experience bad weather from time to time but, with lighthouses and safe harbours, we can continue our journey.
• We can all help to be part of the lighthouses and safe harbours that families need.

HOW YOU CAN BE A SAFE HARBOUR FOR FAMILIES:

• Recognise that not every family and community in Australia has what children need to thrive and be healthy. This is why we see such big differences in child wellbeing across Australia.
• Support projects and policies that help to provide the strong foundations that every community needs – jobs, safe places, libraries, parks, playgrounds, schools, child care, affordable housing, health services, social activities, clubs, friendly neighbours, businesses and more.
• Smile and say hi to the people in your local neighbourhood. Children feel safer when they know the people in their community.
• If you see a family that is facing challenges, it is important that they get help as soon as possible before the problem gets bigger. You may need to ask advice from an expert about what to do, especially if you suspect that the children are at risk of harm.
• Take a moment to think about children in your school or community who might need extra support and how you might be able to help. Being kind and respectful, being a good role model, and offering practical help such as lifts or meals, are a great start.
• Connecting with your community is good for everyone. Joining playgroups, parenting groups or sports clubs helps families and children to have fun and meet people.
• Check in with your friends from time to time if you know they are busy looking after children. Sometimes a friendly message can be a huge help to a family.

2D Shapes 

Year Twos have been exploring 2D shapes in relation to different ways that they can be categorized, learning new terms such as regular and irregular polygons. Their 2D shape vocabulary has been extended to naming shapes, Pentagons and Hexagons for example, but also they were required to describe each shape’s properties. They have consolidated what are, and aren’t, parallel lines.

The group enjoyed making pictures or patterns to practice naming shapes and their properties.

    









   

Grade 4 Explores Early Australian History

What a fantastic term of history it has been in Grade 4 so far! Our young historians have been stepping back in time to explore the complex stories that shaped early Australia.

We began by learning about the rich culture and daily life of Indigenous Australians prior to 1788. To step into their shoes, students crafted creative diary entries reflecting a deep, thriving connection to Country and community before European arrival.

Next, we took to the stormy seas to investigate the grueling journey of the First Fleet. The students penned moving diary entries from the perspective of convicts, beautifully capturing the 

We are incredibly proud of the empathy and curiosity our students have shown throughout this learning. Here are some examples of their wonderful work. 

  

  

Father’s Day Stall

 On Thursday 3 September, members of Clairvaux Connect will once again be running our Father’s Day Stall.

Good news – there is no need for students to bring money on the day, as the cost of gifts has already been covered through the 2026 fee structure.

We have a fantastic range of fun and thoughtful gifts for dads, and we would love some help preparing them for the stall.

We are seeking volunteers to assist with sorting, wrapping and packing gifts on Tuesday 1 September, straight after school until 5:00pm.

Please sign up using the link: https://signup.com/go/vWWfmfv

We are also looking for volunteers to help at the stall on Thursday 3 September. Shifts are one hour long, and volunteers will assist students in choosing the perfect gift for their dad.

If you are available to help, please sign up using the link below: https://signup.com/go/SgSEvbx

If you have any issues signing up or any other questions, please email canteenclairvaux@gmail.com.

Kind regards, Jamie and Caity

This free interactive video invites primary school students to ‘choose their own journey’ while navigating feelings and choices during R U OK? conversations. https://lifeed.org.au/ruok-day/

Produced in collaboration with Life Ed, the video journey features Healthy Harold, joined by two new characters, the ‘Thoughts’, who contemplate the different approaches to various peer-to-peer situations that may arise in the school day. Students will learn personal and social skills and increase their confidence to able to have an R U OK? conversation with a friend. 

•  Activities + Sports
•  Animal Farm
•  Bake Sale
•  Baking Comp
•  BBQ & Drinks
•  Coerver Coaching
•  Facepainting
•  Food Trucks
•  Games + Prizes
•  Giant Bubbles
•  Gift Stall
•  High Tea
•  Kelly Club
•  Lolly Stall
•  Lucky Bottles
•  Raffle
•  Rides
•  Side-Show Alley
•  Silent Auction
•  Students’ Art Sale
•  Toddler Play
•  YMCA Geelong

Dear Families,

We are excited to announce our upcoming Pizza and Sushi Day on R U OK? Day!

Volunteers are needed to help on the day, so please signup via the School24 Volunteers section or email canteenclairvaux@gmail.com

Event Date: 10 September (during second lunch)

Order Cut-Off: 7 September at 10:00 AM (this Pizza and Sushi Day fundraiser is not part of the annual Treat Days and is paid for separately)

How to Order: Place your orders online via School24 Events (once you click on Add to Cart, the variety selection will pop up)

Varieties:

Note: While care is taken with gluten-free and allergy-free options, all food is prepared in a shared kitchen, so trace amounts cannot be completely ruled out.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via email at canteenclairvaux@gmail.com

• This event is on a set day and refunds cannot be offered for missing students on the day, it will be considered a donation to Clairvaux. If it is known in advance that your child will need to be absent that day after ordering, please email the Canteen inbox and we can see if anything is possible. 
• Due to food safety and logistics procedures, items cannot be collected to eat at home for students not at school that day. 
• Due to school policies, food is not to be consumed by a sibling or another student.
• Please do not drop off other takeaway food at school for your child to consume that day. 

Thank you 

These updates are designed to give you greater clarity and control over how your child’s information and images are used.

What Has Changed?

• The Privacy Policy & Collection Notice: These documents outline exactly how MACS manages, stores, and protects personal information relating to staff, students, and parents. The latest update provides much clearer guidelines on how and when we will seek your consent to use photos and videos of students.
• The Photography and Recording Permission Form: This form has been simplified and now includes specific scenarios outlining how photos and recordings may be used by the school where consent is provided. We send this form via PAM and ask newly enrolled families to indicate their consent,

Closed Platforms vs. Public Media: What This Means for Your Child

The biggest practical change is how we distinguish between our closed school platforms and publicly accessible media.

• Our Closed Platforms (Seesaw & School Concert Recordings): Seesaw is a secure, closed app, and school concert recordings are only distributed directly to our internal parent community. Because there is no external public access, photos and videos will be published and shared here normally (without blurring).
• Public Platforms (Social Media & Website Newsletters): Your explicit consent applies directly to platforms that can be accessed by the general public. If you do not consent, your child's face will not appear on our school social media channels or in the school newsletter hosted on our website.

To help clear up the differences, here is a quick guide based on the new policy:

Managing Your Consent Online

To make things easier for families, our permission process is entirely digital.

• Existing Families: If you are happy with the permission status you have already given the school, you do not need to do anything. Your current preferences remain securely on file.
• New Families: All families enrolling from this date forward will automatically be sent the new electronic form via our digital platform during the enrolment process. Parents can easily sign and submit their consent directly through the online form.
• Changing Your Mind: You have the option to vary your consent at any time. If you wish to change or withdraw your permission, simply contact the school office and we will resend the electronic form directly to you to sign online.

The full Privacy Policy and Privacy Collection Notice are available to view anytime on our school website. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our school community safe and secure.

Are you ready to bounce?!

Join us for an afternoon of fun where both the Grade 3's and 4's (and their siblings) can bounce around on an inflatable obstacle course and play arcade games.

Where: Inflatable World South Geelong

When: Sunday 13 September 3-5pm

Cost: $20 per child

Other: Arcade tokens can be purchased for $2 each. Food/drinks also available to purchase also.

Please book a ticket for each child attending, along with adult supervisors (free). Siblings are welcome.

Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/DOQJP

• Transition process from primary to secondary school
• Preparing your child for the changes ahead
• Supporting wellbeing and confidence
• Building positive communication with the new school
• Family workshop dates
• Tuesday 1 & 8 September 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Wednesday 2 September 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Hosted by Clarivaux Connect, this is your chance to enjoy an unforgettable night out with our school community.

Bring your partner, organise a girls' night, round up the guys, or come along solo – however you arrive, you're in for a fantastic night.

Catch up with familiar faces, make some new connections, and enjoy great food, music and plenty of laughs on the dance floor.

Book via: www.trybooking.com/DOQJX

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of the term, we would love to invite you into our classrooms for a short, informal opportunity to see some of the wonderful learning that has taken place on TUESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER.

We completely understand that due to work and other commitments, not all parents will be able to attend. Please rest assured that afternoon dismissal will occur exactly as usual.

Here is what you need to know about how the afternoon will run:

• Normal Dismissal: Children will be dismissed by their teachers and head to their usual gates or Kelly Club at the end of the school day.
• Entering the Classrooms: Once you have collected your child from their gate, you are warmly invited to head back inside together to explore classrooms.
• Supervision: To ensure everyone's safety, all children must remain under the direct supervision of their parent or carer in the school building at all times while on school grounds. This is not a time for playground use.
• Closing Times: Our classrooms will close at 4:00 PM sharp, and the school gates will be locked at 4:05 PM. Teachers then have other commitments to attend to.

Thank you so much for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to celebrating our students' hard work with those who can make it!