Please note the following dates in your diary:
2026 dates are set as best as possible at this point in time.
Please be mindful they may be subject to change and continue to check.

Term 4 Week 1 Monday 5th October - First Day of Term 4 Thursday 8th October - Yr 4 incursion Friday 9th  October- Icypole day Saturday 10th October - Parents social night (cancelled)

Week 2 Friday 15th - Musica Viva Yr 5/6

Week 3

Week 4 Friday 30th October- Icypole day Friday 30th October- World Teachers day

Week 5 Monday 2nd November- Student Free Day Tuesday 3rd November- Melbourne Cup Public Holiday Saturday 7th November -  Bunnings BBQ

Week 6 Tuesday 10th November - Prep 2027 first transition visit Wednesday 11th November- Yr 5 Leadership incursion Saturday 14th November - CARNIVALE

Week 7 Monday 16th - Prep excursion Friday 20th November- Icypole day

Week 8 Monday 23rd November- Closure day Tuesday 24th November - Prep 2027 second transition visit Friday 27th  November- Junior Athletics Day Year 2/3 - school oval Saturday 28th November- Election Day BBQ

Week 9 Monday 30th November- Junior Athletics Day Year Prep/1 - school oval Tuesday 1st  December - Yr 6 Disco Wednesday 2nd December- Carols Evening Thursday 3rd December -  Special treat day

Week 10 Tuesday 8th December - Whole school step up day and Prep 2027 third transition day Tuesday 8th December- Parent teacher meetings Wednesday 9th December - Parent teacher meetings Friday 11th December - End of year mass 9.15-10.15am

Week 11 Monday 14th December - Final Assembly 11.45am-12.45pm Monday 14th December - Yr 6 Graduation  Tuesday 15th December - Last day of school for 2026  (Adventure park for Year 6) 2.30pm Finish

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Welcome back to the final term for 2026

As we commence the term, I hope that you all had a restful break. It is always a challenge to return to school with the commencement of daylight saving, and our body clocks may need some time to adjust. A few children might find it a little difficult to get out of bed for the rest of this week while we all adapt to the time change.

This week’s start brought a few extra challenges. After the rain on Saturday, both the school and the Church lost power. Fortunately, we were able to have it restored on Sunday before school returned on Monday, only for the power to go out again on Tuesday afternoon.  There was no power until late on Wednesday.  At this stage we have power and hopefully we have the school back in good shape by tomorrow afternoon.

This final term marks the home stretch for our Year 6 students. After many years at Clairvaux, our Year 6 teachers will be putting the final touches on preparing our 95 students for the next stage of their educational journey as they transition into secondary school.

At the other end of the school, our Prep teachers are buzzing with excitement seeing the incredible growth in our youngest learners. Today, Cruz P proudly showed me his writing about Jack and the dolphins, while Chloe M shared that her favorite thing about school is the monkey bar, and that she can skip two!  There are a range of abilities on show at Clairvaux everyday! 

We are fortunate to have a regular chance to rest at the end of each term.  Talking to the kids there were trips into the country, visiting coastal beaches, quality time with grandparents, or those who simply enjoyed a good book.

Over the break, I had the opportunity to read Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables. While many know it through the magnificent musical or film adaptations starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, at its heart, Les Misérables is a story about the transformative power of God’s love, grace, and redemption.

In one of the most moving early scenes, the kindly Bishop Bienvenue welcomes the weary convict Jean Valjean into his home, offering him bread and wine.(similar to  the Eucharist, our spiritual food)  In doing so, he offers more than just food; he offers dignity, hope, and a fresh start. He sees Valjean not by his faults or societal labels, but as a person created in the image of God.

As we step into this new term, this story reminds us of our core mission in our school "vineyard." Each day, over 600 unique, wonderful young people walk through our gates. Every single one of them brings their own stories, potential, and God-given worth. Working in this vineyard alongside our dedicated staff and families is a privilege, and our commitment is to ensure that every student experiences our school as a place of welcome, grace, and encouragement.

Enjoy the term.  There is a lot to look forward to and for us to be grateful for.

Brendan

Congratulations to Stacey and Tom Quinton and Sage who is in Prep on the birth of their new baby boy Levi.

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                               Cosmodome

Today the Year 4 students participated in a Cosmodome incursion. This interactive dome assisted with the exploration of the planets and universe. They stepped inside a giant dome that looks just like a giant igloo! Once inside, cool movies wrap all around in 3D, making you feel like you're floating through space and touching the stars. 

    

  

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October is Cyber Security Action Month, a global initiative dedicated to promoting safer online behaviours and improving cyber resilience. 

This year’s theme ‘Take a second. Stay secure.’ is a reminder of how the small choices we make every day – at work, at home, and in our communities – play an important role in keeping us secure online. The eSafety commissioner is offering a free parental webinar this month to help understand how parental controls can help protect children online. See information below or follow this link to register.

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Canteen Treat and Icypole Days Term 4

There are four special canteen days for students this term.

A reminder to place orders for the Treat and Icypole Days for the remainder of this year via School24 - only if you haven’t paid already as individual days or as the bundle packages at the start of the year.

Icypole Day Friday 9 October – orders already closed.
Icypole Day Friday 30 October – order cut off Wednesday 28 October 10am.
Icypole Day Friday 20 November – order cut off Wednesday 18 November 10am.

December Treat Day Thursday 3 December – order cut off Monday 30 November 10am.  Christmas cupcakes and natural banana bread, plus Gluten Free options are available assweet and savoury.

Orders are placed via the Events section in School24, and you can login anytime throughout the year to see the upcoming dates.

The cut-off times for ordering are always a few days before the distribution dates at 10am to allow time to place the product orders with suppliers in advance.

To avoid credit card fees in School24, you can transfer funds via EFT into your School24 account - see 'Top Up/Recharge' in School24 for more details.

Vouchers or tokens are given to the students in class based on what they ordered, and they bring those vouchers to the canteen window at lunchtime to receive their orders - except the Preps orders are distributed in their classrooms.

Please tell your child what you have ordered for them, so they know what they are receiving when they bring their voucher to Canteen.

Please note: if you have already ordered for the individual dates or a treat/icypole day bundle, you do not need to order again. 

Volunteering

Parent volunteers run these special canteen days and assist on the day.

Canteen volunteering shifts can be selected via the Volunteer section in School24. You can add your name to any vacant shift. We really appreciate the support!

If you have any questions, please email canteenclairvaux@gmail.com

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Unfortunately due to low numbers we will be holding off on this event which was planned for this weekend, until next year. We hope to see you all then!

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Carnivale News

We are looking forward to seeing you at Clairvaux Carnivale on Saturday 14
November!

Carnivale is for fun and fundraising. Your support with donations and volunteeringwill help make this event a success.

Any items that are donated instead of being bought, results in more funds
contributing to our junior playground redevelopment after the event.
Right now, you can help in the following ways:

 Lolly and chocolate donations

Clairvaux’s lolly stall and side show alley games need an assortment
of lollies and chocolates donated, please.

Each year level has a special donation item and there are collection tubs in
each classroom. *No items with nuts please.

A full list of suggested lollies and chocolates is being circulated, but as a quickoverview we are asking for these year level contributions:

Prep = lollipops and chocolate blocks
Grade 1 = sour lollies.
G2 = fun size chocolates
G3 = chewy lollies
G4 = lollipops.
G5 = assorted lollies
G6 = individually wrapped mini packs.

 Donations for Silent Auction and other contributions

If you can offer a donation to the Silent Auction or another area of Carnivale,
no matter what it is, please reach out as there may be a stall that can use that item.
Please contact Gemma to discuss your idea on 0480349756 or email clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com

 Small value vouchers

We are also seeking 100 small value donation vouchers from businesses to
use as prizes on the day. These vouchers could be $5-$15 items, a
percentage off a price, or 2 for 1 offers. We would love to hear from you about any connections you have.

 Volunteer at Carnivale

Every family is asked to fill a 2-hour parent shift at Carnivale. You can choose
your timeslot and which stall to help with from a wide variety.

There is also a working bee before Carnivale, and set up team needed the
night prior that you can volunteer for as well:
Volunteer signup: https://signup.com/go/WgNb3k

Reminder, you can save $10 per unlimited ride wristband in the presale via theClairvaux Carnivale website: https://clairvauxcarnivale.com.au/
The next Carnivale newsletter will be distributed shortly with more details about the day. So far, we’ve announced these inclusions in Carnivale and more to come:

 Activities + Sports

 Animal Farm
 Bake Sale
 Baking Comp
 BBQ & Drinks
 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
 Baby and toddler Play

Thank you to our amazing Carnivale sponsors for making this event possible.
Here are the Sponsors we have revealed so far, with more to come!

Major sponsor

Buxton Real Estate

Gold sponsors

Arthur Reed Photos
Kelly Club
Ninedots Build Advocates
Roslyn Finance
Sequence Digital
Surf Coast Signage

Silver sponsors

Buzz Weddings and Events
Coerver Coaching
Flip Out
Full Spectrum Solutions
NumberWorks’nWords
Melbourne Stars
Paisley Park Early Learning
SC Technology Group
The Y Geelong

Bronze Sponsors

AWM Electrical and Data Suppliers
Barwon Water
Curate + Gather
Checkered Flag Property Services
Dodds Fitness
Elders Insurance
Geelong Mobile ATMs
M4 Australian Security
Ocean Air Yoga
Sensory Smart Kids
The Virtual Reformer Pilates Room (Highton)

Please contact us:
General enquiries: clairvauxcarnivale@gmail.com
Donations: clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com
Gemma - Carnivale Committee 0480 349 756
Facebook DM: facebook.com/ClairvauxCarnivale

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Saturday 24 October

1–2:30pm or 2–3:30pm |  Ages 8–12 years | Includes afternoon tea
Free but booking required - Children’s Week event at Bluebird House, 150 Swanston Street, Geelong.



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                                     Fiction Book Clearance Sale

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Clairvaux Catholic School Ticketing Offer

To say thank you for having us at your school, we are thrilled to extend a special ticket offer for all teachers, students and parents which you are welcome to share on your preferred parent communication channel. 

• 2 for 1 WBBL Tickets*
• $30 Family BBL General Admission Tickets*

Use the code STARSCHOOLS on Ticketek to unlock the above offers! T&C's apply.

https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=STARS27

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