This weekend is Pentecost Sunday

Pentekoste comes from the Greek language meaning fifty. 

In the Jewish tradition it signifies 50 days since the Passover/Last Supper.  Pentecost marks the final days of the Easter season and the birth of the Christian church. It is the day that Mary and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit when they gathered in a house in Jerusalem. 

At that time there were many nations of people, and they too were baptised into spreading the spirit,  a promise that the spirit of Jesus is with us always.  People have been coming into the Church since that time and have been encouraged  to speak the Christian language of the world.  At Pentecost we are reminded that these gifts of patience, kindness, joy, love, faithfulness, peace and goodness as a parish and school community are real at Clairvaux and St Bernard’s.

There are a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways for different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. 1 Cor 12: 4–7 

Mothers Day

Last Friday was a magnificent day for our Mums.  The Mothers day breakfast was a terrific gathering for our Mums to gather with other Mums and  to celebrate the incredible responsibility  of being a Mum for our children.  

Mother is one of the loveliest words in the English language, full of rich resonances.  It connotes love, tenderness, self sacrifice, patience and care.  I am sure all our Mothers had a happy time last week. 

Many thanks to Caitlan Foster, Christine Wallace (and family) and Jamie Donohoe for coordinating a fabulous morning.  Special call out to our Dads who arrived en masse to support the morning with the distribution of food and set up the hall. 

To complement the day, the Mothers Day stall on Thursday prior to the Friday breakfast allowed the children to make Sunday a joyful family time when each child purchased a gift, that was hopefully hidden, and presented to Mum on Sunday. 

Many thanks also to the large team of Mums who arrived to organise and assist the kids in making that special gift selection.  

To add to the day, the Prep and Year 1 teachers then followed with an Open morning for the children to share the learning in their rooms.  Then to top things off,  the Year 3 classes then celebrated with Mass with Fr Sang, Year 3 Mums and other parishioners.With the autumn weather and the positivity in the air last week, Clairvaux spirit was alive and well. 

First Eucharist

We have now completed First Eucharist celebrations for our Yrera 4 children.  Congratulations and thank you to Julie, Anna, Jordan, Michael, Lauren and Sydney, Sarah, Tess and children in the choir, who prepared the children.  Eucharist is a further stage in the children's faith journey.  This is the living faith which Jesus invites us into. It is through the Eucharist, that we are continually nurtured to be alive, life giving and action focussed and embrace the spiritual values that Jesus modeled.

Don’t Miss this opportunity - ANXIETY COACH

The wellbeing support that we provide at Clairvaux takes many forms. We are grateful for the support from parents as we endeavor to prioritize programs and intervention that allow for the full flourishing of our children.     In the coming weeks Sam Lester will be leading a three week program ‘‘Anxiety Coach’.

I encourage you to enroll in the program. You are not alone in assisting our children manage the challenges of today.

At this stage we have 19 parents enrolled.  There are many places still available.

Anxiety Coach - Sign Up

Anxiety Coach is a child development course that aims to support you and your child through the ups and downs of life. It is what we call a ‘parent-led’ approach, meaning that you take on the role of the coach in your child’s life, and are able to guide them through emotionally distressing episodes.

Designed & developed by psychologist, author and teacher Michael Hawton, it equips you with a practical and easy set of tools, and a solid understanding of the theory behind these to enable you to build resilience in your child. The  3-week program is aimed for parents of children aged 5 to 12 years, to gain an understanding of the increasing levels of anxiety in their child and strategies to help manage this anxiety.
Sam Lester will be running the course via Zoom over three Tuesday evenings. We are looking forward to making some great connections this year.

• Tuesday 28th May 6pm
• Tuesday 4th June 6pm
• Tuesday 11th June 6pm

Now the dates have been set, please complete the REGISTRATION FORM by Monday 13th May. We will be in contact to confirm the course and send home your welcome pack. Please complete the registration form below.

Registration 

State Government Budget Announcement

This is the contents of the letter I sent to you last week…..

Dear Parents,

This week the Allan Labor Government announced a $400 School Saving Bonus for all school students in government schools regardless of income, but only for Health Care Card holders in Catholic schools.

This is deeply unfair.

We believe the payment should be means tested for all students or apply to all students.

It should not be based on which school you attend. This policy punishes families for choosing to send their children to a Catholic school. Our school, Clairvaux Catholic School and the peak body, the Victorian Catholic Education Authority, are working hard to oppose this policy and we need your help.

We need to show the Victorian Government that punishing families who choose a Catholic school is unacceptable.

Please consider contacting your local Member of Parliament to express your concern.

Our school’s local MP is Christine Couzens and they can be contacted by calling 52214821 or by emailing christine.couzens@parliament.vic.gov.au.

Yours sincerely, 

Brendan Flanagan

Principal

The following is a sample of the letter you could send to our local MP:

Dear MP,

I am very concerned by the Allan Labor Government’s $400 School Saving Bonus for all school students in government schools regardless of income, but only for Health Care Card holders in Catholic schools.
As the parent of a child in a Catholic school I believe this payment should be applied equally. Either means tested for all students or available to all students. It should not be based on which school you attend.

Families in Catholic schools are also experiencing cost of living pressures. This announcement discriminates against my family and punishes me for choosing to send my child to a Catholic school.

I have the right to expect the government treats me and my family equally regardless of our choice of schooling.

Please vote against this discriminatory policy and treat all families fairly.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Kelly Club

For the past four weeks Kelly Club, our Out of school provider, have had contact with a few parents seeking clarity of a couple of matters.  Carson Strobel, the Kelly Club contact, is endeavouring to iron out a few challenges that have arisen.  He is in constant contact to ensure that our service runs smoothly.

Report from Claire from Kelly Club

It's been nearly a month since Kelly Club joined our school community, and I want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your support and feedback during this transition period.

Michelle, Ruai, Aiko, and the entire Kelly Club team have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know your children—learning their favorite games, foods, and so much more. It’s always inspiring to see new relationships flourish within our community.

Change often brings a mix of excitement and uncertainty. I encourage each of you to visit the Kelly Club space, meet the Kelly Club team, and see the wonderful environment they have created for our children. We will continue to enhance this environment, adding elements from our arts projects with the children to make it even more engaging. Building a strong connection with the team will enrich the experience for your children and help us all move forward together.

Your feedback is invaluable to us. Should you have any suggestions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Michelle and her team directly. Alternatively, you can contact the Kelly Club head office at 1300 535 590 or via email at admin@kellyclub.com.au

The Journey - Final Happiness

What brings us happiness? A significant event in our lives can have an incredible effect especially when it involves a deep sense of human connection.  This is something that we all seek. To feel that we are included, that we belong without any hindrances.

There are times in our lives when after an extended period of waiting,  and after our patience has been tested, that our dream comes to life. It comes alive. It is real.

Happiness is a personal emotion that can spread.  It is a critical factor for our mental and physical health and wellbeing and can increase our motivation to continue the journey.

This is a personal story.

It involves a great young Afghan man who I met many years ago when he was fifteen.  Last Friday after 11 years of uncertainty, unbelievable risk and the severing of family ties, M received his Subclass 851 Visa.  This Visa allows for the permanent resolution of status for certain visa holders, including TPV and SHEV holders who arrived in Australia before 14th February 2023. M can now access government services and Medicare.  He currently lives and works in Geelong and is a treasured member of our family.

When M announced the wonderful news to Maureen and our children last week, there were many tears of happiness.  It still is difficult and emotional to know that the granting of M’s visa has eventuated.  After many years of doubt for M that he would be granted freedom and dignity as a young man who was seeking protection, and coupled with years and a constant sense of rejection and despair, he has received a positive outcome. his patience was stretched with the ongoing communication with authorities.  The reality from him is still difficult to fathom.

M has two younger sisters who are very young children who live with their parents in Quetta, Pakistan.  The decision to leave Quetta in 2013 was made by the family after two bombings in market places by the Taliban and Al Qaeda.  

M is a Hazara Afghan, a minority Afghan group whose family fled Afghanistan for Pakistan many years before to escape war, persecution  violence, fear and potential death.

I met M on Christmas Island as a teacher when we opened a school with other teachers and teacher aides in June 2013.  At that stage M was in the Bravo Detention Centre (named by the boys) for UAMs (Unaccompanied Minors).  There were two other Detention camps for families, Charlie Camp and CC, and North West Point for adult males. 

Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) undertook the contractual responsibility from the Federal Government to provide education to the refugees on Christmas Island.   M had fled the violence, fear and ethnic persecution of Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Gillian Triggs, the former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission,  was instrumental in this contract being awarded to provide education to refugees who had been on Christmas Island for 12 months or more.  

As a young 15 year old, M took the courageous journey to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia by boat.  He left his family completely unsure of his future and whether he would be reunited with his family. A perilous journey across ocean waters.  M can’t swim. He arrived on Christmas Island in mid 2013 and was identified by his boat number. M waited18 months before Federal Government legislation was passed in December 2014 to close the Detention Centre and relocate the refugees to Australia.

M spent time in Darwin until further processing happened and then moved to Geelong to the Mary MacKillop Centre.

You can imagine the happiness for M.  How he has adapted and maintained hope, with a resilience that was tested is incredible. He is extremely grateful for his Visa but also saddened by the fact that he will never see his parents and sisters again.

Happiness is determined by external factors that we sometimes can and can’t control but also internal factors.  It is his personal disposition that has carried him this far.   His character, courage and the ability to maintain hope after many sleepless nights and years of anxiety was critical for the past 11 years.  You can imagine the release of tension this week for M.  

He now belongs.

Brendan

First Eucharist

The past two weekends marked  a wonderful and significant milestone in the faith journey of our Year 4 students as they celebrated their First Eucharist. This special sacrament of initiation is a profound step in their spiritual development   

 We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Father Sang for leading these beautiful celebrations. A special thanks also goes to the Year 4 teachers and parents who dedicated their time and effort to prepare the children for this important day. Your guidance and support have been invaluable in helping them understand the significance of the Eucharist and in fostering their spiritual growth. 

 It was wonderful to see all the students dressed up with beaming smiles on their faces and especially uplifting to hear our amazing choir sing at some of the masses.  A big thank you to Sarah, Tess and Kate for the time they committed into leading the choir too!
Our first round of Eucharist  candidates to receive the Sacrament. More photos to follow...

Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a special ceremony in the Catholic Church where people seek forgiveness.The Sacrament of Reconciliation is important because it helps students understand the importance of saying ‘sorry’ and forgiving others,, allowing them to start fresh with a clean heart. It also helps to bring peace and strengthen their relationships with family, friends and the wider community.

Our Year 3 students have begun their preparations during religious education classes to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation which will be celebrated next term.

Important dates for those taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation have been sent out via email:

• Registration and payment for Reconciliation - log onto the St Bernard’s Parish website www.stbernards.org.au

• Reconciliation Family Formation Evening - Thursday 30th May 6 pm

St. Bernard’s Church , parents and Year 3 children

Year Level Masses

Last Friday our  Year 3 classes celebrated a special Mass for Mothers and our Prep classes celebrated their  Mass for Families today. It was wonderful to see so many parents and grandparents attend these celebrations.  Over this term and next, each year level will have this opportunity to take part in a special mass of their own.  The next one will be a Year 5 Mass celebrated during National Reconciliation week         ( Week 7).  Date and time is to be confirmed soon.  We look forward to seeing many of our Year 5 parents join us for this celebration.

• All Carnivale questions and queries can be sent to: clairvauxcarnivale@gmail.com
• All Carnivale sponsorship information can be sent to: clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com
• Agenda items for P&F can be emailed to: clairvauxpandf@gmail.com 
• Any queries or feedback in regard to uniform are to be directed to: clairvauxuniforms@gmail.com