On Monday we will celebrate the feast day of our parish and school patron saint St Bernard.  The actual date for St Bernard's day is Tuesday 20 August, however we plan to celebrate it the day before.

Julie has prepared a beautiful Mass and a Reflection, ably assisted by Michelle and Jordan.  If you are available it would be great to see as many parents as possible for Mass at 9.15am.

Who are we and what do we stand for?  We can use St Bernard as a guide for who we are as well as the meaning associated with the name Clairvaux. 

St Bernard was a Catholic monk who commenced a monastery with others in Clairvaux, France.  He was a man of prayer with a deep connection to his faith determined to lead and assist people to live a life of kindness and goodness. 

Clairvaux means ‘valley of light 'and this year MACs theme is' let your light shine’ .  If St Bernard was alive today, maybe he would use the song 'Lantern' by the Birds of Tokyo to encourage us to do the same.  It would be a recontextualised version for 2024.

On we march with a midnight song 

we will light our way with our lanterns on

On we march till we meet the dawn 

we will light our way with our lanterns on

Our school is only 25 years old.  In the lyrics of lantern, we are inspired to be like St Bernard. It is also in the words that greet us every day when we enter our school:  

‘Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them’.  

May the light of God continue to light our way as a Catholic school and parish. May we be inspired with Bernard by our side as a learning community enriching and shaping our world.

The clip is attached.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h45mviDrJhc

Year 6 Information session with Fr Elio Capra

This week we were fortunate to have Fr Elio Capra lead our Year 6 students and their parents in an informative Confirmation session.  Elio is a Salesian priest and a lecturer at the Catholic Theological College (CTC) and Australian Catholic University (ACU).  Elio works in many schools with students, parents and teachers across Melbourne.

Elio, through his portrayal of art and the  history of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, led us all to appreciate that we are always in a dynamic relationship with our faith and the context in which we live.  

Elio in his presentation challenged us all to turn away from the dark and to the light.  In his words, from the West to the East. To be fully immersed in the love and guidance of our God. From those elements that are not life giving to the light of the gifts of the Spirit: Love, Joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. 

Elio drew our attention to what might get in the way for our Year 6 students now and in the near future.  

It is through the final sacrament of initiation, Confirmation, that our Year 6 students can make choices to live a faithful and spirit filled life.  Elio was able to help us all discover what we find desirable in life and to help us grow in a gradual way as faith filled adults. Today, we are all challenged by the same questions, and revealing the identity of Jesus in our lives.

Our Year 6 students have nearly completed their Primary education.  In these final months they will consolidate their education and faith formation. The goal of all Catholic education is to draw the spiritual as well as the educational elements of school, otherwise our shared partnership as parents and teachers will not be completed.  By opening up the sacramental journey through Elio’s presentation and Confirmation,  they will enter a world where God is at work, despite the secular influences that are present all around them.

Confirmation with Bishop Martin Ashe will be  celebrated on Sunday 8 September at 1pm and 3.30pm and Tuesday 10 September at 6.30pm.

Grandparents’ Day

Every year we celebrate Grandparents.  It is difficult to have every grandparent of our Clairvaux children.  This year we welcomed our Year 1 childrens’ grandparents to share some time with their little one.   To see the smiling faces on the older people and the love that was spread to the kids was just beautiful.

How proud are the Year 1 kids when their grandparents are around? The Mass with Fr Sang was lovely, as was the mid morning tea, a great chance for the Grandparents to chatter before the excitement of the sharing time in the classrooms.  Bringing in artifacts from the ‘olden days’ of our Grandma’s and Pa’s generated lots of discussion of times not so long ago.  The day was special with many travelling from far away:  Port Fairy, Barham, just to name a few.

Many thanks to all the Year 1 teachers, Siobhan, Mariska, Leanne, Isabelle, Bianca, Julie and Blaza for hosting our day.  Bianca our MiddleLearner Leader (Prep and Year1) has further information in this newsletter of our successful day

Carnivale

Last night, thirteen parents attended another planning meeting for the Carnivale in November.  After the previous week's Parent Association meeting, I was a little concerned that they may be behind in their preparation.  This team of people are all over it.  The spirit and energy in the meeting was apparent.  Information has been distributed to all in our community.  

Check out this link to find out more.  

https://clairvauxcarnivale.com.au/

We need all hands on deck to ease the load to ensure the day is successful.  If you can help in any way please contact the organisers or send an email to me that I can pass on.

The Wheels of Teaching 

We are now half way through Term 3.  The year is flying by with considerable teaching and learning happening. We are constantly consolidating progress, checking results, adjusting to student-specific needs and in many ways preparing for the next year as well.! All these behind-the-scenes elements demand focus, clear thinking, educational and financial strategy and emotional energy. Our purpose is clear. High quality instruction, professional learning,  teacher growth and the impact that capable teachers can have on children, is what our daily task demands.

Brendan

ST BERNARD’S DAY CELEBRATIONS

Monday 19th August, 2024

• Whole School Mass ,  St Bernard’s Church 9.15 am

• Clairvaux ‘Lap-a-thon for Mannya’ - School Oval  12- 1pm

• Sausage Sizzle from 1.15 pm

• Fun activities in class to celebrate the day.

The St Bernard’s Day Celebrations will begin with a whole school mass in the church, starting at 9.15 am on Monday 19th August. 

Clairvaux students will then take part in our annual lap-a-thon. It will be held on the school oval from  12 noon  until 1pm  on Monday 19th August.  Families are welcome to come and join us on the oval to cheer for the children on their run. Children will need to wear sports uniforms. They will also bring their water bottles.

At second lunch, on the day of the lap-a-thon there will also be a free sausage sizzle for the children. If you have any dietary requirements, please let your class teacher know by Monday 12th August.

Money raised through the lap-a-thon will be donated to the children of our sister parish in Mannya, Uganda. Sponsors may choose to nominate an amount per lap, or make a donation. 

Additional Sponsorship sheets are available from the office.  Donations can be made on-line through  School 24, under EVENTS - Lapathon for Mannya or cash donations may be made through the school office by Friday 30 August.

Thank you for your support.

Clairvaux Catholic School  staff

THESE SURVEYS WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR THE DURATION OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND - WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE RESPONSES SO FAR RECEIVED AND THIS WILL HELP US MOVING FORWARD CONSIDERING OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY.

In 2025, our school is participating in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. These surveys help inform the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

One of the main goals of the family survey is to identify the strengths to be celebrated and continued to work on and areas for improvement in our school. MACSSIS data benefits everyone within our school and provides valuable community insights on areas that each school can focus on. Clairvaux  believes it is important to encourage families as well as staff and students to have a voice and contribute to shaping the ongoing improvement of the school.

This feedback is invaluable to our progress as an effective school community and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices, and a great way for us to monitor trends from year to year. 

MACSSIS is a set of surveys that have been built specifically for Catholic schools in Melbourne by the Learning Services team at MACS, in partnership with researchers at Learning First and in wide consultation with principals in our schools. In 2025, students, families and staff are invited to participate in MACSSIS via our secure and purpose-built online platform. The online platform is where our school leaders will access the summary reports that visualise the results of the student, family and staff surveys. 

On September 3rd families were emailed a unique code to fill out the survey anonymously. We really do value this feedback and would appreciate as many families as possible taking the time to help us make informed decisions about the future of our school processes. You can watch a short clip here.

The only data we do see is how many families from each year level participate. The year level with the most surveys filled in will receive an extra long playtime once we have the results!!!

The Year 1 students were so excited to welcome their Grandparents to school on Tuesday 13th August, a day filled with laughter, love and togetherness.

We recognise the invaluable role grandparents play in our student’s lives and love to see generations unite and enjoy their time together. Each year, we set time aside in our school calendar to honour and thank them for all they do.

The students invited their grandparents along to Mass led by Father Sang which had a special focus on acknowledging and showing our love and appreciation for all the things our grandparents do for grandchildren and families. The relationship between a grandparent and grandchild is unique. A grandparent is always able to see past the cheeky behaviour, the tantrum or attitude to the inner beauty within. Grandchildren are always able to see the inner beauty of their grandparents and freely let them know how much they love them. After mass our grandparents enjoyed tea, coffee and some home made scones with jam and cream.

 

The love and adoration for our grandparents did not stop there. They were then welcomed into our classrooms where they brought along some special artifacts from their childhood to share with us. We watched as the students moved around the circle hearing all the history and stories attached to these artifacts. The children proudly listened, enquired and of course wanted to touch and play with everything. This was also a wonderful ‘hook’ as the Year 1’s begin their rich knowledge history unit looking at homes, schools, transport and toys in the past compared to now. 

As the echoes of laughter fade and the memories linger, we are reminded of the profound impact grandparents have on shaping our student’s lives.

Thank you to everyone involved for helping to make Grandparents Day a memorable one!

Bianca Giampaolo
Middle Learning Leader

Next Monday 19 August, we celebrate St. Bernard’s feast day as a whole school.  A reminder for students to wear their regular sport uniform.

Activities include:

• Whole School Mass ,  St Bernard’s Church 9.15 am

• Clairvaux ‘Lap-a-thon for Mannya’ - School Oval  12- 1pm

• Sausage Sizzle from 1.15 pm

• Fun activities in class to celebrate the day. 

Families are most welcome to join us for the Mass and lapathon. If you are able to help with the Sausage Sizzle please sign up to help via the link Sign up to help with the St Bernard's Day Sausage Sizzle

St. Bernard is the patron saint of our parish and school. St. Bernard lived a prayerful and simple life and placed importance on:

• Hospitality
• Welcome  
• Love of learning

Our school was named after the Clairvaux village in France where St. Bernard lived. Clairvaux means ‘valley of light’ and this year our theme for St. Bernard’s Day is focused on how we can  ‘ shine our light for others’ by helping those in need. 
It has been a tradition for around 15 years at Clairvaux Catholic school, that on St. Bernard’s Day we take part in a lap-a-thon to raise money for children at St. Aloysius school in Mannya. Mannya is situated in Uganda in Africa.  Our fundraising efforts aim to make a difference to the health, education and self-sufficiency of the Mannya community. The money we raise from the lapathon is used specifically to assist with the education and well being needs of the 400 children who attend St. Aloysius Primary School.   Many of these children are orphans due to AIDS and they do not have any food to eat until  they are at school.
In the past, through our fundraising efforts,  we have been able to assist with:

• Supported the building of the school (St. Aloysius)

• Sport equipment

• Books and stationery

• Breakfast/lunch (rice) for the students 

• Cows to provide milk to drink 

• Supported the coffee bean growing initiative, creating jobs and an income for families -  helping the community  become more self sufficient

More information about how both Clairvaux and St. Bernard’s parish support Mannya can be found on this link

Fr. Emma, the parish priest at St. Aloysius has visited Clairvaux many times over the years and was able to be part of our lapathon last year.  He is very grateful for our ongoing support.

This year we encourage everyone at Clairvaux to once again support our annual lapathon by asking sponsors to donate money to support the children of Mannya. Sponsors may choose to nominate an amount per lap, or make a donation. Donations can be made on-line through  School 24, under EVENTS - Lapathon for Mannya or cash donations may be made through the school office by Friday 30 August.

Thank you for your support.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is the final sacrament of Initiation into our Catholic faith.  Your child has already received the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist.  Confirmation will help our children grow in gradual ways in the faith journey.

This week, our Year 6 Confirmation Candidates attended and informative and entertaining Family Faith Evening facilitated by Fr Elio Capra.  Elio is a priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), is a lecturer at Catholic Theological College and is an experienced facilitator of Sacramental evenings.  We were very fortunate to be part of his presentation, which was both engaging and insightful. Fr. Elio Capra's deep knowledge and passion for his faith were evident throughout the evening. His ability to connect with the candidates and their families made the session particularly memorable. He skillfully combined storytelling with theological insights, creating an environment that was both educational and inspiring. The evening provided valuable reflections and practical guidance for the Confirmation journey, reinforcing the importance of faith in daily life and helping to prepare the candidates for their upcoming sacrament. We are grateful for the opportunity to have experienced such a meaningful event and look forward to seeing how it will impact our candidates as they continue their spiritual formation.

Reminders to Confirmation candidates

• Register at  St Bernard’s Parish website  www.stbernards.org.au
• Prepare stole by choosing a Confirmation symbol.  If ordering through www.graciousglyphs.com.au, the candidate should place it in the classroom note bag to be sent to the school office.

• Bookings for Confirmation Masses  have opened. 

Use this link: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/y6hj6

• Confirmation Masses:   Sunday 8th September 1 pm and 3.30 pm

                                       Tuesday 10th September 6.30 pm

• Confirmation Preparation Day - Wednesday 4th September

• Extra Committment Mass is being held this weekend on Saturday 17 August at 6 pm for those student who were unable to attend previous weekends.

Please direct any queries regarding Confirmation to classroom teachers or Jroutley@ccsbelmont.com.au

 Julie Routley (REL)