Clairvaux Newsletter
Term 3 Week 9 2024
2026 Calendar
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.
| 2026 Term 2 |
| Week 10 Monday 22nd June - School ends at midday 12pm to allow for Parent Teacher Meetings Monday 22nd June - Parent Teacher Meetings Midday - 6:30pm Tuesday 23rd June - Yr 6 Italian Kitchen day Wednesday 24th June - Parent teacher Meetings 3:40pm - 7:00pm Friday 26th June - Assembly 9:10 am - CSC semester two badge presentations Friday 26th June - Last Day of term 2 - 2:30pm dismissal |
| 2026 Term 3 Week 1 Monday 13th July - Student free day - staff PD day Tuesday 14th July - First Day of Term 3 |
| Week 2 Monday 20th-31st - Book Fair in the library Monday 20th-Whole School Indigenous Immersion Day Friday 24th-City to Surf Athletics-Selected student |
| Week 3 Thursday 30th-Special Treat Day Thursday 30th - prep 100 days of school Saturday 1st - Year 5/6 social event - Clairvaux Connect |
| Week 4 Tuesday 4th -Day 1 School Improvement Day-Review Wednesday 5th - Day 2 School Improvement Day-Review Friday 7th - Yr 6 multicultural Melb. excursion Friday 7th - Yr 1 grandparents day mass 12pm |
| Week 5 Tuesday 11th-Prep Ambulance Visit Friday 14th August - St Bernards Day Mass (9:15am) and Mannya Lapathon |
| Week 6 Wednesday 19th August - Confirmation Preparation Day Friday 21st - Year 5 incursion market manoeuvers |
| Week 7 Monday 24th - Teeth on Wheels, Monday 24th - Year 3 democracy Incursion Friday 28th - Teeth on wheels Sunday 30th - Confirmation Mass 1pm and 3:30pm |
| Week 8 Monday 31st - teeth no wheels third visit Tuesday 1st - year 1 Sovereign hill excursion Tuesday 1st -Division Athletics Wednesday 2nd - Yr 2 wool museum and bollard walk Thursday 3rd - Father’s Day Stall Friday 4th - Father’s Day open Morning |
| Week 9 Tuesday 8th - year 4 bodyworks evening Thursday 10th - RUOK Day |
| Week 10 Tuesday 15th - Minty’s Birthday Friday 18th - Book Week Parade and final day of term - we will incorporate a brief assembly into the book parade - 2:30pm dismissal |
| 2026 Term 4 Week 1 Monday 5th October - First Day of Term 4 Saturday 10th October - Parents social night |
| Week 2 |
| Week 3 |
| Week 4 Friday 30th - Icypole day Friday 30th - World Teachers day |
| Week 5 Monday 2nd - Student Free Day Tuesday 3rd - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday |
| Week 6 Wednesday 11th - Yr 5 Leadership incursion |
| Week 7 Monday 16th - Junior Aths Day Year 2/3 Tuesday 17th -Junior Aths Day Year Prep/1 Friday 20th - Icypole day |
| Week 8 Monday 23rd - Closure day |
| Week 9 |
| Week 10 |
| Week 11 Tuesday 15th - Last day of school for 2026 |
Footy Colours Day
Parent Learning Walks Term 3
We are so proud of the steps we have taken over the last few years to bring us to the point we are at now with our teaching and learning framework.
Our instructional model based on the Science of Learning is one that we are continuously striving to refine. We have been informing our parent community via a range of modes:
- We launched our 'playbook' for parents to gain an understanding of how we teach and learn at our school - which is able to be viewed on our website in the 'How we learn and teach' section
- Last year we invited parents to join us over two sessions for a Teaching and Learning Open Night where we took you through some key concepts and examples of how and why we teach like we do and then offered a chance to view the classrooms and work samples.
- Our next step is to continue to offer Learning Walks around our school.
What is a Learning Walk? It is an invitation to parents to come to the school for a set period of time to be led on a facilitated and structured learning walk of the school/ classrooms during the school day. Not to look at the decor - but to learn more about the learning that is happening. The focus of the structured walk is children and their learning as opposed to teachers and the teaching.
We have run some learning walks last year already for parent groups within our school and open up the invitation to our wider school community to enjoy this year.
The date we have selected for an open invitation is term 3 week 3 Tuesday 5th August beginning at 9:10am. Please allow 95 minutes for this event.
Spaces are limited so please register your interest via the link below. We will be holding more Learning Walks in 2025.https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/hvxk7
Please note that we will run the walk for a minimum of 5 families (this event is not one for toddlers).
Thank you
Clairvaux Jump Off Day
We look forward to a great event full of fun for the students!
Netball
Western Region Lightning Prem Netball
By Isabelle Heath
At the 3rd round for lightning prem, we all played our best to make it to the next round. Even though we didn’t make it, we still gave it our all and played the best we could.
In the first round of lightning prem in March we were undefeated beating all the teams. In the second round in May, we also went undefeated beating Our Lady Star Of The Sea in the grand final. We had made it to the 3rd round! As each day passed our coach (Bre) helped us learn new skills and drills in our lunchtime. Finally the day came. We won the first 3 games, but then we came up against Holy Spirit. We put up a good fight and in the end the score was 9-11 only losing but 2. Overall I think my team and our coach did an awesome job making it to the 3rd round and we all played really well for our last lightning prem at Clairvaux.
Netball - Freya Wilkinson
This year the Grade 6 Lightning Prem Netball team made it through to the 3rd round playing in the Western Metro Region tournament on Friday the 9th August at the Geelong Sports Hub. To make it this far we won both the District and Division Regions where we went undefeated! The Western Metro tournament, which included teams from Geelong to Williamstown, was by far the hardest of the 3, but the 9 girls who represented Clairvaux did a wonderful job and we ended up coming fourth. It was the best day filled with a lot of laughter, fun and of course, netball. A big thanks to my Mum - Bre Wilkinson for coaching us and coming in to train us at lunchtimes, Grade 6 teacher Cyndie Mumford for all her help and Simone Seagrave who coordinated the first round. It has just been the best experience to do with your friends and something we will all remember forever! We are all so proud of our efforts and for the last time … “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Clairvaux is number 1”! 
MACSSIS surveys 2025
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!!!
Carnivale News Week 9
Clairvaux Carnivale brings our whole community together and it is an opportunity to showcase our school. It’s a wonderful day of fun and activities for families, and fundraising for our school. Funds raised this year will be used for school playground updates.
Behind the scenes, a team of parents are working hard to make the event possible. Your support is needed to make it a success and there are many ways you can help. For more details about the event, see the monthly Carnivale newsletter which is distributed to all families as a print-out and via email. You can visit the event website
as well: www.clairvauxcarnivale.com.au
Volunteer on the day - choose your position for Saturday 16 November
To fill all the Carnivale volunteer positions on the day, we’re asking every family to volunteer for a short shift. It would be even better if you could do two shifts! Get in quickly to select your spot. Sign up here: www.signup.com/go/WgNb3k
To find out more about helping in the lead-up to the event or on the day, please contact the team via email at clairvauxcarnivale@gmail.com
Lucky dip novelty donations
We’d love you to raid your cupboards for any new lucky dip prizes that could be added. Each classroom has a collection tub to gather the donations so you can send these lucky dip novelty prizes to school with your child.
Small value vouchers - ask a business to contribute
Over 200 small value donation vouchers need to be sourced from businesses to use as prizes on the day. These vouchers could be $5-$15 items, or a percentage off a price, or 2 for 1 offers for example. Maybe you work for a business, or you frequent a business that you could ask. This could be a good incentive to get new people to visit a store.
Distribution team
Could you help put up posters in local shops, kindergartens and daycare centres? By the last week of term, we will have Carnivale posters ready to collect from the office so you can ask places you visit to display the posters.
We are also assembling a team to place Clairvaux Carnivale flyers in local
letterboxes at the beginning of next term. Please email: clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com to help with this.
Wine donation competition winner
We have a wonderful collection of wine now - thank you! Those who donated wine were entered into a raffle to win a free ride pass and congratulations to our winner Megan Hollis. Keep an eye out for more opportunities to win a prize.
A special thanks to our families and generous businesses that have contributed to Carnivale already!
Get in touch
For general and volunteer enquiries please email clairvauxcarnivale@gmail.com and for donation questions clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com
Carnivale links
Website (where you can buy ride tickets): www.clairvauxcarnivale.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClairvauxCarnivale
Instagram: www.instagram.com/clairvauxcarnivale/
Parenting Program
