Please note the following dates in your diary:
2025 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 10 Tues 9th Dec - Step up day (Prep -Yr 6 2026) Tues 9th Dec - Yr 6 secondary school transition day - no Yr 6 onsite Tues 9th Dec - Parent Teacher Chats (3.40pm-6.30pm) - note date change Wed 10th Dec - Parent Teacher Chats (3.40pm-6.30pm) - note date change Fri 12th Dec - End of year mass whole school Fri 12th Dec - Reports sent home via PAM

Week 11 Mon 15th Dec - End of year assembly 11:45am Mon 15th Dec - Year 6 Graduation (PM) Tues 16th Dec - Last day of the school year - Yr 6 exc. to Adventure Park - 3:30pm dismissal on the basketball court

2026 Wednesday 28th January - Year 1-6 Students Begin Wednesday 28th January - Prep testing Thursday 29th January - Prep testing Friday 30th January - Preps begin Wednesday 4th Feb - No school for Preps Monday 9th Feb - Whole School Mass 9:15 am all welcome Wednesday 11th Feb - No school for Preps Monday 16th Feb - Clairvaux Cross Country Yr 4-6 Wednesday 18th Feb - Ash Wednesday Wednesday 18th Feb - No school for Preps Wednesday 25th Feb - No school for Preps Monday 2nd March - Preps begin full weeks at school Monday 2nd March - Clairvaux Senior Athletics Yr 4-6 Wednesday 4th March - Reconciliation Family Faith Night Year 3 6:30pm Monday 9th March - Public Holiday Tuesday 10th March - School Closure Day Tuesday 10th March - Division Swimmming - selected students Monday 16th March - Year 6 camp (2 nights) Tuesday 17th March - Year 6 camp Wednesday 18th March - Yr 3 Reconciliation Celebration Wednesday 18th March - Year 6 camp Thursday 19th March - Yr 6 students no school Tuesday 24th March - Colour Run (evening) Wednesday 25th March - Prep 2027 information tours 9:30 am and 12:00pm Friday 27th March - Yr 6 Summer Lightning Prem Thursday 2nd April - Last day of term 1 - 2:30 dismissal Monday 20th April - First Day of Term 2 Thursday 23rd April - Prep 2027 information tours 9:30am  Friday 24th April - City to Surf Cross Country - selected students Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May - Sacramental Presentation Masses (Eucharist and Confirmation) Monday May 4th - Swimming begins for Yr 3 and 4 (all week) Monday May 11th - Swimming begins for Yr 1 and 2 Tuesday 19th May - Division cross country - selected students Wednesday 20th May - Eucharist Family Faith Night Year 4 - 6:30pm Friday 29th May - Yr 6 Winter Lightning Prem Tuesday 2nd June - Yr 4 Eucharist preparation day Monday 8th June - Public Holiday Tuesday 9th June - Year 5 Camp (one night) Wednesday 10th June - Year 5 camp Thursday 11th June - Yr 5 students no school Saturday 13th June and Sunday 14th June - Sacrament of Eucharist Celebrations Friday 26th June - Assembly Friday 26th June - Last Day of term 2 - 2:30pm dismissal

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Last term we let families know about their child's attendance percentage for this semester. You will now notice on your PAM app that you are able to view your child's attendance as well as full and half day absences. Attendance percentages are made up of late arrival minutes and early pickup times not just half and full day absences.

As well as the importance of having a good, consistent attendance record at school we also encourage you to ensure your child/ren arrive at school on time. We have been noticing a few more children are arriving late at school and often these are repeated late arrivals.

The start of a school day routine is very important for your child to ensure they feel as comfortable and calm as possible. The bell system at Clairvaux allows time for children to unpack their bags before class starts and to be settled when it is time to gather together for the attendance roll, messages about the day and a run through of the daily program. 

When a child arrives late and they miss out on the morning routine this can result in them feeling anxious and unprepared for the day. The advantages to arriving on time include:

• Smooth transition period - students who arrive at school with time to spare have the opportunity to settle into the classroom, prepare their materials and focus their minds on the lessons to come.
• Important information – a typical school day starts with announcements and introductions to new lessons and concepts. Students who show up late may miss out on important details and be unprepared for future class events or key learning concepts.
• Develops long-term positive habits – when students show up on time to school every day, they develop the habit of being punctual with important commitments. 
• Self-esteem - arriving on time every day makes children feel good about themselves.

Arriving on time for school ensures that your child doesn’t miss out on the important learning activities that happen early in the day when they are most alert. At Clairvaux we most often begin our day with a daily review - a short sharp activity designed to expose students to repeated reminders of previous learnings they have addressed throughout the year. At Clairvaux we know the benefits of repeated exposure assists us with embedding knowledge in our long term memory. Set your child up for success and make certain they arrive at school  On Time. Every Time. The only gates staffed in the morning are the Plaza/drop off zone and office gate so please use this entry if you feel your child may need some extra support saying goodbye.

This article from the Raising Children Network to give you some ideas for your morning routines. Raising Children - Morning School Routine

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Earlier this year our year 3 and 5 students participated in the NAPLAN assessments.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and is the only nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake.

It’s a measure to see whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

All government and non-government education authorities have contributed to the development of NAPLAN materials.

We are very pleased with our school results and use these as just one measure of data within our assessment schedule throughout the year. 

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Understanding Vision for Instruction – a guide for parents. In February 2024, MACS changed the way reading, writing and mathematics are taught in its 300 primary and secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Clairvaux were already underway implementing this model and feel very confidnet with the progress we have made so far.
Vision for Instruction promotes explicit instruction, a way of teaching in which complex skills are introduced to students in small steps, supported by clear explanations and demonstrations of what students are expected to learn.
Students then practise what they have learned and receive feedback from their teacher until the skill is mastered. MACS is leading explicit instruction and evidence-based practice education in Victoria to achieve teaching and learning excellence.
To find out what becoming a flourishing learner means for your child, and how you can help, read Parents Guide to Vision for Instruction and ask your child’s teacher if you have any questions.
MACS also regularly posts about Vision for Instruction in social media. To follow MACS, please click on the following links for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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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 

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All students will need a clean school sun hat for term 4. In accordance with our sun smart policy, this BEGAN MONDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER. If a student does not have a hat they will need to sit in a designated shaded spot in the yard for the duration of the play time. There will be no grace period for this. Our school is a sun smart school and hats must be worn from the beginning of September.
Please ensure hats are labeled (along with all your other uniform pieces).

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Dear Parishioners & Friends,
I would like to personally invite you to attend our two-day Parish Renewal on the 11th and 12th of October. The Renewal will be led by Fr Richard Leonard SJ.
Fr Richard is an excellent speaker and will inspire you to reflect upon your faith and commitment to your beliefs, encouraging you to think about your relationship with yourself, with others and in particularly with God.
As a result, my hope is that our parish community will become even more active in sharing our faith with those around us and beyond. The sessions will be thought-provoking and discuss how God is there to journey with us.
I encourage you to take part in all or some of the sessions. It will be a wonderful opportunity to come together to pray, to discuss and to share in a comfortable cup of tea.

Purpose:  An opportunity for spiritual growth and to activate faith-based service within our parish communities and beyond.

Location:  St. Bernard's Church, 74 Fryers Road, Belmont.

Dates:  Friday October 11 & Saturday October 12, 2024

Free event, donation appreciated.

Bookings for Friday:  https://www.trybooking.com/cuppe

Bookings for Saturday: https://www.trybooking.com/cupud

With many blessings,
Fr Sang Ho. Ivana Tullio-Toulmin

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The excitement is building for Clairvaux Carnivale on 16 November. From the rides, to the delicious food and games, there is something for everyone to enjoy. In every way that you assist with Carnivale, you are supporting our school and helping to raise funds for future playground equipment updates.
Our October Carnivale newsletter features highlights from the event, and it will be distributed later this month as a print-out and email. Visit our Clairvaux Carnivale website as well for all the event details: clairvauxcarnivale.com.au/

Volunteer on the day - choose your position for Saturday 16 November
We are grateful to the families who have signed up already for a shift at Carnivale. There are still over 150 spots to be filled so we would really appreciate your help for two hours on the day. You can pick your time slot and which stall you will help with. Sign up here: signup.com/go/WgNb3k

Lolly and chocolate collection
This month, we are collecting packaged lollies and chocolates for the game prizes. More information about this assortment will be sent home with your child. Each classroom has a collection tub, so please send these donations with your child and fill the tubs!

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, a percentage off a price, or 2 for 1 offers. Perhaps you know someone who could donate coffee or drink vouchers for example. We would love to hear from you about any connections you have. 

High tea and food donations
We are reaching out to businesses that may be able to donate baked treats for the high tea or other food donations (meat, cheese etc). If you know someone who owns a bakery, butcher, grocer or another food business that may be able to assist, please let us know. This is a call out for business bulk contributions at this stage thank you.
Closer to the event you will also be asked if you can bake a cake yourself.

Other donation ideas
If you would like to offer a donation to Carnivale, no matter what it is, please reach out as there may be a stall that can use that item. Any goods that are donated instead of bought, results in more funds contributing to the playground updates after the event. Please contact Gemma to discuss your idea on 0480349756 or email clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com.

Poster placement team
We would love to see Carnivale posters everywhere. Please pick up a handful of Carnivale posters from the office and ask places you visit to display them. The ideal locations for the posters are local shops, kindergartens, daycare centres and workplaces.

We’re looking forward to delivering Clairvaux Carnivale 2024!

Get in touch
For general enquiries please email clairvauxcarnivale@gmail.com,
and for donation and distribution questions clairvauxcarnivaledonate@gmail.com

Carnivale links
Website (where you can buy ride tickets): clairvauxcarnivale.com.au
Facebook: facebook.com/ClairvauxCarnivale
Instagram: instagram.com/clairvauxcarnivale/

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