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.

2026 Term 2

Week 1 Monday 20th April - First Day of Term 2 Monday 20th April - Senior Athletics - Goldsworthy Reserve Monday 20th April - Year 5/6 parents - Bodyworks infosession 6:30 online Tuesday 21st April - Bodyworks lessons commence for two weeks - year 5 and 6 Wednesday 22nd April - Prep 2027 information tours 9:30am  Wednesday 22nd April - Tuning into Kids sesison 3 6:30pm Online Friday 24th April - ANZAC reflection 10:50am Friday 24th April - City to Surf Cross Country - selected students

Week 2 Wednesday 29th April - Tuning into Kids sesison 4 6:30pm Online Wednesday 29th April - Carnivale meeting 6:45 Staff room Friday 1st May - 2027 Prep enrolments close Friday 1st May - Icypole day Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May - Sacramental Presentation Masses (Eucharist and Confirmation)

Week 3 Monday May 4th - Swimming begins for Yr 3 and 4 (all week) Wednesday 6th May - Tuning into Kids sesison 5 6:30pm Online Thursday 7th May - Year 3 Mother's day mass Thursday 7th May - Mothers day stall Friday 8th May - Mothers day morning - details to come

Week 4 Monday May 11th - Swimming begins for Yr 1 and 2 (all week) Wednesday 13th May - Tuning into Kids sesison 6 6:30pm Online Saturday 16th May - Parish book fair school hall

Week 5 Tuesday 19th May - Division cross country - selected students Friday 22nd May - Icypole day

Week 6 Monday 25th May - student free day - staff PD Wednesday 27th May- Eucharist Family Faith Night Year 4 - 6:30pm Please note change of date. Friday 29th May - Yr 6 Winter Lightning Prem - Clairvaux sports uniform only to be worn

Week 7 Tuesday 2nd June - Yr 4 Eucharist preparation day

Week 8 Monday 8th June - Public Holiday - school closure day Tuesday 9th June - Bravehearts incursion Prep and Yr 2 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

Week 9 Thursday 18th June - Special treat day

Week 10 Monday 22nd June - School ends at midday to allow for Parent Teacher Meetings Monday 22nd June - Parent Teacher Meetings Midday - 6:30pm 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

Term 3 Week 1 Monday 13th July - Student free day - staff PD day Tuesday 14th July -  First Day of Term 2

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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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NAPLAN: Tracking Growth and Success

As we move further into the school year, it’s time to look ahead to the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

NAPLAN is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It remains the only nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake, providing a valuable snapshot of how students are progressing in the fundamental skills of reading, writing, conventions of language, and numeracy.

These assessments are designed to help us see whether young Australians are developing the essential foundations for future learning. The data collected helps ensure students are on track to participate productively and rewardingly in the community.

It is a collaborative effort, with all government and non-government education authorities contributing to the development of NAPLAN materials to ensure they meet national standards.

While we are very pleased with our school results, it is important to remember that we view NAPLAN as just one measure of data within our comprehensive assessment schedule.

We use these results alongside our internal classroom observations and  to create a complete picture of every child’s unique learning journey. Our goal is to support the "whole student," ensuring they feel confident and capable regardless of the testing environment.

Resources for Parents

To help you and your child prepare, we have provided the following resources:

• Parent Information Brochure: For a deeper dive into what the tests cover and how results are reported, please click here for the brochure.

• School Testing Timetable: 

  NAPLAN TEST SCHEDULE 2026
  MAR 11 - Writing 9:15am Yr 3 & Yr 5 
  MAR 13 - Reading 9:15am Yr 5 
  MAR 13 - Reading 11:50am Yr 3
  MAR 16 - Conventions of Language 9:15am Yr 5 
  MAR 16 - Conventions of Language 12:15pm Yr 3  
  MAR 17 - Numeracy 9:15am Yr 3
  MAR 17 - Numeracy 12:15am Yr 5

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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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