Pilgrims of Hope 

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of love alive in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, 

increase our hope for the coming of your Kingdom. 

May your grace transform us as we live the joy of the Gospel. 

May the seeds of our faith bring forth more truth, beauty and goodness. 

We pray that we enter a time where your glory will shine forever. 

We are Pilgrims of Hope and we call on more of your grace so we may bring heaven to earth. We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.

A Message to Our Clairvaux Community

At Clairvaux, our mission is deeply rooted in our Catholic identity—to provide every child with an education that fosters the formation of the whole person: intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially. 

Inspired by our Gospel theme “I have come that you may have life and live it to the full” (John 10:10), and guided by our nine touchstones, we are called to nurture an environment where each student can grow, flourish, and truly thrive.

We are blessed with students of many different abilities, gifts, and ways of learning. As an inclusive school community, we celebrate the richness that both neurotypical and neurodiverse learners bring to our shared learning environment. This diversity strengthens our school, and we are committed to accommodating difference and fostering a place where every child feels seen, valued, and supported.

Today, we took a significant step in welcoming our next generation of learners by sending out letters of acceptance to our 2026 Prep families. This moment is the result of great teamwork and care.  Many families will be thrilled that their child is to commence at Clairvaux or that their younger child is going to join their older brother or sister.

We extend heartfelt thanks to our wonderful administration staff, Kylie and Vanessa, for their tireless work behind the scenes; to our dedicated teaching staff and LSOs for warmly opening their classrooms; to Bianca, our Prep–1 Middle Learner Leader, for building strong connections with local early childhood centres; and to our current families whose advocacy and word-of-mouth continue to be our most powerful form of promotion.

Your support makes Clairvaux a place of:

Friendship · Happiness · Positivity · Connection · Kindness · Growth · Respect · Purpose

Thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us, as we grow together in faith, learning, and community.

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Please pray for the Prime family 

Gareth Prime

It is with sadness that we advise you that one of our parents, Gareth Prime, passed away on Friday afternoon as a result of a long illness.  

We remember and pray for Gareth, his wife Hayley and children Annie Year 6, Billy Year 4, and Alice Year 2, their extended family and friends.

In dealing with death, we need to remember and cherish the value and dignity of life. Please pray for Gareth, that he will be at peace with God, and that Hayley, Annie, Billy and Alice and his family and friends will be comforted and strengthened by the love of God.

Celebration of life for Gareth Prime

Family and friends are invited to join us as we celebrate the life of Gareth Anthony Prime at 12 noon on Friday, 30 May 2025 at Mt Duneed Estate. 

The Estate is located at 65 Pettavel Rd, Waurn Ponds, 3217. Light refreshments will be provided. The family has requested that bright colours be worn for the occasion. 

Gareth will be laid to rest by his family in a private service prior to the celebration of his life.

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Parent Learning Walks – A Window into Learning at Clairvaux

This week, we were delighted to welcome parents into our classrooms for our fifth Parent Learning Walk. These Learning Walks are a meaningful way for us to share the heart of what makes Clairvaux unique—our commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, and to forming strong partnerships between home and school.

At Clairvaux, we are proud of the journey we’ve taken over the past few years to strengthen and refine our Teaching and Learning Framework. Grounded in the Science of Learning, our instructional model is continually evolving to ensure that every student is supported to grow, achieve, and thrive.

So, what is a Learning Walk?

A Learning Walk is a structured and facilitated opportunity for parents to visit during the school day and witness firsthand the learning taking place in our classrooms. Unlike a traditional school tour that focuses on facilities or displays, the focus of a Learning Walk is squarely on children and their learning—how they engage, collaborate, problem-solve, and grow within the Clairvaux model.

These sessions provide parents with a deeper understanding of how we teach and how students learn. They are designed to foster insight and connection, giving parents the opportunity to see our core values in action and to better understand the educational philosophy that guides our daily practice.

For those who were unable to attend this week’s walk, we encourage you to explore our Learning and Teaching Playbook, available on our school website under Learning and Teaching > How We Teach and Learn. This resource outlines our approach and the evidence-informed strategies we use to support student growth.

We look forward to offering more Learning Walks in the future—so stay tuned for upcoming dates. We truly value your partnership and thank you for your continued interest in and support of your child’s learning journey at Clairvaux.

I have included the responses from the seven parents that attended on Wednesday morning. 

Parent 1 - Feel really confident, I had an open mind after today - a confidence that there will be a supportive learning journey for my child.

Parent 2 - Everyone is so supported at their level. Not just their learning but so cared for at the emotional level.

Parent 3 - Very happy that my children are here everyday.  Amazing to see the overhaul of the teaching and learning program.

Parent 4 - No one left behind with the levels and teachers.  The environment is a warm and inviting place to be.

Parent 5 - A feeling of support and positive place to be with no fear of making mistakes.  Classrooms feel focused.

Parent 6 - A pride in our school is evident and is visible to see. Hard decisions have to be made.

Parent 7 - It's a fun place to be.

Principal’s Leadership Program – Brisbane

For two days last week, I attended the 6R Leadership Program in Brisbane, a professional learning opportunity for experienced Catholic school principals. Led by Stephen Brown from The Brown Collective, the program responds to the needs of current school leaders and provides valuable time to reflect, learn, and grow alongside peers from Catholic Dioceses across Adelaide, Canberra/Goulburn, Lismore, Brisbane, Ballarat, and Sandhurst.

The program is designed in response to a range of needs expressed by current principals through various forms of consultation and engagement. It provided a structured opportunity to reflect and learn with peers who are at a similar stage in their leadership journey. The aim is to deepen our knowledge, skills, and capabilities to undertake the role and responsibilities of principalship—both now and into the future.

Throughout the program, we explore practical ways for principals to thrive in their roles, focusing on key leadership capabilities such as relatedness and fostering adaptive, thriving school cultures. Leadership is a privilege that allows us to make a meaningful difference, but it also involves ongoing reflection on the challenges and opportunities of the role.

I look forward to sharing insights gained from this experience with our school community.

At Clairvaux, we understand that there are many valid reasons why children may be absent from school, whether due to illness, family holidays, or necessary appointments - sometimes an ongoing arrangement. While we appreciate that parents often communicate directly with teachers regarding these absences, we are currently undertaking a school-wide review of student attendance rates. As part of this initiative, we are informing parents of their child's current attendance percentage if sitting at 80% or less, as a courtesy to help raise awareness of the cumulative impact of missed school time.

Even small amounts of time away from school — arriving late, leaving early, or missing a few days due to illness or planned trips away — can add up over time and affect learning progress. These notifications are not intended to question the reasons behind a child's absence or require parents to explain time away from school because of sickness or confidentiality around appointments. Instead, they are simply to provide information to help families understand how missed minutes can impact overall attendance rates and learning outcomes.

The most recent Mental Health and Wellbeing newsletter in week 4 outlines the cummulated impact of being late and/or having just one day off a fortnight.

Teachers do appreciate notifications of planned absences and will endeavour to touch base with families when students are absent for extended periods. The office does require you to let us know by 9am if your child is not going to be at school or is going to arrive late. Please remember that our school days begin at 8:50 am - this is when children enter the classroom and begin their day.

Guided by MACS we will inform families of their child's attendance via school reports in addition to updates during the year when attendance percentages fall below 80% or more. The figure we have on record is a culmination of days absent, half days absent as well as late arrivals - signing in after 8:50am and early pick ups. We will continue to share this information with parents throughout the year to keep families informed and engaged in supporting their child's regular school attendance. Our goal is to work together to promote consistent attendance, which plays a key role in each child's academic and social development.

If you have already spoken to your child’s teacher about absenteeism, please do not feel the communication being sent is without consideration of your communication. If you have any questions about these updates or would like further clarification, please don't hesitate to reach out to the school office or a member of leadership. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

If your child rides their bike to school could you please have a conversation with them about bike safety and expectations in the school yard. We love seeing children being independent but ask that they be respectful of after school crowds particularly along the path to McDonalds Reserve and around the Church car park. We also do not allow any scooters or bikes to be ridden in the school yard.

We welcome parents into our yard after school however ask that toddlers and all school children are not on the play equipment. We kindly ask this from a risk point of view in regards to accidents, supervision and children who should be waiting at gates for their parents to arrive.

With the weather cooling down we also remind parents to please ensure their children have a jumper/jacket to put on if they require. We understand that there can be conversations at home where children do not want to wear another layer - however ensuring there is an option in their school bag is the next best thing!

On the flip side - with the recent spell of unseasonably warm weather, we’ve taken the opportunity to review and strengthen our SunSmart policy to ensure we’re keeping all students safe during outdoor activities.

Our current policy requires that all staff and students wear hats during Term 1 and from September (Week 7, Term 3 2025) through to the end of Term 4 whenever they are outside. To ensure consistency, there will be no grace period in Term 3. We will send reminders to both students and families the week prior to implementation so everyone is well prepared. 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. Please ensure hats are labeled (along with all your other uniform pieces).  

Students are expected to bring their own sunscreen each day. While we do keep a small supply at school for emergency use, we encourage all families to provide sunscreen and to instill daily application habits. Students are reminded to apply sunscreen at the first lunch break, which typically provides coverage for the afternoon. Additional reminders may be given at the second lunch, depending on the daily UV index. This has been communicated in our back to school information and previous newsletters.

That said, fostering lifelong sun-smart habits is a shared responsibility. We encourage parents to support this message at home by reinforcing the importance of wearing hats, applying sunscreen, and practising general sun safety throughout the year.

We have also noted that UV levels in April (often the start of Term 2) can be unexpectedly high. As such, we are reviewing our policy with the intention of extending our ‘No Hat, No Play’ rule to cover all of April. Similarly, (from 2024 onward), all of September has been included in our hat-wearing policy to ensure we are capturing as many high UV days as possible.

While it is not always feasible to manage sun safety on a day-by-day UV basis in a school of our size, we believe these changes will provide broader protection. We also encourage students to keep their hats at school year-round, as UV spikes can occur between May and August as well.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us keep your children safe in the sun.

Did you know you could go on a safari in Australia?  The Year 3s were lucky enough to visit Werribee Zoo on a sunny day in May and had a great time exploring the paths and trails of the zoo.  

While on safari students are transported through the open plains of Asia, North America and Africa to learn about some of the world’s most endangered species and see them in their natural habitats, with a knowledgeable safari guide and opportunities for close-up viewing. It's not just a ride, but a guided adventure where you learn about some of the animals including giraffes, rhinos, ostriches, bison, zebras and more.

Students were also able to see a new exhibit of the Asian elephants.  A small herd of elephants were recently relocated to the zoo in order to provide them with a more natural and spacious environment.  The new habitat at Werribee Zoo offers the elephants bigger spaces for roaming, foraging, and socialising and is as large as five MCG playing fields!

Students had a great time seeing some of the animals they are reading and learning about, as they study the continents of the world and compare Australia, Africa and South America.  We’re sure that many of them are inspired to learn more about these animals and look forward to seeing their posters at the end of term when they share their learning.

Werribee Zoo 2025

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Prep News: 50 Days of Learning, Bug Hotels, and New Class Pets!

Congratulations to all our amazing Prep students who recently celebrated 50 Days of Learning on Wednesday, 7th May! This milestone marks an exciting chapter in their first year of school. Our dedicated Prep teachers are incredibly proud of how quickly students have adapted to school routines and embraced the vibrant Clairvaux culture. We also extend a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful parent community for your continued support. These first 50 days have been a significant journey for you, too.

As part of our Living World unit in CCED (Content Capability Education), Prep students have been learning about habitats, sustainability, and the importance of using natural materials. In a fantastic hands-on project, students collaborated in class groups to design and build their very own bug hotels. After collecting sticks, leaves, rocks, and soil from the outdoors, each group carefully constructed inviting mini-habitats, which are now proudly displayed in our school garden. These bug hotels provide a safe haven for insects to thrive and support biodiversity at Clairvaux.

In addition, each Prep class has welcomed a new class pet—a stick insect! Students are learning how to care for these fascinating creatures, including feeding them fresh green leaves and misting them daily to keep them hydrated. One class has affectionately named their insect Leafy, and students have shown great enthusiasm and responsibility in caring for their new classroom companion.

We now look forward to the next major milestone: the 100th Day of School! To celebrate, Prep students will enjoy a fun-filled day of activities and dress up as if they are 100 years old—a Clairvaux tradition that promises plenty of laughs and lifelong memories. There will be more information to come in regards to when this is happening. 

Well done to all our Preps for a fantastic start to the year!

Bianca Giampaolo

P- 1 Middle Learning Leader


    

 Its overflowing!!!

 St Bernard's Playgroup - All welcome!

Location: The Big Space, 74 Fryers Rd, Belmont

When: Every Tuesday (during the school term)

Time:  9.00 AM - 10.30 AM

Cost: Gold coin donation (no need to book- just come along)

• Free play & imaginative activities

• Craft and creative fun

• Physical play within our indoor space

• Themed sessions for special occasions

Snack and drink for your child

Coffee (optional) for yourself!