Prayer reflection

The Enduring Legacy of Loved Ones

This week has been a time for quiet reflection, especially around All Souls' Day, when many cultures pause to remember those who have passed away.

In a conversation today with a staff member, we were struck by how quickly time seems to fly, and how clearly we remember what was happening in our lives just one year ago. For this colleague, the year has held a significant challenge: the sudden passing of her father.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of this difficult loss next Saturday, we were reminded of the profound influence and lasting impact those we hold dear have had on our lives.

The shock and grief of loss are challenging times for any family. We extend our collective prayers and thoughts to all members of our school community who have lost family and friends.

May the love, compassion, and mercy that faith models bring comfort to those navigating grief. The legacy and spirit of our departed family members live on, not only in us but also in the generations of children who carry their stories and strength forward.

Class Structures for 2026

The process for determining our 2026 class structures is currently underway. We understand that class placements are important, and we want to assure families that this is an involved process that considers many factors for every child and teacher.

Factors Considered in Placement

All students were recently asked to select up to four friends they wished to be grouped with next year. This is one piece of the puzzle, alongside other critical considerations, including:

• Academic growth and learning needs.
• Social and emotional needs.
• Overall class dynamics and current compositions.
• Any specific adjustments or support required for individual children.

Other Key Dates & Staffing

• Next week marks the beginning of Transition Opportunities for our 2026 Prep children.
• The determination of teacher positions and the appointment of any new staff members will be finalised in the coming weeks. We are fortunate to have a highly qualified teaching group. Our commitment to a low variance approach across all year levels ensures that curriculum content is consistent across each of the four classes.

As we mark the half way of the term lets keep the focus on completing the year in a successful manner.

World  Teachers day

Last Friday, on World Teachers' Day, we honoured  our Clairvaux teachers for their  profound dedication and the moral purpose at the heart of their vocation.

It takes enormous courage to be a teacher.  Every day I watch them walk in, positive and fired up to teach your children.  I would like to thank them for their courage to be adaptable and professional in addressing the academic and social needs of our children.. 

Our teachers behave selflessly for the good of all of the children they meet every single day, and I know that the  children are appreciative for that.

They are all teachers at heart. They were probably role playing as teachers when they were the age of your children. For them there are many unforgettable moments in the classroom when they can hardly contain the joy of teaching, when new learning pathways suddenly open up, and that deep synchronicity with your kids becomes evident. 

Teaching is a journey of hope, and one that will make a huge difference in the learning and future lives of our children.

In  the partnership we share as parents and teachers united together, let’s continue the love, care, and respect for the many reachable moments that occur at school and home, and hold onto hope for a better future.

Enterprise Bargaining Update: A Focus on Staff Conditions and Resourcing.

As many in our community know, employees across various industries are covered by Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBAs). As we approach the conclusion of the current EBA for Catholic school employees, negotiations are commencing for the next agreement period.

There has been recent media attention regarding the next award, particularly for teachers. While the EBA for Nurses and Midwives was approved in November 2024, our teaching staff's current award period is set to conclude in December 2025.

The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) recently put forward a comprehensive proposal to the Catholic education sector. This proposal was aimed at addressing critical areas including workload, conditions, and wages for all employees. It reflects a genuine commitment to improving the working environment in our schools.The negotiations will continue and we will as a Catholic school plan around the impact and focus upon our mission of being a high quality Catholic school focussed on the strong teaching and learning program.  

Brendan

Sacrament of First Eucharist

Congratulations to our Year 4 students!

Over the last two weeks of June, our Year 4 students received the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time at St. Bernard’s Parish - a joyful and scared milestone in their faith journey.

We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them.  May receiving the Eucharist deepen your relationship with God and continue to guide you in love, faith and community.

A heartfelt thank you to Fr Tho for leading our celebrations. We are grateful for his spiritual guidance and continued support,  making these occasion even more meaningful for our student and their families.

A special thank you also goes to our Year 4 teachers and parents for their dedication in preparing the children throughout the term for this important day.  

Please enjoy the photos of each group (at the end of this report) as they celebrated the special moment together.
       

Sacrament of Confirmation

The Year 6 students of Clairvaux and St. Bernard’s Parish will be commencing their preparation to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in Term 3.  Confirmation is the final Sacrament of Initiation to be received in the Catholic Church - the others being Baptism and Eucharist.  Confirmation is administered by the Bishop by the symbolic traditions of ‘laying-on of hands’ and anointing with chrism (oil).  Selecting a saint name and sponsor are also significant decisions to be made by the candidates. The Sacrament of Confirmation gives strength in faith and helps us to live our lives as ‘Spirit-filled people’

A note was sent out yesterday to all Year 6 families regarding Confirmation.

                            Please check your emails!

IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION DATES:

• Family Faith Evening - Wednesday 13th Aug   6.30 pm  
• Presentation masses - Sat 16 Aug 6pm, Sun 17 Aug 9am, 10.30 am

Sat 23  Aug 6pm, Sun 24 Aug 9am, 10.30 am

• Preparation Day - Wednesday 10th September
• Confirmation Masses - Sun 14th Sept 1pm & 3.30 pm    

Tues 16th Sept 6.30 pm

More information to follow next term regarding stoles, saint names and sponsors.

Please direct any questions regarding the sacrament to jroutley@ccsbelmont.com.au or your child’s classroom teacher.

Year Level Masses

Year 6 / Prep buddy mass - celebrating Creation

Last week, our Year 6 students and their Prep buddies came together to celebrate a beautiful mass centred around the theme of Creation, which has been a focus in Religious Education for our Prep students this term.

The Mass was a touching reflection of the special bond between the older and younger students.  Our Year 6 students demonstrated wonderful leadership as they gently guided their Prep buddies through the celebration, showing care, maturity and encouragement.

We were also delighted by the fantastic turnout of parents whose presence highlighted the strong sense of community that enriches every part of school life here at Clairvaux.

Year Level Masses - TERM 3

• YEAR 4 Feast day of Mary McKillop   Tuesday 5th  August   12 noon
• YEAR 1  Grandparents Mass Tuesday 12th August  12 noon
• ST. BERNARD’S DAY Monday 25th August  9.15 am

Whole School Mass and Lapathon

Refugee Week

A sincere thankyou to the Clairvaux community for your generous support during Refugee Week.

Through your donations to the Assylum Seeker Food Bank @ The Welcome Place,  you have made a real difference to the lives of local refugee families.  Your kindness and compassion reflect important ‘touchstones’ of our school - where faith, community and service come together to support those in need.

Thankyou also to Marg Mahoney, the Social Justice CSC group and the Year 6 students for organising and promoting this worthy cause.  

Yvonne Paturzo who generously volunteers her time with the organisation, spoke to our Social Justice group and Year 6s, demonstrating the essence of a true ‘Spirit-filled’ person in our community.   We received a lovely letter from her in response to our donations. 

An excerpt from the letter…

‘The Wesley Asylum Seeker Welcome Place was delighted to receive your school’s very

generous donation of hundreds of non-perishable grocery items for our Food Bank last

week. Our shelves are now very well stocked, and we wish to express our thanks to the

Clairvaux Catholic School community for your kindness and concern.’

Photos from Refugee week and celebration of our Clairvaux cultural diversity…

                           


NAIDOC week - The Next Generation :

Strength, Vision and Legacy

Next week , July 6 - 13, we acknowledge NAIDOC week 2025, a special time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 2025 Theme, “The Next Generation; Strength, Vision & Legacy,” celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities and the legacy of our ancestors.  At Clairvaux, we honour the Traditional Custodians of the Land and continue to learn, listen and grow in our understanding and respect of our First Nations people.

Lia Rizzi, one of our talented Art teachers has taken inspiration from Indiginous Artists with students from Year 4 and 6 creating some amazing pieces.

Year 4 - Contemporary Indigenous artists: Bronwyn Bancroft and Jimmy Pike.

Bancroft has illustrated over 40 children's story books, including Colours of Australia, Patterns of Australia and Shapes of Australia. All three books combined create the book, Art in Country. 

Jimmy Pike's bright and colourful works focus on the repetition of line, surrounding the indigenous symbol for waterhole. Many of Pike's works feature 'Jila Japingka,' a major waterhole, around 400 kilometres south of Fitzroy Crossing, in the Great Sandy Desert, near where he was born.

Year 6 - Albert Namatjira, Australian watercolour landscapes

Namatjira was a pioneer of  Indigenous Australian art that was influenced by western art. This made him the most famous Indigenous Australian of his generation. Namatjira primarily painted the landscapes of Central Australia, specifically the MacDonnell Ranges region. His works often depicted the rugged terrain, vibrant colors, and expansive skies of the outback.

Eucharist 2025

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 

Previous Next

Naidoc Week

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 

Previous Next

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.