Bernadette Buzz

Hello March!

It's March! The worst of the winter months are passed us , the days are getting longer, and the earth is slowly starting to show us rebirth, regrowth and warmer days ahead.

Lent invites Catholic families to slow down, reflect, and grow together in faith. It is a season that reminds us of God’s constant call to renewal—an opportunity to look inward, seek forgiveness, and strengthen our relationship with Christ. Through prayer, fasting, and acts of kindness, we all can walk this journey side‑by‑side, modelling for children what it means to live with gratitude, compassion, and hope. In our St. Bernadette community, Lent becomes not just a personal practice but a shared experience of supporting one another, choosing love in our daily actions, and preparing our hearts to celebrate the joy of Easter.

February brought us many lessons. We learned a lot about amazing black Canadians who have constributed to a variety of areas of our lives in science, medicine, law, music, sports, and making our country a better place. We listened to voices and stories- many of these never before were given the opportunity. We have grown together and also know that we all still have much work to be done- and will continue to do. Black History Month is an important month, but it doesn't get taken down and put away- it carries on, and it should carry on stronger, more united and more open to learning and growing.

We also worked together to navigate unknown waters- literally and figuratively. The floods have receded, the appropriate personnel have been in to ensure everything is drying out properly, removed properly and will be replaced properly over this next month, especially during the March Break to mitigate disruptions to the students' learning. As a parent and I chatted in the hallway after school one night, she reminded me: it could have been a lot worse (it always could have been worse). And so with that perspective, we know we are blessed and grateful that yes, all will be fixed. A special shout-out to our amazing students and staff who have had to be inconvenienced over the last while with drying fans, dehumidifiers, moving spaces, making things work outside the normal, and still doing it all with a smile on our faces. We carry on, we persevere and always know that HE is right there with us helping and guiding us and that everything happens for a reason. This past month we came together united and continue stronger because of it.

We Need Your Help!: Nominate St. Bernadette CS for Outstanding Communications! Nominations are being accepted for the DCDSB Reverend John Markle School to Home Communications Award. Submissions will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2026. We won last year for the first time in the history of this award being given, and we would LOVE to win for a second year in a row- but for that qwe need your support and help!! Is your school delivering outstanding communications? Durham Catholic schools are committed to engaging with our communities by delivering timely, effective, and open communication. A selection committee is accepting nominations from students and families who believe their school has done an outstanding job in communicating with them over the 2025-2026 school year.   One elementary and one secondary school will be selected to receive the award at the Board Meeting on May 25, 2026.   How to nominate a school The nomination form asks you to describe how your school demonstrates excellence in communications. Submissions should include examples of:

• How your school communicates faith-based values and Catholicity; and
• A description and/or examples of how your school provides outstanding communications (i.e. newsletters, website, Edsby, social media, emails, phone calls, etc.)

  Click here to submit a nomination!   Submissions may also be sent by email indicating Rev. John Markle School to Home Communication Award in the subject line to communications@dcdsb.ca.   The winning schools will be selected by a committee consisting of one trustee representative and two student trustees.   Submissions will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2026.  

   Let's make history and win the award 2 years in a row!!

AfroBeats Dance Workshop - K-8 Coming March 12

Afiwi Groove School is a non-profit organization in Durham Region that aims to empower, educate, and inspire through Arts and culture of the African Diaspora. They are an award-winning performing arts school that focuses on the artistic genres of the African Diaspora.

On Thursday, March 12, they will be taking 1 grade at a time and giving dance workshops in our gymnasium to all of our students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. We will be asking for $3.00 per student to help subsidize the cost of the program. Please look out for that payment on school cash online this week.