Newsletter
Success at The Big Science Competition
6 August 2026
This week, College Principal Dr Michael Davies is joined by special guest Elijah as they chat all about the recent success of our College Musical, Beauty & the Beast.
St Bernard's College has claimed the 2026 Senior Boys Div 1 Herald Sun Shield, with a dominant four-quarter performance securing a 58-point win over Emmanuel College Warrnambool.
The win returns the shield to St Bernard’s for the first time since 2018. Key forward Nate Jenkins was awarded best on ground for his 6 goals (including 5 in the first half alone) improving on his 5-goal haul in the ACC Grand Final.
We thank Emmanuel College for a great game and commend them on their efforts in reaching the Grand Final. Once again we thank our head coach Steve Alessio, assistant coaches Aaron Heppell, Paul Groves, and Xavier Cox, and all the staff, students, parents, and community members who have supported the team this year.
Congratulations to the entire 1st XVIII on a fantastic win and an amazing season - you’ve established yourselves as one of the best school teams going around!
St Bernard’s 16. 9. 105 def. Emmanuel 7. 5. 47
Best Players: N. Jenkins, I. Merhi, T. Rodan, J. Mirenda, M. Rumoro, J. Guarnaccia
Goal Kickers: N. Jenkins 6, I. Merhi 3, J. Privitelli 2, M. Mason, M Rumoro, J. Sweatman, J. Guarnaccia, S. Juricskay
Six sold-out shows, rave reviews, and heart-and-soul performances—congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s musical Beauty & the Beast!
Our latest co-production with St Columba’s College took this wonderful tradition to new heights, and with the entire run sold out, it’s clear just how much our community loved every moment.
To our incredible student performers, what else can we say but bravo! Your dedication and passion shone each night on stage, and both schools couldn’t be prouder of your efforts.
We’d also like to give a special shout-out to the performing arts team from St Columba’s, who took the lead on this year’s production and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make it such a success. Our talented musicians weaved their magic during the songs, and to the entire crew, thank you for your outstanding teamwork to execute a fantastic show.
Finally, thank you to all who attended a showing of this year’s musical—your support is priceless and your applause continually inspires our cast and crew.
A standing ovation for an unforgettable run. 🌹
The SBOCA Bowls Day returns in 2026! A fantastic opportunity to connect with Old Collegians, enjoy friendly competition, and win some cash from our $1500+ prize pool. Open to all in our St. Bernard’s community– Old Collegians, Current Students, Family and Friends.
This year's event will have teams of two - sign up together or join as a solo player and pair up with someone on the day. Who knows - you might be partnered with a secret prodigy!
📅 Sunday 30th August 2026
🕒 Registration opens from 9:15am for a 10am start
Play finishes at 4pm
🍽️ Lunch and afternoon tea provided, refreshments available.
🎟️ $50 per person or $100 for a team of two.
Book Tickets Here!
For more info/enquiries please contact:
Gerard Mahoney (Community Bank Keilor East)
M: 0412 165 912 E: gerard.mahoney@ekcfs.com.au
or Vinnie McGuire (St Bernard's)
P: 03 9289 1105 E: development@sbc.vic.edu.au

The Big Science Competition is an international competition open to students in Years 7–10. The 50-minute online assessment features a mix of question types designed to challenge students’ scientific knowledge, while also assessing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
This year, 53 Year 7 students and 54 Year 8 students proudly represented the College. Competing against almost 36,000 students worldwide, four Year 7 students and one Year 8 student achieved a High Distinction, placing them among the top 5% of students globally in their respective year levels.
Congratulations to Dan (Year 8), James (Year 7), Edison (Year 7), Jarvis (Year 7), and Reizo (Year 7) on this outstanding achievement. These students were recently presented certificates at our last whole school assembly, and we encourage them to keep pursuing their passion for science!
Congratulations also to all students who earned a Distinction or Credit, reflecting their strong scientific understanding and commitment to academic excellence.
Nobody knows the value of blood donations better than the countless people in Australia who rely on them. In fact, 1 in 3 will need donated blood or a blood product in their lifetime. That’s about 600 of us here at St Bernard’s College.
Just one reason our school is supporting the Schools Blood Drive from 1 August – 31 October.
Together, we can make a real difference!
We’re taking part through Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s group donation program, Lifeblood Teams. And our St Bernard’s College Lifeblood Team will be coming together to be part of something bigger. Something for the community. Something that changes lives!
Whether you’ve been giving blood for decades or it’s something you’ve been thinking about doing, now is the perfect time to join our Lifeblood Team. Our supportive group makes donating easier (and more fun!). You can donate together with the team or on your own – it all counts towards our team contribution and helps the community.
This year our school is aiming to give 50 donations during the Blood Drive. So, let’s see just how much impact we can have by giving together!
SBC Lifeblood team stats, as of 1/8/26: 172 members, 138 donations, 414 lives saved so far this year!
Get involved at lifeblood.com.au/blood/donate-as-a-group or contact our school’s Lifeblood Team Champion, Jo Wilkinson, for more information.
Remember, every drop counts – and we’d love to count you in!
There’s plenty more to see from our Staff Sawubona Kenya Immersion!
At The Ruben Centre, our staff were taken through all of the lifegiving projects they run outside of the classroom. Their maternity ward allows for the safe and healthy delivery of babies every day, whilst their ambulance and health clinic services offers the crucial vaccinations, health screenings and consultations the public need to improve their wellbeing.
Ruben Radio is a community radio service running 24/7 in Mukuru, broadcasting within a 2.5km radius to a population of 750,000 people, with shows targeted towards community needs, in time slots relevant to those listening.
Their urban agriculture program and garden led by Joy was a display of innovation, resourcefulness, and sustainability. Every space within the urban garden was used with thought, no resource going to waste. The award-winning garden featured chickens, fish, rabbits, soldier flies, and vegetables, with its own ecosystem of sustainability.
The vocational training facility is used for young adults to up-skill themselves to gain employment as well as the skills required to run their own business. Weaving, hairdressing, beauticians, and garment making were some of the offerings that empower students to build sustainable income and opportunity.
The staff were in pure amazement at the different ways by which The Ruben Centre caters for the needs of their community and creates learning opportunities that truly liberate students. We are so grateful for this longstanding connection, and are excited to be offering this opportunity to SBC students in 2027 and beyond. To The Ruben Centre - Asante sana and Sawubona (“Thank you and we see you”).
Our first House celebration for Term 3 was MacKillop Week—celebrating the house named for Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop.
Enthusiasm was high as students across the campus got involved in activities like the soccer tournament, pentathlon challenge, and FIFA World Cup. Congratulations to the MacKillop team who won the pentathlon—the first team thus far to win their own house challenge!
Wonderfully led once again by Fr Bernie Lane, our Community Mass was an opportunity to reflect on the spirit of caring and service that defines MacKillop House. Our closing hymn encouraged all guests to “go make a difference in the world” wherever they can.
Students and staff alike beat the winter chill with a snag from the now-traditional fundraiser BBQ, with all proceeds donated to Vinnies Soup Van Hub. In the words of Mary herself, our MacKillop House students are called to “never see a need without doing something about it”. The tireless volunteers at Vinnies Soup Van live out this phrase every day, and are the perfect group for our MacKillop students to partner with in service learning.
Thank you to all our students, our Identity team and especially to MacKillop House Guardian, Mr Winch, for a fun and meaningful week.
Up next—McAuley Week!
St Bernard’s is participating in #GetFitGiveBack, an awesome initiative by Blue Fit Health Club where revenue will be donated to our House charities or Edmund Rice Foundation Australia.
Join BlueFit Health Club at their Windy Hill location on their special 6-month membership offer. Nominate St Bernard’s College when you sign up, and BlueFit will donate $100 towards one of our five House Charities, or to the Edmund Rice Foundation, supporting our partner schools in Kenya.
All in our community are eligible for this special offer - parents, teachers, students, and old collegians.
Our newest campus build continues to take shape—and we’ve come a long way since January! 🏗️
The extensions to the Margaret Carey Building and Tobin Building are close to completion, and concreting and surfacing is well underway.
We can now clearly see how the central piazza runs through the heart of the campus, connecting some of the key hubs of our College - the chapel, library, and the soon to be completed cafeteria, study hall and amphitheatre. We can’t wait to see it fully finished and landscaped!
The Quays Project will deliver a brand-new learning experience for our students, supporting them outside of traditional hours and inspiring them to challenge themselves. We extend our gratitude to Chandler Architects, 2Construct, and Connect PM for their dedication and expertise on this build.
A huge thank you to everyone in our community who supported the Quays through our recent Giving Day—this progress is yours to share in and celebrate!