Dear Families,

Confirmation is fast approaching and we are looking forward to our family sessions in early May. Please be sure to sign up to one of these if your child is making their Confirmation this year. The links will be sent via our school SZapp tomorrow.

Curriculum update – are you wondering about St Bede’s learning approach?

As educators, we take great pride in providing quality teaching and learning to the students in our care. The teachers at St Bede’s are constantly working on different areas of their pedagogy and seeking new ways to improve the way they teach in response to the needs of our students. We are genuinely excited about learning and love to see the students engaged and happy.

At St Bede’s we plan conceptual inquiry units of work. This is an efficient way to develop central ideas and lines of inquiry, called conceptual understandings. This has been proven to be an effective approach when teaching infants and primary aged children. It is important to note that although we are not an International Baccalaureate school, IB schools also use a conceptual inquiry approach however it sits within the IB Framework. Please access this link to see similarities in our approach. Click here.

This year, adding to our teacher toolkit, we have been exploring the use of thinking routines as a means of gathering student data about what the students know and understand. We have also been using a range of provocations to engage and provoke the students, piquing their curiosity about the world around them. The next step in our inquiry journey (specifically to Religion but this knowledge can be transferred) is a focus on formative assessment.

Parish Masses

Following a recent parent suggestion to bring back St Bede’s Parish Masses, I am keen to see how many parents would be interested in making this a regular event. It sounds to me like it might be great timing to begin discussions to see if there is interest. There is no pressure.  Just an invitation to join as a school to celebrate our faith. It would usually be celebrated at St Peter Chanel’s at 9.30am on Sunday.

Please click here to register your interest.

Blessings,

Nikki Dwyer

Religious Education Coordinator