On behalf of all at St Bede's Primary School, I wish you the very best during this Christmas season. May you enjoy a blessed Christmas with loved ones and have a restful break. For those who are travelling, please travel safely.

We look forward to seeing all students on Tuesday 31 January 2023.

Thank you so much for an incredible year and for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful, vibrant community. Below is a copy of my address given at the 2022 Final Mass and Awards Day.

Good Morning Parents, Guests, Teachers and Students.

First of all, thank you to the organisers of today's events. Nikki Dwyer and Breen Fox, and everyone else who assisted with preparation, choir and music, we thank you for making today so special and a wonderful way to close out the 2022 school year. 

2022 has been a year of transformation for St Bede’s. Increased enrolments and strong growth, refurbished and improved facilities, the continued implementation of the Catalyst Program and our promotion and positioning within the community are indicators of our success, whilst maintaining a relentless focus on the learning and wellbeing of our students. Perhaps most importantly, we have ensured that our students are happy, confident, settled and connected to other people and the world around them. Our transformation has been driven by our vibrant community wanting the best for our children. I say our children, because the parents and staff of St Bede’s are genuine partners in education and all that we do at St Bede’s.

Our school theme for 2022 was “Walking Together” and throughout the year our students have been doing just that. Our staff, parents and the entire St Bede’s community have also journeyed together. Our students have been challenged to explore this theme on a deeper level and make a difference to the people around them by remaining connected and walking together. Congratulations to all for truly living this message throughout 2022 and making our school a better place.  

In the latter half of 2021, refurbishment work commenced after the announcement that our school would remain open. I want to acknowledge and thank our Director, Mr Ross Fox and Catholic Education for their support of St Bede’s with building works, additional classes, marketing and other support measures. The building works total an investment of $970 000. I am thankful that Breen and I, along with our whole school community have been able to build on the terrific work undertaken in 2021 by Julie Douglas and the St Bede’s community. Our classrooms have been completely refurbished, enabling our students to learn in top quality classrooms and we have new learning spaces to ensure that all students are catered for. Over the coming break we are refurbishing the final 2 classrooms, extending the parent car park and creating a new K-2 courtyard. These works have and will continue to provide our students with the best classrooms and facilities comparable to any school. 

This year saw the continuation and implementation of several key St Bede’s programs that broaden the experience of our children. These include the Sacramental Program, Year 6 Leadership Groups, The Kinder/Year 1 Buddy Program, Step Up and Kindy-Set-Go. These programs are important to our school. They highlight the element of service and illustrate the level of connectedness within our school and parish community. Thank you to the teachers and students who serve our community so faithfully. These programs are laden with Catholic Social Teaching and are a valuable part of what makes a St Bede’s education something so valuable. Our Catholicity and our values are the foundation of what we offer.

Along with these fantastic programs are the multitude of activities, clubs, sport and extra curricular opportunities. St Bede’s Primary School is fortunate to have a very strong partnership with our parents who support our sporting endeavours.  Thank you to everyone who has assisted with netball, touch football, transporting children to events and other representative sports. I want to extend a special thank you to Mr Heffernan for coordinating sport at St Bede’s this year. Sport is an important element of St Bede’s that brings the community together. Sport should be about people, enjoyment and positive experiences rather than the unpleasantness of winning at all costs. Throughout the year, we have witnessed our students shine, but more importantly we have celebrated our students working together in the spirit of sport. 

Once again, St Bede’s Primary School has achieved good NAPLAN results in comparison to the other schools. Whilst NAPLAN should not be the only assessment tool used to measure student achievement, it is evidence of the high quality teaching that occurs at St Bede’s each and every day. Our teachers are specialists in providing high quality lessons and engaging students in their learning. Throughout 2022, we have continued to implement the Catalyst Program at St Bede’s. Catalyst is a professional development program aimed at increasing high impact teaching practice in every classroom. It is based in the science of learning and ensures that learning is maximised for each student. We will continue to implement Catalyst in 2023 focusing on high quality teaching and student growth because we are committed to providing the best for our children. 

On behalf of our parents and students, I would like to thank our staff for all that they do each and every day. Their commitment to delivering quality lessons in a caring and dedicated way is second to none. They are experts at connecting and getting to know their students and provide the best environment for learning.   

The St Bede’s Primary School P & F and Board are groups that provide an opportunity for members to support the mission of Catholic education in the school. I thank Aaron Torline and the board for their support and advice throughout the year. Thank you to the P & F for organising events, bbq’s, providing lunches, administering WhatsApp groups and serving the St Bede’s community in so many ways. This is a strong, committed and motivated group who have the children at the heart of what they do. I extend a special thank you to Sarah Crewdson and  Zoe Hannah for their commitment and time in running the Snack Shack and Uniform Boutique throughout the year. I acknowledge the support of all who assisted Sarah and Zoe in 2022. I would like to acknowledge the growth of canteen sales from 1900 sales in 2021 to 2900 sales in 2022. I would like to thank Jen Maher, the P & F executive and all members for supporting and funding the court resurfacing project. I love your can do attitude, your drive, and your dedication to our children, our staff and our great school.

Today, we have gathered as a school community to farewell Year 6 students and to recognise the achievement of our students. It is important that we come together to close the year and to make time to celebrate student success. I congratulate all of the 2022 award recipients for your achievement. I would like to wish our Graduating Class of 2022 all the very best for their future endeavours as they complete their primary education today and move into the realm of their secondary schooling. Thank you for leading our school and contributing so positively to the tone of St Bede’s. Be sure to take the gift of a St Bede’s catholic education with you because you can build on this solid foundation. 

Today, we also farewell a number of staff, students and families, who are a part of the St Bede’s family. I wish you all the very best as you move to new schools, new towns and new opportunities. I am sure that each of you will remember your time at St Bede’s fondly. I thank each of you for your unique contribution to St Bede’s and wish you all the best with new beginnings. 

I am honoured and privileged to be the principal of St Bede’s Primary School and would like to thank the school community for their support throughout 2022. I thank Mrs Breen Fox, our Leadership Team, and our fantastic staff and parents for their personal support and assistance throughout what has been a very difficult year for our family. 

Finally, I would like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and encourage everyone to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas as families come together during this special season. I pray that you have a safe and happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you in 2023, celebrating the 60th year of St Bede’s Primary School as we continue to “walk in love and peace” .

Regards

Andrew

Eamon Kennedy Award

The 2022 Eamon Kennedy Award goes to Hailey Trewhella.

Carol Thompson Award

The 2022 Carol Thompson Award goes to Edward Peterson.

Walk In Love & Peace Award

The 2022 Kinder Blue recipient is Wyatt Radnell

The Kinder Gold recipient is Jett Bywater

The Year 1 recipient is Olive Coffison

The Year 2 Blue recipient is Francis Kirby

The Year 2 Gold recipient is Felicity Thomas

The Year 3 recipient is Freya Kearns

The Year 4 recipient is Olive Kirby

The Year 5 recipient is Tom Panozzo

The Overall Year 6 Walk in Love & Peace Award is Josephine Heffernan.

Please note all students (including new students) will return on Tuesday 31 January 2023.  All students should be in full summer uniform on that day and we will advise sports uniform days in due course.

Just a reminder that the Uniform Shop will be open on Monday 30 January 2023 from 10.00am to 12 noon for those last minute purchases.

Thank you to the parents who joined us for the Kindergarten Nativity on Tuesday. It was beautifully presented nativity with rising stars afforded an opportunity to shine. It was a pleasure to have you here, celebrating a well crafted nativity performance.

I extend an enormous thank you to Mrs Horsburgh, Mrs Trow and their assistants for preparing the children for the nativity. 

The St Bede's staff would like to extend a special thank you to the parent community for making this Christmas extra special. We are appreciative of the gifts that we have received and the vouchers that were given to each staff member.

We all feel very loved and supported by our wonderful parents.

Thank you to the P & F for supporting the small school of St Joseph's Primary School, Eugowra who were devasted by the recent floods in central western NSW. The P & F donated Christmas craft items to the school. 

A special thank you to all who baked and bought cakes as all sales were donated to the school by the P & F.  Over $1,100.00 was raised which was a huge effort and greatly appreciated by the St Joseph's community.