Role Models

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” Peter 2:21

If you could select one person and model your life to be like his or hers, who would you choose? Who is your role model?

Role models can be found everywhere and have the capacity to influence lives, values and lifestyles. They set good examples and are looked up to and admired by others. They inspire others, who in turn want to be like them. At St Bede’s, many of our younger students want to be like our older students, their siblings or their parents.  Why is this?

Good role models are people who have the inner capacity to reflect and evaluate their lives and interactions with others. Role models seek to grow and evolve throughout their lifetime. They have the capacity to connect with others. They are not infallible, but they often have a clear sense of purpose, meaning and values in their lives. Purpose, meaning and values are all things that we nurture in our students.

St Bede’s is extremely fortunate to have so many terrific role models. Our wonderful staff are role models in so many ways to so many people. I adore how our younger students are cared for by older students. Our kindergarten students love spending time with their buddies and our senior students grow in being role models. It is in these connections that we can experience the face and love of Jesus.  

But there is one perfect role model, not only for Christians, but also for others. He is Jesus Christ. We have met Him through the Word of God. We can feel his presence through the works of people and can see that they want to be like Jesus. For Christians the ultimate role model is Jesus Christ. Jesus has had enormous influence on the lives, values and lifestyle of all people.  

As in previous years, our school community has embarked upon the Liturgical Season of Lent with the distribution of ashes and their own Lenten promises. These promises will be their focus for the forty days of Lent and will be a reminder that Lent is a time to change the things in our lives which separate us from Jesus. 

Some of us will choose to give-up something like chocolate or TV, remembering each time we deny ourselves of the huge sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. Others may choose to add something to their daily lives that will bring them closer to Jesus, like extra time given over to prayer or volunteering extra time in the community. Whatever the case, we know that keeping our resolutions are difficult and that sometimes we may slip, but it is a good lesson for our students to keep on trying and not to give up.

It is my hope that by all of us taking time from our busy schedules to develop our relationship with God, we can use the Lenten season to develop a greater appreciation of the life that God is calling each of us to lead.

Regards

Andrew

“Create in me a clean heart, O’God and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Lent, at its core, is about an inner transformation, a change of heart. Yes, we must also remember to pray, fast and give generously to our families, friends and even strangers. But the change that makes the most significant difference in both our lives and the lives of others is the change that happens within us.

This Lent, let’s challenge ourselves to be more like Jesus. Focus on building positive, lasting habits. What does this look like in our daily lives? Simple, be loving and slow to anger, be patient and slow to become annoyed and be kind-hearted and non-judgmental. Through these actions, we become the face of God to others. 

Ash Wednesday 

Thank you to Mr Heffernan and Year 3 Blue for leading us in our Ash Wednesday Mass. It was a beautiful mass, and the children were well prepared.

Fr Trenton presided over the Mass, sharing with us the message of Lent. Simply put, it is a time to be more like Jesus and acknowledge that we are human and will make mistakes along the way. 

This Lent - Let your true colours shine!

To register to attend a trial the parent must first register for an account. Click on this link School Sport Registration to create an account and for more information on opportunities available, check out the Sports tab at the top of the homepage of School Sport ACT for your specific sport.

We are excited to commence our extension and enrichment groups in Week 5. The purpose of these groups is to provide students with an opportunity to further develop knowledge, critical thinking, and investigative skills in a target area.

All students at St Bede’s will be provided with opportunities to participate in enrichment programs throughout the year. These include competitions, challenges and other activities.

Participants for the Term 1 extension groups have been selected using standardized testing data. Each group will undertake tasks that have been tailored to their area of academic strength.

We look forward to sharing the successes of all our students within these programs throughout the year.

As Term 1 commences, please be reminded that our car park can become busy at drop off and pick up time. There are 3 carparks; the top car park via Nuyts Street, the main carpark and overflow carpark (gravel car park as you enter) via Hicks Street. There is also street parking that is now available since the construction ended last year.

To assist in keeping our community safe please remember the following:

1) drive slowly in the car park.

2) utilise the the foot paths.

3) talk to your child about road safety/car park safety.

4) spread out your pick up time (supervision is available from 8.30 until 3.30).

5) be kind and considerate.

Prayer for Lent
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, You have made the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night. Help us walk in your light.

During this season of Lent, renew us through the gift of your Holy Spirit. Help us grow in faith, hope, and love. During this special time, we remember that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so that we might be free to love.

Help us grow to be the people you call us to be, letting go of old habits of selfishness, forgiving those who have hurt us, giving quality time to our families, spending time in quiet prayer.

Amen.

Welcome to 2023 from the St Bede’s P&F. We are excited to welcome so many new families into our community. We have enjoyed meeting many of you over the past few weeks.

As you may be aware, the P&F funded the resurfacing of the playing courts directly out the front of the school. The new resurfaced courts have provided several new play spaces for our kids and have been very popular. We were all thrilled that we were able to get the courts completed over the holidays. Thank you to Mr Casey for the coordination of this project.

The P&F have also been approved for a block grant for a St Bede’s Community Garden which will be located outside the hall as a space to gather after assemblies and masses. This space will be completed by the end of a year with an official opening to be planned as well. More information will be provided following the P&F meeting next week.

Next Tuesday we have our first P&F meeting for 2023. The meeting will run from 7pm-8:30pm in the school library. We will be running pre drinks beforehand starting at 6:15pm. All are welcome to attend. We love hearing ideas on how to make our school the best place possible for our kids!

Any queries, please reach out to your class contact.

Jen Maher

President

St Bede's P&F

News Corp Australia – in partnership with ANZ, Teachers Mutual Bank, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Care For Kids and Griffith University – will launch Australia’s Best Teachers series at the end of February.

Stories of our country’s most inspirational, innovative and talented educators will be shared each Sunday until May, in print and online, to show how the passion and commitment of individuals is transforming education in Australia.

Readers can nominate their favourite teachers using the nomination form below.

Link to nomination form and news story

On Thursday 23 February, we had 9 teachers take part in professional learning. This group consists of 7 teachers who will undergo 5 days of professional learning and coaching over the course of 2023 in High Impacts Teaching Practice (HITP). Mrs Fox and Mrs Dwyer are the instructional coaches who will observe and coach our team in conjunction with an external coach.

HITP is a program that focuses on Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment. It equips teachers with the foundational theory and practical demonstration to implemented evidence-based pedagogy in their classrooms. The program has been designed for teachers from all year levels.

It is a comprehensive professional learning program, encompassing both the theory of the Science of Learning and coaching for each teacher to enable high impact instructional strategies in the classroom.

HITP involves three components: online units, HITP Theory & Practice and HITP In Action.

The following students received an award in Week 4:

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

WALK IN LOVE AND PEACE AWARDS

YEAR 6

LEADERSHIP AWARDS