COLLABORATION

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Collaboration is a key ingredient to success, and at St Bede’s Primary School, it is something we encourage and prioritise in our daily activities. St Bede’s values families and is in true partnership in the learning process. We work together to support our children. 

Collaboration is the act of working together towards a common goal, and it plays a significant role in developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. When children collaborate with their peers, they learn to respect different perspectives, share ideas, and work towards a solution that benefits everyone involved. Our Social Justice Action Group and the Project Compassion day that was held yesterday are a beautiful example of collaboration and how to be community minded.

As educators, we strive to create a learning environment that fosters collaboration. Our teachers encourage students to work in pairs or groups to complete tasks and projects, allowing them to learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses. We also provide opportunities for students to engage in class discussions, where they can share their thoughts and opinions with their classmates, further developing their communication skills.

Collaboration is not only essential for students but also for parents and teachers. As parents, you play a critical role in your child's education, and by collaborating with teachers, we can create a supportive learning environment that benefits your child. At St Bede’s, we encourage parents to communicate regularly with teachers, providing feedback and asking questions, to ensure we are working towards a common goal of helping your child succeed.

We also encourage parents to collaborate with other parents, creating a network of support that can benefit the whole school community. This can be through volunteering, attending school events, or simply getting to know other parents in your child's class.  The Frugal Friday Uniform sale, the P & F and our School Board are examples of our parent community collaborating and working together. 

In the scripture passage above, Solomon advocates for the benefit of the human community. What we can do when we work together is better in every way than against one another or alone. Archbishop Prowse has declared 2023 a year of Walking Together across the Archdiocese. This further highlights journeying together and collaboration within a community. 

Collaboration is a crucial component of success in education and beyond. As we conclude this term, I encourage you to continue to support your child's learning by collaborating with their teachers and getting involved in the school community. Together, we can help our children reach their full potential.

Regards

Andrew

As parents would be aware, school photos were held last week and this year, St Bede's utilised a different photographer from previous years.  

Online ordering will open up Wednesday 29 March and each student has their own individual "shoot key" which parents will need to view and order their child's photos.  Students from Kindergarten to Year 4 will bring home a card with their name and shoot key on it on Monday, but students in Year 5&6 will bring their cards home today as they will be on camp next week from Monday to Wednesday.

Parents might like to take a photo of their child's details on their phone.  Please note if the card is lost, the school does not have a record of each child's individual shoot key and parents will have to contact the photographer directly for their child's details.

Earlier this week, a Compass message relating to strategic enrolments was shared with families. We encourage our school community to harness the drive shown previously to fill the remaining places of each class. This will assist with 2024 staffing.

Current families with children who are commencing in 2024 are asked to complete enrolment forms as quickly as possible. This will ensure that we have places available for Kindergarten for our families with multiple children at St Bede's. Numbers for Kindergarten 2024 are strong and we may need to enforce our enrolment policy to determine who is offered places. 

St Bede’s Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to Benedict for winning the Athletics Carnival last Friday. It was a great day where all the children ran, jumped and cheered. Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped throughout the day. The South Weston Athletics Carnival will be held in Term 3 – Thursday August 17.

A few ACT trials are happening to represent the ACT in the Australian Championships. Before you attend the trial, you need to register with School Sport ACT.

SSACT 12&U Golf

State team is selected at the 12&U Golf day on 01 May 2023. Please email chris.jones2@ed.act.edu.au for further information.

SSACT 12&U Tennis

State team is selected at the Primary Tennis Day on 05 May 2023. Please email margaret.mccaskie@daramalan.act.edu.au for further information.

On Friday the 17th of March, Year 1 and 2 participated in an incursion when educators from the National Museum of Australia visited our school. Both grades have been learning about the past as part of our history units. We spent an hour exploring a variety of artefacts from the past; learning what they were called, their purpose and the materials they were made from. Lots of these objects have newer versions so it was interesting to see how technology has changed. One of the most interesting artefacts was the very first refrigerator, Brendan showed us that it was just a metal box with material that would be wet and wrapped around the box to keep everything cool. The incursion was a great hands-on learning experience!

On 2-4 April St Bede's will be sending 6 staff members to the Science of Learning Summit in Hobart. The Science of Learning National Summit is a multi-day professional learning event where educators from across the nation will come together to learn about the science of learning, high impact teaching practice and knowledge rich curriculum. Through this summit, our teachers will gain further insight into this evidence-based teaching and learning approach and how it can be leveraged to improve their teaching, and the learning outcomes of students. This compliments the professional learning that is taking place in our school throughout 2023.

As you are aware, St Bede's has been on a journey over the past 2 years implementing the Catalyst Program. Catalyst is an evidence-based professional learning program based on the Science of Learning and Science of Reading Principles, in collaboration with leading experts such as Dr Lorraine Hammond, Jenny Donovan, Natalie Wexler, Michael Roberts and Toni Hatten-Roberts, amongst others. Catalyst provides teachers with a suite of curated resources to support development, growth and excellence in teaching and learning.

What is the Science of Learning?

Grounded in the neuroscience of cognitive architecture, the Science of Learning teaches educators that all humans learn in the same basic ways. The recruitment of the senses, imagination, use of reason, and the regular repetition and reinforcement provided by direct instruction, are proven ways of reducing cognitive load. 

The Science of Learning heralds the return of the knowledge-rich curriculum and teacher-led direct instruction to their rightful places in both educational policies and pedagogy.

What is High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP)?

High Impact Teaching Practice comprises of five areas of practice underpinned by international and national research including Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and the Four Strands of High Impact Principles.

These five areas are:

1. High expectations and explicit teaching
2. Structuring lessons
3. Formative assessment and feedback
4. Daily review
5. Student engagement

HITP equips teachers with the foundational theory and practical demonstration to implement evidence-based pedagogy in their classrooms and is highly effective at improving student learning and outcomes when implemented with fidelity.

What is a Knowledge Rich Curriculum?

A knowledge rich curriculum consists of having a low-variance approach to instruction, crafting a knowledge-rich unit and building a coherent curriculum map. Having a knowledge rich curriculum will not only improve student learning outcomes but also builds a strong instructional culture and provides students with a consistent experience between classes.

Rapid Antigen Tests were sent home this week. Families are encouraged to continue testing for Covid in coming months when symptoms are present. Should you like additional tests, please contact the office.