Dear Parents, 

As the end of Term One draws to a close, I have been reflecting on how quickly the time has flown by and how busy the term has been. This is usually a quiet term but this year we have hit the ground running. We also have a very busy start to Term Two with the Gymnastics program, Catholic Schools Week, Open Week, Walkathon, NAPLAN and Year 4 camp so the holiday break is an ideal time to rest up and spend quality time with family and friends.

What a wonderful day was had by all the students at the Athletics Carnival yesterday and the weather was just perfect! It was tremendous to see the fabulous sportsmanship, everyone cheering their friends in races and encouraging each other to do their best. A huge thank you to the staff and parents for a brilliant team effort to make the day run so smoothly and Sports Leaders for great chants and team spirit.

We have just completed the first term of Arts across the school ably coordinated by Katie Horsburgh. The first half of the term was a Drama unit and the second half Visual Art. These curriculum subjects have been very successful and will continue throughout the year. If you get an opportunity, please come and see the students' collages displayed in the corridors.

This week we celebrate Nikki Dwyer receiving her Master in Religious Education.  From personal experience, I know how difficult is to complete post graduate study when you have a young family and also work fulltime in a demanding position so this is a huge achievement. Congratulations, Nikki, and we hope you enjoyed your graduation day with your family and friends.

Last Monday, I had the privilege of teaching Year Three. During literacy, they creatively wrote, stimulated by a voiceless video, about a girl finding a bubble pack while walking along a beach. I would like to share a poem one of the students wrote in response. Gee, we have clever children at St Bede’s!

Bubbles!

I once saw a girl all alone and sad,

By the looks of things a mixture of mad.

She had a nice tube of bubbles with a yellow blowing straw,

She had a nice purple hoody so I doubt she was poor.

She walked down a beach crying fountains of tears,

She listened to the waves with only her ears.

She blew a few bubbles up into the air,

As the wind behind her back blew her beautiful golden hair.

‘The bubbles were magic’, the sad girl said,

She wished she was home tucked into her bed.

by Edie

The ‘KidsMatter’ student wellbeing program that we began a couple of years ago has recently been changed to the Federal initiative ‘Be You’ program. This platform is about creating a mentally healthy learning community for everyone. St Bede’s has recently registered for Be You and will begin next term, in conjunction with the new ‘Australian Student Wellbeing Framework’, implementing and promoting ways that we can continue to build a positive and inclusive learning environment across the school.

As you are no doubt aware, ACTION school buses have very different routes and timetables from 29 April, the first day of Term Two. Please note that every bus route will have a new number/timetable and route. You may use ACTION’s website to find information on the new timetable. Use the following link to access this information https://www.transport.act.gov.au/ . Please note that there is an “options” box to select preferences such as fewest interchanges, fastest route, combined walk and ride options, etc. You may also ring ACTION on 13 17 10 if you are unable to access necessary information on the ACTION website. A summary of all services for St Bede's is also available from the front foyer or email Linda for a copy.

We will transition into winter uniform over the first couple of weeks of next term as the temperature can often fluctuate at this time of year. I would like to thank parents for their support of our uniform policy as we move to the winter uniform this term. We will continue to wear hats until the end of May. I will let you know when beanies can be worn.

As we conclude Term One, I wish to thank everyone for all their hard work during the term to make the start of 2019 such a success. It has been a very fruitful term with many achievements throughout the community - families, staff and most importantly, students. Your children are a delight to teach and have as young people under our care.

On behalf of the staff, I wish you all a very happy Easter and safe holiday. Whether you spend the time in Canberra or elsewhere, enjoy the extra time with those important to you and the Autumn weather.

Regards

Julie