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Welcome back to Term 2. There is something incredibly hopeful about a new start. Having just celebrated Easter, we are reminded of the promise of new life and hope. The following passage from Isaiah speaks of the energy that can fill us when we put ourselves in God’s hands.
“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
For me personally, having just returned from some time away, it is a pleasure to step back into the St Bede’s community and see it with fresh eyes. It has really highlighted to me that St Bede’s is like a family. Next week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week and we look forward to seeing our community come together again for our Community Breakfast and Walkathon. Being a Catholic School, the Christian message is lived through our actions and words.
This prompted me to ask some of the kids what they think of our school and this is what they say:
St Bede’s is special because I get to learn new things and see my brother every day. You make lots of friends too. (Mattes – K)
I like big lunch because I can play everywhere like the big oval and the play equipment. St Bede’s is good. (Ashton – K)
People are really nice here at St Bede’s. I like learning and I also like playing with my friends. (Claudia – Year 1)
At St Bede’s there are nice teachers and when you are new to the school everyone is very welcoming. (Paddy – Year 1)
I like it because we have a lot of fun work and the kids are always really nice. (Emerson – Year2)
I like St Bede’s because it is a small school. When I first came here I thought it was very kind and loving. (Charlotte – Year 2)
I really like it here because it is a small school and it is easy to know everyone in our community. I really like that it is religious because it teaches us about Jesus and that we can believe in ourselves. We know that we don’t need to worry because Jesus is always with us. (Maddy – Year 5)
St Bede’s is a great school because it is small and we know everyone and always have a friend. We always have a wide variety of opportunities like Engineering Games, Da Vinci Decathlon and the musical. If we are sad or upset, we always have a teacher who is there for us. (Emma –Year 5)
Mother’s Day Focus Assembly
Our Mother’s Day Focus Assembly will be led by the Year 4 students and will take place on Monday, 13 May at 2.45pm in our school hall. We would love it if you could join us and look forward to seeing many of you there.
Have a great week
Nikki Dwyer
St Bede’s Cross Country Carnival
We are all set for our Cross Country Carnival tomorrow at school. This annual event will be held in the school grounds beginning at 11.00am and should be completed by lunchtime. Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to assist on the day. Could those parents meet me at school at about 10.45am tomorrow so that I can tell you where you will be supervising? Please find below the schedule of events. Please remember these are only approximate times.
10:30 Recess at school
11:00 Year 2 and 8 year olds from Year 3 – 1000m
11:15 9 Years – 1500m
11:30 10 Years – 2000m
11:45 Kinder – 500
12:00 Year 1 – 500m
12:15 11 Years – 3000m
12:30 12 Years – 3000m
Rain is forecast over the next couple of days. A decision will be made very early on Friday morning if the carnival is postponed and notification will be sent through parent email and via SZapp alert.
South Weston Regional Cross Country Carnival
St Bede’s is organising the South Weston Regional Cross Country Carnival this year at Stromlo Park on Monday, 3 June. This is a huge commitment for our small school so I will be looking for volunteers to help us out in a variety of areas to make this day a success. Please mark the date in your diary!
St Bede’s Athletics Carnival
I know it seems like a long time ago but our annual school Athletics Carnival held on the last Wednesday of last term was a huge success. The weather was perfect and a great day was had by all. I would like to thank staff and parents who assisted throughout the day. It was great to see so many family members there to see children race, throw and jump. It is always a lovely community event and this year was no exception. The winning house was Scholastica. The South Weston Regional Carnival will not be held until August so those participating will be notified at the beginning of next term.
A Couple of Champions
Hannah is participating in the ACT Tennis Tournament this week and Bridie has been selected to represent South Weston region in the ACT Swimming Championships next week. Good luck, girls!
Have a lovely weekend
Julie Douglas
Sports Coordinator
julie.douglas@cg.catholic.edu.au
Just a reminder that if you have children attending a sporting team practice that parental supervision is required from 3.40pm until the commencement of training. Siblings should be collected at the usual time after school and adequately supervised if they are present during the training session.
St Bede's families are invited to our free community breakfast at school on Friday, 10 May, from 8.30am. Staff will be hosting the breakfast, serving bacon and egg rolls. Please RSVP via email to Linda.Wells@cg.catholic.edu.au by next Tuesday, 7 May, to allow for sufficient catering. We wouldn't want anyone to miss out!
Are you good with a hammer?
Breen would love some help to install temporary roadside billboards within our area this weekend to advertise our Open Week.
If you are able to help, even with a couple of signs, please contact Breen.
The signs and maps are ready to go!
The Mother’s Day focus assembly will be led by our Year 4 students on Monday, 13 May at 2.45pm. Mrs Mangeruca and Mrs Ryan would love for all mothers to be included and will put together a PowerPoint of photos to share at the assembly. Please send photos of mothers and grandmothers to
Michelle.Mangeruca@cg.catholic.edu.au or Cathy.Ryan@cg.catholic.edu.au
Photos are required by Wednesday, 8 May at the very latest please. Photos received after this date will not be included.
We have been advised that, even though Transport Canberra signage has been removed, the stop is still an allocated bus zone and should not be used as car parking. Consequently, Q City will continue to use the stop as a pick up and set down point. This may change in the future but information will be provided as it comes to hand.
From time to time a student may need to bring medications to school. Would you please ensure that a Request to Dispense Medication form is completed including dose, timing, etc. Any medicine will be locked in sick bay or kept in the staffroom fridge as appropriate. Forms are available from the front foyer and also available on the school website.
All medication should be supplied to the school in the container or packet in which it was dispensed otherwise we are not able to administer.
As children are returning to school in the cooler months, some may now experience niggling asthma symptoms. Would you please ensure that we are aware if your child suffers from asthma, however mild, and this also includes exercise induced asthma. Every student with significant asthma should have an Asthma Management and Emergency Treatment Plan in place at school.
Reliever medication may be kept in student’s bags/classroom/lunch box.
Personality strengths – our character – play a big role in helping us build our talents. Think about anyone who has built a talent and imagine if it could have been done without character. Imagine Einstein without curiosity, The Beatles without creativity, Mother Teresa without compassion or Neil Armstrong without bravery.
Yet for decades, scientists were blind to character strength. We focused on talent, often on physical strength and skills. In fact, when I first ask young children what they think a strength is, they almost always point to their biceps or talk about being able to lift something heavy.
Once you get familiar with the language of strengths and a framework for seeing them, you’ll see character strengths easily in your child. In fact, you may find your child calls on their character strengths more often than on talent to meet life’s challenges.
Three key elements of a strength
You’ve probably seen a child joylessly perform at a piano recital. They may hit all the right keys, but there’s no energy or enthusiasm. It’s as if they don’t want to be there. On the flip side, we’ve seen the child onstage who’s clearly motivated and energised and who fearlessly flails through every mistake – of which there are many.
It turns out that three elements come together to form a strength. For purposes of strength-based parenting, we need to keep our eye on all three:
- Performance (being good at something).
Watch for when your child shows above-age levels of achievement, rapid learning and a repeated pattern of success. - Energy (feeling good doing it)
Strengths are self-reinforcing. The more we use them, the more we get from them. They fill us with vigour. You’ll notice your child has abundant energy when using a strength. - High use (choosing to do it)
Finally, look for what your child chooses to do in their spare time, how often they engage in a particular activity and how they speak about that activity.
For true strengths, these three elements form a beautiful feedback loop: great performance provides the child with a shot of high energy, so the child naturally chooses to do more. In turn, high use – also known as effort or practice – improves performance levels. So, for example, if you notice that your child is energised when they play the piano, and you provide enjoyable opportunities for them to play, if they’re mining a true strength they will likely practise more, which improves their performance, which then energises them … and so the loop continues.
Keeping this triad in mind will help you avoid pushing your child into an area that seems like a strength just because your child is good at it. It will also help you differentiate between whether your child is bingeing on an activity in an escapist way or expressing a true strength.
For example, when a parent asks me, ‘My son is great at computer games and wants to play all the time. Is that a sign of a strength?’ I reply, ‘Observe his energy levels at the end. Is he drained and cranky? Or energised and full of life? Are you seeing the full triad?’ Computer games can tap into a child’s strategic and problem-solving skills or stimulate creativity (in some games, you invent whole new worlds). Or they might just be about filling time.
So look for all three signs. When you see your child do something well, with energy, and repeatedly, you’ll know you’ve unearthed a strength.