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Dear Parents,
After a long and time-consuming two months, it is with great relief that commitments have been made by Catholic Education to ensure that St Bede’s future is secured. As voiced last night, there is still plenty of work that needs to continue now and throughout 2021 to encourage enrolments and market this school to a wider audience. I would like to thank the whole school community for their participation and support of the consultation process. The passion and determination by so many has meant that we have achieved benefits that we wouldn’t have ordinarily expected. The second town hall meeting last night was well-attended and displayed the community commitment to this beautiful school.
In this new climate and as part of our retention focus, I would like to know as early as possible of any families who are considering changing schools for 2022. This includes boys who are considering a move to Marist next year so that we can plan ahead and keep Catholic Education in the loop. Ross Fox acknowledged last night that a commitment has been made by all of our congregational schools, as well as Marist, that they would have a position for Year 7.
It was great to see many people visiting St Bede’s as prospective families for 2022 during our Open Week. Year Six student leaders enjoyed tours and showing off our school to families. Thank you also to the parent volunteers who gave up their valuable time to be on deck if visitors had questions of the parent community. We have fourteen prospective Kindergarten enrolments so far which is encouraging. The official enrolment period concludes at the end of May but we are open to tours at any time. Please spread the word!
We have finished National (NAPLAN) testing for another year. We were very proud of the students in both Years 3 and 5 in the lead up to these tests and their attitude to each test. It is also the first occasion when the Year 3 students were exposed to a formal test situation which can be quite daunting. We have instilled into the children that these tests are important but only a snap shot of their education at St Bede’s. We try to keep the students calm during this time with as little fuss as possible. Results are due to be released during Term 3.
A couple of weeks ago, Year 4 attended camp at Birrigai Outdoor Recreation Centre. The weather was perfect and the students had a wonderful time. On talking to the children on their return they were full of exciting stories about all the activities. Teachers commented on how brave and courageous everyone was and how they challenged their comfort zones and made the most of this fabulous experience. I would like to thank Nikki Dwyer, Judy Elliott and Levi Heffernan for taking time away from their own families to accompany the Year 4 group.
Last Friday’s Cross Country and Colour Run was one of the best occasions I have witnessed at St Bede’s. Despite weather being inclement at times, the day was thoroughly enjoyable with students running well and challenging themselves during the Cross Country and the having a ball being covered with dye and participating in a wonderful obstacle course all to music. A big thank you to Mrs Fox for her organisation and all the students for their incredible fundraising. Make sure you finalise sponsorship and log on to https://myprofilepage.com.au/ to choose prizes from 15 May.
As part of our Professional Learning Journey called Catalyst, four members of staff attended a whole day of instruction with a consultant in High Impact Teaching Practices. This included the Science of Learning, evidence based instruction, Cognitive Load theory and Explicit instruction lesson components. This new initiative is part of a two year plan to develop teacher expertise in practices that complement conceptual inquiry.
We have a new regime in the front office for signing in and out your child/children during the day for appointments or to arrive late/ leave early. It is called Compass Kiosk and is a tablet on the right hand side of the front office window. Signed paper slips are no longer needed for this purpose.
Have a lovely weekend
Regards
Julie