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Welcome to this weeks newsletter. This week we continue our series ont he school's Anti bullyin porcderues in the Student Welfare Update, we are launching the Year 4 BYOD project timeline which I discuss below, we have amazing things happening in the Sports Updates and in the Learning update, Kate continues to outline the upcoming period of curriculum reform across alll KLAs that all schools will be tasked with over the next few years.
Feeling the St Bennies Spirit
I always wonder at the privilege we hold when we choose to work in a school community because our "workplace" is alive and breathing with spirit and energy. Sometimes that spirit waivers (usually from exhaustion) and other times it soars. This last week we have felt the Bennies spirit a few times when our students have stood proud, shown joy in being part of our school and represented us with respect and resilience. And while success should always be celebrated; for me, it is those other elements that make my Bennies Spirit soar.
Yesterday’s carnival was a wonderful event and I saw great moments of sportsmanship demonstrated by all students even while they were busy waiting their next event. At rotational carnivals, such as the one we conducted yesterday, where every child is doing something pretty much all the time, it can seem like each age group participates in their own little bubble. However, I saw kids calling out to the other groups, cheering on runners and sharing stories about the success they saw for their friends, as well as their own. Congratulations to all students who participated. To stand at the start line and say "yep, I can give that a go" is a win. To those who excelled, congratulations and we will get some results to parents in the coming weeks. Our regional carnival is on Wednesday 28th June (Week10), so we have time. A huge acknowledgement and thanks goes to Mrs Jacqui Lojszczyk and her team, who organised the carnival and ensured its smooth running yesterday.
Another proud moment for St Bennies was felt last Friday when our two senior teams represented our school at an AFL gala day. As Mr Morris said this morning at the assembly, it wasn’t just the success both teams had on the day (which was pretty cool) it was the resilience, the pride, the respect, their good grace and the growing independence that these groups of students manage to build throughout the day. We are certainly feeling the Bennies Spirit during this rather busy half to Term 2, Keep up the great work everyone.
BYOD Year 4 Launch and Timeline
Our BYOD project that was launched in Stage 3 this year is timed to begin halfway through Year 4 to enable the students to have the devices set up, using them with confidence and with an emerging independence. In this way the BYOD program will be fully implemented for use as a tool for learning at the start of Year 5.
We are ready to begin the launch of the Year 4 BYOD program. Below is a timeline for parents in Year 4 to consider. Most immediately, we want to invite parents to an information session next Monday Evening at 7pm via zoom for parents who are new to the BYOD program. The link will be posted on COMPASS next Monday.
The information session will unpack the aims of the BYOD program, what to expect from the use of a device as a tool in your child's learning and the minimum specs of the devices we need. We will then communicate the details in writing so that parents can take these with them as they investigate options for the purchase of your child’s device. We will also reopen the Next technologies website for the purchase option of a school nominated commercial grade device.
Have a great week,
Jules Mulhearn
School Office
Phone: 4958 1858
Email: admin@edgeworth.catholic.edu.au
Admin/ Finance Officer Suzi Di-Nardo Monday to Friday
Admin Office Mary Bruce Monday, Thursday & Friday
We would like to welcome Mary Bruce to our school office. Mary will be working in the office Monday, Thursday & Friday for Term 2. Mary comes with many years experience in a school office enviroment and will be an asset to our school.
FEES
Statements are sent out at the beginning of each month. Your next statement will be in the last week of Term 1 - First week in May. Please check your Junk Mail if you have not received your statement.
Your first installment for the year should have been paid by now. First payments were due by th 31st March.
Please arrange for a regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly Bpay, Direct Debit or an annual payment. If you are paying by instalments we ask that your first instalment is made by 31 March and the debt extinguished by 30 November 2023. If paying in full please ensure this payment is made by 30 June 2023.
Additional costs may apply throughout the year for representative sport and other extracurricular activities.
Payments can be also be accepted at the administration office between 8.30am-3.00pm Monday to Friday or credit card payments can be taken over the phone.
ICAS – Assessments 2023
Dear Parents,
We are pleased to inform you that St Benedict’s Edgeworth will be participating again in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 37 years’ experience in educational assessments.
ICAS Assessments are designed to be challenging, targeting students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.
The assessments are suitable for students in Years 3 - 6 wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.
ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to online assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.
Learn more about ICAS here: https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas
Online Parent Payment:
In 2023, students will have the opportunity to participate in the following subjects:
|
Subject |
Sitting dates |
Cost |
Closing Date |
|
ICAS Digital Technologies |
7th – 11th August. Term 3 Week 4. |
$19.25 (inc. GST) |
Monday, 31st July 2023 |
|
ICAS Writing |
7th – 11 August. Term 3 Week 4. |
$23.65 (inc. GST) |
Monday, 31st July 2023 |
|
ICAS English |
14th – 18th August. Term 3 Week 5. |
$19.25 (inc. GST) |
Monday, 31st July 2023 |
|
ICAS Science |
21st August – 25th August. Term 3 Week 6. |
$19.25 (inc. GST) |
Monday, 31st July 2023 |
|
ICAS Spelling Bee |
21st August – 25th August. Term 3 Week 6. |
$19.25 (inc. GST) |
Monday, 31st July 2023 |
|
ICAS Mathematics |
28th August – 1st September. Term 3 Week 7. |
$19.25 (inc. GST) |
Monday, 31st July 2023 |
If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the new online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments.
The web link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
Our school’s unique access code is: JIH782
IMPORTANT: Please enter your child’s name accurately into the System as it will appear on their ICAS certificate.
We are proud to partner with UNSW Global in offering the ICAS Assessments and look forward to some fantastic results later in the year.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Mr Wayne Bailey - wayne.bailey@mn.catholic.edu.au
Primary Coordinator.
Happy Mother's Day
Mother’s Day was first celebrated in West Virginia in 1912. This day was to be set aside to recognise the important role mother’s play in our culture and lives.
Mothers are not the same. Author Patsy Clairmont says, “Normal is just a setting on your clothes dryer.” We are all different. She shared that as women we may “struggle, fail, start over, and celebrate.” But we are mothers.
God created families and gave mothers an important role in that unit. Mothers love,
give of themselves, cook, clean, wash clothes, put Band-Aids on scrapes … be the first one up or the last one to bed. They juggle a lot of things including raising children, working at jobs, managing a home, and sometimes finding time for themselves.
Each day is a new beginning of what lies ahead for them. As a mother, we need to find the strength to face each day knowing that God loves us.
This scripture passage I believe is a beautiful representation of a mother’s role within her family: Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” ... Proverbs 31: 25-30
Mothers make up a crucial part of our lives. So whether it is a Hallmark card, dinner out, hug, or a kiss on the cheek, we should show we care. It is so important to give our love to these dedicated women in our lives and don’t take them for granted.
To all of the Mum’s within our school community I wish you a very happy Mother’s Day. May the blessings of our Lord Jesus be with you throughout this coming year.
Yours in faith,
Miss Michelle Collins
(Religious Education Co-ordinator)
This week is Part 2 of our 3 part series to unpack the bullying protections we have in place at our school. The purpose of this series of articles is to clearly set out the procedures regarding any alleged bullying behaviours. It is actually one of our biggest documents, so I want to unpack it over a number of weeks. ( I will also move all three weeks of articles into a Special Edition newsletter for future Reference, should it ever be needed).
- Week 2 Newsletter - Purpose of Documentation, Recognising and Defining Bullying, Types of Bullying. Promoting Bullying Awareness
- Week 3 Newsletter - Investigating, Recording (tracking) and Confirming Bullying Behaviours. Including occasions when Bullying is not confirmed and why.
- Week 4 Newsletter - Responding to bullying, Consequences and actions, Supporting Anti Bullying strategies.
Allegation and Investigation
One of the tools that we implement at schools when an allegation of bullying is brought to our attention is the Bullying Assessment and Action Flow Chart. It allows us to determine the presence of bullying in any given situation and is outlined below. It is used as a tool to ensure that all possible bullying allegations are treated appropriately in accordance with the definition. It is important to realise that not all incidences experienced by children can be automatically defined as bullying and so the use of this flow chart is invaluable.
Reporting and Record Keeping
- All previous incidents regarding different children are recorded on their student Chronicle on COMPASS. At the point of initial concern, parent contact or formal allegation, staff members must always consult previous entries of concern or incidences that are recorded with respect to the child. This may give a broader picture of the context of the investigation.
- When investigating a reported/ alleged incident, staff will complete Alleged Bullying Initial Action Tool as a Compass chronicle in the profile of student/s who has engaged in bullying behaviour. Both the student/s perpetrating the behaviours and the one/s impacted are listed in this tool.
- If the alleged incident is found to be one specific to bullying, this is confirmed as part of the tool used above and this enacts the schools Anti Bullying procedures.
- Students found to be directly involved in an act of bullying will be identified as part of the Bullying Action tool and further notes are made onto their persona Chronicle about their level of involvement. This especially applies if the bullying behaviours were conducted by a group of students with varying degrees of involvement. The one tool applies but further notes track specific responsibility for each student involved.
- If the alleged incident is not found to be one specific to bullying, this is confirmed in the action tool and the school’s behaviour management procedures are enacted. Teachers will also record an alert on the Chronicle of the child conducting the behaviours (as well as the one impacted) that directs other staff members to the incident and logs it as a potential pattern.
- It is recognised that an isolated incident may not constitute bullying but repeated patterns of the same mode can. Therefore, as part of any investigation, the teacher will need to consult the Chronicle entries for students allegedly involved to identify any pattern or repeat of the behaviour.
- Communication of the findings to parent body will be formalised in the reporting section below.
Communicating
- If a decision is made confirming an incident of bullying, parents of all parties must be informed of their child’s role via a formal notification. Parents of both the victim (informing of steps taken by the school) and the perpetrator (informing of consequences governed by the school’s Anti Bullying Policy) will be informed of the final decision.
- Parents of the perpetrator will be further consulted in forming the disciplinary measures and support actions the school can enact.
- If an investigation is undertaken regarding an alleged bullying that cannot be confirmed, parents making the allegation must be informed of the investigation undertaken and reasons why the particular incident is not confirmed as bullying. This can be done verbally and logged or a letter.
- While not bullying, if the incident demands a response under normal discipline policy, the parent of the children involved will be informed accordingly. As stated above, the investigation /incident is still noted on the Chronicle of those children involved as part of the school’s behaviour management procedures.
When Bullying isn't Bullying
Deliberate, targeted, repeated and harmful behaviours involving the dominance of power.”
After careful investigation , there are times that an incident can not be confirmed as bullying. Firstly, this does not mean it is not something that needs to be dealt with under the school’s Behaviour Managment Procedures. Secondly, it does not mean that that incident itself will not necessarily develop into a pattern of behaviour that won’t further constitute bullying.
Ultimately, there are any number of incidences in any given week that constitute the normal social interaction of children that could be perceived as bullying but, in fact, are not. If a child feels overcome while equally contesting a ball, it is not necessarily bullying. A careless comment or crass joke at a time of high energy is not bullying. An incident of anger that results in a negative, random outlet of emotion is not bullying. They most certainly are incidences needing to be dealt with and each is recoded to ensure that repeated incidences are tracked. However, they are dealt with under the Pastoral Care Policy.
And finally, we as a school need to respond to incidences as they occur. It is difficult to address an alleged pattern of behaviour if we only begin to respond to it at the end of that pattern when past incidences are difficult to investigate. To this end, we are committed to hearing, investigating, tracking and responding to any concerns parents have as they arise and continue to invite your vigilance in bringing some of these unseen incidences to our attention.
Next week in our final part of this series we will cover: Responding to bullying (once cofnrimed), Consequences and actions, Supporting Anti Bullying strategies.
Curriculum Reform Conference
Last week, I attended the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Teacher Expert Networks (TENs) conference in Sydney. The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is the lead government agency responsible for implementation of the curriculum reforms which were announced in 2020. A key vehicle for teacher engagement in this reform is the teacher expert networks (TENs) comprised of practising classroom teachers from across NSW.
- provide feedback on curriculum, support materials and professional learning in schools.
- share knowledge about the new curriculum with our school, region and sector.
- facilitate cross-sectoral engagement that meets the timeframe and scale of reform implementation.
We were excited to be addressed by Prue Car, the Deputy Premier of NSW who announced the changes to the Curriculum Reform timeline. The new schedule aims to give teachers more time to focus on plans for a new Years 3 to 10 Maths and English curriculum next year, by delaying the rollout of new and draft syllabuses.
In Term 3 NESA will:
-
Consult on four mandatory K to 6 syllabuses: Creative Arts, Human Society and its Environment, Personal Development Health and Physical Education (PDHPE), Science and Technology;
-
Consult on four mandatory 7 to 10 syllabuses: Geography, History, PDHPE, Visual Arts;
-
Release: new 11 to 12 Health and Movement Science syllabuses and extend implementation to 2025 for examination in the 2026 Higher School Certificate.
The revised schedule means all new syllabuses will be delivered by 2027 – in line with the intent of the Masters Curriculum Review, that outlined a 10-year delivery timeframe.
A new timeline will be published on The NESA website once available.
Maths and Spelling Bee 2023
Over the past few weeks all classes have been busy conducted their class Spelling Bee and are now moving onto the Maths Bee. Well done to ALL students for their participation in these class Bees.
The school finals for the Spelling Bee will be held on Tuesday 16th May.
The finals for the Maths Bee will be held on Tuesday 23rd May.
Both the Spelling and Maths Bee finals will be held in the school hall at the following times:
9.30-10: Early Stage One
10.15-10.45: Stage One
11.20-11.50: Stage Two
12.05-12.40: Stage Three
Parents and Carers of students partipating in the school finals will be notified via Compass in the coming days for spelling and mid next week for Maths. We would also like to extend this invitation for all parents to attend the finals if they wish.
The winner of each stage final will advance to the Regional Finals on Friday 9th June.
The eSafety Commissioner is providing free webinars for parents and carers this term. As we are now well into the BYOD program for Stage 3 and are embarking on the journey for Year 4 next week, we think these may be very useful and timely for the families at SBE.
These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.
Topics include: eSafety 101, Getting started with social media, online relationships and consent, and Setting your child of for success online. Each webinar will be delivered by the eSafety expert education and training team.
For more information and to register visit the following link:
Diocesan Cross Country
Good luck to the following students who will represent St Benedict's at The Diocesan Cross Country Championships at Maitland Park this Wednesday.
8/9yr Girls - Sophie Stewart, Eleanor Jewell.
8/9yr Boys - Isaac Rose, Henry Bailey, Connor Fitzhenry.
10yr Girls - Scarlett Herringe, Lily Cassel-Denmeade .
10yr Boys - Archer Guihot, Axel Ferguson, Sebastian Skyrm.
11yr Girls - Willow Creek.
11yr Boys - Brady Leighton, Finn Sharwood, Jack van Der Zee.
12/13yr Boys - Eli Guihot, Matthew Cahill.
Swimming Caps
We are excited to announce that our St. Benedict's representive swimming caps have arrived! These will be given to students when they compete at Diocesan level and above. Thanks to our swimming superstar models :)
AFL Gala Day - Paul Kelly Cup
St. Benedict’s fielded two teams in the Paul Kelly Cup which was played last Friday under sunny skies at Teralba.
Our senior boys team started off with a resounding 39 – 0 win over St. Francis Xavier, Belmont. Round two saw an equally convincing victory, 22-6 over St. Patrick’s Swansea. This meant a semi-final showdown between the heavy weights of the competition, being St. Benedict’s Edgeworth and St Mary’s Warners Bay. In an absolute thriller that went down to the final siren, St. Benedict’s prevailed by one point. Heading into the final with confidence brimming, St. Benedict’s defeated St. Paul’s Gateshead to be crowned Premiers of the Lakes Region, 2023.
Our girls team were equally outstanding. Round one was an 18-point victory over St. Francis Xavier Belmont, followed by a masterclass 33-0 victory over Acadia Vale. Form continued into round three, accounting for St. Kevin’s Cardiff 35-0. Round four was the battle of the heavy hitters with St. Benedict’s winning a thriller, 19-18 over St. Paul’s Gateshead. The girls completed a clean sweep, defeating St. Patrick’s Swansea in the final game and being crowned Regional Premiers 2023.
There were so many highlights throughout the day; teamwork, sportsmanship and skill development to name but a few. The day culminated in the senior boys team singing the school song in celebration of lifting the Premiers trophy.
Thank you to the many parents and grandparents who supported the teams throughout the day, a day for those who were there, will not forget.
MOTHERS DAY STALL
The Mother’s Stall was today. A huge big thank you to our helpers Ally, Casey, Cristie, Haley, Ricky, Sarah, Skye and Mel. We wish everyone celebrating on Sunday a very Happy Mother’s Day.
CANTEEN UPDATE
The Canteen will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. Thursday is a bonus day as the Canteen was closed on Monday due to the Athletics Carnival.
The Canteen’s regular open days are Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. If you have any spare time from 9am – 12pm on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays and are interested in volunteering in the Canteen please let the office and Canteen Supervisor Haley Fenwick know. It can also be a one off occasion or a couple of times a year. This will ensure the Canteen can remain open.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday 5th of June – P&F Meeting, 6pm in the Staff Room.
Congratulations to the Week 2 Award recipients.
|
Class |
Achievement, Progress and Effort Awards |
Spirit of Jesus Awards |
|
KR |
Charlotte Price Kayal Periyan |
|
|
KB |
Indi Eisel Ava Coppock |
|
|
1R |
Dexter Thomas Indi Garven |
|
|
1B |
Avitaj Kang Ronan Somai |
|
|
2R |
Lucy Burgess Connor Moncrieff |
|
|
2B |
Theo Cotton-Young Miles Jones |
|
|
3R |
Mila Manthey Rithvi Jeeva |
Isaac Rose |
|
3B |
Scarlett Hunter |
|
|
4R |
Willow Garven Elijah Hughes |
Aavanika Kadariya |
|
4B |
Oliver Britton Audrey Stanton |
|
|
5R |
Cadence Hopkins Marli Eisel Josephine Gloury |
|
|
5B |
Ruby Castles Jack Van Der Zee |
|
|
6R |
Ashleigh McCulloch Steve Sebastian |
|
|
6B |
Zac Dimovski Sofia Nymoen |
|
