Dear Community

How the term is flying along! Staff have nearly finished semester reports which will go home on Monday June 21, Week 10. This is an exciting time to share all the successes with your child, to highlight the positives as well as support them in areas for development and goal setting. The written report is just one part of the reporting process. The Parent-Teacher interviews held four weeks ago will also have helped ‘paint the picture’ of how your child is developing at school. The old saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is never more accurate in schools when parents and school work together for the children.

Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn has made some changes to the reporting format we are using.

For Kindergarten students:

• Achievement in each subject will be reported using a four-point scale (Well Above Expectations, Above Expectations, Meeting Expectations and Working Towards Expectations).

For Year 1 to Year 6 students:

• Academic grades for each subject using a five-point scale from A-E will be reported using the NSW Common Grade Scale.
  Individual student comments will NOT be used in the Semester 1 Reports.

Don’t forget the K-2 InitiaLit Parent Information session to be held after school today. The session will highlight the new Literacy program that commenced this year with our younger students. I would also like to acknowledge our K-2 teachers who have embraced this new program and the many changes and challenges it has presented.

Our 1st Reconciliation students will celebrate the sacrament next Tuesday evening at 5:30pm in St Bede’s Church. The word reconciliation means ‘the restoration of friendly relations’. We believe that in reconciliation we strengthen our special relationship with Jesus Christ and with friends and family. Please continue to pray for these students and their families.

Letters have been sent home this week for all unexplained absences [whole day] and unexplained partial absences [often late arrivals]. I ask that parents use these notifications to explain their child/ren’s unexplained absence and return to the class teacher. Our apologies if you have forwarded an explanation already. At present we take phone messages, Skoolbag notifications, emails to both the office and classroom teachers as well as paper explanations for absences and occasionally we may miss your communication.

LATE ARRIVALS AND EARLY DEPARTURES
A reminder that children arriving late need to be accompanied by a parent/carer to the front office. Similarly, children leaving early will need to be collected by their parent/carer from the front office. In both instances, please come to the front counter to complete the sign in or out of your child. 

Last Friday Mrs Tooth attended the Northern Region Athletics Carnival in Goulburn with our school squad. Goulburn put on her typical winter weather however the St Bede’s performances certainly warmed things up! Mrs Tooth was very proud of the efforts, behaviour and good sportsmanship shown by the ‘maroon and white’ army. All athletes did their best. Special congratulations go to those students who have made it away to the next carnival to be held at the AIS in Canberra. More information from Mrs Tooth in the ‘sports pages’.

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
Milton Berle

Yours in Christ

Gerard