Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to all our students and families! It is so lovely to see everyone return keen and eager for the term ahead! We have had a busy start to the term. Tomorrow, our Kinder students are celebrating 100 days of Kinder! Wow! Where has that time gone and so much learning has occurred during those days at school? They are looking forward to dressing up tomorrow in clothes from 100 years ago and participating in activities based around the theme. The students from Year 3 to 6 are busy working on their speeches for the Northern Regions Public Speaking Competition which will be held at the end of Week 5 at St Mary’s Crookwell. We look forward to hearing their speeches in the next few weeks.
All students last week commenced their preparation for the BYPAA Wonderwood Project, which is a community concert to be held early in November. The students are participating in creative arts activities every Monday afternoon in groups of their chosing, either dance, drama, singing or art. More information will be provided to parents soon.
Commencing tomorrow, all students from Kinder to Year Six will be participating in the Peer Support Program. The students will be in mixed groups and the program will be conducted by the Year 5 and 6 students who were trained at the end of last term by Katie Tooth. The Peer Support Program is an inclusive student wellbeing program, which explores four key concepts: resilience, sense of self, connectedness, and sense of possibility. Peer Support equips students with the skills and tools to build strong relationships and positively navigate life. Students learn the social and emotional literacy skills to better manage life’s ups and downs. We thank Mrs Tooth for her organisation of this program and for training our Year 5 and 6 students.
Each Wednesday this term, some Year 3 and 4 students will be participating in the Seasons for Growth Program with our School Counsellor, Faith Costigan. This program assists students to learn the skills to help them understand and manage change and loss in their lives. The program will conclude at the end of the term. Next term, the program will be offered to students in Years 5 and 6. We thank Faith for facilitating this for our Primary students. Seasons for Growth and Peer Support are both evidenced-based educational programs.
Last week, the staff participated in two professional development days where they focused on HITS (High, Impact Teaching Strategies), Data Analysis, First Aid training, planning for this term and TWR (The Writing Revolution). TWR provides teachers with evidence-based strategies to ensure that students at all levels can provide clear, coherent, unified and structured writing. Armed with those strategies, students become better readers, communicators and most importantly, critical thinkers. The days were extremely productive and have provided teachers with additional skills and strategies to add to their teaching resources.
Our Community Council have been very proactive applying for grants this year. Last term, they successfully obtained a grant from CRT for a Sensory Garden. This area selected for this garden will be behind the new Infants classrooms. This morning, Erin Brinkley met with Clare Young, Emily Ryan, Sarah Hickey and myself, providing us with information and ideas for the garden and outdoor learning space. Plans are also well in place for the designs for our new Infants Play Equipment. All money obtained through fundraising initiatives this year will go towards the cost of our new equipment, which in addition, will possibly be supported by community grants. We are extremely grateful for our Community Council and their contribution to the school and support they provide for me in my role as Principal.
Have a lovely weekend!
God bless
Marylou Gorham
Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been a busy start in the term in the RE space!
NAIDOC Mass
Last Friday, students proudly represented St Bede’s at the Northern Region’s NAIDOC Mass in Goulburn. Mass began with a traditional Smoking Ceremony for spiritual renewal. Students also enjoyed some time in the sun with a play in the park and even managed a quick stop at Maccas on the way home! Thank you Ms Doszpot and Mrs Bartley for accompanying our students.
Sacramental Program
This term, our Year 3 students will be receiving their First Holy Communion. Preparation sessions have begun and we are grateful to Mrs Cathy Ffrench, Mrs Ann Tracey and Mr Bob Fletcher for their guidance. We have 8 children receiving their sacrament on Saturday 17th August and invite families to attend Mass at 5pm to support these children. Please keep these children in your prayers as they prepare.
Later in the term, students in Year 5 & 6 will participate in the Sacramental program for Confirmation. More information will be sent home in the coming week. If your child intends on participating in the program and you have not returned the consent note to school, please contact the front office or myself ASAP. Preparation sessions for Confirmation will begin on Wednesday 21st August and the Sacrament on Saturday 14th September. This program is only offered every two years.
St Mary MacKillop of the Cross
The Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop is next Thursday, 8th August. To celebrate Australia’s first Saint, St Bede’s will gather for a prayer liturgy at 9am in the school hall. We thank Year 4 for leading our prayer liturgy, and Ms Amy Doszpot for her support and organisation. St Bede’s Parish will also gather for a Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Araluen. Families are welcome to attend both events.
Feast of the Assumption
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is recognised on Thursday 15th August. It commemorates the glorification of Mary, chosen by God, to be the mother of Jesus the Christ. St Bede’s School and Parish will gather for a Mass at 12pm in the St Bede’s Church. All families are welcome to attend.
Yours in faith,
Shaye Cooper
Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)
St Mary MacKillop of the Cross Prayer
Holy God, source of all goodness,
you show us in Mary MacKillop a woman of faith who lived by the power of the cross.
Teach us to embrace what she pioneered:
new ways of living the gospel that respect and defend the human dignity of all in our land.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Never see a need without doing something about it
St Mary MacKillop
Copyright: Brisbane Catholic Education
| Date | Event | Start Time | Location |
| 1 Aug | Hats On! | ||
| 2 Aug | 100 Days of Kinder | all day | |
| 8 Aug | Feast day of St Mary Mackillop liturgy | 9 am | School Hall |
| 9 Aug | Entries close for Boorowa | ||
| 15 Aug | Feast of the Assumption Mass | 12 pm | St Bedes Chruch |
| 17 Aug | Sacrament of Eucharist | 5 pm | St Bede's Church |
| 22 Aug | Book Week parade | 2:30 pm | school grounds |
| 23 Aug | NR Public Speaking | 9:30 am | Crookwell |
| 28 Aug | Year 4, 5 & 6 Canberra Excursion | 8:30 am | |
| 29 Aug | Father's Day Breakfast | 8 am | School |
| 29 Aug | Father's Day Prayer Celebration | 9 am | School |
| 30 Aug | Father's Day Stall | School | |
| 1 Sept | Father's Day | ||
| 13 Sept | Grandparents & Special Friends | See below | |
| 13 Sept | Book Fair | ||
| 14 Sept | Sacrament of Confirmation | St Bede's Church | |
| 27 Sept | Walkathon | TBA | TBA |
| 20 Oct | BYPAA Rehearsal | TBA | Showground |
| 25 Oct | Boorowa Netball & Touch Carnival | Boorowa | |
| 27 Oct | BYPAA Full Dress Rehearsal | TBA | Showground |
| 3 Nov | BYPAA WonderWood production | TBA | Showground |
| 6-8 Nov | Year 5 & 6 Camp | Berry |
- 8 August - Feast day of Mary MacKillop liturgy, 9 am in the school hall - everyone welcome
- 13 September - Grandparents and special friends day Activities:
- 10:30am - 11 am Liturgy
- 11 am - 11:40am Morning tea
- 11:40 - 1 pm Activities
- 27 September - Claim the date - St Bede's Community Council Fundraising Walkathon - more information to follow.
- Term 3 – Wednesday 24 July – Friday 27 September
- Term 4 – Tuesday 15 October – Wednesday 18 December
Our School Counsellor, Faith, will be visiting St Bede's on Wednesdays this year. Please see the below information regarding the service and how to make an appointment.
How to make an appointment.
If your child was seen by the school counsellor in previous years and you would like them to receive support in 2024, we require you to complete a new counselling registration form. The link can be found below. New referrals and requests can be made via the same link.
Parent consent for counselling continues to be required for all primary school students and will be sought and provided via email. Where parents are separated, we require the written consent of both parents. Once the referral has been received, I will contact parents on a Wednesday to further discuss the referral and determine whether school counselling can meet your child’s needs or if an external referral may be more appropriate.
Referrals can be submitted here https://mccg.my.site.com/housing/s/school-referral-form
Faith Costigan – Student and Family Counsellor.
- School fees for Term 3 have been generated and are due for payment before 16 August 2024. Families are reminded that fees need to be paid by the due date unless you have made arrangements with the office or Mrs Gorham.
- If your child is unwell, please place their absence through the Compass Parent Portal App. There is no need to then notify the office once you have placed it into the Compass app.
- Please keep an eye on our FaceBook page for the latest happenings around the school. St Bede's FaceBook page
Please be aware that we have had a number of cases of COVID within the school community. If your child is showing symptoms please do a RATs before sending your child to school.
Unwell Students (Cough, runny nose, fever,vomiting etc.) If your child is unwell please keep them at home. If your child has vomitted the night before, please keep them at home, even if you think they are okay. The NSW Health guidelines suggest that students who have vomitted should be kept at home for 48 hours to help prevent the spread of illness through the school. Please see the guideline from NSW Health regarding vomiting. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Factsheets/viral-gastroenteritis.pdf
St Bede's is a Nut Free school
St Bede's is a nut free school - This mean that students should not bring anything containing nuts to school, this includes Nutella, Peanut Butter and any other nut butters as we have several students who are highly allergic to these items.
The sharing of any food, lollies or confectionery is not encouraged.
Snowsport Success!
Last week, 12 students represented St Bede’s at the ACT & Regional NSW Interschools Snowsports competition in Perisher. Competing for the first time against students from both state and independent schools, our kids had a fantastic time and have achieved some outstanding results!
Well done to all our participants this year: Luca (K), Elise (1), Tess, Blaine and Poppy (2), Ben, Willow and Zali (3), Teddy, Leo and Luca (4) and Sebastian (5).
We are excited to announce that three students have qualified for the State Snowsport Championships in Perisher in a few weeks’ time!
- Tess has qualified as an individual in both the Ski Cross and Alpine events (division 6).
- Leo and Luca have qualified in the team event in both the Snowboard Grand Slalom and Snowboard Cross disciplines (division 5), with Luca also selected in the individual Snowboard Cross (division 5) event.
Congratulations Tess, Leo and Luca! What an amazing achievement! We wish you the best of luck.
Thank you to our amazing parents who supported the team over the 2 days of competition as Team Managers and official cheer squad! A special thanks to Bec Lindwall and James Broadbent for acting as our on-snow school coordinators and volunteering their time as course marshalls.
Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival
A notice has been posted on Compass for the Boorowa Carnival to be held on 25 October (Term 4 Week 2). Entries and payments are due back by next Friday 9th August. Please register as soon as possible to enable team entries to be completed. Entries are open to all students in Year 2-6.
Footy Tipping
There has been some movement in the minor places at the top of the leaderboard. TimThiso continues his good run of form to remain in first and is looking likely to defend his title from last year with only 6 rounds to go.
- TimThiso 97 points
- Columbo Brumby 93 points
- = BeckThiso 92 points / Mrs G66 92 points / Spence 92 points
The St Bede's Book Week Parade will be held on 22 August 2024, 2:30 pm on the school grounds.
All students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character on the day.
Parents and Grandparents are welcome to attend the parade.
- Our no hats months are now over with the start of August. Please ensure that your child/ren bring a hat to school every day.
- Parents are reminded to check that their child's name is on all their clothing - it is impossible to return clothes with no name.
- Any families who have uniforms that they are no longer need, please consider donating these to the schools 2nd hand uniform pool. Please drop any donations into the office. Thank you
ARE YOUR KIDS MISSING OUT ON FREE DENTAL?
CALL BRAIDWOOD DENTAL ON 4842 2001 AND CHECK IF YOUR CHILD IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE DENTAL BENEFIT SCHEME.
TREATMENT UP TO $1095.
At St Bede's canteen is run every 2nd Monday and the running of canteen is dependant on volunteers - we require at least 2 parent volunteers per canteen.
Please see the roster below - if you are able to help please contact Brenda, Trish or the office to have your name added.
If canteen is cancelled your child will need to bring their own lunch, as per a non canteen day.
If you have any questions about what is required to help on canteen please contact Brenda on 0438 275 032 or Trish on 0412 889507 or 02 48422027.
Please note that any parents volunteering for canteen must have a current Working With Children Check (WWCC). WWCC can be applied for through Service NSW (link) applying for a WWCC. Once you have received the clearance please send a copy of the email + your date of birth to the office as the clearances are checked.
Term 3 Canteen
| Date | |
| 12 August 2024 | Help Wanted |
| 26 August 2024 | Help Wanted |
| 9 September 2024 | Help Wanted |
| 23 September 2024 | Help Wanted |
Kinder |
Ava | Huddy | |
Year 1 |
Jasmine | Gus | Klay |
Year 2 |
Kito | Aurelia | Tess |
Year 3 |
Kitty | Chidinma | Toby J |
Year 4 |
Morgan | Mason | Sam |
Year 5/6 |
Spencer | Nicholas |
NOTICEBOARD