Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back to our staff, students and families and a very warm welcome to all our new students and families. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces on Tuesday at St Bede’s. Our students were so excited to see each other, and it was wonderful to see so many of our parents at pick up and drop off time. We have reached a significant milestone at St Bede’s as we now have 150 enrolments. We extend a special welcome to Mrs Michelle Scott. Michelle will be teaching Year 2 with Mrs Helen Mulholland. We all gathered outside on the oval and took a photo to commemorate this significant part in the history of our school. It is wonderful to watch our school grow and change.

​Last Friday our staff gathered at St Bede’s for professional learning. From the commencement of this year, we will be using a new NSW English and Maths Syllabus. The teachers spent the day navigating the new syllabus and discovering the many new resources which are incorporated in the syllabus which support the instructional learning programs that we have implemented at St Bede’s during the past two years. We are extremely grateful for Shaye Cooper-Maths Coordinator and Katie Tooth-Literacy Coordinator who shared their knowledge and expertise. Mark Chifley presented the Writing Revolution program which the teachers will be implementing from K-6 to assist with improving the quality of student writing. On Monday all teachers and support staff gathered in Canberra with all the CECG schools to attend the Faith in Learning conference. Teachers were provided with professional development with keynote speakers and workshops on instructional learning. Both days were extremely productive and practical. 

The start of the school year is a particularly busy time in our school carparks and surrounding streets. To help keep students safe when making their way to and from school, please ensure you drive and park safely and legally, at and around, school grounds. We all have an important role to play in supporting road safety. Police and parking inspectors do regular patrols to support our students' safety. These enforcement teams play a critical role in supporting our students to get to and from school safely and we thank them for their ongoing support. In addition to sticking to the speed limit, please remember to park safely – including not parking in no stopping zones, bus zones, on corners, verges and double parking. Unsafe and illegal parking can reduce visibility of our students and motorists to see each other, creating a significant hazard when students cross the road. Let's work together to keep our kids safe.

Next week your teachers will send home the Curriculum Overviews for term one. The Overviews will provide you with a thorough understanding of what is being taught in each Key Learning Area.

We have many school events happening in the next few weeks. Please ensure you check our school calendar in the newsletter to keep up to date with school events. Next Tuesday at 10am we will be having our opening school mass at Bede’s Church. At the mass our new students, leaders and staff will receive a special blessing. All parents and carers are invited to attend the mass. Our swimming carnival is being held next Friday, February 10. All our students from Kinder to Year 6 attend and it is a fun day for everyone. Mrs Tooth is busy organising the carnival. Permission notes will be sent home soon along with requests for parent helpers on the day. We hope to see you at one or all of these events.

During the holidays, we received the sad news that Mrs Sarah Stewart has resigned from her position as Classroom Support Assistant. Sarah, Rod and her family are moving to Queensland. We will have an opportunity to say farewell and thank Sarah next Thursday which is her final day at St Bede’s. We thank Sarah for her many contributions to our school and wish Sarah, Rod and family all the best for the future and the move.

God Bless