Welcome all new and returning families to a year of learning and growth at Ben Venue Public School. It was wonderful to feel the enthusiasm when speaking with students in the playground on their first day back. A special welcome to our new students and Kindergarteners. Thank you to the P&C and particularly Jodie Andrew and Katrina Mulready for putting together the packs for our Kinder families on the first day of school.

This year is the 125th year that Ben Venue PS has been educating students in Armidale. In Semester 2, we plan to celebrate this special milestone. Stay tuned for further information on our plans and how to be involved.

New for the start of 2025

Last week, students were greeted on their arrival at school with the sight of our new mural. See the P&C section of this newsletter for a larger picture and further information. We look forward to the official completion ceremony for the mural, which will be held in the near future.

Last week we received delivery of 13 large planter boxes that will allow us to reintroduce greenery to the pebbles area. Students in the gardening club, which is open to all, will help us setup and plant out the new gardens over the coming weeks.

A total of 147 new Chromebooks have been acquired ready for the start of this year, with thanks to the P&C for supporting the purchase of 30 of these. We now have more than one laptop to every two students in Stages 1, 2 and 3. This supports the digital literacy of our students and innovative use of technology in the curriculum.

School development days

On the beginning of year school development days, teachers, support and administrative staff engaged in a range of learning and school improvement activities. Teachers engaged in learning relating to effective student goal setting and feedback, the incoming creative arts syllabus, and CPR training.

Teachers and support staff also collaboratively reviewed the feedback received from the end of 2024 surveys of students, staff and parents, identifying practical steps that could be taken in response to constructive feedback.

Feedback results

In written feedback from parents, the following themes were identified:

Communication on student wellbeing and progress - Families value and appreciate the communication received from class teachers, but expressed a desire for face-to-face interviews later in the year.
Communication on administrative items - Parents/carers appreciated the responsiveness of the administrative team and executive, as well as the enhancements to administrative communication in School Bytes. Some expressed a desire for the timing of sporting and academic team trials and other opportunities to be more effectively communicated to parents.
School culture and climate - Families reported that students are well known and cared for, in a welcoming, caring, positive, safe and happy environment.
Quality teaching - Overwhelming positive feedback was received relating to the quality of teaching, level of effort from teachers and application of evidence-informed practices.
Cocurricular and extracurricular activities - No theme was identifiable here, with responses varying from expressions of gratitude for the range of opportunities offered, to requests for additional activities.

All of this information is valuable and will inform planning for this year and into the future.

Coming in 2025

For some years, students in Stages 2 and 3 have been able to join the Junior or Senior choir, with rehearsals being conducted on Tuesday afternoons. To provide additional extra-curricular options for our students, I am excited to announce that 2025 will see the introduction of a dance group, circus skills group and boxing fitness group as alternatives to choir in Years 3-6. This year, we also plan to introduce similar groups into Years 1 and 2. We are currently working through the logistics of how these groups will operate and to which student groups they will be available. More information on these additional extra-curricular opportunities will be provided soon. This is in addition to academic, creative arts groups, workshops, competitions and sporting teams on offer this year, including:

Debating
Multicultural public speaking
KidsLit Quiz
Da Vinci Decathlon
Inquiring Minds
UNESAP Art
Art camp
Orchestra
Opera House Choir
Dance & drama workshops
Netball
Cricket
Football (soccer)
Hockey
Basketball
Touch football
Gymnastics
Inclusive sports
Cross country, swimming & athletics carnivals

(See the NW Sport Association section of this newsletter for PSSA representative sports.)

Also in response to feedback, we are currently reviewing our strategy for communicating with families. Specifically, the mix of information provided in academic reports and during face-to-face interviews. Families can expect more information on this in the near future.

2025 is also a Multicultural Food Festival year. This is a fantastic community event, strongly supported by our P&C and families. Further information will be made available following the first P&C meeting for the year.

I also hope to be able to provide information on a playground upgrade, including design drawings and an anticipated construction timeline early this year.

Wellbeing support - Life Skills GO

Also new in 2025, 10 of our class teachers will trial Life Skills Go with their classes in Term 1. This is a data collection tool that allows teachers to digitally check in with each student every day. Students will be able to privately let their teacher know how they are feeling at the start of each day, or even at several points each day, helping our teachers better identify those students who may require additional one-on-one wellbeing support, and provide that support in a timely manner. It also provides a valuable data source for us to identify trends in student wellbeing across the school and over time. If the trial is successful, we aim to expand the practice to all classrooms.

The 2025 Ben Venue team

This year, we welcome Sophie Rice and Hayley Bullen to our school in learning support roles. For a full 2025 staff list, complete with photos, please visit the staff section of our school website.

Known dates for 2025 events

Please regularly check the School Bytes calendar for the most up-to-date information on upcoming events. Below are some of the major events for which dates are known.

Swimming Carnival (3-6) - Tuesday 18 February
Stage 2 camp (Lake Keepit) - Monday 3 & Tuesday 4 March
NAPLAN (Years 3 & 5) - Wednesday 12 - Monday 24 March
School Photos - Wednesday 2 & Thursday 3 April
Stage 3 camp (Great Aussie Bush Camp) - Tuesday 29 July - Friday 1 August
An Evening with ACoS (Combined school creative arts evening) - Thursday 28 August

Dates of other events including P&C meetings, class Thalgarrah excursions, creative arts workshops, leadership team learning days, sporting trails and fixtures will be added to the School Bytes calendar as they become available.

2026 Year 5 & Year 7 selective class applications

Applications for 2026 entry into Year 5 opportunity classes and Year 7 selective high schools are open now. The Year 5 opportunity class for Armidale is located at Armidale City PS. The Year 7 class for Armidale is located at Armidale Secondary College. Applications are open now and close on 21 February 2025.

Cam Pryce

Principal

North West Sports Association