Principal's Message
Welcome to Week 10 of Term 2. As the end of the semester approaches, members of our orchestra will attend the Arts Unit's Bandlink workshop, Stage 3 students will attend the dress rehearsal of ASC's Mamma Mia, our 3-6 athletics field events will take place and Ben Venue will celebrate NAIDOC Week.
Please note that the final day of this term is Friday 3 July. Students return on Tuesday 21 July.
Parent-teacher interviews
Information regarding the timing and booking of this year's second opportunity for parent-teacher interviews will soon be distributed via School Bytes. I encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with our teachers to discuss your child's progress and next steps in learning. Whereas students are expected to attend Term 1 interviews, student attendance at Term 3 interviews is at the discretion of parents/carers.
Athletics track events
Last Thursday, some of our older Year 2 athletes joined our Year 3-6 students for our athletics track events at Harris Park. While there were many displays of individual physical prowess, what was most notable about the day was the sportsmanship and encouragement that our students offered to their peers. Congratulations to our students for their approach to the day's competition.
Thank you to the teachers who contributed to the organisation of this event and to Ms Walker for coordinating the day.
Football
Congratulations to both our girls and boys football teams, each progressing through three matches undefeated at the recent gala day. Both teams now move to the next phase of
the competition. See the detailed report in the Football section of this newsletter.
Cross country
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent the North West region in cross country, following the recent trials.
12-13 year old boys - Nate A, Riley L
12-13 year old girls- Blythe S, Sydnee S
10 year old girls - Natasha G
8-9 year old boys - Thomas D, Darcy C, Oliver I, Loki C
School Bytes Calendar
Recently we became aware of a process issue that prevented timely entry of some events onto the School Bytes calendar. This issue is now being resolved and the calendar should be more frequently updated moving forward. I apologise for inconvenience caused during this time.
Student Representative Council - White shirts
This year, a number of students have made representations to me regarding issues with the Ben Venue white shirt. In order to better understand these issues and the perspectives of our students, I recently asked our Student Representative Council to lead discussions with their classes and share their findings at the next SRC meeting. At last week's P&C meeting, I also sought feedback and suggestions from our parent representative body.
Once the SRC has reported back from their class discussions, a summary of the feedback and possible solutions will be shared in the newsletter and the broader school community will have the opportunity to inform any decisions.
Permission notes
On an average week, our school coordinates student attendance at between two and five offsite events. While at times we receive notification of PSSA sporting events quite close to the date, our aim is to provide notes and information to families in time for permission returns to be closed four school days before the event. This time is needed to facilitate coordination of supervision, transport, event roll creation and risk assessment based on the number and characteristics of students attending. Please be aware that in order to ensure we continue to meet high standards of coordination and safety for events, due dates for permission must be observed.
Crossing supervisor
Please be aware that there is currently no crossing supervisor employed on the Rockvale Rd pedestrian crossing. Students are therefore advised to cross at the traffic lights. Crossing supervisor positions are managed by the Transport for NSW, School Crossing Supervisor Program, not by schools. I continue advocate for priority recruitment for this position. Anyone interested in applying for the position is encouraged to email the school office.
Follow us on Facebook
Cam Pryce
Principal