Dear Parents and Carers,

Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop

Today we celebrate the Feast day of Saint Mary of the Cross (MacKillop), Australia's first saint. As we navigate the joys and challenges of educating our students, it is inspiring to reflect on the lives of those who have truly embodied Christian virtues. Saint Mary of the Cross offers a powerful reminder of the importance of instilling in our students not only a love for learning but also a strong moral compass and a compassionate heart 'Never see a need without doing something about it'. From a child's perspective this looks like being kind to everyone, working hard in school and always trying to help others.

It was wonderful to see some families were able to join us at Mass this morning.

Next week we will have a whole school Mass at 9:15am for the Feast of the Assumption and I invite you all to join us.

Bastille Day

St Bede's is also celebrating Bastille Day today. The French celebrate their national day on July 14th, but this fell in our school holidays this year. More information about our celebrations can be found on the Bastille Day page in this edition.

Child Safety Standards

Ensuring children’s safety is a top priority for all schools. Children have the right to be safe and protected at all times, including at school. St Bede's has many policies and procedures in place that keep children safe.

The Child Safe Standards are set out in Ministerial Order No. 1359.

Child Safe Standard 1 – Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.

Child Safe Standard 2 – Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.

Child Safe Standard 3 – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

Child Safe Standard 4 – Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Child Safe Standard 5 – Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

Child Safe Standard 6 – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

Child Safe Standard 7 – Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

Child Safe Standard 8 – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

Child Safe Standard 9 – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

Child Safe Standard 10 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

Child Safe Standard 11 – Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.

The responsibility for creating a culture of Child Safety for our school community lies with us all. While at school, this is primarily school staff and with parents, carers, guardians at all other times. I have attached links to a few important Child Safety documents. Please note that some these documents are very recent and are linked to conditions of enrolment at St Bede's. These documents will be sent out via Operoo next week for parents to acknowledge and sign.

Anaphylaxis and Food Allergies

St Bede's School is committed to offering a safe educational environment for all students including students with food allergies. Cooperative efforts between students, parents, physicians, and school staff members can help minimise risks. The staff at St Bede's agree that educating parents, students and staff about risks and how to protect ourselves and others, is the most effective way of managing food allergies in our school. This is in line with guidelines from Asthma & Anaphylaxis Australia. https://allergyfacts.org.au/resources/help-sheets/food-bans

There are children at St Bede’s with food allergies, some severe and life threatening. At St Bede's there are children with life threatening Anaphylaxis to: Eggs, Nuts, Avocado, Prawn, Sesame and Dairy. To keep these students safe we ask you to refrain from sending food containing these ingredients, as cross contamination is the greatest risk to these children, and as children can be messy eaters, they can spread their food quite a long way. Some classrooms may have certain food restrictions and the classroom teacher will inform you if this is the case in your child’s classroom. This is for the protection of the child with the allergy, and we thank the community for your understanding on this.

If your child has an allergy, please ensure you have:

• Informed your classroom teacher and discussed whether there is a need for a particular food to be avoided in the classroom, e.g nuts, dairy

• Filled in an “Action Plan for Allergic Reactions” or an “Action Plan for Anaphylaxis” chart from your doctor

• Informed and handed in the action plan to the school office along with all medication required and the dosage in the case of a reaction

Farewell

Today we said farewell and thank you to Daniela Sturgeon for all she has contributed to the students, staff and St Bede's community over the last few years as a Learning Support Officer. We wish her all the best for the future.

God Bless

Kathryn

Naidoc Week 2025