Principal's Message
Week 7, Term 2
Year 3 and 5 students begin NAPLAN this week. I encourage all students to sleep and eat well, try their best, but also not become stressed about the assessments.
Elective activities begin tomorrow
Students in Years 1-6 have now provided their elective preferences, groups have been formed and elective groups begin tomorrow. Most students have been placed in their first or second preference, with the following activities gaining sufficient preferences to run:
Stage 1 - Choir, Dance, Languages, Drama, Fitness, STEM
Stage 2 - Choir, Dance, French, Percussion, BoxFit
Stage 3 - Choir, Dance, French, Circus, BoxFit, Gardening
Leadership learning day
On Friday 28 February, Mr Osborn and I spent a day with our Student Leadership Team at the Armidale Education Office, leading the team in a range of activities and learning to develop communication, teamwork and leadership skills. Mr Hobbs, Director, Educational Leadership also joined the day to share tips for leadership and offered a tour of the Education Office. The students involved showed that they are a fantastic group of young leaders, well positioned to set a great example for our younger students and support our school community.
Harmony Day
Ben Venue will celebrate Harmony Day on Wednesday 19 March with class activities, an assembly including multicultural performances and a family BBQ. Further details will be forthcoming via School Bytes closer to the date.
Stage 2 camp
Thank you to the teachers and support staff who made the Stage 2 Lake Keepit camp possible last week.
Our P&C
Following the P&C's AGM last week, I would like to thank the outgoing executive team for their dedication and support throughout 2024.
2024 P&C executive
President - Jodie Andrew
Vice President - Rebecca Tarrant
Secretary - Rebecca Partridge
Treasurer - Coley Dains
Communications officer - Kate McLinton and Laura Phillips
I look forward to continuing to work together with the new executive. Congratulations to the 2025 P&C executive team.
2025 P&C executive
President - Jodie Andrew
Vice President - Katrina Mulready
Secretary - Rebecca Partridge
Treasurer - Emma Briggs
Communications officers - Sarah Reeves and Kate McLinton
Food Fair
The Ben Venue P&C Multicultural Street Food Fair is back again in 2025! Every second year, with the support of our P&C, the Food Fair is one of the highlights of the school calendar. It is a wonderful opportunity to get together and enjoy a selection of beautiful cuisine cooked by families of Ben Venue.
The 2025 Food Fair will be held on the evening of Thursday 29 May.
Federal-State Government funding agreement
Last week, the State and Federal Governments reached an agreement on the funding of NSW public schools over the next 10 years. This agreement will see the Australian Government lift its contribution from 20% to 25% of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2034. NSW Government has lifted its contribution to 75% of the SRS in 2025. This new agreement will see an estimated additional $4.8 billion in Commonwealth funding to NSW public schools over the next 10 years, and is great news for public education.
Transition Network
Last week, Armidale public primary schools joined with preschools, day care providers and early intervention services in the second meeting of the Armidale Transition Network. The purpose of the network is to enhance collaboration between Early Childhood settings and schools, developing smoother transition to school processes, and better outcomes for students. It was great to work with our colleagues in early education to make improvements in how we work together.
Cam Pryce
Principal