Principal's Message
Welcome to the final week of Term 3.
This week, we have our Jump Rope for Heart 'Jump Off Day' on Wednesday, and our Creative Arts Showcase and BBQ on Thursday evening. The last day for students this term is Friday 26 September. Classes resume on Tuesday 13 October.
K-2 Athletics Carnival
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the K-2 athletics carnival last Friday. It was lovely to see the effort and smiles of our students as they competed and cheered on their peers. It was also fantastic to welcome many of our 2027 Kindergarten students, who joined in the activities.
Girls soccer - Regional champions
Congratulations to our girls soccer team, who last Tuesday defeated Tamworth PS in the final of the PSSA knockout competition to become the regional champions and North West representative team in the state quarter finals. The girls will play an opponent yet to be determined early next term.
Debating team - Regional final contenders
Congratulations to our Ben Venue Gold debating team, who today were victorious in the zone semi-final of the Premiere's Debating Challenge. The team now progresses to the zone final to vie for a place in the state championships in Sydney.
Last week, our team also argued their way to victory in a students vs teachers debate, convincing a panel of three students and one teacher, that primary school classrooms should not adopt a class pet. The disappointment of the teachers at their loss was moderated by pride in how well the students argued.
Playground upgrade
Our playground upgrade project is scheduled to commence in early November, and be completed by Christmas. I want to acknowledge and thank our P&C Association for it's significant contribution to this project. The partnership between the P&C and school allows us to deliver what will be the most transformative grounds enhancement for our school in many years. The upgrade will provide additional outdoor seating, increase interactivity of our playground for students, enhance the aesthetics of the school, and address the ongoing erosion issue above the basketball court.
While I will work with contractors to keep disruption from noise to a minimum, we will be required to adjust to reduced playground area throughout construction. Student safety will remain our primary consideration, with strict protocols established to control risk associated with the works.
Screen time limits
Research evidence relating to excessive screen usage by children is increasingly available, including some alarming statistics on the screen usage of Australian children and teenagers. Research evidence from Finland, New Zealand and Australia suggests that once children are exposed to more than 4 hours of screen time per day (both work and play), academic outcomes and wellbeing outcomes decline. There is emerging research that links excessive screen use to neck and back issues and irreversible myopia (short-sightedness). Passive screen use (e.g. doom scrolling) has been found to be particularly harmful.
Australia has one of the highest proportion of 'excessive’ young screen users. 1 in 6 15 year olds spend in excess of 9 hours per day on screens, with the average being 7 hours per day. ABS data from 2023 tells us that primary aged students were using on average 2 hours per day. What is becoming clear is that school usage needs to be considered and planned in the context of the total screen time students are exposed to. To address this issue, the NSW Department of Education has provided suggested limits to the amount of screen time students should be exposed to in each year level. Averaged over the course of a week, the new recommended limits are:
up to 15 minutes a day for Kindergarten to Year 2
up to 30 minutes a day for Years 3 and 4
up to 45 minutes a day for Years 5 and 6.
At Ben Venue, our classroom practices already ensure that students' screen exposure rarely exceeds these recommended limits. However, in recognition of the research evidence, we will be reviewing our practices to ensure that screens are only part of lessons when their use significantly enhances teaching and learning. This does not mean that we are abandoning technology, only that we seek to be even more intentional in determining when it should be used.
Internal transition
Our internal transition days, allowing our Kindergarten - Year 5 students an opportunity to step up into their 2027 class grouping will occur in Term 4. Parents and carers are able to submit requests relating to class placements in 2027. These requests should be submitted to our school email address (benvenue-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au, Attn: Principal) by the end of this term.
2027 enrolment
Enrolment offers have been made to families of 2027 Kindergarten students whose applications were accepted under the Department of Education's Enrolment Procedures. Consideration for enrolment at Ben Venue is still possible; however, any application should be submitted as a matter of urgency, as late non-local enrolment is not guaranteed. While Ben Venue still has enrolment availability for 2027, we may soon place restrictions on non-local Kindergarten enrolments to maintain desirable class sizes. Additionally, students applying late in the year will miss part or all of our transition process, which has now commenced.
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Cam Pryce
Principal