Thank you to all parents and carers who have made the time to meet with their child's class teacher. Interviews continue this week, so there is still time to book if you haven't already. Thank you also to our teachers for staying back at work late this week and next to facilitate the interviews.

Student goals

One of our aims as a school is to increase our students' ability to set meaningful goals and effectively work towards achieving them. In Years 1-6, teachers are using the template below, or a similar version, to support students to identify their goals and actions they will take to achieve them, the support required from home and school, set timeframes, and how they will measure their success and celebrate their achievements .

Swimming

Congratulations to the following students for qualifying to compete at the North West Swimming Carnival:

8 Years

James Paull - 50m freestyle

9 years

Billy Crick - 50m freestyle

Sophie Fittler - 50m freestyle

Stella Piddington - 50m breaststroke

10 years

Michael Harper - 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke

Evan Hunt - 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 50m fly

Zara McGilchrist - 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke

11 years

Rory Barnden - 50m backstroke

12 years

Lola Beat - 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke

Juan Mosquera-Suarez - 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 50m Fly

Jesinta Young - 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke

Junior Girls Relay 8-10 years - Ella Reid, Annamika Harper, Kinley Green, Sophie Fittler

Junior Boys Relay 8-10 years - Evan Hunt, Liam Flanagan, Nate Archibald, Michael Harper

P&C Kinder welcome BBQ

Thank you to our P&C for helping to welcome our Kindergarten students and families last Thursday evening.

NAPLAN

This term, students in Years 3 and 5 will undertake the NAPLAN assessment. NAPLAN provides schools with valuable information about learning progress in literacy and numeracy. This is only one way student learning is assessed in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

NAPLAN will take place from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March in 2024. Stage 2 and 3 teachers are getting students ready for NAPLAN ensuring students become familiar with the types of questions in the tests and the online testing platform that we use. In addition to school preparation, I want to share with you some information on how you can further support your child for NAPLAN.

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN and do not need excessive preparation or the use of services by coaching providers. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program. If you or your child/children would like to know more about the NAPLAN online platform you can go to the public demonstration site and do some practice tests and past NAPLAN papers are also available online.

You can support your child by reminding them to simply do their best. You can also encourage;

a healthy diet,
drinking lots of water,
getting enough sleep,
exercise and relaxation time.

These, along with arriving at school on time ready to sit the test will help prepare our students to bring their best on the day.

Afternoon traffic issue

On average, one child pedestrian is killed every week in Australia.

Last week I was in contact with Armidale Regional Council and Armidale Police to seek support in enforcing parking restrictions, speed limits and prevent driver behaviour around our school that places children at risk.

I acknowledge that the traffic layout surrounding Ben Venue PS is problematic, with significant afternoon congestion and insufficient parking available. While afternoon collection by car can be frustrating, I implore everyone to act with students in mind. Recently we have observed an increase in parking violations and unsafe driving practices that place our students at risk and make afternoon collection more challenging for families. We have also received a number of complaints from families who have observed similar behaviours.

Unfortunately, it is not within our power to change the road layout surrounding our school. However, parents and carers can help to reduce the risk of accidents, injury and death by following the points below:

Understand parking restrictions around Ben Venue PS, by viewing this document - ARC School Parking - Ben Venue.
Avoid queuing in the 'no stopping' areas, particularly the 'no stopping' area near the traffic lights on Erskine St.
Remain with your vehicle when stopped in the 'no parking' area at the collection point on Erskine St.
Move down Erskine St towards the end of the 'no parking' area when waiting for your child to come to the vehicle.
Display a clearly visible surname in the vehicle's windscreen to assist staff to quickly direct students to their car when using the Erskine St collection point.
Follow the directions of school staff attempting to safely direct students to vehicles in the pick up area.
Avoid using the gates at the bus bay as an access point to the school. This road is a bus zone and crossing at this point puts yourself and your children at risk.
Understand that school staff act in the interests of student safety, and avoiding responding with aggression when a request is made.

I thank you for your support in this matter. Student safety is our top priority.

Council works on Taylor St

Armidale Regional Council plans to undertake works along Taylor street in the near future. These works include removal of trees and rectification of the footpath on the school side of Taylor St. Works are planned for weekends and the school holidays, so parking during the term should not be affected. Further details are available in the attachment below.

Stewart House

Stewart House has been providing care since 1931 for children-in-need from all parts of NSW and the ACT. Each year 1,600 public school children-in-need attend Stewart House. During their 12-day stay, children are provided with medical, dental and optometric assessment and treatment. For children requiring additional support, counselling is available. This is balanced with health and education programs and out of school activities to boost their self-esteem and promote better physical and mental health. These services are provided free of charge to the children who attend. Several student of Ben Venue PS have benefited from the Stewart House program.

Stewart House relies heavily on charitable donations. Many teachers elect to have a donation deducted from their pay on an ongoing basis. This week, envelopes for entry to a raffle in support of Stewart House will be sent home with students. If you are able to support through an entry into the raffle, please return this to your child's class teacher or the school office.

Attendance

We know that school is the best place to learn. By attending school every day your child will get the most out of their learning and improve their career and life options.

I am proud of the attendance rate of most Ben Venue students. In 2023, 41.7% of students across NSW attended school more than 90% of the time. In the same year, 53.3% of Ben Venue students attended school more than 90% of the time.

However, our Semester 1 2023 average attendance rate was 90.59%. At this rate, the average Ben Venue student missed roughly a full week of school each term. Over the course of a child's schooling, this equates to more than one year of lost learning and social interaction.

When your child is absent it is important you let the school know, including the reason why, on the day or the day before. This helps make sure we know where our students are and offer support for you and your family if needed. Please do not be offended if our office staff or your child's teacher ask you to provide a reason for your child's absence. It is a requirement that we seek explanations for all full day and part day absences. When reasons are provided that do not meet the criteria set by the Department of Education for a justified absence, your child may be marked as 'explained - unjustified'.

If you are having trouble getting your child to school every day or on time, please talk to our school staff so we can work together, because every day counts. 

Missing a day here or there may not seem like much, but absences add up and can negatively impact your child’s learning and wellbeing.

Cam Pryce

Principal

Community Notices