Principal's Message

Welcome to the second half of Term 2. 

 

It was fitting for Gifted Awareness Week, that last week's assembly celebrated all four domains of High Potential and Gifted Education at Ben Venue. In the past fortnight alone, our school has provided extension opportunities in the physical domain (regional cross country, netball gala day, Stage 2 athletics coaching, touch football gala day) the intellectual domain (da Vinci decathlon, in-class activities), social-emotional domain (Student Representative Council, Leadership Team activities) and creative domain (choir, eisteddfod, Sydney Symphony Orchestra visit).

 

In this fortnight, Ben Venue hosts a debating workshop, Stage 1 and Stage 2 have an author visit and classes mark National Reconciliation Week.

National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week

Next week, our students will learn about the importance of reconciliation and the apology to the stolen generation. Classes will access a range of resources to support discussion of the 2026 National Reconciliation Week theme - 'All in'. This theme is reflective of a shared commitment to reconciliation from us all.

The potential harm of short video 'doom scrolling'

The uptake of digital devices and increased access that our young people have to digital content are both recent phenomena in our society. As such, the long-term effects of digital habits and consumption are unknown. However research is emerging, connecting certain usage patterns and types of content to impulsivity, irritability, poor sleep, increased anxiety and reduced attention span.

This ABC news article discusses some of this recent research, focusing on the effects of short videos on children.

Coming playground upgrades

With a little bit of luck, this year should see several upgrades to our school play areas. These improvements include the reconditioning of the surface of Bruce Browning oval, the acquisition of new equipment for the kindergarten play area, and the installation of a rock climbing 'traverse wall' and obstacle course in the area above the multi-purpose court. The last project has been in the works for a long time, but has now progressed to the point of meetings with the project managed and tender process. I can't wait to see these projects come to fruition and watch our students enjoying a more engaging outdoor environment.

2027 enrolment

Enrolment applications for kindergarten in 2027 have been coming to our school in a steady stream this year, with 49 students interviewed already, or booked in for interview in the coming fortnight. This may be indicative of a larger kindergarten cohort than in recent years, so I strongly encourage any families considering 2027 enrolment to contact the school soon.

Public Schools Student and Parent Surveys

This term, we will be inviting both students and parents to complete the public schools' feedback surveys. For parents/carers, this survey gives you the opportunity to share your experience at our school, including communication, inclusion, wellbeing and how your child’s learning is supported.

Hearing directly from our parents and carers will help us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made. Participation in the survey is optional, your responses are anonymous, and it takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The link to the survey will be sent to families directly via School Bytes this week.

Further information about the NPSS Parent Survey is available here.

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Cam Pryce

Principal