Principal's Message

Things certainly do not slow down in Term 4 at Ben Venue. Last week, we welcomed our first cohort of 2023 Kindergarten students to an experience day at Ben Venue. At the other end of the spectrum, over 35 of our current Year 5 students received an invitation to join the 2023 leadership team and Young Leaders excursion; while our current Year 6 students will soon receive their invitation to the formal graduation dinner.

While preparing for the end of the year, it is also wonderful to visit classrooms and see the continuing engagement and learning happening across our school. There has been a lot going on, including incursions, excursions, great classroom activities and fantastic displays of confidence, initiative and flair at the finals of Ben Venue has Talent!

New robotics and coding resources

A highlight for some classes today was the unboxing of our new Sphero Bolt robot set, and Micro:bit electronics and coding sets. Students in Stages 1 2 and 3 can look forward to engaging in projects and learning with our new robotics and coding resources in the near future.

New student-friendly bell system

In the coming weeks, a new 'bell' system will be installed at Ben Venue. In fact, the key change will be that there no longer will be bells. These will be replaced with music to indicate to staff and students a transition to or from the playground. 

The new system has been ordered to support a greater sense of connection and belonging among our students. The existing bell system is quite stress-inducing, particularly for students from trauma backgrounds, and can be ear-splitting in certain locations.

The musical replacement will also allow our 2023 student leaders to begin each day with a Welcome to Country / Acknowledgement of Country and brief messages through an integrated public announcement capability. Safety will also be enhanced, with clearer emergency signals and more detailed information able to be provided to students and staff during emergency drills.

Community planting of our yarning circle

Thank you to everyone who was able to spare time to help our students and teachers planting out our yarning circle recently. Thank you to Mr Cotter, Mr Portell and Mrs Russell for leading the landscaping efforts. The landscaped yarning circle is a wonderful new addition to our school. I encourage families to utilise the area before and after school and look forward to seeing classes taken in the yarning circle now that warmer weather has arrived.

Selective High Schools - Applications close this Wednesday 16 November

Applications for entry into selective schools Year 7 in 2024 are now open. Please see the information attached below for further information, and be aware of the application timeline, which is strict. This process is for application to enrol in all types of selective schools and classes, including Aurora College. Aurora College is a selective virtual school, which caters for high potential and gifted students in regional and remote schools.

Change to the final day of term

A change has been made to the final day of school for students in all NSW public schools. Students will now finish school on Friday 16 December 2022. This is due to an additional School Development Day announced for staff across public schools. School Development Days allow our staff to participate in professional learning that was put on hold due to COVID-19 staffing pressures and to plan ahead for 2023 as we work to implement new syllabus requirements. 

With this change, we ask that you arrange alternative care for your child on Monday 19 December.

2023 class placement

Each year, teachers work diligently on the complex task of creating functional class groupings for the new year. We aim to create classes with an even mix of boys and girls, academic and social development levels, and behavioural and learning support needs, while also accounting for friendships, separations and other student needs. 

Each year, we offer families the opportunity to make requests for special consideration in the class placement process. Requests for special consideration should be made via email to benvenue-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au before Tuesday 15 November. Please be aware that requests are sometimes conflicting, and not all requests can be accommodated.

The Christmas sugar rush

The end of the year will be upon us before we know it. At this time, it is always lovely to see students' desire to give tokens of appreciation and holiday spirit to their peers. In advance, I ask that the following considerations are taken into account:

• Many students have dietary requirements that prevent them from eating lollies.
• Feedback from a number of families indicates that the stream of sugary treats disempowers parents and carers in their management of a healthy diet for their children.
• Increase in sugar consumption has a clear and detrimental effect on students' ability to learn and get along with others.
• Financial limitations place many families in the position of not being able to reciprocate gifts, which impacts upon relationships and self-esteem.

Should families wish to arrange small Christmas gifts for classmates, please consider low cost or hand-made cards, or perhaps contributing fruit to the end of year class celebrations. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Cam Pryce

Principal