Welcome back to what is certainly going to be a busy term. We have major excursions for Stages 2 and 3 to Coffs Harbour and the Great Aussie Bush Camp respectively, Learning Showcases for all stages, the 100 Days of Kinder celebration, the beginning of transition to high school activities for Year 6, the Opera House Choir excursion, our Creative Arts Showcase, Book Week, An Evening with ACOS, a Stage 1 gymnastics program, debates and a range of sporting events occurring. With so much on the agenda, the chance of clashing events increases. While we do our best to minimise these conflicts, some are unavoidable. An example is the clashes between the major excursions for Stage 2 and 3, and the PSSA athletics. Our major excursions need to be booked well in advance, with the Great Aussie Bush Camp booked two years ahead. Dates for PSSA events are not available to us at the time we secure our major excursion bookings, and PSSA dates vary each year.

I want to thank our staff in advance, and recognise their commitment to planning and facilitating such a range of opportunities for our students. Almost all of the activities mentioned above would be impossible without the extra effort and time given by our teachers and support staff.

An Evening with ACOS

An Evening with ACOS is a biennial event, celebrating creative and performing arts in the Armidale Community of Schools. All Armidale public schools are represented. This year, Ben Venue's involvement will include our junior and senior choirs, selected orchestra students, Aboriginal dancers and the students of S3P performing a choral speaking piece.

Tickets to An Evening with ACOS are now on sale. There are a limited number of tickets available. Click here to secure your tickets.

NAPLAN

Schools have yet to receive cohort level data that facilitates comparison of our performance to similar schools and the state average. However, individual student reports are now available and have been distributed to families today. I look forward to analysing our school data and sharing results of this analysis when it becomes available.

For parents and carers of students in Years 3 and 5, the explanatory video below may be of assistance in interpreting your child's report.

NAPLAN tests are only one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. As they are held once every two years for each student, they cannot replace the ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. A performance result less than expected may indicate that the student requires more targeted support or may just reflect other factors that affected their performance on that day.  

Mobile communication devices at school - including smartwatches

You have likely heard of the incoming whole of Department of Education ban on the use of mobile phones during school hours. This government policy is in response to the many cases of misuse of mobile phone type devices, negatively impacting student wellbeing and learning. Ben Venue has implemented a policy banning mobile communication devices for the past five years, resulting in a reduction in the occurrence of school related online bullying and avoiding the disruption of learning time by use of devices. The new policy brings all schools in line with approaches similar to that taken at Ben Venue.

All students and families should be aware that any device capable of sending or receiving calls, messages or accessing the internet through mobile data is banned on school grounds and during school excursions and school organised events. This includes smartwatches with these capabilities. With the exception of devices used in support of a health care condition or other specific adjustment made in consultation with the school, all such devices must be either left at home or handed to the office immediately upon arrival, then collected again at the end of the day. Students who breach this policy may have their device confiscated for the day and be placed on detention. Repeat offenders risk formal caution of suspension.

NSW Department of Education policy on use of mobile phones in schools

Ben Venue procedures for implementing NSW Department of Education policy on use of mobile phones in schools

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on students with disability (NCCD)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes;

year of schooling,
category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional, and
level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability. The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information.

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal.

Excess furniture tender - woodwork tables

Ben Venue has two workshop tables surplus to requirements, that are being made available for purchase through a tender process. An image of one of the items is available here. Tenders should be addressed to the principal either in an envelope or via email to the school email address (benvenue-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au) by Friday 4 August.

Cam Pryce

Principal

Parents & Citizens Association