Welcome to our Week 5 Newsletter for Term 4. Our term has felt as fast paced as in previous years even though there is a difference to the way we celebrate events as a community. It was wonderful to have some parents viewing the Mini Olympics on Friday as they willingly followed the health requirements. A big thank you to all of you who helped by managing, checking, communicating and attending the event.   We have included some pictures for you to enjoy. 

Next week we will be holding our official opening of our 3 to 6 Learning Block which we have been using all year. We received some Federal funding from the Block Grant Authority and so this contribution will be recognised on Friday 20^th November. We have limited the number of guests that we are able to invite and will celebrate with our Primary students with a formal ceremony led by our some of our student leaders. This will be followed by a tour hosted by some of our Lumin8te students. This was to take place much earlier in 2020 and we look forward to acknowledging our appreciation of this wonderful facility. 

Our SRC (Student Representative Council) have continued to meet weekly and have organised ‘staff vs students’ netball and soccer tournaments to be held during lunchtimes in Week 7. They will be a lot of fun and we look forward to sharing with you the winners of these events. 

Our iPad information session for parents of Year 5 & 6 students for 2021 will be available via a link on our website. We will email this to the parents of these students soon and ask that you watch the video and respond with any questions. Using a BYOD program enables us to work with parents in supporting their children to learn how to safely navigate the volatile world of the internet. It is essential that you as parents are equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead your children as we work together. We would also remind you that social media apps are usually 13+ which are not appropriate for any Bethany students. Please do not feel pressured to allow your child to access this kind of virtual space and stay vigilant to ensure that you know what your children are accessing as you head toward the Christmas break and as they have more free time.

This week Australian’s held Remembrance Day on the 11/11 and at 11am, our students held a minutes silence and some of our students laid a wreath to remember together. We remembered the sacrifice others have made and reflected on the importance of peace in our world. 

Our Celebration week is shaping up to be a lot of fun for our students. Each year level is creating an experience for the rest of school. You will get to see photographs and some footage of these experiences on the ‘With Grateful Hearts’ website that will open on Monday 7^th December. 

Our Year 6 graduation will be held in our Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday 8^th December with a ceremony that can be attended by two guests per student. We are looking forward to celebrating the end of their time with us and also blessing them as they move on to the next chapter of their educational journeys.

On the last day of school, we will hold our Award Assembly prior to dismissal at 3:10pm. A link will be sent to parents who would like to watch the event. We will also notify via email any parents if their child will be an award recipient. The school reports will then be emailed home on this day. The Semester 2 report will be able to reflect the fact that we have been open for the whole semester and will include the usual students comments. Our teachers are currently gathering information and writing these reports to reflect the learning that has taken place this semester. We are so very grateful that South Australia continues to manage the health of our community.

We hope you have a lovely weekend.

Wendy Matear
Principal

Memory Verse

Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.

Proverbs 31:8