Week 8, Term 3 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
High Impact Teaching Practice - Coach Visit
Last week we hosted a visit from Mr Andrew Pirie, our High Impact Teaching Practice coach. Mr Pirie spent time in every class, observing lessons and working with teachers. His feedback and review of the day was extremely positive and a reason for celebration. I congratulate all our teachers for their continued effort and enthusiasm towards refining our practice and providing our students with an excellent educational experience.
Teachers are also assisted in their work by our amazing team of support staff who are equally committed to assisting our students in their learning and other activities. They do an outstanding job and are a vital part of our dedicated team at St Benedict’s.
Learning Journeys
We are excited to announce that our Learning Journeys will be taking place next Friday, 20th September from 2:30 – 4:00pm. This is your chance to visit the classrooms and explore the wonderful learning that our students have been working on.
We encourage all families to join us for this enriching experience. It’s a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into your child’s learning journey and to celebrate their achievements with them. We look forward to seeing you there!
Yours in partnership,
Alana Quirk
Principal's Reminders
Upcoming Events
Disco
Our Community Engagement and Fundraising teams on Community Council have been working very hard to organise our upcoming disco. Our disco will be held next Friday night (20th September) from 6:00 – 8:00pm. We are looking for volunteers to assist on the night. Please see the volunteer note sent home on Compass, or phone the front office if you are able to help out. Tickets (which include entry, a sausage sizzle, drink and chips) can be purchased on Qkr by Tuesday 24th September.
Colour Run
The excitement for the Colour Run is building! Sponsorship forms and money have begun to roll in and there is a buzz in the air. With parent support, children are encouraged to seek sponsorship/donations for their participation in this fun, community event. There are various prizes to be won:
First CLASS to return all sponsorship forms and money – icy poles
CLASS that raises the most money – class lunch and party
STUDENT that raises the most money – ‘Principal for the day’
SCHOOL – If we raise at least $10 000 we will have a casual clothes day.
All fundraising proceeds will go towards the purchase of IT and sports equipment.
Carpark Safety
We have seen an improvement in car park safety since the last newsletter – thank you! Just a reminder though that all children will be kept inside the gate, until a parent/carer comes over to collect them. We still have a few adults trying to call their children over to their car, especially when they are parked adjacent to the waiting area. This is very unsafe as we have a very busy car park area. Children will not be allowed out of the school gate unless they are accompanied by an adult.
Students Leaving St Benedict’s
If you anticipate that your child will leave St Benedict’s at the end of this year, please notify the Front Office. We need to begin planning for staffing and class configurations for 2025. Thank you to those who have let us know already. Of course this does not apply to Year 6 students who will be moving on to high school.
From the Assistant Principal
Runt
We are looking forward to a great community night next Monday. We have almost sold out the whole theatre, so if you are still looking at buying tickets, be quick! Families are reminded that the event is a family event, and usual theatre etiquette applies. Students and siblings are to remain with carers at all times, as duty of care falls to families in this situation.
Special St Benedict's movie tickets will be sent home with students on Friday and must be presented when entering the theatre.
Child Safety - Did you know?
As many of you would be aware, employees of schools are Mandatory Reporters. This means, all employees of our school are mandated to make a report if they believe a child they work with has experienced or is experiencing;
- sexual abuse
- non-accidental physical injury
It is also important to note, it is an offence for Mandated Reporters, such as teachers and other school employees if they fail to report a suspicion. They can actually be charged with this failure to report. It is therefore a responsibility we all take very seriously. Nothing is more important to us than Child Safety.
Do you Coach or Manage a child's sporting team or similar activity?
Many of us enjoy helping out with children's sport and other activities on the weekends. Some of us are even brave enough to put our hand up to be a coach or manager for a children's team. Without volunteers such as coaches and managers, sporting organisations are unable to fulfil their mission of fun and fitness and community engagement. In the realm of children's activities we all need to keep children's activities at the forefront of our minds and actions. Recently, the Commonwealth of Australia Sport Integrity Commission published a document about keeping children safe in these domains. It is an to easy read document containing a list of dos and don'ts for coaches and managers and all other adults in voluntary roles working with children. It contains some tips and ideas which you might find helpful to keep both yourself and the children you care for safe.
Spotlight on Religious Education
St Benedict's Primary Meal Train
To support families in our school community who are going through a challenging time we have set up a 'Meal Train'.
Meal Train is an organised way for people to deliver home cooked meals (fresh and ready to eat, or prepped to be frozen) to others in need. It is a caring way to relieve the stress of planning and preparing meals while going through a major life event.
Meal Train is a platform that allows us to set a meal calendar to stagger meals across a week, organise a designated drop-off point and delivery time period, and inform volunteers of the size of the meal required (number of people) and the preferred meal type (ready to eat or ready for the freezer).
How it works:
Currently we are aware of some families that are in need of meals. We have set up 2 meal calendar links. The links to these meal calendars are below.
- Select a family (1 or 2).
- Read the family meal needs (number of people requiring a meal, dietary needs, preferred meal type (ready to eat or prepped to be frozen).
- Select a day on the calendar that you would like to deliver a meal and pop in a description.
- Once you have added in your meal details, Nat Zarb will be notified.
- Nat Zarb will let the Front Office know that a meal delivery is expected and the Front Office will then contact the family to arrange pick up via the Front Office.
- The designated meal drop-off spot is the Front Office.
Current Meal Trains:
Family 1 (fresh meals ready to eat)
Family 2 (meals to be frozen)
If your family is experiencing a major life event and requires the support of our school Meal Train, please contact the Front Office, your child's teacher or a member of the school Leadership Team. All requests for Meal Train support will remain confidential and no identifying information will be disclosed.
MGL Sisters Visit 3/4
On Thursday 29 August, students in 3/4 were visited by Isobel and Sharita, religious sisters from the Missionaries of God's Love.
The sisters spoke to 3/4 about Rituals and the Sacraments of Initiation, one of which is the Sacrament of Eucharist, which some students in our school community celebrated for the first time last Sunday.
Isobel and Sharita also played reverse charades with us and led the classes in Christian Meditation.
Our students are very fortunate to be able to spend time with the MGL sisters and are very much looking forward to their next visit.
Year 1/2 Interviews MGL Sisters
Last week students were excited to interview Isobel and Sharita, religious sisters from the Missionaries of God's Love. In Religious Education Year 1/2 have been learning about 'being called' by God and the different ways that people respond to this call through vocations, ministry and mission. The Sisters shared their individual experiences of being called by God, read scripture to the students, and answered the many thoughtful questions that the students had prepared for their visit. The Sisters also taught the students an action song of prayer. We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to interview the Sisters. Their contribution to our Religious Education unit has enriched student learning and deepened their understanding of ministry, mission and discipleship.
Dates to Remember
Out and About at St Benny's
Father's Day Celebrations
Numeracy Enrichment
Last Wednesday, our Year 5/6 Numeracy Enrichment students participated in their final 'Maths Games Junior' contest, facilitated by the Australasian Problem-Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) organisation. Students have been working hard to develop their problem-solving strategies of dividing a complex shape and converting to a more convenient form, which are the focus of this final paper. Congratulations to all Enrichment students in 5/6 for their committed and enthusiastic participation in this challenging series of problem-solving contests!
These students will receive a Certificate of Achievement during Term 4, with the exact date of their presentation to be confirmed.
Mrs Anne White
Numeracy Enrichment/Classroom Teacher
Benny's News
Our Environmental Leaders have an exciting new fundraising activity about to kick off!
We will be collecting empty drink containers to deposit with the ACT Container Deposit Scheme (www.actcds.org.au) and earn 10 cents for each one. This means we'll be helping to keep the ACT clean and protecting the environment while raising money for our school.
You can help by collecting cans and bottles with the 10c symbol and bringing them in to school. There will be a designated recycling bin for students to put the 10c cans and bottles in.
We urge everyone to get involved and turn rubbish into a resource. Please join us in recycling your eligible drink containers. You'll not only be helping us raise much needed funds, you'll also be helping to reduce litter and landfill.
Counsellor's Corner
Happy Birthday
Merit Awards
Team Kids
Community News
