Week 2, Term 4 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

What an exciting and wonderful start to the school term we have had. It was fantastic to see everyone return with positivity and enthusiasm. It has been amazing to see students so settled with such an eventful couple of weeks which has meant some changes to class routines.

70 Year Celebrations

Last Friday was a momentous and joy-filled occasion for our community as we celebrated the 70th anniversary of St Benedict’s School.
The day began with a beautiful whole-school Mass, with the church filled to overflowing by current students, staff, families, and many past students and community members. We were especially honoured to welcome three former Parish Priests — Fr David Tremble, Fr Steve Fletcher, and Fr Dan Benedetti — who concelebrated Mass with Fr Chris Eaton.

We were also blessed to have members of the Jeffery family (Don, John and Moira Najdecki), parish representatives (Pat and Shelley), former staff (Mrs Meaghan Youngher) and past Principal Mrs Anne Staines, who assisted us in the celebration of this special mass and our reflection on the rich history, faith, and community that have shaped our school. The music, led by St Clare’s College Music Ministry, lifted our celebration and created a truly prayerful and memorable atmosphere.

After Mass, the celebrations continued with a lovely morning tea and an open school. Guests were able to browse cherished memorabilia, tour our learning spaces and wander down memory lane, reminiscing about the many chapters of our story.

The evening celebration carried on this spirit of gratitude and joy, as past and present families, staff and students gathered to share stories, reconnect, and honour 70 years of faith, learning, and community at St Benedict’s. Heartfelt thanks to all who joined us, and to those who have contributed to our story across the decades. A special thank you to Mr David de Carvalho (Director Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn) and past principals Mrs Anne Staines, Mr Matthew Garton and Ms Rachel Smith for joining us.
Both foundation student John Jeffery and past principal Mr Matthew Garton shared beautiful memories and reflections from their time at St Benedict’s. It was wonderful to hear that so many of the things they spoke about — the values, the spirit, the sense of community — are still so clearly alive in our school today, at the very heart of who we are.

A special thank you to them team that helped bring this event to fruition - Community Council members Mrs Olga Morabito, Mrs Melanie Phillips, Mrs Sally Veikkanen, Mrs Cristal Tatterson and Mrs Donna Fitzgerald-Verrant and to teachers Miss Sarah Maple and Mrs Karen Haines. We are very appreciative of your enormous efforts in the lead up and pack up of this event.

70 years is quite an achievement! Here’s to the next chapter — and to many more years of love, learning, and Benedictine spirit at St Benedict’s!

Whole School Performance – A dance through the decades!

Last night we gathered once again as a community to celebrate 70 years of St Benedict’s and to showcase the incredible talents and enthusiasm of our students. They danced their way through each of the seven decades that our school has been open, lighting up the stage with confidence, joy and contagious energy. We were treated to a fun and entertaining staff dance — complete with impressive gymnastics — and a moving finale that brought our whole school together.

A huge thank you to Mrs Jan Simpson, who has worked with our students throughout Term 2 to choreograph and rehearse each class performance, all while delivering a rich dance program exploring a wide range of styles and movement. Thank you also to all our staff for the time, care and teamwork that went into preparing students and organising the evening, and to Mrs Haines for her work in coordinating the event.

We extend our thanks to Lara, Samantha and Layla for your creative contributions and assistance in choreographing the staff dance — and for the impressive display of technical difficulty! Thank you as well to Reece and Tom from St Edmund’s for videoing the performance and helping us capture such special memories.

Finally, to all our families and friends — thank you for coming along to cheer on our children and share in their joy. Your support means so much, and we hope you thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival

I would like to wish all of our teams the very best for the Boorowa Touch & Netball carnival this coming Friday. This is always a great opportunity for our students to play together and try sports they may be less familiar with. Thank you to Mrs Webb for all her organisation of this day and to the staff that have volunteered for this huge day. Also thank you to the parents who will be driving students, or have volunteered to coach or manage teams. We really appreciate everyone's assistance in helping to make this day an enjoyable and memorable one for the students.

Class Allocations for 2026

During this term, we will finalise our student and staffing arrangements for 2026. Below is a list of the Class Allocation Principles we apply to ensure there is a fair and just process in allocating students to classes for the next school year.

First and foremost, teachers are in the best position to decide a child’s placement because they know the learning needs, supports and engagement patterns of the students they teach all day, every day. They know individuals as well as the whole year level.

Parents are invited to inform me of anything that they feel needs to be considered, for their own child’s well-being or development.

We have commenced the process of organisation for classes and staffing next year. When forming the class lists, teachers spend many hours placing students in classes which they feel will give them the best opportunity to reach their potential.

There are a variety of factors that are taken into careful consideration when forming classes:

• Gender
• Complex or unique needs
• Work habits
• Friendships
• Behaviour
• Health considerations
• Religion (to assist in achieving balance between classes, especially in Sacramental years) and
• Common names

Ideally, we aim for an equal spread of characteristics within classes.

At St Benedict’s, we follow these principles when considering placement of students each year:

• Every care will be taken to ensure that each child is placed in the best situation to enhance their learning and social development. Teachers know students in their class very well and so are best placed to make student placements for classes the following year.
• Parents who wish to raise issues for consideration regarding the placement of their children in particular classes for the following year, should put the issue in writing and email it to me by Friday 14 November. These will be treated confidentially. Parents cannot assume that requests from previous years will be taken into account. A new request will need to be made every year. 
• Where appropriate, advice will be sought from Classroom Support Assistants and the School Counsellor during this process.
• Considering all the factors listed above, Class Teachers compile class lists and then pass them to the Executive Team for consideration. These are then handed to Mrs Quirk to confirm. Staff take this process very seriously, taking signiifcant time and care to consider all aspects of class placements. 
• Children will be informed of their class placement for the following school year in December on our ‘Meet the Teacher’ day and the opportunity will be provided for them to spend some time with their new class teacher. New students to the school for the following year are also invited to attend.
• Throughout this process, after appropriate consultation, the Principal reserves the right to make final decisions regarding the placement of children.

Yours in partnership,

Alana Quirk

Principal's Reminders

Swimming Lessons K to Yr 2

Please remember to complete the Compass permission and payment for the upcoming swimming lessons for Kinder to Yr 2 students if you haven't already done so.

Student Enrolments for 2026

If your child will not be returning to St Benedict's Primary School in 2026 (other than our current Year 6 students), please notify the Front Office as soon as possible. This information assists us with planning for class structures and staffing for the new school year.

From the Assistant Principal

Spotlight on Religious Education

Journeying Through John’s Gospels – Jesus as Servant

This term, our school community continues its journey through the Gospels as Pilgrims of Hope, seeking to grow in faith, love, and understanding. Our focus is on Jesus as Servant, a powerful image drawn from the Gospel of John that invites us to reflect on how hope is lived out through humble service.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus shows us that true greatness comes not from power or prestige, but from love expressed in action. One of the most moving moments is when Jesus washes the feet of His disciples (John 13:1–17). This act of service, usually done by the lowest servant, reveals the heart of Jesus’ mission which is to love, to serve, and to lead by example. He tells His followers, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15)

As Pilgrims of Hope, we are invited to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, serving others with compassion and humility in our homes, classrooms, and wider community.

Who Was John, the Gospel Writer?

John, known as the ‘beloved disciple,’ was one of Jesus’ closest companions. His Gospel is distinct from the others. It is deeply reflective and focuses on the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. John’s writing helps us understand not just what Jesus did, but who He is, the Word made flesh, the Light of the world, and the Servant King.

Through John’s eyes, we see Jesus as both divine and deeply human, one who loves us completely and calls us to live lives of love and service.

Family Prayer

Dear Jesus,
You are the Son of God, full of love and light.
You came not to be served, but to serve.
Help us to follow Your example
To be kind, humble, and generous with others.
Teach us to see You in those who need our help.
May our family grow in love and service,
Just as You showed us through Your life.
Amen.

Dates to Remember

Benny's News

Out and About at Benny's

70th Anniversary Celebrations

Happy Birthday

Merit Awards

Team Kids

It’s time for a spook-tacular celebration!
TeamKids is brewing up some fang-tastic fun next week for Halloween! 🕸️
There’ll be costumes, games, and treats so good it’s un-BOO-lievable!
Don’t miss out on all the frightful fun! 🦇

Community News