Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome to Term 3. These beautiful cold but sunny days are what are great about winter in Canberra. I am a person that doesn’t mind winter and loves nothing more than a sunny winter morning where the brisk air greets you as you walk out the door. As long as the sun is out winter in Canberra is enjoyable! Welcome to the new students and their families at St Benedict’s: Mackenzie in Kindergarten, Eli in Year 1, Tyler in Year 2 and Olivia in Year 4. Thank you to our existing students who have found a place for them in their classes and friendship groups. You’ve demonstrated great Be Welcoming behaviours.

Community
Community is very important to us at St Benedict’s. Visitors to our school often comment on the strong sense of community they felt when they visited and how welcomed and included that they felt during their visit. There are three distinct ways we express Community at St Benedict’s:

Welcoming
Our motto ‘All guests who enter shall be welcomed as Christ’ (words of St Benedict) points to the importance we place on accepting and loving new children and families when they begin their journey with us. Established students take new students under their wing in their own class and the buddy program. Teachers support and assist new teachers in learning how St Benedict’s ‘works’ and where to find what they need. Parent representatives contact new families and create opportunities to build connections and relationships with others.

Celebrating
We come together regularly to acknowledge who we are and what we value, especially in the way we celebrate Eucharist, gathering as a community to give thanks to God. During assemblies we acknowledge the achievements of our members and thank those who recently contributed to our ongoing work. Our Meet and Greet and Disco are two examples of times when families can relax and enjoy each other’s company.

Giving outwardly
What value does our community have if we cannot share and spread what we have with others? Through examples like our Winter Woollies day we create opportunities to give to others in need from the abundance we have. We look to participate in local community events and spread our joy. We build relationships with local community organisations. We celebrate important times such as Easter, St Benedict’s Day and First Friday Masses with our wider Parish.

We have a wonderful community that is always seeking the balance between welcoming in and giving beyond ourselves. An example of the wonderful giving nature of our community is the School Board. The School Board meets every second Tuesday of the month and works to support the school, the students, the families and the staff. Last night the School Board elected new office bearers. The School Board consists of:

• John Daunt – Chairperson
• Mark McCormack – Deputy Chairperson
• Vacant – Treasurer
• John Norgrove – Secretary
• Edwina Betts – P&F Representatives
• Antoinette Perry and Michael Wrathall – Parent Representatives
• Breena Walshe – Staff Representative
• Alana Quirk – Assistant Principal
• Rachel Smith – Principal
• Fr Dan Benedetti – Parish Priest

 I would like to thank Mrs Belinda Eidum and Mr Mark Scott who complete their terms on the Board, for their outstanding contribution. Their perspective and interests will have a lasting impact on the St Benedict’s school community. I thank them for their unfailing support for the work of myself, the staff and the students of the school and for being part of our collaborative journey.

God Bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal