Personal Belongings
Unfortunately, we have had a small number of children who have recently lost some valuable items, such as glasses and earphones. Could you please check your child’s bag to ensure that they have not mistakenly been put in your child’s schoolbag? Could you also check your child’s clothing to make sure that they have bought home their jumper and hats and not that of another child?

Change in Eating Habits
With the recent change in weather we are finding that many of our students both big and small are needing a lot more food at the moment and are eating most of the contents in their lunchbox at recess time. Over the next couple of weeks, you may like to consider sending your child with an extra piece of fruit or an extra sandwich.

The first thing the students do each morning as they enter the classroom is have their fruit break and sadly for some children this is their first meal of the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and students are encouraged to eat a healthy breakfast every morning. A healthy breakfast can help children to concentrate and learn by providing energy and nutrients to fuel their brain and body. Breakfast does exactly what the word says, it breaks the fast after a night’s sleep and provides the body and brain with fuel to start the day. Just like any other organ in the body, the brain needs energy to work properly. With growing bodies and developing brains, kids need to eat breakfast to be able to perform their best at school. Eating a healthy breakfast can help children to concentrate, increase their attention span and assist with their memory.

You may like to consider giving your child carbohydrates such as wholegrain cereals and porridge for breakfast as they give your child immediate energy to start the day. Proteins such as eggs and low-fat dairy provide a slower release of energy to fuel the rest of the day. Foods with natural fibre, like wholegrain bread and fresh fruit, give a feeling of fullness and help with digestion.

Hats On!
Though it’s still cold, the UV is on the increase so we remind you of the School policy regarding exposure to the sun: Simply stated, from August until May, there is a ‘No Hat – No Play’ policy. Therefore, from next Monday (3^rd August) all children must wear their school uniform hats while outside during recess and lunch.

Learning Time
Missing the start of the school day has a real impact on a child. The morning gathering enables us to greet each other as a community and celebrate our efforts and special occasions. However, we work hard to have the classes inside and learning quickly after the bell rings. Classes are usually inside and ready for learning 5 minutes after the bell rings. Those children who are at school before the bell rings (at 8.50am) are usually more settled and focussed in their learning.

Leaving St Benedict’s
If you anticipate that your child will leave St Benedict’s at the end of this year, could you please notify the Front Office where they a heading to. We need to begin planning for staffing and class configurations for 2021. Naturally Year 6 parents need not respond to this request.