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Dear Parents and Carers,
Term 2 is flying by and our students have recently been busy with a number of special events, in addition to their class learning:
- dance lessons
- hockey coaching clinics
- South Weston Region Cross Country
- pyjama and movie fundraising day
- Year 3/4 excursion to Maraga AIATSIS
- Reconciliation Mass
Rug Up!
As we have been experiencing colder temperatures and some icy mornings, I would like to remind everyone about the need for students to dress appropriately. Please encourage your child to wear layers and note that jackets, beanies and scarves can be worn by students if they are navy in colour. With the colder weather, we are seeing more lost property. Please ensure that all your child’s belongings are clearly labelled and if they are misplaced, check the lost property tub outside the glass doors of the Front Office (coming in from the playground).
Students should now be wearing the Winter school uniform:
- Black leather school shoe
- Long pants or the tunic dress
- Sports uniforms to be worn on sports days (sports polo and school tracksuit or sports shorts)
- Sports shoes should be predominantly white in colour
- Hair ribbons – navy or maroon
Hats off!
As part of our commitment to the ACT Sunsmart policy, we remind everyone that students are not required to wear hats outdoors during June and July. This "Hats Off" period aligns with the guidelines provided by the Cancer Council ACT, reflecting the lower UV levels during winter.
Reconciliation Focus
We recently celebrated Reconciliation Week with a long weekend and reflection on Reconciliation Day and its significance in our country. Reconciliation Day is a time for all Australians to come together, acknowledge the past, and foster a future based on mutual respect and understanding between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Today we continued our focus on the importance of reconciliation, through our whole school Reconciliation Mass. Thank you to Mrs Linda De Salis for her organisation and the teachers and students also involved in leading this beautiful mass.
At St Benedict’s Primary School, we are committed to embracing the values of reconciliation and integrating them into our daily lives and educational practices. The Catholic faith teaches us the importance of forgiveness, compassion, and the dignity of every person; principles which are at the core of the reconciliation process.
Semester Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews
Teachers are currently in the process of finalising assessments and completing student semester reports.
Parent Teacher Interviews will be held over Monday 24th to Wednesday 26th June (Week 9), followed by Semester Reports being released on Compass on Friday 28th June.
Parent-Teacher Interviews are an opportunity to:
- Work together on students learning and social wellbeing
- Reflect on student learning outcomes and goals
- Give parents the opportunity to ask questions and share information
- Promote ongoing communication and collaboration between the parents and teacher
We encourage all parents to take up this opportunity to work further with us to support your child/ren’s educational journey. Please watch out for soon to be released information about how to book an appointment for these Parent Teacher Interviews.
Community Council Update
In Week 3 we held our first Community Council meeting (as we progressed from the previous structure of a School Board and Parents and Friends Committee). The meeting was a success and it was wonderful to see many new faces.
We were very blessed with numerous members of our community putting up their hand to become involved, in various ways, in our newly formed Community Council. Some parents took on Executive roles whilst others have expressed an interest in being involved in Working Groups.
Working Groups are vital to a high functioning Council. They enable Council
to break the work of Council into smaller segments and have a small group
undertake a particular area of work. They also enable parents to participate in
the work of Council in a manner that best suits their interests and availability.
On Tuesday 24th June @6pm we will be holding our next Community Council meeting, with a focus on forming these Working Groups. We invite all parents interested in being involved in a working group to come along. These groups will meet, discuss areas of focus and planned events and establish their organistional process.
Working Groups:
* Fundraising and Social
* Community Engagement and School Marketing
* School Master Plan
This is a great way to meet other parents and become more involved in our school in an area of your interest. We would love to see you there!
God bless.
Alana Quirk
Principal
Trivia Night
Our Family Trivia Night on next Friday 14th June, is drawing near. We are looking forward to this community-building event. It will be an evening of entertaining trivia, games and fun for the whole family. There are fantastic prizes up for grabs.
Don't miss out on this fun-filled evening! We have a limited number of tables left, and bookings close this Friday, 7th June. Secure your spot before they're all gone - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1197592
We look forward to seeing you there!
Continued focus on Catalyst and High Impact Teaching Practices
At St Benedict's our staff is committed to providing the best possible teaching and learning experiences for every student in every class. We ensure our students access engaging and impactful lessons through our consistent approach to teaching based upon current research into the science of learning.
Our approach to teaching and learning is a system wide initiative, which you will know as 'Catalyst'. As teachers we use High Impact Teaching Practices to maximise teaching and learning opportunities across all subject areas, with increased focus in English and Mathematics lessons.
Complementing this, we use data from standardised testing to determine the best practice for whole class groups, small groups and individualised instruction. Students move in and out of the various types, or tiers of intervention, based upon their needs throughout the course of their schooling.
If you would like to find out more about the Catalyst project with Catholic Education simplify follow the link below:
https://catalyst.cg.catholic.edu.au/information-for-parents/
Reconciliation Mass
We celebrated a lovely Mass with Fr David Tremble who shared with us how the indigenous tradition of Dadirri, a deep spiritual listening, can be a tool for reconciliation for us all in our homes, school and community.
Mini Vinnies Years 3-6 School Sleep Out
Students in Years 3-6 who are enrolled in our Mini Vinnies program are invited to participate in a School Sleep Out in the Year 5/6 classrooms to raise awareness of the issues of hidden homelessness and the working homeless in Australia. In the lead up to the School Sleep Out, participating students will also be asked to seek sponsorship to raise funds for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. During the Sleep Out, students will participate in a candlelight liturgy and a social justice workshop. We hope this experience will help to develop our students' understanding of Catholic Social Teaching and the issue of homelessness within our local community, and most importantly, guide students to having a lens of compassion on such issues.
Winter Woollies Day
Mini Vinnies are preparing for our annual St Vincent de Paul Winter Woollies appeal. Please continue collecting adult size winter coats, jumpers, socks, sleeping bags, blankets, waterproof jackets, beanies, gloves and scarves. Please store these donations at home for now. All donations collected on Winter Woolies Day will go straight to the St Vincent de Paul Night Patrol van and handed directly to those in need. In the lead up to Winter Woolies, all classes will engage in whole school reflection activities relating to human dignity, and learning to approach the issue of homelessness with a heart of compassion and Jesus as our role model.
Year 3/4 Excursion to Maraga
PJ and Movie Day
Last Friday, students and staff at St Benedict's enjoyed watching a movie in their cosy pyjamas, while eating delicious popcorn. K-C watched 'Luca', Years 3-4 were entertained by 'Thelma the Unicorn' and students in 5-6 viewed 'The Karate Kid'. It was a lovely way to spend some time together, relaxing in our warm pjs while the rain drizzled outside!
A huge thank you to our families for supporting our fundraiser! We raised $567 which will contribute towards purchasing additional resources for our school.
South Weston Cross Country
Congratulations to the following students who competed at yesterday's South Weston Cross Country at Stromlo Forest Park. They all did themselves and St Benny's proud! Thank you to Mrs Webb and Miss Pheeney for organising, supervising and cheering the students on the day.
Baxter, Jonah, William, Tommy, Thomas, Claire, Verona, Georgia G, Rafaela, Jack K, Keisha, Nic C, Lucy W, Mya, Mitchell, Andrew and Laura.
