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Dear Parents and Carers,
This week I came across this reflection about Lent from Joan Chittister, a Benedictine Sister from America and best-selling author. I wanted to share it with you.
Taking Stock Of Our Lives
Once upon a time, an ancient story tells us, the master had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening, the visitor kept talking about his own concerns and giving his own thoughts. After a while, the master served tea. He poured tea into his visitor’s cup until it was full and then he kept on pouring.
Finally, the visitor could not bear it any longer, “Don’t you see that my cup is full?” he said. “It’s not possible to get anymore in.”
“Just so,” the master said, stopping at last. “And like this cup, you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
Lent is the process of emptying our cups. Lent is a time for trimming the soul and scraping the sludge off a life turned slipshod. Lent is about taking stock of time, even religious time. Lent is about exercising the control that enables us to say no to ourselves so that when life turns hard of its own accord, we have the spiritual stamina to say yes to its twists and turns with faith and with hope.
Lent is the time to make new efforts to be what we say we want to be. We applaud the concept in most things. We know, for instance, that even people who were married years ago have to keep working at the marriage consciously and intently every year thereafter, or the marriage will fail no matter how established it seems. We know that people who own businesses take inventories and evaluations every year or the business fails. We too often fail to realise, however, that people who say that they want to find God in life have to work every day to bring that Presence into focus, or the Presence will elude them no matter how present it is in theory.
- From The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century (Crossroad) by Joan Chittister
God bless.
Rachel Smith
Principal
Swimming Carnival Thanks
What a fantastic day we had last Thursday at our swimming carnival! The weather was perfect and the day ran like clockwork. It was so lovely to see the way the students supported and cheered each other on throughout the day. Thank you to the parents who helped on the day and those parents who came along to support the students. Thank you to all staff for their work on the day and in the lead up to the carnival. A particular mention to Ms Nat Wright and Miss Kaitlyn Reedy who were responsible for the organisation of the day and for ensuring it ran smoothly.
Swimming Assembly
Students will receive ribbons at next week’s Assembly, Friday 5th March. Ribbons will be given for those who placed 1st to 4th in the 50m, 100m and 200m events. Selections for the St Benedict’s team at the South Weston PSSA carnival will be announced shortly and are based on qualifying times and not place ribbons received.
Interim Reports and Three Way Conferences
Students will bring home their interim reports this Friday, 26th February, with Three Way Conferences taking place on Monday 1st March and Tuesday 2nd March. Optional Parent/Teacher Interviews will be offered at the end of each term, in addition to the semester reports being sent home at the end of Term 2 and Term 4.
Parents & Friends Committee
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter we are seeking people for the positions of P&F President, Vice-President and Secretary and would love parents to volunteer for these positions for the 2021 school year. Every Parents and Friends Committee meeting is open to all parents to attend. They are held on the Tuesday of Weeks 3 and 7 each term. Reminders will be through the Newsletter, Schoolzine app and on the School Calendar on the website. Children are most welcome to attend if childcare is a problem.
Toys at School
A reminder that students are not to bring toys from home to play with at school. Toys that are bought to school for ‘show and tell’ are to remain in the classroom and not to be taken onto the playground. Likewise if your child needs the security of a particular toy or needs a fiddle toy please ensure you have discussed this with the classroom teacher prior to sending it to school with them. Thank you for your support with this.
First Sunday of Lent
We ask God to strengthen our resolve to resist temptations.
As a family, pray the Act of Contrition.
My God,
I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong
and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help,
to do penance,
to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Saviour Jesus Christ
suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy.
This week each family will receive a Lenten Calendar. We encourage all families to engage in these throughout the Lenten season in preparation for Christ’s Resurrection.
Sacraments
Enrolment forms for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion were sent home last week (Years 3-6). If you would like your child to participate in our St Benedict’s Sacramental Program, enrolment forms must be returned to the Parish Office by Friday 26th February. Information regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation will be distributed next week (Years 5 and 6).
School Mass
Thank you to all our families that attended our Opening School Mass. It was lovely to be gathered as a school community once again.
Next Friday, 5th March 10am, Year 5/6 Blue will be leading our school community in Mass. All families are warmly invited to join us in this liturgical celebration. Please ensure that you sign in on arrival and adhere to appropriate hygiene and social distancing protocols.
Congratulations Mini Vinnies!
Congratulations to our 43 St Benedict’s Mini Vinnies! We are thrilled to have such an enthusiastic group of students join the program this year and can’t wait to see their impact on our school and wider community.
Mini Vinnies Social Justice Workshop
Thursday 11th March 2.10-3.00pm.
Students will participate in a Social Justice Workshop at school run by our St Vincent de Paul Youth School Liaison Officer. This workshop will be an introduction to current social justice issues that face our local community through the lens of the Catholic Social Teaching. No permission required.
Mini Vinnies Hygiene Donation Station
Thank you to everyone who has made donations to our Mini Vinnies Hygiene Station. Our Mini Vinnies will be packing these into kits for the Night Patrol this week.
ONLINE SAFETY – TERM 1 WEEK 4
Keeping your online accounts secure and your privacy settings up to date might not be high on your list of priorities, but it should be.
As we increasingly live our lives online, it is important to take online privacy and security seriously.
While it might not seem like a big deal at the time – you might think ‘who cares if a stranger knows which suburb I live in? — it is good practice to keep your personal information private.
Making it easy for someone to piece together bits of information about you — like which school you go to, where you live and your birthday — makes you a softer target for online scammers and hackers.
Here are some tips so you can keep your accounts secure and stay in control of your online privacy. You can also read more about how to protect your identity.
What to do
Do a privacy check up
Do a privacy check-up by going through the settings for all your social media accounts. It can be a good way to fill some time when you’re bored catching the bus, or waiting somewhere, and it shouldn’t take too long! Your social media accounts may still use the default settings, so it’s best to double check, and ensure you are aware of the amount of personal information you are putting out there.
Set strong passwords and update your old ones
Do you use the same password on more than one account? Do you use the same password to log into your social media accounts and online banking? Have you been using the same password for years? Then it’s time to update your passwords so they are all unique and more secure.
Security experts now recommend using a ‘pass phrase’ rather than simply a password.
Don’t share your passwords
This one seems obvious. But almost 1 in 5 teenagers have shared the password to their social media accounts with a friend, family member, boyfriend or girlfriend. You may think sharing your password with a partner or friend is a way of saying ‘I have nothing to hide’ — but it is never a good idea to share your passwords. Sharing your passwords puts you in a vulnerable position and puts your personal information and data at risk.
Keep your apps and software up to date
New app and software updates are designed to keep your data secure. Make sure you download and install new operating systems and software on your phone, tablet or computer as soon as they become available. Install virus protection software on your computer and keep it up to date. This will help to avoid computer viruses, which could destroy your data, make your computer unusable or steal your personal information.
Don’t add people on social media that you haven’t met offline
When you get a friend or follow request from someone you don’t know, check their profile. See if you have any mutual friends. If you’re feeling unsure —delete the request! Just like you’d find it weird if a stranger stopped you on the street, don’t let them follow your online profile.
When websites or apps ask for your personal information, double check they are legit
Some websites and apps are built by scammers and are designed to collect people’s personal information, so that they can hack your accounts or steal your money. If it looks dodgy, don’t hand over any personal information. Here are some quick tips for identifying dodgy sites and apps:
- Check that the URL for a website is the main URL you normally use to access that site.
- Be wary of any emails from people you don’t know. If in doubt don’t click on links or open attachments in emails.
- Check that the branding is accurate — that it appears the same across all platforms — and the logo is not blurred.
- Are there typos on the website or in emails asking you to login and update your details? If so, then it’s likely to be a scam.
- Check your app store for reviews of apps before you download them. If there are lots of users and good reviews, it’s unlikely to be a scam. If there aren’t any reviews, do some more online research — scams usually get identified fairly quickly and people often post online about them.
- Is an app asking you to input lots of personal information or provide your login details for any social media accounts? Then, it’s likely to be a scam.
- Check out Scamwatch and Stay Smart Online.
Be aware of the information that advertisers can access
Companies can collect a lot of information about us through the information that we put online, to target their advertising. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, change your privacy settings and read more about protecting your identity.
few important dates to note for this term are:
26 Feb Interim Reports sent home
1 Mar Three Way Conferences
2 Mar Three Way Conferences
5 Mar Yr 5/6 Blue School Mass, 10am
Whole School Assembly, 2.30pm
8 Mar Canberra Day Public Holiday
9 Mar School Board Meeting, 6pm
11 Mar Yr 5/6 Excursion
16 Mar Parents & Friends Meeting ,6.30pm
19 Mar Whole School Assembly, 2.30pm
25 Mar Learning Showcase
26 Mar Yr 5/6 Blue Palm Sunday Liturgy, 10.30am
Ways of Being Award Ceremony, 2.15pm
28 Mar Palm Sunday
1 Apr Holy Thursday
1/2 Gold, 3/4 Blue and 5/6 Gold
Holy Week Liturgy, 10.00am
Outdoor Education day
Term 1 concludes
A LENS ON LEARNING T1 WEEK 4
This week in Year 5/6 Gold students have been investigating poetry and the use of grammar in ‘The Viewer’ by Shaun Tan. Students wrote and published list poems. They also learnt about the use of main clauses, subordinate clauses and subordinate conjunctions. Students experimented with their use of these in our ‘Conscience Alley’ activity. Their understanding will help make their writing more interesting!
VEGETABLE GARDEN UPDATE
Our vegetables are growing well and our 5/6 students have begun to harvest their produce. Below are some photos of our growing vegetables. We cannot wait to pick our first eggplant!
No Birthdays this week.
Kindergarten: Josephine H and Duke I
Year 1/2B: Shreyaan G and Fergus K
Year 1/2G: Matilda B and Mackenzie C
Year 3/4B: Jayden L and Mitchell S
Year 3/4G: Vivienne K
Year 5/6B: Lachlan H and George P
Year 5/6 G: Lalia D and Finn W
Year 1/2B: Nathaniel G
Year 1/2G: Alisha W
Year 3/4B: Leilah G
Year 3/4G: Dianna N
Year 5/6B: Grace R
Year 5/6 G: Oliver J
Thank you so much for supporting our school, especially through fundraising. This term, we are running a Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie Dough Fundraiser.
Billy G’s is an Australian family owned and operated business. There are ten (10) dough-licious flavours including their popular Choc Chunk and NESTLE® SMARTIES® cookie dough. There is even a cheese flavoured Doggie Dough for your special fury family members! The cookie dough is only available through fundraising and is not sold in stores, so stock up!
Orders will open from Thursday 25th February. Visit www.cookiedough.com.au and register to create your child’s cybersafe fundraising profile. Instructions are in your child’s order form which will be coming home shortly. You have until Thursday 18th March to order so make sure you get the dough-rolling and create your online fundraising page today!
How do prizes work? Help your child fundraise more by setting a prize goal! Students who sell 1 tub or more are entitled to an incentive prize for their efforts. But why not aim higher? Family and friends are your greatest supporters, so ask them first for support. You will reach your fundraising goal in no time by sharing your fundraising page! There are 12 prizes up for grabs and prizes will be automatically ordered at the end of our fundraiser based on the number of tubs sold.
Apple Prize Pack Leaderboard Challenge! If your child becomes the highest tub seller in our school’s leaderboard they will automatically go in the draw for the chance to win an Apple Prize Pack valued at $3,300. How exciting! Let’s get fundraising!
Happy fundraising!
The P&F Committee
In our transition out of the COVID-19 restrictions we ask for your support in social distancing, logging onto the CBR App and signing in at the front office. Unitl we are able to confirm the new clothing pool arrangements we ask that you please email the school office.stbenedicts@cg.catholic.edu.au or contact Mrs McRae with a list of items required. We will endeavour to fill your order and reply to you as soon as possible.
PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILD/REN'S CLOTHING IS LABELLED WITH THEIR NAME.
Please check your child/ren are bringing their uniform home as it is an easy mistake to pick up someone elses uniform. Please place the incorrect uniform in the lost property box.
Our school tuckshop is still currently closed.
We will let you know as soon as it is open and students are able to order from the tuckshop.
A reminder that when the tuckshop opens counter sales only occur at Recess time and lunch orders must be ordered in the morning. Don’t forget to use the Qkr! App to place your child’s order. Volunteers are always welcome. No amount of time is too small.
Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday 9am to 12noon
Phone: 62957879
Email: narrabundah@cg.org.au
Web: website: http://cg.org.au/narrabundah/Home.aspx
Parish Team:
Fr Rembert Fernando MGL
Fr Baiju Thomas MGL
Monica Nulley-Valdes (Parish Secretary)
Anjalie Upasena (Parish Youth Minister)
Mass Times:
Saturday Vigil - 6pm
Sunday - 9am
- 6pm Charismatic Mass
Youth Mass every 4th Sunday (6pm)
Baptisms: 11.00am, 2nd and 4th Sundays of the Month.
Tennis season is in full swing with the Australian Open, Ash Barty and Canberra's Nick Kyrgios showcasing our humble sport. We ask for your help as we encourage new students to tennis.
If you can place the following information in the upcoming newsletter parents will be up to date on how to join a Tennis Canberra junior program.
Enjoying the tennis on TV? Play Tennis with an Official Tennis Canberra Coach.
BOOK A FREE JUNIOR TRIAL GROUP LESSON
www.tenniscanberra.com.au/try-tennis
- Junior Programs from ages 5-16
- North & South Canberra Tennis Canberra Venues
- All abilities from starter to advance
CONTACT TENNIS CANBERRA™
- E-mail: play@tenniscanberra.com.au
- Phone: 0416 186 121
- Website: www.tenniscanberra.com.au
