Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all the students, parents and teachers for making the Three Way Conferences such a success this week. Thank you to those parents and carers who embraced the online booking form. Effective communication with parents, especially in regard to children’s progress at school, is a high priority at St Benedict’s. At any time during the year parents are encouraged to request a meeting with class teachers to discuss their child’s progress. Teachers ensure that parents remain informed about any issues that arise in the school context. We believe that it is much better to address concerns, celebrate successes and for parents to feel reassured and confident in what is happening in the classroom when there are open channels of communication between home and school.

Our planned forms of communication this year include:

• Class program overviews sent home each term.
• Interim Reports sent home.
• Three Way Conferences offered at the start of the year.
• Semester Reports provided at the end of each semester.
• Learning Celebrations on a termly basis.
• Optional Parent-Teacher Interviews offered on a termly basis.
• General news through our emailed weekly School Newsletter, the school website, our School Calendar and our SZapp app.

Please do not hesitate to contact teachers as the need arises either in person or via email. All parents are encouraged to download the SZapp app, as messages and notes are often communicated this way.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal

Recess and Lunch
We have noticed that many of our students prefer to eat earlier in the day than later. We will ensure that fruit break occurs at the beginning of each day and that at Recess students are encouraged to eat well. Parents are encouraged to consider ensuring that their child has substantial food for Recess and that the children understand that they can eat as much as they need earlier in the day, saving smaller portions for lunch time if they wish.

Swimming Assembly
Students will receive ribbons at this week’s Assembly, Friday 5^th March. Ribbons will be given for those who placed 1^st to 4^th 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.

Parents & Friends Committee
Following the message in last week’s newsletter regarding P&F vacancies, I would like to thank Tim Smith (Ruby, Year 5) and Erosha Bakmiwewa (Keisha, Kindergarten and Jayden, Year 3) for volunteering to take up the positions of President and Vice-President, respectively for the 2021 year. We are still seeking a volunteer for the role of Secretary. 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.

St Benedict’s Netball Club
Thank you to Sally Jensen (Amelia, Year 5) who has taken on the role of netball coordinator this year. Thank you for those families who have returned their netball interest notes, Sally has made contact with those whose notes she received. If you haven’t heard from Sally then she has not received your interest. If you are interested in registering for netball, please contact Sally on 0417660196 as soon as possible.

Bowral
I will be away for most of this week for meetings/retreat with my Principal Colleagues. I will be away from school from Wednesday morning for the rest of the week. On Wednesday staff from Catholic Education will be facilitating professional learning for the 65 Principals of our Archdiocese. On Thursday and Friday, we will be having a retreat with the theme – The Inner Work of Leadership. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity for prayer and reflection during the season of Lent.

Second Sunday of Lent
Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. This was a special moment for Jesus' friends because they saw that Jesus is God.

As a family, pray the Lord’s Prayer-

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come; 
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Sacraments- Important Term 1 Dates

First Reconciliation Parish Preparation

School Mass
This Friday, 5^th 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.

Mini Vinnies Social Justice Workshop
Thursday 11^th 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.

Online Safety for Young Children – eSafety Commissioner
Its never too early to start talking to your children about online safety. The eSafety Commission has release a series of online resources to support parents and child children to have discussions about how to keep safe online.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/children-under-5/picture-book-and-song

Picture Book and Story
Swoosh and Glide are developing positive habits with technology as they grow –– just like all our youngest Australians! Use the Swoosh and Glide picture book and song to encourage young children to ask for help when they are using digital devices, to keep them safer online.

eSafety’s online safety picture book Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 tells the adventures of a fun family sleepover for Swoosh and Glide with their sugar glider cousins. The picture book shares some of the common technology experiences of children, shows what to do when something unexpected happens on a screen and highlights safe online practices for the whole family.

Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 makes it easy to start the chat about online safety with young children!

My Family’s Rules Song
The Swoosh and Glide picture book includes an original song, My Family Rules, created for eSafety by Australian children's entertainer Lah-Lah. It's a great way to reinforce the four key online safety messages for young children: Be safe, Be kind, Ask for help and Make good choices.

See additional information ‘It’s Never Too Early to Start Talking About Online Safety.’ https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/children-under-5/start-talking-online-safety

Important dates to note for this term are:

5 Mar       9am - School Photo catch ups    

               Yr 5/6 Blue School Mass, 10am

               Whole School Assembly, 2.30pm

8 Mar      Canberra Day Public Holiday

9 Mar      School Board Meeting, 6pm

10 Mar    Yr 5/6 Excursion

11 Mar    First Reconciliation Prayer Evening 6-7pm

12 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

31 Mar    Sacrament of First Reconciliation 5:30 - 6:30pm

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

The following notes are going home this week.

P&F Cookie Dough Fundraiser Note
P_F_Cookie_dough_fundraiser.pdf
Billy_G_s_Gourmet_Dough_sponsor_Feb_2021.pdf

Reconciliation & Eucharist Form
Recon_Euch_Form_2021.pdf

Lenten Calendar
Lenten_Calendar_2021.pdf

Head Lice
Head_Lice_March_2021.pdf

Naplan Online - Yrs 3 and Yr5
Letter_to_parents_from_principal_re_NAPLAN_online_version.pdf

Endeavour Exhibition Excursion - Yr5 and Yr6
5.6_National_Museum_Endeavour_Exhibition.pdf

Parliament House & National Electoral Education Excursion - Yr5 and Yr6
Parliament_House_Excursion.pdf

School Photo
On Friday 5th March will be the catch up photo's for any students, siblings that were not at school on the photoday in February.

If you have not ordered your photo's as yet please print off the order form below. Send it into the front office with the correct cash by Friday 5th March 9.10am.  

Sorry no late orders will be accepted.

School Fees

School fees were emailed or sent home with your child in week 2. Please have fees paid by Friday 5th March 2021.  If you have any concerns regarding fees, call or email Mrs McRae or Ms Smith.

If you are having difficulty paying School Fees due to Covid 19 please contact Mrs McRae or Ms Smith to see what assistance is available.  We are always here to help.

A LENS ON LEARNING

Year 1/2 Blue have been busy so far this term.

“We have been learning about making things with just paper. We had to make the paper change shape.” Selina

“We have been writing about ‘The Magic Beach’. We wrote our own stories about what we would do at our own magic beach.” Beau

They have also been learning about writing effective sentences with descriptive language and their handwriting is coming along nicely!

There are also many budding artists. Just look at some of their self portraits.

Student Leadership News
Congratulations to all our Year 6 students who were presented with their leadership badges last Friday in a special ceremony.

This term they have been busy developing what they would like their Leadership Group to focus on this year. They are excited by the opportunity to have a say in our school

Liturgical Leaders
The Liturgical Leaders of 2021 are made up of Ava, Tia, Ciru and Hubert.

We help with liturgies and masses at St Benedict’s as well as the religious/prayer life of this school. This year we would like to begin a liturgical dance group that will present their dances at masses within our school. We would also like to start new and special activities for ‘Day for Daniel’ and help Ms Wright with religious activities. Our goal this year is to help the students of St Benedict’s to better connect with God and to find the spiritual soul within them.

Media Leaders
We are the Media Leaders and we are made up of Marissa, James, Elvira, Will and Niora. This year we are aiming to make a podcast about our learning and start a 3D printer club with our school 3D printer. We are also reintroducing Code Club for everyone to try out and join.

Sports Leaders
We are the Sports Leaders this year and we are Finn, Nobel, Angus, Petar, Edie Q and Michael. This year we will help to run carnivals and increase the profile of sport in our school. We will run sport activities at lunch and make sure the sporting equipment is organised and in good order. We will make sure that there are house points and winners for carnivals and increase team work and sporting spirit.

Environmental Leaders
The Environmental Team is made up of Edith, Alain, Violeta, Miya, and Lachlan. We usually talk about bins, gardening and energy use, but this year we will do so much more! We will implement a Sustainability Club for students who are passionate about sustainability and climate justice. We will also be responsible for caring for our new school garden and hope to bring some students on our journey. We can’t wait to help make this school a cleaner, better place!

Community Leaders
The Community Leaders for 2021 are Mia N, Oliver, Joshua, Zack and Lucia. This year we would like to start a Buddy Club to support students who want to make new friends and are looking for something to do at lunch time. We will organise and run a few school events to celebrate important days such as Harmony Day and National Day Against Bullying. A major event of ours is the student Talent Quest which we will run in second semester. This will be an opportunity to celebrate all the social talents of our students.

Happy Birthday to the following children who celebrate their special day this week: Zachary H, Alain K, Fergus K, Amelia J and Saanvi G.

Kindergarten: Henry Mc and Ellena C

Year 1/2B:  Sandy W, Mackenzie A and Lydia P

Year 1/2G:  Reuben W, Andrew K and Molly F

Year 3/4B:  Alessandra B and Sarah R

Year 3/4G:  Cooper W

Year 5/6B:  Nicholas L, Joshua L and Sophia R

Year 5/6 G: Edith B and Amelia J

Year 1/2G:  Hassem A

Year 3/4B:  Mitchell S

Year 3/4G:  Charlie W

Year 5/6B:  Joel S

CLASS PARENT REPRESENTATIVE 2021

Dear Families,

Welcome to another school year and an exciting 2021 full of events from your Parents and Friends Association. This year we look forward to hosting our usual discos and special events! To help keep families updated across the range of events, we have found in the past that class level parent representatives have been a great way to share news via informal chats, emails and/or letters.

The role of Parent Representative is very important (but not time consuming) within the individual classes as an avenue of communication between teachers and families and also a connecting point between families. This role does not require attendance at any Parents & Friends meetings (unless you choose to) nor attendance at school events, but you will be kept up to date on happenings via the Parent Rep coordinator. The role simply asks for the coordination of;

• Touching base with your classroom teacher from time to time to find if there is any information that may need to be distributed amongst families.
• Arranging a note to be sent home when it is your class turn to host Mass and morning tea.
• Helping distribute information and encourage attendance at school/P&F events.
• As an optional addition, you may like to coordinate class play dates during holidays/weekends.

As classroom parent representative, you have the support of the P&F Parent Representative coordinator (Hannah Norgrove), so if you have not done this role before you will have all the help you request.

If you think this is a role in which you may be able to assist the school, please return the below slip as soon as possible and you will be contacted by the P&F representative with information on this fun and important role.

Thank you for your support of our school.

___________________________________________________________________

I am interested in undertaking the role of Classroom Parent Representative.

Parent/s Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Student’s Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Student’s Class _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Contact details _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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 and Cathy Schneider (Parish Secretaries)

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