Another busy and eventful week at St Benedict’s.

C Division Swimming Champions

Congratulations to our outstanding St Benedict’s Swimming Team on winning the C Division Championship at the recent Interschool Swimming Carnival last Tuesday. This is a wonderful achievement and a testament to the hard work, determination, and team spirit shown by all our swimmers.

A special thank you to Mrs Huston and Mrs Rowe for their leadership, organisation, and encouragement of the team, and to all the staff who supported our students on the day. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the many parents and family members who came along to cheer from the sidelines, your energy and enthusiasm made a huge difference.

With this success, St Benedict’s has now been promoted to B Division for next year’s carnival. An exciting milestone for our school community. Congratulations once again to everyone involved.

Robo Sumo Competition Success

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who proudly represented St Benedict’s at the recent Robo Sumo competition. Throughout the event, our students engaged in a range of technology-based challenges, including construction, coding, and robotics. They demonstrated impressive problem-solving skills, creativity, and teamwork.

We congratulate the teams for representing the school so well and coming away with the winning trophy on the day as well the award for positive team work.  Well done to all our students on their wonderful efforts, and thank you to Mrs Pemberton for her guidance and support of the team.

Year 3 Excursion to Jezzine Barracks

Yesterday, our Year 3 students visited Jezzine Barracks to celebrate and consolidate their learning from the recent HASS unit. The students enjoyed the Jezzine Ethno-Botanical Walk, led by Mrs Christie, who shared Dreamtime stories about how parts of Townsville and Magnetic Island were created. We were also privileged to be joined by Will Mabo, who shared his Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture through stories and music.

It was a beautiful day of reflection, learning, and storytelling. Thank you to our Year 3 classroom teachers for organising this excursion.

Year 1 Wallabies Assembly – Catholic Mission Day

Today our Year 1 Wallabies class beautifully hosted our school assembly, focusing on Catholic Mission Day and the wonderful work being done to support children and families in Zambia. Their message reminded us of the importance of compassion, generosity, and global connection. The funds raised from today’s Crazy Sock Day will go directly towards this important appeal. Thank you to everyone who contributed and supported this meaningful cause.

Grandparents Morning – Year 6

Congratulations to our Year 6 students and teachers on the success of their Grandparents Morning. It was wonderful to see so many grandparents attend and share in this special occasion. Our students proudly showcased their projects, which celebrated the lives and stories of their grandparents. This meaningful learning experience provided a beautiful opportunity for connection across generations, as students gained insight into the past and the remarkable lives of their grandparents.

God in All of Life

Patrick Dempsey

pdempsey2@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au

Assemblies have continued to be a great celebration of our Catholic identity at St Benedict’s.  Today, our Year 1 Wallabies presented on the theme of ‘Mission Month’.  Of course, it was crazy sock day today, in which we raised money for the Catholic Mission by bringing in a gold coin.  During prayer, the Wallabies invited us to listen, learn and be transformed during this time, and reminded us that no matter where we live, we can all share hope and love with others.  Students' gold coin donations today will be going towards the work that the Catholic Mission has been doing in Zambia.

Last week the Year 2 Curlews presented their assembly on the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary.  October is the month of Mary, and a time where Catholics often participate in praying the Rosary.  The 2 Curlews did a wonderful job of leading us through this, and led us as we prayed a decade together.  Many classes around the school have also been learning about and praying the rosary in class.  

I have again included below the Assembly and Open Classroom roster for the remainder of the term, as well as some posters with dates and further information of some of our end of year events.  

Pax,

Nick

Swimming Lessons Week 7 & Week 8

We will again be engaging in our swimming lessons for all students in the school.

For students in Prep - Year 2: These lessons will be 45minutes in length and will take place on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of Week 7 (17 - 20 November).  The week will culminate with our annual ‘Wet Play Day’ on Friday 21st November.

For students in Year 3 - Year 6: Lessons will be 30minutes in length and will take place Monday 24th November thru Thursday 27th November.  Please note this is an adjustment to the previously advised schedule, as the Friday will be our end of year Mass.

Footwear: All students will be required to wear footwear when travelling on the bus to the pool.  This can include thongs, ‘crocs’, reef shoes or similar.  Of course, students are welcome to wear their school shoes also.  If a student does not have alternative footwear available on their lesson day, they will be required to wear their school shoes.  You are able to support the preparation of your child’s lesson by ensuring ALL items are named and labelled - this includes, shoes, socks, underwear, goggles, thongs, crocs, towels, swim caps etc.

We look forward to a full and exciting Term ahead.  If you have questions or concerns at anytime, please do not hesitate to reach out by email or make an appointment via our Administration team.

Blessings

Ros Baumann

PAX - PEACE - Progress, Achievement & Excellence in Learning

Did you know the Benedictine motto is quite simply the word ‘PAX’ - which in latin means peace? Along with our PEACE acronym of Persistence, Empathy, Accountability, Care for Community, and Engagement, we also use PAX as an acronym in relation to Progress, Achievement and Excellence in learning.

At St Benedict’s we celebrate every child for their unique abilities, strengths and talents. Each and every day teachers focus on their learners, and select the best teaching strategies, to help them PROGRESS in their learning, ACHIEVE their goals, and show EXCELLENCE. 

During the last week, the Leadership Team has been invited to many classrooms to look at student writing! It is heartwarming to see the progress every student has made, and how proud they (and their teachers) are to show off their work! Check out some of the wonderful writing from the Year 6 Homework Project (a Biography about a special elder in your life), and the Year 1 opinions of why the Bin Chicken (actually called the Ibis) is such a special bird! 

Yours in Learning, 

Aleesha Rockemer 

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning (APPL)

We are gearing up for our last term of the year.  Our last P&F Meeting will be in Week 4 on Tuesday 28th October at 6.30pm in the school board room.  We invite everyone to attend.  The meeting will review the Disco from Term 3, look towards our O’ Holy Night at the end of Term 4 and begin to look at the start of 2026.