Principal's Update
Peace Focus: “First Time Everytime!”
At St Benedict’s, we are proud to nurture a learning environment grounded in our Way of PEACE, a core aspect of our school values. Every fortnight, our students and staff gather together to reflect on and reinforce these shared values, creating a strong, united school culture.
Our first gathering for the term centred on the importance of respect, supporting learning, and ensuring everyone’s safety. With this in mind, we introduced the theme "First Time Every Time"—a simple yet powerful message that reminds all students to follow teacher and staff instructions promptly and respectfully the first time they are given.
This theme isn’t just discussed during our gatherings—it is actively reinforced throughout our classrooms, during outside play, and at whole school events. It's a consistent expectation that helps create a calm, safe, and focused orderly environment for everyone.
We kindly ask parents and carers to partner with us in reinforcing these expectations at home. Please take a moment to speak with your child about what "First Time Every Time" means in practice and how it contributes to our St Benedict’s Way of PEACE (Persistence, Empathy, Accountable, Caring for Community and Engaged).
Together, we can continue to build a community where respect, safety, and learning are at the heart of all we do.
Recent Snake sightings at St Benedict’s
I would like to inform you about recent snake sightings on the grounds of St Benedict’s Catholic School Shaw and the proactive steps we are taking to ensure the continued safety of all students and staff.
Recently we have had sightings of a Lesser Whip Snake. Last year we had an Eastern Brown Snake on our school grounds.
Please rest assured that the safety of our school community remains our highest priority, and we have well-established protocols in place for such situations.
Our response procedures include:
- Immediate isolation of the area where the snake is sighted, to prevent any access by students, staff, parents and visitors.
- Prompt contact with a licensed snake catcher, who is called to attend the school and safely remove the snake.
- Daily inspections of the school grounds, including playgrounds, fields, and garden areas, to identify and address any potential risks before students arrive.
Your child’s safety is always at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain these precautionary measures throughout the school year.
Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions regarding this matter.
Representing St Benedict’s
Congratulations to our students who last week represented St Benedict’s at the Townsville Interschool Cross Country and the Southern Cross Catholic College Speech Makers Competition.
Thank you to Mrs Huston for coordinating the Interschool Cross Country Team and to Mrs Pugh for coordinating the Speech Makers Team. Thank you to all teachers, staff and parents for supporting our students in these competitions.
God in All of Life
Patrick Dempsey