Five weeks to go…

Can you believe that we are almost half way through the term already? Time is flying by this term and we have so much to look forward to. We have swimming lessons coming up from Monday November 9 to November 19 with the Swimming Carnival on Friday November 20. With restrictions easing, we are able to invite one parent per family along to our Swimming Carnival at this stage which is at least an improvement on other school events this year. I am thoroughly looking forward to our Step Up/Orientation Day on Tuesday December 1 where we will welcome about 120 new students who are coming to St Benedict’s in 2021 including 100 Prep students, our first year of moving to four-stream (classes). My favourite event of the year each year is our O’Holy night. This year we are planning to make it extra special by hosting it out on the oval where we can all get comfortable with our picnic style dinners and enjoy some Christmas Carols together. My adult daughter is already keen to get Christmas Carols started in her car as soon as November hits :)

2021 Planning

This week our leadership team- Nick (APRE), Aleesha (Learning and Teaching Advisor), Bernie Herron (Inclusive Education Coordinator) and myself have taken a couple of days out from school to have a planning meeting about 2021. This is such a valuable opportunity for us to review feedback (eg.RADii Survey results), current practices, successes and challenges to then develop our Annual School Improvement Goals for the coming year. The uninterrupted time allows us to think deeply, critically and creatively about our school community needs so we can come up with the best approach possible. With our growing school and another building project on the horizon, there is much to consider in ensuring that we continue aspiring to the wonderful plans identified in our School Mission and Vision. We look forward to sharing our plans over the coming weeks.

Day for Daniel

Thank you to everyone who was able to join our Awareness Campaign for Day for Daniel by wearing a red shirt today. We can never forget how important the messages about Child Safety are especially for guiding our children to be aware of their own body cues when they are uncomfortable or feel unsafe. Recognise, React, Report!

World Teachers Day

Finally I would just like to acknowledge the fabulous teachers in our school who are so passionate about providing engaging learning environments for our children. Being at a new school has both its challenges and its rewards (let’s face it our school is mostly a rewarding place to work :)) and I am so grateful for the team of professionals that we have. They are a wonderful support to each other and I feel blessed to work with them every day. Our teachers give so much of their time and energy to genuinely knowing and caring about your children’s needs. Happy World Teachers day team.

Please have a fabulous week.

Cheers

Penny Collins

Principal