Fun Run and Burgers by the Billabong

Unfortunately we have had to postpone both our Fun Run today and our Burgers by the Billabong family event on Saturday due to wet grounds. The Fun Run course would have been quite slippery and potentially unsafe and the Early Years Playground has a lot of messy puddles and mud that would not make for a successful event. We do however look forward to rescheduling both these events early next term.

School fees

We have a number of families who are getting behind on their school fees and are not meeting their agreements made through our enrolment contracts. I understand that many families experience hardship at different times and if you are struggling, it is important to make contact so we can put a payment plan in place. I will be calling families next week to follow up overdue accounts. 

School Projects over the holidays

During the Easter break we will have contractors onsite installing the new battery storage near OSHC for our additional solar panels that will also be installed on Blue, Green and Yellow Blocks. We should also have contractors here installing the new shades over the swings in the Country Farm Playground, another one connecting the barn to our school building where we will add some outdoor tables our teachers have painted with various patterns and themes and we have a third shade going over the new eating area at Red Block.

Most excitingly, we will have our new contractors arriving on site ready to start our Building Project Stage 3- Library, E Block (Orange) and an extension to our Administration building and tuckshop. This project is due to be completed by the September holidays.

Holy Week

Next week, we celebrate Holy Week where the students will participate in a walk around a number of stations (hopefully in the Bush Tucker Trail) to interact with activities that engage them in the story of the time leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Mr Christie always plans such creative ways for our students to experience this learning and it is something I look forward to every year.

Next week we have quite a number of students in Years 5 /6 heading out to represent our school in a local rugby league and netball competition. We have had to draw on our friends at Good Shepherd Catholic School to ensure we had enough students for the footy team. We wish them all the best for a great day with lots of good sportsmanship and competition.

As this will be our last newsletter for term, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your engagement in school initiatives and activities so far and wish you all the best for a happy, safe and holy holiday break.

Have a fabulous weekend. See you all next week.

Cheers

Penny Collins

Thank you to Year 4/5/6 Stingrays who presented assembly this week on ‘Holy Week’.  Holy Week begins this Sunday with Palm Sunday, which was a day of celebration as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.  That next Friday, Good Friday, marks the day that Jesus was crucified and is in stark contrast to the celebrations at the beginning of the week.  Our Stingrays did a wonderful job of sharing these stories and leading our assembly, not only through reading, but their actions in songs, which the whole school eagerly joined in.   

During the week next week, each of our classes will participate in the Journey of Holy Week which will be set up in our Bush Tucker Trail.  During this time there will be symbols and actions set around the trail to give students a greater understanding of the journey of Holy Week, leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  These events include, Palm Sunday, the Washing of the Feet, the Last Supper, Jesus’ betrayal, Jesus carrying the cross and ultimately the death of Jesus.  It is certainly a more solemn time in the Church calendar.  When we return after Easter, we enter a time of joy as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Project Compassion

Our time of Project Compassion is drawing to an end.  If you have any Project Compassion boxes at home, or some money that you’d like to donate, please bring this to the school office by the last day of Term 1, Thursday April 1.

Please see the link below to see one of the many projects around the world and to see where your donations might be spent.  This week's story takes us to Bangladesh and is about a woman named Halima.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COco7Om1Xxc

ECSI Project - FINAL REPEAT

A big thank you to those families who have been able to complete our schools ECSI surveys - we have reacher our minimum number to get worthwhile feedback! These surveys remain open until Thursday April 1 (last day of term) and you are still welcome to fill these out until then.  We look forward to seeing the responses from our school community, regardless of your own faith practices or beliefs.  Please see the note attached in the newsletter for information about how to access.  Your assistance is greatly appreciated and will help St Benedict’s to further develop its Catholic Identity.

Easter Services in our Parish

If you’re interested in attending a church service over the Easter weekend, I’ve attached the times of the services in our Parish below.

Pax

Nick 

We had a few disappointed people this morning with the postponement of our fun run, though it was great to see the passion and enthusiasm the students brought to the readiness for the event.  It will make the running of the event more enjoyable in Term 2.

Sadly, the rain has also put a hold on our P&F Burgers by the Billabong event.  This is one of the most highly anticipated events in the school community calendar.  A revised date for the event will be provided soon and we look forward to gathering in the near future.

On a positive note, we have been advised that the Anzac Day marches will go ahead this year, though in a reduced numbers capacity in line with the Queensland Government guidelines.  Please refer to the note further in the newsletter on details about this and how to register your interest in participating.

As we draw to the end of the term, the message of Easter is anticipated.  Whilst receiving and eating lots of chocolate goodies on Easter Sunday is often a highlight, discussing the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection is equally important.  At times, children can become fixated on only one part of the Easter story - Jesus’ death.  

It is important to ensure that our children understand that Jesus gave up his life willingly, knowing that in doing so he would be resurrected into a new and eternal life.  This is the element of Jesus’ crucifixion that is the most important.  You can acknowledge with children that it is sad that Jesus died, but that he did so because he loved God and all the people so much and this was how he could show us. 

Discuss with children that through his actions and love of God, we too are called to love Jesus and God.  This is the special message of Easter that leads us all to come together and share gifts with each other, just as Jesus shared his gift of love with us - what a blessing!

May you and your family be filled with blessings this Easter and share your blessings with others.

Ros

We are very excited to be able to participate in this years’ ANZAC Day march in Thuringowa.  We have been advised by the Townsville City Council that we must comply with the COVID safe event guidelines as supplied by the Queensland Government for commemorations across the state.  As such, schools have been capped at 50 participants.

To work within this cap, we are calling for expressions of interest from our school community for student participation.  

Please note also, theTCC has indicated there will be a place set aside in the Order of March for ‘Descendants of Veterans’– where all family members of veterans are welcome to join in and march immediately behind the veterans groups (ahead of the cadet units, community groups and school groups).

You are invited to express your interest to participate in the march by completing this Google Form (link here).  The form will close on Tuesday 30th March.

All students who will be marching, will be notified in Week 1 of Term 2.  Other details relating to marching  arrangements will be provided following the TCC briefing on April 20.

Please note we will have Poppies and Badges for Anzac Day on sale in Week 1 of Term 2 in the hall each morning before school.

Yours in Support

Ros Baumann Leza Triffitt

(A/APA & Pastoral Care) (Defence Support Mentor)

For science this week, the Year 3 Kookaburras explored our school environment in the search of living things. We found a variety of living things amongst our Gardens, the Billabong and the Maze which we can sort into groups based off of their features.