Covid-19 updates

Wow! This week we have really been smacked around by Covid-19 with many students, families and staff being impacted. We have had between 94 - 117 students away each day this week, though not all of those have been with Covid- 19 and between 6 and 11 staff members away as well. It has been a very challenging week all round but I am so proud of our team who have all pulled together and gone above and beyond to support continued learning while maintaining as much consistency and routine as possible. We are hoping this week has been the peak and we are getting back to normal from here on. :)

Early finish for Prep and Year 1 students

Next week was due to be our last week of the staggered finish for our Prep and Year 1 students but we are finding it such a success with the students and with our carpark so we are going to continue it for the rest of the term.

Currently Prep and Year 1 are finishing 10 minutes early and are assembling in the hall to disperse to OSHC or to waiting parents. The flow of benefit has been that many of our parents and these students have been able to leave before 3.00pm, freeing up much valuable space in our carpark and drop off. Once the Years 2-6 students finish at 3.00pm, we are seeing almost all children picked up by 3.15pm with traffic flowing quite smoothly. If you have children in Years 2 - 6, try to not get here until 3.00pm (allowing many of our Prep and Year 1 families to leave) and you’ll find the traffic quite easy to handle.

School Uniforms

I have noticed a number of students (even Preps) who are not wearing the correct school uniform. Of particular concern is shoes. Shoes need to be all black without any other colours, or patterns. They need to have black laces (or velcro) and be shoes that children can be active in ie. they don’t have to be leather academic shoes; joggers are a great option. Another concern is earrings. Please ensure students wear plain studs or sleepers, not earrings with dangly bits that can be a safety risk during active play. 

Season of Lent

Next week we begin the Season of Lent with Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake day because traditionally that was how people in Jesus’ time would cook up all their tasty foods (sugars, fats etc.) and eat them as a type of pancake in preparation for Lent which is a time of sacrifice. Most people will make a promise to either give up something (make a sacrifice) or a promise to do something that helps them be a better person up til Easter which marks the end of Lent.  Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. We will celebrate Lent in classrooms or year level groups this year with a special liturgy (prayer service) and children will be given the sign of the cross and a blessing from the ashes of last year’s Palm Sunday celebration. Fr Clement will be here to share in the celebration with some class groups. 

Have a fabulous weekend.

Cheers

Penny

Welcome to the end of Week 5 - and strange as it may be, we are “halfway” through the term! My newsletter this week comes from my desk at home - as I too have been quarantining at home due to Covid.  I look forward to being back on deck, all things going to plan, on Wednesday next week! 

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday this year is on Wednesday 2 March.  This year, due to restrictions, our liturgies will be taking place in our Pastoral Care Buddy groups (between 2 classes) at around 2:00pm.  Members of the leadership team and Fr Clement will be visiting some of these liturgies.    This important celebration marks the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent.  During this celebration, students will have ashes sprinkled over their heads (different from the traditional cross due to Covid restrictions).  Students will be learning more about Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent in Religious Education classes throughout the week.

Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday 1 March is Shrove Tuesday (often referred to as Pancake Tuesday), which marks the day BEFORE the season of Lent begins.  This celebration came about with the custom of using up all of the fattening ingredients people had in the house before lent, so they can fast during the season of lent -  Our St Benedict’s P&F have organised the delivery of pancakes to classrooms on the morning of Shrove Tuesday - a big thank you to the P&F and Mrs Baumann for ensuring this tradition continues, despite the restrictions currently placed around schools.  

Pax,

Nick

Well-being Tips -

Through 2022 Newsletters, I’d like to share some valuable information from School TV that will hopefully help you support your family’s well-being.

Signs of School Refusal developing:  It is normal to have challenges at times of transition, such as starting school or beginning a new year level after such a long break. COVID has added additional complications to an already stressful time for children and thus you as parents and carers. It is important to be able to recognise signs of School Refusal early, know how to support your child and ask for help from the school through your child’s teacher. The following School TV links will take you to information and/or videos on the following key topics:

So what is school refusal exactly?

How should a parent handle school refusal?

Guidance Counsellor Barbara Salisbury

P&F - Shrove Tuesday

Next week we will mark the start of Lent with our Ash Wednesday liturgy.  Shrove Tuesday occurs the day before and traditionally is the day that dairy and sugar are used up in preparation for the Lenten Fast.  This is where the pancakes came from.  The P&F will provide a pancake for all students on Tuesday.  These will be shared in the classrooms.  Teachers will facilitate a discussion about this with students.  Gluten Free pancakes are available.  Please ensure you let your classroom teacher know if you have dietary needs.

P&F AGM - 8th March 7pm in the Boardroom

We look forward to welcoming in our families again for our first meeting of the year. 

Nominations for our new P&F coordinator roles will be open. 

Mark the date in your calendar.

Learning & Teaching News 

Welcome to the newest weekly addition to our Newsletter! Each week I will be writing an update about some of the learning, teaching and curriculum that is happening at St Benedict’s. Hopefully this update will further enhance our parent - student - school communication and connection. Effective parent-school partnerships are one of the best ways to support children’s learning, development and wellbeing. I hope some of the information in these updates helps you feel more informed and connected to your child’s education. 

Early Years Testing (Prep-Year 2)

You may have noticed that teachers in Prep - Year 1 are being released from class over the next few weeks to complete ‘Early Years Testing.’ This is a Townsville Catholic Education Diocesan wide initiative to help our teachers know their learners and further progress their learning. The Early Years test has been developed through consultation with our Townsville Catholic Education Speech Therapists and specialist teachers of literacy and numeracy.

Prep and Year 1 students are tested in a one-on-one interview with their teachers, and Year 2 students complete a test on their chromebooks as a class. Each student is tested on their literacy and numeracy capabilities. After testing, teachers meet as a cohort and with myself, and our Inclusive Education Officer (Bernie Herron) to analyse the data and decide on next steps and goals for your children. Of course, this is one test on one day and the teachers use many other forms of data collection and understanding of students to know the children as a whole. 

The Early Years Testing, however, is a valuable way to test our Prep-Year 2 students in a standardised way so we can assist each one of our students progress where they need to. Students will be tested again later in the year to compare data and identify learning progress. If you are discussing the testing with your children please keep the discussion light hearted and encourage your child to just try their best. Tests are used to help our teachers know and understand students so they know where specifically to prioritise their teaching, they are not meant to be scary :) 

Planning Days

Every term teachers’ have a planning day with me and their year level colleagues to plan for the following term. Planning Days are usually on a Friday and all the year level teachers will be released from class on the same day. Planning Days are such a valuable time where cohort teachers can spend time collaboratively reflecting, debriefing, evaluating, and planning to meet our students' needs. 

Writing Competition

I look forward to discussing more about our school’s learning and teaching throughout the year. 

Yours in Learning, 

Aleesha Rockemer 

(Learning and Teaching Adviser)

In Health this week the Year 4 Dragonflies have been looking at the Zones of Regulation. We looked at some examples of the zones from movies we love, then we had a go ourselves. The students collaborated with their peers to create a poster for each zone to be displayed in our classroom. This is what they came up with! 

Parent/Teacher Interviews 

We will be holding parent/teacher interviews on Monday 21st March from 3:30pm - 8:00pm, and Tuesday 22nd March from 3:30pm - 6:30pm in the Hall. You will be able to book a 15-minute time slot to attend an interview using the ‘Compass Parent Portal’ from next Friday the 4th March, around 3pm. In the meantime, please ensure you are able to access the Parent Portal and contact the office for any assistance. We look forward to discussing your child’ progress.