Well done to all our Prep and Year 1 families after a successful week of swimming lessons. So much excitement about bus trips and swimming with their friends led to very tired children by the end of the week but the children did an amazing job navigating all the changes. Our Year Two students have their swimming lessons starting next week and I am sure they will have a fabulous experience too.

Next week I am away for a few days with our Termly Principal’s Meeting. This term’s meeting is generally my favourite as it is when we discuss diocesan initiatives and planning for the following year. We are well into the planning for the end of 2022 and the planning for 2023.

Over the next few weeks, teachers and our leadership team will be organising students into 2023 class groups. If you have any requests regarding student needs, please advise your class teacher or myself as soon as possible. Please note I will not consider requests for specific teachers and will only consider friendship requests regarding two or less students.

Next Friday, we have Socktober where we encourage everyone to wear crazy socks and bring in a gold coin donation so we can “Sock it to Poverty’. Funds go to Catholic Missions who are supporting communities in Ethiopia to buy goats.

Please have a lovely weekend.

Cheers

Penny

Welcome to the end of week 2, and well done to our Prep and Year 1 students who have now completed their swimming lessons for the year!  Our Friday assembly today was led beautifully by theYear 3 Kookaburras on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  They spoke about how the rosary prayer helps us to reflect on the different times in Jesus’ life.  They prayed that the fruits of each mystery may enter our hearts so that we might live out Jesus’ message through how we live.  Praying the rosary is a wonderful experience.  I have attached a small diagram below which explains how you pray the rosary - if you have a set of beads hidden away at home, you may wish to go through this yourself, or as a family (you can also do it without beads as well)!

Mission Month

We are currently in the Month of October, which is known as Mission Month in the Catholic Church.  This year Catholic Mission Australia is supporting a local church in Ethiopia to support families with the construction and upkeep of a Goat Farm Project.  Students will learn further about this project throughout the month of October, and on Friday October 21, are invited to wear ‘Crazy Socks’ to school with a gold coin donation, which will go towards supporting this worthwhile project! Please see the flyer attached!

P&F News

Thanks to all those who came along or joined online for the meeting this week.

The minutes are attached here.  Included here is the calendar for events this term.  Stay tuned to the parent Facebook Page for an update on when and how you can volunteer to lend a hand.

Save the Date

Tuesday 8th November at 7.00pm

There will be a short Transitions Seminar presented either online or in person in the boardroom.  This seminar will outline how transitions take place in the school from one year level to the next, how we support students and the processes used.  This will include some information on incoming preps and students headed to Year 7.

Online link to come later in the term.

NAPLAN 

Last week our year 3 and 5 students took their NAPLAN results home. A reminder that NAPLAN was administered in Term 2, about 22 weeks ago. Therefore, the results are quite old in regards to a school year, however they are still worth looking at and reflecting on. NAPLAN assesses the Australian Curriculum and the results show a band achieved by the student. 

You may like to use the following information to help you understand your child’s report: 

Year 3

Band 2: National Minimum Standard

Band 3-4: Where we would like students to perform in year 3

Band 5-6: Above what is expected

Year 5

Band 4: National Minimum Standard

Band 5-6: Where we would like students to perform in year 5

Band 7-8: Above what is expected

NAPLAN is one way of assessing our students’ achievement. At St Benedict’s, teachers use many forms of data to understand the strengths of your child, and they set learning goals to ensure everyone progresses in their learning. We look forward to sharing more results with you at the end of this Term with Report Cards approaching. 

Yours in Learning, 

Aleesha Rockemer

(Learning and Teaching Adviser) 

Any queries please call  on 0432633582.