St Benedict's Catholic School Shaw eNewsletter

Welcome to Term 4! Thank you to staff, students and families for making me feel welcome and showing me the Way of Peace at St Benedict's Catholic School. It has been lovely visiting classes throughout this week and getting feedback from students and staff to help me settle in and learn about the bright spots in our school and the areas for growth. It is such a privilege to be Acting Principal of St Benedict’s for Term 4.

Newsletter Distribution

Our Newsletter is moving to fortnightly distribution through Schoolzine. We will actively keep our community informed through a variety of avenues. We encourage you to follow our Facebook page. Fortnightly Class Newsletters will also be emailed via Compass so that families know what is coming up in the week ahead. Feedback will be sought at the end of the year to gauge whether this is an effective way of keeping you informed.

Student Culture at St Benedicts

This morning we had a Student Culture reset assembly with Year 5 and 6 - the leaders of our school.

The presentation provided important reminders and further clarity about our Respectful Responsible Relationships Procedures and how this procedure connects to our high expectations in our school, underpinned by The Way of Peace.

Our Levels of Behaviour document (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red and Grey) outlines our expected behaviour (Green Level) and guides our response regarding levels and consequences for inappropriate behaviour.

Particular attention was paid to what Green Level Behaviour looks and sounds like. Green Level Behaviour sets the high standard for all students at St Benedict’s to follow and keeps us all safe and engaged in learning.

Green Level Description ∎ You are consistently behaving in ways that model our school values and beliefs

What does Green Level behaviour look and sound like?

Following the Way of Peace
Following School Student Engagement Plan
Respecting each other and self
Trying your best and allowing others to do the same
Making good choices about your physical and emotional safety
Maintaining a clean and tidy environment in the classroom and in the school grounds

We also spent some time talking through some specific areas that students can find challenging. Clarity is especially important in the following areas:

inappropriate language use (including back chatting, swearing and using discriminatory language
inappropriate physical behaviour/contact (fighting, hitting, pushing and punching)
Inappropriate use of technology at school and the use of social media. (It is important to note that incidents that occur outside of school time relating to communication between students will be dealt with by the school when reported. This includes such things as mean/hurtful exchanges or threats on social media or other gaming platforms)

We were very clear with the students today and this supports us all in knowing that actions have consequences and that we are accountable for our actions.

I have immensely enjoyed my first week at St Benedict’s and I am very excited to learn more about this special community and look forward to meeting more families as the term continues.

Blessings.

Mardi Grubba

Acting Principal

Building and Road Works Update

Our school building works are on track for completion by the end of the term. We are excited to see the final stages being completed. Our furniture is all ordered and will be delivered in a few weeks.

The road works project is progressing well. The final sealing works are underway and the project will move to looking at the install and connection of the traffic lights soon. Your ongoing patience during this time is appreciated.

Before School Drop Off

A quick reminder that supervision is provided in the hall from 8am daily. Please ensure you are not dropping off students earlier than 8am as OSHC use the hall until 8am. Your assistance is appreciated.

Uniform Reminders

As we move into the summer months, this is good reminder to ensure you have all your belongings labelled. This includes HATS, WATERBOTTLES and LUNCHBOXES. Please do check hats as the names can rub off with wear. Please take time to review our uniform policy here.

Welcome back to Term 4! Although a shorter term, it is sure to be a busy one as we wrap up 2023! Some of the upcoming events for this term include; Crazy Sock Day (Fri 20/10), Book Fair (Oct 16 - 20), Swimming Lessons for ALL students between week 5 and 7, Swimming Carnival, as well as our end of year events such as our End of Year Mass, Year 6 Rite of Passage and Oh Holy Night!

Swimming Lessons

Please note that we have confirmed dates for swimming lessons this term.

Week 5 (Oct 30 - Nov 3) - Year 4 - 6

Week 6 (Nov 6 - 10) - Year 2 & 3

Week 7 (Nov 13 - 17) - Prep & Year 1

There will be a note coming home from the swim school, Kylie’s Swim School, asking for information so that they can best plan for lessons. They have requested that this form be returned to school by Friday October 20. Please note that only 1 note per family is required. Thanks for your assistance with this.

Assembly and Open Classroom Timetable

Please see below the timetable to assembly and open classrooms this term. We look forward to seeing you at one of these if your child’s class is rostered on!

Week/Date	Assembly	Classroom Showcase
Wk 1 - Oct 6	No Assembly or Showcase
Wk 2 - Oct 13	1E	4B & 1E
Wk 3 - Oct 20	2K	2K & 5T
Wk 4 - Oct 27	1W	3B & 1W & PW
Wk 5 - Nov 3	PK	2C & PK & 2M
Wk 6 - Nov 10	Defence Students	No Showcase
Wk 7 - Nov 17	Swimming Carnival	NA
Wk 8 - Nov 24	EoY Mass	NA
Wk 9 - Nov 27	Nativity - Drama Students	NA

Pax,

Nick

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Home Reading

As we embark on Term 4, we would like to emphasise the ongoing significance of home reading at St Benedict's. Engaging in regular reading at home promotes literacy skills, critical thinking, and a lifelong love for learning. To support your child's reading journey, here are some helpful tips:

Set aside a dedicated time for daily reading. This can be in the evening before bedtime, in the car, or during a quiet part of the day.

Make reading a family activity by reading aloud together or taking turns to read passages from a book.

Encourage your child to choose books that interest them. These can include fiction, non-fiction, magazines, or even graphic novels – the goal is to foster a love for reading.

Discuss what your child is reading to enhance their comprehension skills. Ask questions about the characters, plot, or themes, and encourage them to share their opinions.

Utilise local libraries, where your child can explore a wide range of books and discover new authors.

By prioritising home reading, we can strengthen your child's literacy skills and instill in them a lifelong passion for learning. Together, let's embark on this journey of exploration and knowledge as we continue to embrace the importance of home reading at St Benedict's.

Yours in Learning,

Aleesha Rockemer

Learning and Teaching Adviser

In this edition of SchoolTV - TRAUMA

Children and teens will experience events during their lives that will affect them emotionally and physically. How they react to these events depends on their age, personality and past experiences. Children can experience strong feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, anger or grief, making it difficult for them to cope with everyday life.

There are a number of ways that parents and caregivers can support children after a traumatic event. Your reaction to an event will impact your child’s ability to cope and recover. Children will look to the adults in their lives to help them better understand a traumatic event so it is important to ‘tune in’ to their fears and provide them with the comfort and support they need.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn how to gain a better understanding of trauma and how it affects children of all ages.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please reach out to the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Trauma edition of SchoolTV
https://stbenedicts.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/trauma

Yours in Support

Rhylie Mathiesen

Pastoral Care Coordinator

This week in maths we have been learning about length! To practice how to use a ruler again we measured the length of our shoes. We then converted the lengths between millimetres and centimetres.

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Hosted by The Lions Club Of Townsville Ross Valley Inc.

Proudly sponsored by your local businesses.

It's finally back again with an amazing live show to be performed at the Townsville RSL Stadium on Sunday 22nd October 2023 at 6pm.

Yes, the tickets are free. Please fill out the attached ticketing sheet and return to me ASAP to reserve your spot, as tickets always go very fast. Please ensure you include your postal address as the tickets will be mailed out to you. Please indicate your preferred time slot on the ticketing form.

Also a free streamed show will be on demand for the whole month of December so no children miss out. The streaming code and passwords will be sent out in November.

DON'T MISS OUT GET IN QUICK AS TICKETS WILL FLY OUT THE DOOR.

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