St Benedict's Catholic School Shaw eNewsletter

As we approach the end of another remarkable school year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the experiences and achievements our students have had throughout the year.

First and foremost, we want to express our immense gratitude to all of you, parents and guardians, for your unwavering support. This year we have certainly seen some changes within the Leadership team. Your collaboration, resilience, and dedication to your child's education has truly made a difference. We are also immensely grateful to the rest of our leadership team. Their unwavering support and collaboration have been instrumental in our achievements this year.

As we reflect on this school year, we must express our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible individuals who have played pivotal roles in our school's leadership.

We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Ros Baumann for stepping in as Acting Principal during Term 1 and 2, providing steady guidance and expertise to our entire school community.

We also want to acknowledge and appreciate the remarkable leadership of Penny Collins, whose unwavering dedication and visionary mindset have been instrumental in driving our school's success.

Furthermore, we are grateful to Mardi Grubba for taking on the role of Acting Principal in Term 4, seamlessly continuing our mission of educational excellence and inclusive education.

Our incredible teachers, school officers, support staff, and administrative personnel, have worked tirelessly to ensure a safe and enriching learning environment for all students. We have witnessed their passion firsthand as they crafted engaging lesson plans, provided individualised support, and implemented innovative strategies to address the needs of each student.

Throughout the year, our students have exhibited extraordinary determination, adaptability, and intellectual growth. Whether through academic accomplishments, artistic expressions, athletic achievements, or community service initiatives, our students have consistently demonstrated the qualities of true leaders and role models.

We would also like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to our Year Six graduating students and wish them the best of luck on their future endeavours. We are confident that they will continue to make us proud as they navigate the path ahead.

We wish you all a safe and rejuvenating Christmas break and cannot wait to welcome our students back for another exciting year of learning and personal growth.

Warmest and Blessed regards,

The Leadership Team

Staffing Update

We are pleased to say that we are now finalising all staffing arrangements and will send an update next week once all contracts have been completed.

We’ve made it to the end of the 2023 school year! Please see some messages from the parish for around the Christmas season.

St Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Thank you to those families who were able to make donations to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas appeal. These donations have now been collected. They will join with other donations made within our parish, and will be turned into hampers to then be passed onto families in need this Christmas. If you and your family would like to assist in the packing of these hampers, a group will be joining together on the morning of Saturday December 16 at the Good Shepherd Community Centre, Rasmussen.

Volunteers for Christmas masses

We will be requiring Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, Candle Bearers, Collectors and Offertory Procession. These volunteers will be required for the following Mass times, which will all be held in the Emmaus Hall, Morindo Drive, Kirwan.

Christmas Vigil Mass: Carols from 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm Mass

Midnight Mass: Carols from 11.30 pm for 12.00 am Mass

Christmas Morning Mass 9.30 am

If you are available to assist at any of these Masses, please put your name down on the boards at the back of each Centre.

We are also looking for people who may be interested in joining our Vigil Choir or the Midnight Choir.

Please contact the office to let us know. We will then pass your details on.

If you have children who may be interested in being a part of the Children's Pageant at the Christmas Vigil Mass, please let the Parish Office know. Children will be required to come along to Practices.

You can contact the parish by phoning 47239844 or emailing goodshepkirwan@tsv.catholic.edu.au

I would like to thank everyone in the St Benedict’s community for another wonderful year. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Pax,

Nick

External Therapeutic Provider Access

There new procedures set for 2024 concerning the involvement of user-paid (parent/NDIS) external therapeutic providers during school hours within Townsville Catholic Education (TCE) schools.

The Fact Sheets, available via the TCE Website here, detail the new expectations, considerations and processes related to the delivery of services by external therapeutic providers during school time. It's important to note that this process applies to all systemic Catholic Schools and Colleges overseen by the Townsville Catholic Education Office. However, it excludes services provided directly by Townsville Catholic Education or the Department of Education, as explicitly outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement 2023-2025 Special Education Services and Dual Enrolment (MOA). This also excludes services provided through the Specialist Disability Support in Schools (SDSS) program.

If you require any further information, please contact Laura King - lking6@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au