Key Dates for Parent Engagement: 

• 7th October: Public Holiday (King's Birthday)
• 10th October: Guidance Counsellor Appreciation Day
• 14th - 18th October: Book Fair (Parents Invited)
• 18th October: Mission Week (Crazy Sock Day) 
• 25th October: World Teachers Day 
• 25th October: Day for Daniel
• 29th - 31st October: Prep Vision Screening
• 11th - 14th November: Swimming Lessons (Years P-2)
• 15th November: P-2 Wet Play Day (Parents Invited)
• 15th November: Mixed Touch Gala Day
• 18th - 22nd November: Swimming Lessons (Years 3-6)
• 25th November: Swimming Carnival (Years 3-6) 
• 2nd December: Report Cards Released on Compass
• 2nd December: School Advent Liturgy (Parents Invited)
• 2nd December: Year 6 Rite of Passage (Year 6 Parents Invited) 
• 6th December: School finishes at 12pm 

Assemblies and Open Classrooms:

Welcome back to Term 4. The last Term of the year is always a productive and exciting one for our students and the school community. For our Year 6 students this will be a time of reflection on their primary school journey as well as the school welcoming our new 2025 prep children and their parents and carers.

One change this school year is that we are having ten weeks in Term 4, rather than the normal nine weeks.

The last day of Term 4 is Friday 6th December. 

Laura King appointment at Mary Help of Christians

I wish to congratulate Laura on her recent appointment as Inclusive Practice Leader at Mary Help of Christians College, commencing in 2025. Laura has been outstanding in her role as Inclusive Practice Teacher at St Benedict’s. There will be an opportunity to thank Laura for her service throughout this term. The vacant Inclusive Education Teacher will be advertised and an appointment will be made in the coming weeks.

Change of morning school routine

From Monday 14th October, there will be a change to the morning school routine. This change is a result of feedback we have received from staff, parents and students. It is also in preparation for the opening of Mary Help of Christians in 2025. The smooth transition at the start of each school day is an important part of our school goal of creating an ordinarily learning  environment so that the preconditions for learning are optimised for all our students.

Ros Baumann, in her APA section of the newsletter, has included the information about the morning routine change. Parents are welcome to speak with members of the School Leadership Team, who are on duty each morning and afternoon, if they have any questions.

The link to a short information video about the change to the morning routine is below:

 Video Link

God In All of Life

Patrick

pdempsey2@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au

Welcome to the start of Term 4.  It’s crazy to think that there are now only 9 weeks to go until the end of the year - and we’ve got plenty to pack into that time!  I will provide some dates below of events that you might like to attend throughout the term!

We did start with an assembly this morning presented by the Year 3 Brolgas on the theme of ‘Season of Creation’.  In this season of creation, we give thanks to God who made us and all the creatures and living things on this earth. It is a time to reflect on the gift of creation, and how we are called by our faith to care for creation. 

DATE CLAIMER

Our assemblies this term will remain on a Friday at 8:45am in the Hall.  I have attached a copy of the Assembly schedule, as well as the open classrooms that are coming up for Term 3.

Please see some dates of other events coming up this term below.  Please note, more information for these events will come out closer to the events!

Week 3 - Oct 14 - 18 - Book Fair (in the Library)

Week 4 - Fri Oct 25 - Day for daniel and World Teachers Day

Week 7 - Nov 11 - 14 - Prep - Year 2 Swimming Lessons

•    Fri Nov 15 - Prep - 2 ‘Wet Play Day’

Week 8 - Nov 18 - 22 Year 3 - 6 Swimming Lessons

Week 9 - Mon Nov 25 - Year 3 - 6 Interhouse Swimming Carnival

- Wed Nov 27 - O Holy Night (evening at school)

- Fri Nov 29 - End of Year Mass (recognising Y6 as a cohort/celebrate the year)

Week 10 - Mon Dec 2 - Y6 Rite of Passage (evening at school)

- Tue Dec 3 - Step Up/Orientation Day

- Tue Dec 3 - Prep 2025 Parent Information Night

- Fri Dec 6 - Last Day of School - 12:00pm Finish

Pax,

Nick 

Welcome to our last term of the year.  It always seems to have flown by so fast when we get to this stage.  There are still lots of events happening.  Mr Christie has included some snapshot elements, however it is always helpful to check the School Calendar on the School Website - Link Here.  You can even add this link to your own calendars on your phone.

Class Planning 2025

As we move towards the process of planning and preparing classes for 2025, we extend an invitation to parents who have genuine concerns about the placement needs of their student for 2025 to send an email through for our school Leadership team to consider.  Please note, we DO NOT accept requests for teachers.  Rather this is a time to raise concerns regarding peer connections and/or confidential matters for your child that may impact on their placement within a class in 2025.  Please send your emails to myself at rbaumann@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au or Mr Dempsey at pdempsey2@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au

Term 4 P&F Meeting - Tuesday 8th October

Please save Tuesday 8th October at 6.30pm as the date for the Term 4 P&F Meeting.  A zoom link will come out next week on the school Facebook Page.

Book Fair

In Week 3 we will have our Annual Book Fair.  Students will get a chance to view the book fair in week 2 and create their wish list.  In Week 3 students who are accompanied by a parent/guardian are able to purchase from the book fair before or after school.  Alternatively, parents can order online from the link that will be listed on the children’s wish list.

Changes to Morning Routine

As part of our commitment to our school improvement goal of an Orderly Learning environment, we are making some changes to the way we commence our school day.  This change comes after careful review and in consultation with feedback received from students and parents.

From Monday of Week 3 (14th October) the beginning of school day process will flow as follows:

• 8:00am Students and parents are free to arrive at school
• 8:00am Library, Run Club or Sitting in the Hall will still be available
• 8:20am Parents can farewell their students to start their day and then Students at the Hall, Library or Run Club will be invited to move to their classroom blocks where teachers will supervise the unpacking and preparation routine of the students ready for an orderly start to their school day at 8.30am
• 8.20am - 8.30am A song will play and students will be invited to walk on the pathways to their classroom blocks and commence preparation for the school day and line up with their class
• 8:20am - 8:30am Students are able to arrive at school and move straight to their classroom blocks
• 8:30am The school learning day will commence in classrooms
• School Leadership Members will still be available in the hall until the day commences at 8:30am

• The Change  - 

Students who attend the Library are able to take their bags with them and place them on the port racks outside the Technology Classrooms until it is time to move to classrooms at 8:20am.  Students will then collect their bags and move to their classroom blocks

Students who attend Run Club are able to take their bags with them and place them on the steps outside the Arts Rooms (our new building).  Students will then collect their bags at the end of Run Club and take them with them to the Classroom Block.

• The Same  - 

Arrival times for students is between 8:00am to 8:30am

Morning activities in the Library, Run Club or Hall will continue, with parents welcome until 8:20am as usual

Parents are not to attend the classroom blocks in the morning unless a prior arrangement is confirmed with the school Leadership Team

Students will be supported through transition processes in place if the need arises (ie Green Room)

Please see this Video Link to help explain these processes further.  You will be able to view this video on our School FaceBook page too.

If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to your classroom teacher or the school leadership team.

School Bus Fee for Service Option 2025 - Expression of Interest

As part of our commitment to providing convenient transport options for our students at St Benedict’s, we are exploring the possibility of providing a paid bus service.  This service would operate to and from the school, making it easier for families to manage commutes.

To assist us in assessing demand and planning routes, we kindly ask parents who are interested in this service to fill out the expression of interest form.  Please note that this would be a paid service shared with Mary Help of Christians Catholic College.  Further details regarding costs and routes will be provided based on the level of interest.

To fill out the form, please click here.

Your response will help us determine the feasibility of the bus service and ensure we can accommodate as many families as possible.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Life Education - Let’s Talk About it Program (Year 5 & 6)

This week our year 6 students had a visit from Samantha from the “Life Education - Let’s Talk About it” program to learn about changes associated with Puberty. Learning about the changes associated with puberty is in the Australian Curriculum for upper primary school (Health and Physical Education). Life Education delivers this information in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. I received great feedback from the presenter about the presentation and discussions of our year 6 students, and we look forward to having Samantha back in a few weeks time for Year 5.   

“Many children will be curious about these topics and talking openly about them can reduce the stigma often attached to these topics. Children may be entering puberty earlier (the average age of puberty is between 10-12 years), meaning that children are forming attitudes about these topics earlier than many parents think.” (Life Education: Tips for Parents)

Teacher Professional Learning

As we embark on Term 4, teachers at St Benedict’s will engage in a range of professional development and planning opportunities. Among these sessions are workshops focused on the new Australian Mathematics Curriculum, strategic planning for 2025, and a First Nations STEM professional development, which Sara, our technologies teacher, and I will be attending. These activities are designed to enhance our teaching practice and ultimately enrich the learning experiences of our students.

We warmly welcome you to join us for Australia’s popular disability networking event, Ready-Set-Connect, being held soon in Townsville.

Get to know and update yourself with local and national NDIS providers servicing the region at this free event on Wednesday October 9 at Brothers Leagues Club in Kirwan.

Ready-Set-Connect brings together teachers, support coordinators, people with disability, and parents and carers with NDIS service providers. You will meet with every service provider for 5 minutes, connecting with each of them as you move from table to table at this fun and informative ‘speed dating’ event.

In the space of a little over two hours, you will build your connections and get to meet a wide variety of providers who will be sharing information about their NDIS services and programs on offer.

Let us know you will be attending by registering as an Event Attendee.

Ready to reserve your spot? Here are the details:  

 Date:       Wednesday 9 October, 2024 

 Time:        10:00 AM – 12:30 PM  

 Venue:    Brothers Leagues Club, 14 Golf Links Drive, Kirwan, Q.

 Cost:         FREE for event attendees 

 Register:  At Ready-Set-Connect Townsville - One Community or visit our website www.onecommunity.net.au