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Key Dates for Parent Engagement
Week 10:
- 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)
- 3rd December: Step Up Day (students spend the morning with their class and teacher where possible for 2025)
- 3rd December: Prep 2025 Parent Information Night
- 6th December: School finishes at 12pm
The past week has seen St Benedict’s at its very best. The recent school events have highlighted the incredible work that is undertaken to provide our students with a range of learning experiences.
The week started off with our Year 3 to 6 Swimming Carnival at Long Tan Pool. The atmosphere and spirit on the day was amazing. Thank you to all our students for the wonderful way they competed on the day. Thank you to our staff for their organisation and coordination of this event, which was the culmination of our school swimming program.
Oh Holy Night
This was an amazing community event. I have personally attended many school Christmas concert events, but I can truly say that this was the best night that I have experienced. Thank you to everyone for their efforts and involvement in making this event such a success.
A big thank you to our Assistant Principal Nick Christie, our wonderful Parents and Friends Volunteers and to for donating their time and equipment in providing the sound and lighting. I have had feedback from someone not associated with St Benedict’s that they drove past the event and thought it all looked incredible.
Thanksgiving Mass
Today the whole school came together to celebrate and give thanks for our school year. The Year 6 Senior Students were given a special blessing by all the students, staff and parents and carers in attendance. Thank you to Father Joe, Father Juan for leading the celebration and to Nick Christie for his organisation.
A special congratulations to our Senior Student Lexie, who lead the singing along with Nick Christie and Mark Fleming.
Final week of our school year
Next week we have several special school events, which include:
- Year 6 Rite of Passage on Monday evening
- The Step up day on Tuesday morning, where all students will meet their 2025 classroom teacher. This will also involve our 2025 Prep Students and their families.
- 2025 Prep Parent Information evening on Tuesday evening at 6:00pm
Last school newsletter for 2024
Next Friday 6th December we will send out our last school newsletter for the year. This will contain information about 2025, including a full staff list and school procedures for 2025.
School finishes at 12:00pm on Friday 6th December
A reminder to all parents and carers that St Benedict’s will finish at 12:00pm on the last day, Friday 6th December.
God In All of Life
Patrick
What a week we’ve had!
Starting on Monday with the Swimming Carnival, it was great to see so much spirit and students willing to try their best at the carnival! Well done to Gumoo for taking home the trophy. We will host the next Interhouse swimming carnival early next year, Term 1, Week 2, also for the house trophy, and with successful swimmers at this event being asked to join the St Benedict’s Interschool Swim team!
Oh Holy Night felt like a massive success. Sitting on the hill and watching the event, it was great seeing our community coming together and celebrating the start of the festive season and end of our 2024 school year.
Finally this morning we had our End of Year Mass, acknowledging our Year 6 students as a whole cohort. They were reminded to keep a bit of St Benedict’s school in their hearts, and to always let their light shine for the world to see. We are looking forward to acknowledging them individually on Monday evening at their Rite of Passage.
On Monday morning, the 2 Kingfishers will present a Nativity play. This will take place in the Hall at our normal assembly time, around 8:45 am. All are welcome to join us for this special liturgy. It will be a lovely way to start our final week of the year, bringing the birth of Jesus Christ into our minds as we enter the Christmas season.
Vinnies Christmas Hampers
St Vincent de Paul will be collecting the donated hamper items on Wednesday next week, so would ask for any final donations to be handed in by Wednesday morning. Thanks for those who have contributed something small, which can mean so much to a struggling family at this time of the year.
Last Day of School
Our last day of the 2024 school year is next Friday, December 6. Our school day will finish at 12:00pm. At 11:30am, our students in all year levels will form a ‘Guard of Honour’ for our Year 6 students to walk down to mark their final exit from St Benedict’s. We envision students to be starting to walk down the ‘Guard of Honour’ at around 11:45 am, with the school day closing at 12:00pm. Parents are then able to collect their children from the Hall.
The school ‘Stop, Drop, and Go’ line will still be operating as usual and parents are able to collect students from here. The Leadership Team will be providing supervision in the pick up areas until 12:30pm.
As the term and our year comes to an end I extend my thanks to the P&F Committee that has worked tirelessly this year to ensure our community is able to experience the wonderful spirit shared at our events. This week in particular is a huge effort with the Swimming Carnival Sausage Sizzle and O’ Holy Night. I would strongly encourage you to consider who you may be able to support our school community in 2025.
P&F News
P&F News for 2025…. We are putting the call out to all parents to consider joining the P&F committee next year, especially those who have children in the younger grades. We have a few members stepping down at the end of this year after numerous years of volunteering who currently organise & run events.
Volunteers are essential to continue to run events such as Discos, Sausage sizzles, Mother’s & Fathers Day events, pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, Welcome & Graduation wall & much more. Without more parents willing to help next year & attend PnF meetings these events are likely not to be held.
P&F meetings are held once a Term, normally on week 2, please keep an eye out early next year for the first one. You can attend in person or online & please consider putting your name down for one of the listed events below that is planned for 2025.
Semester Two Reports
Understanding Your Child’s Report Card
At St Benedict’s, teachers are constantly observing and collecting evidence of your child's learning to ensure progress. When it comes to assigning grades, teachers use this evidence of learning to make informed judgments. Your child's grade may differ from previous semesters or years as they are assessed against new content and expectations. Different grades do not automatically indicate regression. Learning growth can not always be captured in academic grades.
Is a ‘C’ a Good Grade?
Should I be happy my child is receiving a C (or a WW in P-2)? Yes! Sometimes there is a perception that ‘C’ is the ‘bare minimum’ of what students should know (do you remember when getting a C meant 50%?). Times have changed and this is not true anymore. Receiving a ‘C’ in the Australian Curriculum signifies that a student can demonstrate majority (or all) of the Achievement Standard. The Achievement Standard is designed to have high expectations for student learning and equip students with the knowledge, understanding, skills and capabilities that will enable them to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
If a student is receiving higher than a C/WW, it means they can demonstrate the majority (or all) of the Achievement Standard at a proficient level. They will demonstrate accurate knowledge and skills consistently, across multiple contexts (including unfamiliar contexts at times), and can clearly communicate their reasoning.
If a student is receiving below a C, they can demonstrate aspects of the Achievement Standard with support.
It is important to recognise that grades are not inherently good or bad but rather reflect a student's current level of achievement against the standards. We should celebrate and support students in achieving grades that accurately reflect their efforts and progress, whether that is a 'C' or higher, as each child's learning journey is unique and should be valued accordingly.
Focus on Effort Over Grades
Now we have a full understanding of the Grades, I hope you can see why the 'Commitment to Learning' aspect on the report card holds the utmost significance for each individual child. This mark reflects your child's behavior, effort, and attitude towards learning. If your child has received a ‘Usually’ or ‘Consistently’ for ‘Commitment to Learning’, they deserve a lot of praise! When children perceive their efforts acknowledged and appreciated, they cultivate resilience. Resilient learners eagerly welcome challenges, find joy in learning, and exhibit a fearless approach towards making mistakes, nurturing a positive learning disposition irrespective of their grades.
Accessing Your Child’s Report Card
Semester Two Report Cards will be available this coming Monday 2nd of December from about 2:30 from the ‘Compass Parent Portal.’ You will receive a text message or email when they have been released. Please contact the front office if you require any assistance accessing your child’s report card.
You can access your child’s report card by going to:
The Compass App and clicking on ‘Reports’:
Yours in Learning,
Aleesha Rockemer
Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning (APPL)
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