Now that we are coming to the end of Week 5 of this school year, our students at St Benedict's Catholic School are finding their rhythm once again after the disruption caused by the recent rain events. It has been wonderful to witness the children during their break times, playing outside with their friends. Though the heavy rainfall and storms initially led to some challenges, the resilience and adaptability of both students, parents and staff have been nothing short of inspiring.

School Assemblies

At St Benedict's Catholic School, our school assemblies are not just an opportunity for gathering, but a vital part of our spiritual and community life. One of the most important features of our assemblies is our regular focus on the Gospel message of the week. This spiritual dimension allows us to reflect on the teachings of the Church and how they apply to our everyday lives, helping to guide our actions and interactions within the school community.

One of the highlights of these gatherings is how each class takes turns hosting the assembly, creating an engaging experience for both students and staff. Additionally, our school families are always warmly invited to join us for these special moments, further strengthening the bond between home, school, and faith.

St Benedict’s Parents and Friends Association

Our Parents and Friends Association (P&F) plays an important role in fostering a strong and supportive community at St Benedict's. An engaged P&F helps to create a positive school culture where everyone feels valued and supported. This can contribute to improved student well-being, better relationships between staff and families, and a more inclusive school environment.

Our first Parents and Friends meeting will be held this Tuesday 4th March starting at 6:30pm. More details on how parents can attend this meeting can be found in Ros Baumann’s APA section of this newsletter.

School 

I would like to extend our sincere thanks to all of you for your cooperation with the school’s supervision times. Parents and carers efforts in ensuring that students arrive at the school hall no earlier than 8:00am in the morning and not arriving at the school before 2:40 pm in the afternoon have been greatly appreciated.

Additionally, we kindly remind parents that there are often a PE lessons in the hall during the afternoons. In order to minimise disruption, we kindly ask that parents refrain from entering the hall until 2:40 pm.

Your continued support in maintaining these school procedures is greatly valued by all staff and helps ensure that our school environment remains focused and organised for the benefit of all students.

Thank you once again for your understanding and cooperation.

God In All Of Life

Patrick Dempsey

pdempsey2@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au

Welcome to the end of Week 5 - the halfway point of the term!  We started today with 5 Turtles presenting their assembly on ‘Project Compassion’.  Project Compassion is an annual Lenten campaign that encourages students and families to support vulnerable communities worldwide through fundraising and awareness initiatives.  The Turtles handed out boxes to every class which will sit on their prayer table, and students are able to donate small coins to this worthy cause.  Here is the link to the video which students watched today about Project Compassion.

Last week, the 6 Crocodiles presented their assembly on the Feast Day of St Scholastica - who our Library is named after, and the sister of St Benedict.  Fittingly, Scholastica is also the patron saint of rain and storms!

Shrove Tuesday / Ash Wednesday

Next week marks an important time in the Catholic calendar where we move into the season of Lent, marked by Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.  Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent begins, traditionally marked by eating pancakes as a way to use up rich ingredients before the season of fasting and reflection. Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and giving, where many Christians receive ashes on their foreheads as a sign of repentance. 

On Tuesday, classes will take part in some lessons during Religious Education about Shrove Tuesday.  As a part of this, they will receive a small pancake (pikelet) as a part of this learning.  Gluten Free Options will also be available.  If you have any other specific dietary requirements, you may wish to reach out to your classroom teacher, or provide an alternative for your child at this time.

On Wednesday, we will gather as a whole school at 2:15am in the Hall to commemorate Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.  Students will receive Ashes (from the palms burned on Palm Sunday last year) on Wednesday afternoon.  Students will also learn more about this day and the season of Lent during Religious Education lesson in class.   

Weekly Assemblies  REPEAT - DATE CLAIMER

Our assemblies this year will remain on a Friday at 8:45am in the Hall.  These will begin in Week 4, Friday 21st February.  Please see the timetable below, as well which buddy classes will have ‘Open Classrooms’ following Friday assemblies.

Hall Use Before School

As our neighbours Mary Help of Christians are a little delayed in having all their facilities up and running, we have agreed in partnership with OSHC to allow access to the Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday morning for sports team trials.  Please be mindful of continuing to not drop students off or access the hall prior to 8am, particularly on these mornings.  Thank you.

Excursions

In the coming weeks a number of year levels are looking forward to excursions taking place.  Our teachers will be talking with students about their expected behaviours for these events, the wonderful learning that can be supported through these trips off school site and the fun memories to be made.  We ask that parents do their part to support these events by ensuring you have completed the permission forms for the events as they are posted on the Compass App. If consent is not given by the due date students will be unable to attend the excursion.  If you are having trouble accessing the App, please contact the school office.

P&F Meeting

We extend an invitation to all our school community to attend our first Parents and Friends meeting on Tuesday 4th March at 6.30pm in the school administration building.  At this meeting we will discuss the purpose of the P&F, the proposed events on the calendar and how you may like to be involved with ‘just one thing’ this year.  We look forward to seeing many familiar and new friends.

Parent/Teacher Conference (Save the Date!)

Please save the date in your calendars for Parent/Teacher Conferences:

When: Tuesday 25th March, and Wednesday 26th March (in the afternoon/evening). 

Where: In the Hall. Each teacher will be seated at a table labelled with your child’s class. 

How do I book: You will receive an email next Friday 7th March when the booking system will open on Compass. 

We do encourage all parents to have an interview in Term 1, to meet your child’s teacher if you haven’t already, and discuss your child’s progress. 

Stewardship Action Meeting - Clean Up Australia Day! 

Today, every student at St Benedict’s took part in our Stewardship Action Meeting, putting our Benedictine value of Stewardship into practice! As a school, we are committed to encouraging the sustainable use of resources and caring for the beautiful world God has given us.

Our Term 1 focus is Clean Up Australia Day, and each class began with prayer and reflection on the Catholic Social Teaching of ‘Care for our Common Home.’ Then, our eProject Coordinator, Mrs. Christie, challenged students to collect at least 100g of rubbish from around our school grounds! Together, we made a visible impact—while also reminding ourselves that looking after the environment is an everyday responsibility.

It was a wonderful way to come together as a community and celebrate our shared commitment to sustainability. Will you be taking part in Clean Up Australia Day this Sunday? We’d love to hear how your family is getting involved! Please email photos (arockemer1@stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au) to share in the next School Newsletter!
TSV City Council - What’s On

NAPLAN 

We are very proud of our grade 3 and 5 students for showing calmness, resilience, persistence, and engagement during the ‘Practice NAPLAN Test’ yesterday. The practice enables our students to experience the platform and ask teachers questions to ensure they understand how to navigate the different aspects. It also allows our teachers to experience running the test and ensure the technology is working properly. 

Here is the timetable for NAPLAN in the coming weeks: 

If you would like to, you and your child can access the Public Demonstration Site  to familiarise yourselves with the type of questions and related functionalities available in the NAPLAN Online assessment.

This website ‘NAPLAN For Parents & Carers’ provides further information.

Parents or carers may choose to withdraw their child from the tests for religious beliefs, philosophical objections, or your own other reasons. It is recommended that withdrawal be considered in consultation with your child's teacher. If you would like to withdraw your child from NAPLAN please contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible and you will need to sign a form along with the Principal by Monday 3rd March (forms can be found at the office). 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding NAPLAN please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. As stated, we appreciate that NAPLAN is a point in time assessment, and we know your children for all their strengths and achievements outside of standardised testing. 

Yours in Learning, 

Aleesha Rockemer 

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning (APPL)