Filter Content
Please see a snapshot of our school Calendar for the next fortnight from our school website. Our aim is to continue to update this calendar throughout the year so that you can stay up to date with upcoming events. It can be accessed at any time using the following link: https://www.stbenedicts.
Thank you for the many parents, carers and family members who are able to attend our weekly school assemblies. Each class has an opportunity to host our assembly. When students take an active role in the assembly, they feel a sense of ownership over the event. This promotes pride in their school and in their achievements, which can enhance their overall engagement and motivation in school activities.
Attending assemblies and open mornings gives parents an opportunity to understand the values and activities that are central to St Benedict's Catholic School. This helps families align their support with the school’s mission and helps students feel that their school and home environments share common goals.
The staff and I realise that working parents are not able to attend all school events throughout the year. Please be assured that attending a few key events each year is more valuable than trying to attend everything.
Parent Teacher Interviews - Tuesday 25th March and Wednesday 26th March
Parent-teacher interviews at St Benedict's Catholic School are a vital way for creating a strong partnership between home and school. They offer valuable insights into a child’s academic progress, behavior, and overall well-being, while also empowering parents with the knowledge and resources to support their child’s learning journey.
Thank you to all parents and carers for their commitment of time to attend these important meetings.
Why do Catholic Schools charge school fees and levies?
To operate and provide quality learning environments, Catholic schools have fees to help us meet the shortfall in Government funding. Schools strive to keep fees as low as possible.
The term 'school fees' includes tuition fees, levies and charges. Each school assesses the school fees necessary to meet their individual school operation requirements. In doing this, they are firstly guided by the diocesan tuition fee set by the Diocesan Education Council.
School fees and levies at Townsville Catholic Education schools help ensure that the school can continue to provide a high standard of education while maintaining a safe and supportive environment for students. St Benedict’s offers various forms of support and flexible payment options to make Catholic education accessible to all. It’s important for parents to review the fee structure and reach out to the school administration if they have concerns or need assistance with payment arrangements.
God in all of life
Patrick
Welcome to the end of Week 7 - it’s been another busy fortnight at school! We started today with Yr 2 Kingfishers presenting their assembly on ‘the Feast of St Joseph - the father of Jesus’. St Joseph is such an important figure in our Catholic story, and teaches us to hopeful, courageous and faith filled people, even during tough times!
Last week, Yr 4 Grasshoppers presented their liturgy on ‘the First Week of Lent’. In the Catholic Church, we are now in the season of Lent, which is the 40 days in the lead up to Easter - where we recognise the death and resurrection of Jesus. During the Gospel, the Grasshoppers recounted Jesus spending 40 days in the desert, and reminded us that, like Jesus, God can strengthen us in our ‘desert’ times.
Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project
You may have seen in last weeks newsletter information about our school participating in the Catholic School Identity Project. Each school in the Townville Diocese participates in this project every 5 years, with the purpose being to gain meaningful insights into how St Benedict’s views its identity as a Catholic School, and how such identity might be shaped for the future. This is the second opportunity our school has had to participate in the surveys. I have attached this note again to the newsletter, and would encourage ALL families, regardless of their faith background. As a shortcut you can access the surveys the following way:
Go to the following website: https://www.ecsi.site/au/user/
Enter our schools password: Ghj654
Pax,
Nick
Parent/Teacher Interviews
A friendly reminder that our upcoming Parent/Teacher meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, Tuesday 25th, and Wednesday, 27th of March. You should have received an email with details on how to book a meeting time via the Compass App. If you're encountering any issues booking your slot, please don't hesitate to reach out to the front office for assistance.
Bookings will close Midday Friday 21st March.
Congratulations to Our Year 3 and Year 5 Students!
A big well done to our Year 3 and Year 5 students for completing NAPLAN with such calmness and determination! We are so proud of the way they approached the assessments, trying their best and showing resilience. While NAPLAN is just one test on one day, we know our students shine in so many different ways—whether it’s in the classroom, on the sports field, through creativity, or in their friendships.
For any students who were away, NAPLAN catch-up sessions will be held this coming Monday and Tuesday. If your child has missed a test, they will complete it during this time.
Homework Projects in Years 5 and 6
Did you know that we implemented ‘Homework Projects’ in Years 5 and 6 last year? At St Benedict's, we have traditionally not assigned regular homework tasks. However, after careful consideration and in line with our commitment to providing the best possible education for our students, we decided to introduce Homework Projects for Year 5 and 6 last year. We don’t assign traditional homework, such as ‘Homework Sheets’ each week, as this has shown not to be beneficial for primary students. Instead we carefully thought out and planned ‘Homework Projects’ to assist students in developing the essential executive functioning skills they need, such as organisation, time management, task initiation, goal setting, and self-regulation. Furthermore, we want to develop a love of learning for our students and continue to connect our families and our school.
If you are a parent of a student in year 5 or 6, please take five-ten minutes to complete this parent survey (on your phone or computer). We take this feedback very seriously and the data, along with teacher and student feedback, helps inform our ongoing decisions.
Year 5/6 Homework Project Survey
Scan the QR Code, or
