This weeks marks a very important time in our catholic school calendar with the beginning of Lent. It is a time where we are asked by God to reflect deeply within ourselves and make changes that help us to be the best person we can be. Many people mark this period of Lent by sacrificing something or by making promises about things to change. The period of Lent concludes with the death and resurrection of Christ at Easter.

Next week I will be away for most of the week for Townsville Catholic Education Principals meeting and then the Queensland Catholic Primary Principals Association meeting at the end of the week. Mr Christie will take the reigns in my absence, including our P&F meeting on Tuesday night.

At our recent Board Meeting we identified the need for a Finance Committee and for a couple of additional members for the Board in general. If you would be interested in being a part of the Finance Committee (some financial services background would be advantageous) or the Board, please email me with your Expression of Interest. I am also happy to answer questions you may have about each role. Both roles would require a commitment of attending one meeting per month.

In week 10, the final week of term, we will be inviting parents to a Parent Teacher Interview. The interview time slots will open through a portal you can access on Compass after next week’s newsletter. While many of our parents meet with or touch base with your child’s classroom teacher regularly, the interview is a valuable time to review how your child is settling and how they are starting to progress academically. All Parent Teacher Interviews will be held in the Hall on Monday and Tuesday afternoon of the last week of school.

Next week, we celebrate National Day of Action against Bullying with the theme ‘Take Action Everyday’ and our 5 / 6 Turtles are off on the first excursion.

Looking forward to a fabulous week ahead.

Cheers

Penny

After an interrupted start to the year, everything is starting to get back to normal at St Benedict’s.  Year 2 Curlews did a wonderful job of leading assembly this week, with the theme being ‘Project Compassion’.  For those who are unsure, Project Compassion is Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal, bringing thousands of Australians together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.  This years theme for Project Compassion is, ‘Give Lent 100%’.

During the assembly, classes were given large fundraising boxes, and students were given smaller boxes to take home to encourage our community to consider helping the marginalised within our world! If you would like to see a video about some of the work that Caritas Australia do, please see the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CHJqdYabag

Project Compassion Launch

While on the theme of Project Compassion, our Year 6 students, along with many other schools around Townsville, attended the Townsville Diocesan launch of Project Compassion.  Part of the launch was a ‘Lenten Rally’, which put the focus on the students and what they can do during the time of lent. It was a great afternoon of reflection for these students to think about how they can ‘Give Lent 100%’.

Thank You

On Tuesday, we had a team of helpers, lead by Renee, Ramon and Rebecca from the P & F who cooked and served pancakes to ALL the students at school to mark Shrove Tuesday.  Shrove Tuesday marks the day before Lent, where we ‘clean out’ our pantries of rich food (eg butter, eggs and milk) in preparation for fasting. There were a lot of smiling faces and happy pancake eaters!

Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday afternoon, our school gathered in a prayerful Ash Wednesday Liturgy.  We had many community members attend. It was a wonderful way to begin the season of Lent and for students to begin to consider what they might do for others during the seasons of Lent.  It was also great to have our Kindy students come along for many of their first liturgy at the big school, they will definitely be invited back!

Have a great week, and God bless,

Nick    

We will be holding parent/teacher interviews on Monday 1st April from 3:30pm - 8:00pm, and Tuesday 2nd April from 3:30pm - 6:30pm in the Hall. You will be able to book a 15-minute time slot to attend an interview using the ‘Compass Parent Portal’ from next Friday the 15th March, around 2pm. In the meantime, please ensure you are able to access the Parent Portal and contact the office for any assistance. We look forward to discussing your child’ progress.