Congratulations to everyone making it through our first term. For some families and certainly across our wider community, it has been a very difficult time full of challenges, some that will continue for quite some time with the recovery after all the flood damage.

For many of us however, it has generally been a good time to settle into the routines of school life and we have seen so many of our students mature as they have grown in their understanding of the new school environment and the expectations placed upon them. We look forward to next term where we will continue to have many engaging school events and lots of learning.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thank you to all those parents who were able to catch up with class teachers at Parent / Teacher Interviews. It is always so valuable having the time to meet face to face to discuss how our students are progressing. Thank you for your continued support of our staff in working together to know and understand your children so we can all help them achieve to their full potential.

Cross Country Fun Run

Congratulations to all students who participated in our Fun Run this morning. The kids had a great time and it was fantastic to have so many family members along to cheer them on. A special thanks to Mr Christie, Mrs Rowe and Mr Apap for all their planning and organisation. The ice block at the end of the race from the P&F was a very welcome treat too so big ticks to you guys.

Sacramental Program

This week a number of our students participated in the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Tim and this weekend will see some our students complete the Sacramental Program with their First Holy Communion. Best wishes to the student and their families as they celebrate this special time together.

Next term we start with a short week due to Easter Monday and ANZAC Day. We would like to encourage as many of our students as possible to join us for the ANZAC Day March at Thuringowa on Thursday 25 April. We will be meeting in the Weir State School car park at 8.30am, and marching as a school group to the service at Riverway.

Please enjoy the break from school and have a very happy, holy and safe Easter.

Cheers

Penny

Wow, we’ve made it to the end of another busy term at St Benedict’s!  Prep Bilbies started the week with a wonderful assembly on the events of Holy Week.  In particular, they focussed on the beginning of Holy Week where Jesus rode into town on a donkey.  The whole school really enjoyed their re-enactment of the event.

Journey of Holy Week

During this week, all of the classes in the school went on a ‘Journey of Holy Week’, which had 8 stations set up throughout the school, with different actions and prayers for the students to be involved in to give them a greater understanding of the events of Holy Week.  I was fortunate to be able to go on this journey with many of the classes, and it appeared to help them further understand the events of Holy Week. Please see some of the images below.

The Journey of Holy week can be at times be a solemn occasion.  On Easter Sunday, we then enter into a time of great celebration, that Jesus had risen from the dead.  This is why the symbol of an egg is used during Easter, as a sign of new life, and a chance to start a new. Once Easter arrives, the Church moves into a season of celebration where we become joyful for the resurrection of Jesus.  We will celebrate this on assembly in Week 2 of next term, which will be lead by Year 3 Kookaburras.

Upcoming Events

Also coming up in the first week of Term 2 will be our ANZAC Day Commemoration Liturgy, being held at school in the Hall on Friday 26th April at 9:00am.  This liturgy will be led by the Defence Students at our school and we would like to attend an invitation for all families to attend this liturgy.

Sacramental Program

This week, our students involved in the Sacramental Program went through the Sacrament of Confirmation where they were sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Bishop Tim Harris, along with Fr Dave led the sacraments, with Bishop Tim reminding us all that the Holy Spirit is within us all, and that God works through us, our actions and the way we treat others reflecting that gift of the Holy Spirit within us all.

I thought I’d leave you this term with some thoughts on Lent from Pope Francis.  I hope you have a wonderful Easter break, and I look forward to seeing you all back at school for what I’m sure will be another exciting term!  

Have a great week, a safe holiday and God Bless,

Nick

St Benedict’s Catholic School

Dental Van Visit

The Dental van will be visiting St Benedict’s early in Term 2, students have been given the 

Parental Consent and Medical/Dental History Form.

Please complete this form and return to the school office.

** Please note this form needs to be returned even if you DO NOT consent to the Examination and Preventative Care.

MSP Photography will be taking school photos on Monday 20th May 2019. Photo envelopes will be distributed to the students in the first week of Term 2. The envelopes are pre-named and will need to be returned to the School Office before photo day or on the day. Orders can be paid for online or by enclosing the correct amount in the photo envelope.

CONFIDENCE CONFERENCE & WORKSHOPS FOR TEEN GIRLS 

27 & 28 April  |  Grades 7-12  |  Hosted by Girl Shaped Flames  |  Sponsored by SkinRepair Clinic, CQUniversity & Energy Queensland

After a slate of successful ’Stronger Than You Know’ workshops in Townsville in March, Tanya Meessmann - Communication Expert and Founder of Brisbane organisation Girl Shaped Flames, is returning to Townsville for a weekend jam-packed with confidence and skill development for teen girls in Grades 7-12.  Statistics show that GenZ are our most pressurised, anxious and risk-adverse generation to date. Girl Shaped Flames helps girls combat this by identifying the fire in their bellies and fanning the flames.

Saturday 27th April will see Townsville’s first ever Confidence Conference made up of keynotes, Q&A Panels and Workshops for teen girls and their parents, and featuring a selection of strong, positive female role models from the area. In the evening parents and daughters are invited to a session titled “Apprentices Bust The Myths” where participants will hear journey stories from, and ask questions of, women at various stages of their apprenticeships.

On Sunday 28th April Tanya is facilitating two incredibly important and useful skill workshops frequently requested by the girls she mentors: Time Management, and then Stress & Pressure.  Packed with interactive activities and informative video content, these workshops consistently see 75% of attendees leave with increased confidence, 90% more inspired and motivated, and 95% recommending to a friend.

Places are limited. For more information and to book visit https://girlshapedflames.com/townsville