Hi everyone,

Welcome back to Term 3, it is so wonderful to see the kids back refreshed and re-energised though the cold weather has played havoc with all of our motivation in the mornings. 

P&F 

On Tuesday we welcomed a few fresh faces to our P&F Meeting even though it was a very chilly evening. We have set a date for our next school disco which will be Wednesday 28 August 6.00pm - 7.30pm. We‘ll have a DJ, some food options (looking for food vans) as well as some drinks, snacks and glow sticks. The kids really enjoyed not having a theme (so did lots of parents) so we are going to go with that. 

Parent Information Nights

At this P&F meeting we also discussed having a few Parent Information nights. We thought we’d start with one per term, on a weekday at about 7.00pm which seems to be a time most people can get here (after dinner and bathtime craziness). 

We discussed a number of topics for Parent Information Nights including classroom practices and programs like Zones of Regulation, Words their Way, Reading and Mathematics. We also discussed a number of topics such as Managing Anxiety in Children, Building Emotional Resilience, Exploring Friendships- What makes a good friend? and one a topic that generated a lot of discussion was Inclusive Education- Assisting Parents of Students without Disabilities to understand different disabilities. In particular, we discussed having some information about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We are very open to suggestions for topics for Parent Information Nights.

In leading to these ideas I would like to share a reading recently reflected on with our staff and with our School Board. Please see the link below, it is a little bit lengthy but well worth the read.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hsdt1Sv60sR_lD1cvPJCnaksm-Unj-wi/view?usp=sharing

St Benny’s Feast Day

Big thanks to Mr Nick Christie, Fr Dave and our staff for creating a special day to celebrate the Feast of St Benedict. It was lovely to see so many parents joining us for Mass and for St Benny’s Got Talent though I’m not sure how much talent was in that final act :)

Next week we have a number of students off to the Entertainment Centre for the Townsville Catholic Education Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival with their performance on Friday evening. We are thoroughly looking forward to this showcase of talent from across all the Catholic schools in our diocese. We also have a number of students from Years 3-6 who will be attending a concert by the 1RAR Band in Queens Gardens next Tuesday.

Have a fabulous week. 

Cheers 

Penny

Welcome back to all of our families to what is shaping up to be an action packed Term 3!  I trust that everyone has had a restful break and is refreshed and ready to start the term.

Today we are celebrating the Feast Day of St Benedict.  The official Feast Day of St Benedict is July 11, however, we are celebrating today.  The feast of St Benedict reminds us of the inspiration and the simplicity of St Benedict's way, the humble wisdom that abides in his spiritual teachings, and his desire to help all seekers succeed in the spiritual journey.  

We have started the day with Mass led by Fr Dave.  It was a wonderful prayerful experience which our students participated beautifully in. 

Currently, our students are undergoing different activities throughout the school which link to St Benedict and his teachings.  These involve ‘Community’ team building games, Contemplative practices with mindful walking and finger labyrinths, a Benedictine puzzle and reenactment of events from St Benedict’s life and a talk from Townsville Multicultural Support Group. 

Our day will finish with the annual ‘Benny’s Got Talent’, which our students are really looking forward to!

I will be away next week at the Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival, with 13 students from Year 4 and 5/6 participating in the choir.  The Friday performance is already SOLD OUT, but it is sure to be a wonderful week. Keep an eye open on our Facebook page for updates.

Have a great week and God bless,

Nick 

PLEASE RETURN YOUR PREP VISION SCREENING FORM TO THE OFFICE 

Visit by Registered Nurse for Free Prep Vision Screening

Good vision is important for a child’s educational, physical and social development. Vision screening is therefore vital in early childhood, particularly for conditions such as ‘lazy eye’, which if not detected early can lead to blindness.

A Registered Nurse will be visiting the school in 2019 to commence vision screening for all Prep Year children.  If you wish to have your child participate in this free vision screening program, please complete and sign the consent form sent home with your child and return this to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible.  You will be advised in writing of the outcome of your child’s screening.

Please note that if your child has had a vision assessment in the past 12 months it is not necessary for him/her to participate in this screening program.  If this is the case, please complete the consent form and indicate that you do not wish for your child to participate, and ensure that you follow the schedule of reviews recommended by your eye health professional.

The Registered Nurse will be visiting St Benedict's on the 12th & 13th September 2019.

Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program

Child and Youth Community Health Services

Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service