Parents & Friends Association

Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us for our very first P&F Meeting this year. It was especially lovely to see so many new parents to our school joining us too. There was much discussion about how we continue building our sense of community especially after the hiccups we have experienced with Covid restrictions (hoping we are mostly done with that anyway). As our school is well resourced, fundraising is not really a priority at the moment but getting to know and understand each other certainly is. Already, the P&F have made plans for a BBQ by the Billabong afternoon where all members are invited to come along to school for all the children to enjoy some playtime in the playground on a Saturday afternoon with parents along to socialise and get to know each other. The P&F will provide barbeque burgers and a cake stall. All families need to bring a hat, water bottle and a chair and rug to sit on, picnic style. Please mark Saturday 27 March 5.00pm in your calendars as we’d love to see you all there.

Litter free Lunches

Did you know that our school is always working towards having litter free lunches? This means that wherever possible, we are encouraging families to use containers over packaging. For example, instead of buying the small multi packs of snack biscuits, buy the bigger box and distribute into small containers or a sectioned lunch box as not only is this a better choice for the environment but also for your pocket.

Please note that we have many waste recycling initiatives in place at our school, including using food scraps for compost, for the chickens and for the worm farms. If your child is bringing home food in their lunch box, it is to show you what they are not eating so a change can be made. They may need something different or they may not need as much. Please remember that too many choices for our younger students can be very overwhelming.

Check out this video from our very first group of 4/5/6 students in 2018 who implemented the Litter Free Lunch Box Initiative. They thought very deeply about the benefits of this idea and they are detailed in this video. It does go for about 10mins but the information shared is well worth your time.

Prep Enrolment 2022

It’s crazy but already we are starting the enrolment drive for our next group of Prep students for 2022. I would really appreciate it, if you are a current family with a child due to start Prep in 2022 that you get your applications in ASAP. As we will guarantee a place for a St Benedict’s student’s sibling, we need these enrolments so we can determine how many other Prep 2022 places we have to offer. Please note that even if your child is at Kindy and is a sibling, we will need an actual enrolment application completed to confirm enrolment. Priority enrolments are also considered for catholic families and children from our Kindy but only in our first round of offers.

We will take Prep enrolment applications for the first round up til the beginning of Term 2 which is when we will start doing interviews with new families. Current families are not required to have an interview for the new sibling joining Prep in 2022 but are most welcome to do so if the family would like to. 

Please note there is a new enrolment application on a website and is much more online friendly for completion than we have had previously.

Relief teachers

You may be aware that the child’s class may have had a relief teacher in the last week or so. This is going to continue across our school for the next few weeks for various reasons. Townsville Catholic Education provides professional development across many areas of specific need in and our teaching staff need to participate in these. We will also be releasing class teachers in our early years (Prep and Year 1) to engage with students individually for early years testing. This is a test that all students across all our diocesan catholic schools participate in to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of the areas of language and numeracy. This test was developed by Townsville Catholic Education Speech Pathologists and Numeracy Specialists and is used to guide future planning for our students needs.Teachers will also be released from class to participate in collaborative planning days with our Learning and Teaching Advisor and our Inclusive Education Coordinator. 

All of these days out from class are highly valuable for the ongoing professional development for our staff and for the responsive planning they engage with. I understand the frustration this can cause some families as some children struggle with changes but there are simply not enough pupil free days in a year for this work to happen. Teachers will do their best to ensure students know when to expect a different teacher and who it will be to alleviate some worry.

Have a fabulous weekend. See you all next week.

Cheers

Penny Collins

We’ve reached the end of Week 3!  I think the storm mid-week has made the week feel a little longer, but overall I think our students have done well considering the weather that is currently around. Next week we have a number of important celebrations in our calendar which will be marked by liturgies, where we gather to pray as a community.

Beginning Year Liturgy

Our Beginning Year Liturgy will be on Monday 15 Feb, 9:00am in the Hall.  This is our first time to gather and pray together as a community.  Fr Dave, Fr Clement and Fr Joseph will be leading us in prayer, with many of our senior students (Year 6) having reading and other parts within the liturgy.  It will also be our last opportunity to pray at school with Fr Dave as his retirement is fast approaching.  We would like to invite all members of our community to attend if you are able.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday on Wednesday 17 Feb at 2:30pm in the Hall.  This important celebration marks the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent.  During this celebration, students will have ashes sprinkled over their heads (different from the traditional cross due to Covid restrictions called from the Vatican).  Students will be learning more about Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent to Religious Education classes throughout the week.

Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday 16 Feb is Shrove Tuesday, which marks the day BEFORE the season of Lent begins.  This celebration came about with the custom of using up all of the fattening ingredients people had in the house before lent, so they can fast during lent - other people refer to it as Pancake Tuesday.  Our St Benedict’s P&F will be cooking and delivering pancakes to classrooms in the morning of Shrove Tuesday - please contact the P&F if you might be able to assist with this.

Pax

Nick 

As we settle into our school and classroom routines, we begin to feel comfortable and relaxed.  When change disrupts this comfort, it can result in our resilience being tested and our behaviours often highlight this.  Behaviour communicates those things we cannot say or don’t fully understand about ourself.  Taking time to review our day ahead and reflect on the things we can control can be very beneficial.  Change is often uncomfortable as we feel disempowered.  By building a sense of control in other ways, children are often able to self regulate far more effectively.  Here are some ideas on how to focus on what we can control. (link)

Your in support

Ros

For parents and cares that are interested in volunteering in a childs classroom, you must first complete the online modules and also apply for a volunteer blue card.  All of this information can be found on our website or please see the link attached. https://www.stbenedicts.catholic.edu.au/about/volunteer-induction-for-parents-and-carers/  When these have been completed please send into the office to be sent away for approval.  Please also see your childs teacher to let them know you would like to help out in the classroom.