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Dear Parents and Carers,
It’s been another busy week at St Benedict’s! As the term draws to a close, students have continued to be active in their learning and have been involved in various sporting and cultural activities.
Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews
Student semester reports have been published via COMPASS. Our teachers worked diligently to evaluate your child's progress and complete these reports. The release of reports followed the Parent-Teacher interviews that were held last week. Thank you to those parents and carers that attended these meetings which provided a valuable opportunity to discuss your child/ren’s academic achievement, progress and wellbeing. I thank all of our dedicated teachers for making themselves available for these three nights of interviews.
Indigenous Performance
Today we were fortunate to have a highly entertaining performance from Lucas Proudfoot. The performance captivated students and helped them to learn more about Indigenous Australian culture and history. It involved music through guitar, didgeridoo and stomp box, dance and storytelling and humour.
Year 5/6 HASS Learning Showcase
Last week our Year 5/6 students excitedly shared their learning about natural disasters with our school community. It was fabulous to see them so keen to share their work and knowledge with others. Visitors to their exhibition learnt about a number of natural disasters that have occurred in Australia and the impacts they had on the environment and community. Well done Year 5/6!
Winter Woollies and Mini Vinnies Sleepout
Homelessness is a rising issue in Australia with over 116 000 people facing life without somewhere safe, stable and secure to live.
Last week, students learnt a lot more about this serious issue faced by so many and the importance of helping those in need whilst respecting their dignity, and sharing hope for the future.
We held our annual Winter Woollies Day on Friday, with students donating a gold coin to wear their ‘winter woollies’ and also bringing in donations of scarves, socks, gloves, beanies, jumpers, jackets, blankets and sleeping bags. The St Vincent De Paul van was almost bursting with donations, some of which made it to those in need that very night.
On Friday evening we held our Mini Vinnies School Sleepout. We are so proud of the group of students that gave up their evening to engage in a workshop with a representative from St Vincent De Paul, offer prayers to those affected by homelessness and experience what it might be like to ‘sleep rough’ for an evening. Although we weren’t outside, the hard floor of a classroom and a lack of home comforts like a pillow and blankets, certainly made it harder to get a good night’s sleep! Congratulations also to this group that also raised money for the cause through sponsorship. Their kindness and generosity reflects the big heart of the St Benedict’s community.
Thank you to Ms Zarb, our Religious Education Coordinator, for her organisation of these events. Thank you also to Mrs Haines who slept out with us and to Mrs Webb and Mrs Skaff who were at school bright and early Saturday morning cooking up a delicious breakfast for everyone.
St Benedict’s Feast Day
This Friday we celebrate St Benedict’s Feast Day, as well as looking to him as our guide for how we should live our lives. We will celebrate a whole school mass at 10am in the church. We would love to see you there.
This Friday will be Father Rem's final time to celebrate mass with our school community, as he will be on sabbitical between July and September. Father Chris Eaton will be with us in Father Rem's absence, before officially commencing the role of Parish Priest in September. We thank Father Rem for his guidance, love and support as he has journeyed with our school community. He will be greatly missed.
Thank you to all our families for your collaboration and support over the term. I wish everyone a happy, safe and enjoyable school holiday period.
God bless,
Alana Quirk
Principal
Monday 22nd July (Term 3) is a Pupil Free Day.
Staff will be undertaking professional development training on this day.
Students return to school for Term 3 on Tuesday 23rd July.
Tuck Day – Thursday Week 10
Tomorrow, Thursday 4th July, we will be holding a Tuck Day (special lunch). Orders for either a sausage or kransky sizzle, drink and a treat can be placed through the Spriggy Schools app.
School Fee Reminder
A reminder that Term 2 school fees are now OVERDUE.
We appreciate if you could settle outstanding amounts prior to the end of term.
ICAS
Many students have already signed up for ICAS assessments 2024. The last day for signing up is Monday 15th July. Please see Compass alert in your newsfeed posted on 24th June for further details. Our school's code is PRW101.
Holidays
Holidays are a great time for much needed rest and relaxation. It can be tempting to want to keep our children busy all the time. This can lead to a feeling of needing to do more, which in turn can lead to stressful situations rather than enjoyable time together.
These holidays I encourage families to peel back layers of busy-ness and enjoy time together in simple ways. Some ideas include;
- Take your dog for a walk, or go for a walk with someone who does have a dog.
- Making a jobs roster that the kids become involved in eg; taking the wheelie bins in and out, unpacking the dishwasher, dusting etc.
- Catch the bus or the tram just for fun!
- Doing 10-30 minutes of gardening.
- Cooking for family or friends, eg bisuits, soup.
- Visiting family or friends, or inviting them over to your house.
- Reorganise the children's room (with their help).
- Write a letter or postcard to someone.
- Do an outside treasure hunt.
- Visit a park or playground.
Whatever you do these holidays, I wish everyone an enjoyable break and look forward to hearing lots of holiday news when we return in Term 3.
Karen Haines
Assistant Principal
Holy Spirit Art Competition
Congratulations to all of the students who entered our Holy Spirit Art Competition. As all of the designs were so beautiful, we were unable to choose just one! So we have decided to use elements from all the artworks to bring together a plan for a whole school artwork that will be created during our St Benedict's Feast Day celebration activities. It will be a wonderful shared project!
Prayer of St Benedict:
Almighty God,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
intelligence to understand you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
vision to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
a life to proclaim you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God now and forever.
Lord, be with us to guide us.
within us to strengthen us,
without us to protect us,
above us to raise us,
beneath us to uphold us,
before us to lead us,
behind us to guard us,
ever about us,
this day and evermore;
this day and evermore.
Amen
