Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to believe that the 2019 school year is coming to an end! I would like to say thank you to everyone for a wonderful school year.

I want to thank the students this year for their imagination, creativity and dedication to their school work and the community. Our students work hard and strive to meet the challenges placed before them. At the same time they show great commitment to the school and their fellow students through their incidental and formal leadership roles. The way they continue to embrace our 5 Ways of Being has been inspiring and we look forward to continuing our work in developing critical, creative and caring thinkers in 2020.

Thank you also to the parents, grandparents and carers of our students. You support the students to be rested, on time and ready for school. You listen to them read, help them with homework, visit their performances, listen to their school woes and celebrate their successes. It’s a big job being a parent and we look forward to developing new ways to support you next year in that role. Thank you to those parents who have been an integral part of the school through assistance in the classroom, canteen and school events. Without you we could not offer the opportunities we do. Thank you to the Parents & Friends Committee and the School Board for their continued support in growing our community. Thank you also to our friends in the St Benedict’s Parish; particularly Fathers Dan and Rembert, whose friendly and thoughtful contributions nourish us in our faith. Farewell to those families leaving us to go forward on the next part of their journey. We wish you every blessing into the future.

Lastly, thank you to our wonderful staff. Their teamwork and collaboration has been a source of strength and their commitment and care for each other has enabled them to ‘be the best they can be’ for their students. I thank them for a successful year and their commitment to the future development of St Benedict’s as a supportive, nurturing and enriching community for all.

Congratulations
Today we begin our celebrations for our Year 6 Graduation, beginning with Mass this morning, dinner tonight and the Year 6 Revue tomorrow. Graduation day is always such a wonderful reminder of all that we hold dear about St Benedict’s. We farewell our graduating class with hope for their wonderful future ahead. As they grow into young ladies and men, we trust that the skills, values and attitudes they have learnt and developed at St Benedict’s School will stand them in good stead for a bright, happy and successful future. I would like to thank the Year Six parents for the support and encouragement they have provided over the past seven years. Thank you for entrusting us with the care of your children. Thank you for the many things you have done for the school, the hours and the many activities that you have been part of or lead. Your contributions and support have always been valued.

Farewell
Change happens every year. Sometimes change is minor, sometimes it’s large. This year we farewell a number of staff who will be leaving us.

We farewell Hayley Gould, who joined us this year as Year 3/4 Gold classroom teacher.

Her friendly and supportive manner and positive nature will be missed by the community.

Josh Mackenzie has been a welcome part of the staff this year. I thank him for working with all our students with such a caring and calm manner.

Camille Ellison has been an integral member of the teaching staff for the past seven years. She is passionate about teaching and her students have been the largest beneficiaries of this drive and enthusiasm. Camille has challenged her students to ‘be the best they can be’ and they have responded positively.

We thank these staff for their contributions to the St Benedict’s story over recent years; a story over 60 years old, with many staff members having been a part of it. We wish them the very best for their future in education and look forward to them spreading something of St Benedict’s to the communities they will go to.

And a final word to our wonderful students……
During the Christmas holidays, your teachers would like you to:

Spend time with the people that you care about

• Do the things you enjoy
• Eat food that you love
• Watch your favourite programme or film
• Make somebody laugh or smile
• Do something nice for somebody else
• Visit your favourite place
• Play with your toys

And finally……

Come back to school ready to learn!

Wishing all our families a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy and healthy New Year!

God bless.

Rachel Smith

Principal

Please note that the last day of school for 2019 is Thursday 19 December.

School Fees
A reminder that school fees are now overdue, for those who are not on a regular direct debit with us I ask that you settle your account with us by tomorrow so that we are able to meet our budgetary commitments.

 School Dates for Next Year

Whole School Symbols of Christmas Art Exhibition

In response to our Advent Liturgy, each class has created an artwork based on one of the Christmas symbols presented. Families and guests are invited to walk this art journey on the last day of school after our Christmas Concert. Class artworks are located in different areas of the school. We look forward to sharing this with you!

 

End of Year Mass
Thank you to our Year 6 students for leading our school community in our last School Mass for the year. It was wonderful to gather in prayer as a school community one last time for 2019 and to bless our current Year 6 students and all of our families and staff who are leaving St Benedict’s. It was also a special time for our Year 5 students who made their leadership promises as they received the light of leadership from our Year 6 students.  

May God’s blessing follow you all as you find new journeys to travel. 

May you walk safely along the pathways of your dreams. 

May his gentle hand guide the decisions you will make

 and the passions that you follow,

May your hearts and lives always reflect His love and truth,

And may hope be a light within you that you carry into each new day.

A few important dates to note for this term are:

18 Dec Year 6 Graduation Dinner, 6pm
19 Dec Year 6 Revue, 12.00pm
19 Dec Christmas Concert, 12.30pm
19 Dec Last day of Term 4

First Day of school for 2020 - Monday 3rd February - Full Summer Uniform

School Fees
Thank you to all the amazing families that have either paid their school fees in full or have contacted the school to ensure their school fees will be paid out before the start of the new year.  I do ask that all other families please check their fee statements for Term 4 and pay any outstanding fees prior to the start of 2020.  It is with regret that only 82% of school fees have been paid in 2019, this is a hugh down turn from the 89% in 2018.

Fun day 
On Tuesday students from Kindergarten to Year 5 participated in our 'Fun Day' at school. It started with a science show and then a variety of fun activities around the school.  The day ended with a movie in the hall.

Happy Birthday to the children who celebrate their special day this week and in December: Nicolas B, Annabell W, Alannah C, Erik E, Hector V, Vincentia B, Pragna L and Benjamin S.

We would also like to wish a Happy Birthday to our leaving students that will be celebrating their birthday during the Christmas holidays. Happy Birthday to William F and Teresa D.

The 5 Ways of Being Awards were awarded to the following students for:
Be The Best You Can Be

Congratulations to the following students:

Kindergarten:  Vincentia B and Olivia D

Year 1/2B:      Laura K and Benjamin S

Year 1/2G:      Finn M and Saanvi G

Year 3/4B:      Alain K and Sophia R

Year 5/6B :     Sarah D and Troy J

Year 5/6G:      Amiah B and William F

THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR THE CLOTHING POOL FOR 2019

Thank you for your kind donations throughout the year.  All items in the lost property box during Week 10 will be either returned to the students, washed and given to the Clothing pool or donated to St Vincent de Paul.

The Clothing Pool will re-open on Tuesday 4th February between 2.50pm to 3.15pm by appointment. 

Please let Mrs McRae know at the Front Office if you need something from the Clothing Pool, even if you are unable to make the opening times.  Where possible we will always help.

The Lost Property Box is located in the canteen area.  Please take some time to go through the box as it is currently overflowing. 

Thank you to all the wonderful families for your support through out 2019.  I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.  

Tales from the TUCKSHOP

"If it starts with a T - It's Tuckshop day"

The Tuckshop is now winding down for the year and supplies are limited.  Please explain to your child that I will endeavour to fill their order - otherwise I will come and talk to them about a similar alternate item.

• Thank you to all the amazing volunteers for all your hard work throughout the term.  It has been a great success and I could not have done it without your help.
• Have you considered volunteering? You don't have to be a whiz in the kitchen! An hour or 2 on a Tuesday or Thursday between 9.30am and 1.30pm would be really helpful. Parents, partners and grand parents are all welcome. Contact Mrs McRae in the office to find out more.
• Qkr! is available to order your child/ren recess and lunch.  This is an easy process that you could do while sitting having breakfast with your children - no brown paper bag required if ordering this way.

Contact me regarding dietary requirements, volunteering, Qkr! instructions or other tuckshop matters.

Dave Noble

Weekend Mass Times

Saturday          6.00pm

Sunday            9.00am

Youth Mass      6.00pm

Charismatic Mass    6.00pm (last Sunday of the Month)

Baptisms: 11.00am, 2nd and 4th Sundays of the Month

Christmas Mass Times

Tuesday 24th December - Christmas Eve 

6pm Family Mass celebrated in St Benedict's Primary School Hall

8pm Charismatic Mass

12 Midnight Mass

Wednesday 25th December - Christmas Day

9am Mass

Interested in becoming a Catholic or learning more?

Contact Fr Dan at Daniel.Benedetti@cg.org.au for info about the RCIA program for adults.

Subsdance Dance Studio has been in Canberra for nearly 10 years and we are so excited to be extending our timetable to welcome kid’s classes! Being an adult based school for all these years we thought we would branch out and let the little ones in.

BOOGIE BABIES 2-4 Years
Join us on Mondays at 10am for half an hour of FUN! This is a chance for you and your little one to spend some quality time together while learning simple dance moves, using your imagination and of course using props such as pom poms, fairy wands, and butterfly wings. From the wiggles, to nursery rhymes this half an hour will leave you and your little one with a smile. You can then go home and practice the moves together!

SUBSDANCE KIDS – 5-7 years
This class is just for the kids however you are welcome to sit at the back and cheer them on! Mondays 4:15pm – 4:45pm half an hour of good energy and learning in a safe environment. Your child will learn basic hip hop and jazz steps and learn a simple routine at the end. This is a great way for kids to learn how to socialise, make friends and of course dance!

Located on Level 1 of The Cusack Centre in Kingston we hope we can welcome you to our home. For more info on all our classes please feel free to contact us.
E: info@subsdance.com.au
P: 0413 338 827

CHILD WISE ACT UPDATE                                                                     NOVEMBER 2019

Dear Child Safety Officer I am pleased to announce that our 2020 public training sessions in the ACT are now available on the Child Wise website and registrations are open. Places are limited, so make sure you secure your spot early.

Public training in the ACT

Reputational and funding risks exist for organisations that work or engage with children and young people that fail to demonstrate a committment to child safety to government and other stakeholders.    Child Wise can help you build the capacity of your leadership team, staff and volunteers to ensure your organisation meets state-specific and national child safety requirements, and is effective in ensuring the safety of children and young people in your care. Our child safety training programs are designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge required to facilitate cultural change in their organisation and to embed a child safety mindset from the front line to the boardroom.

We can also deliver our programs in-house at your organisation, if you wish to train groups of staff. In-house training can be delivered in its standard format, or customised to suit the size and complexity of your organisation and context.  Book in-house training at this year's prices and have it delivered by Dec 31, 2019. Terms and Conditions apply.

Take action to ensure your organisation is effective in keeping children and young people safe from harm whilst meeting the relevant legislative requirements.   Here is what some our past training participants had to say:   "Everyone should have the opportunity to attend this training if we want to be an organisation of excellence in child safety and empowerment."  "A solution focused training"  "Very informative and practical suggestions for improvements."  Not sure where your organisation stands on the child safety spectrum?  Child Wise can review your policies, practices and culture through our consultancy services, or we can give you the tools and guide you to perform your own child safety needs assment through our coaching package.  Contact me directly for a free quote.    I look forward to hearing from you.    Kind Regards,    Jeff Taylor | Child Wise State Manager ACT & NSW                         B.A. (Psych), Grad Dip Counselling, Cert IV TAE, FDRP         E: jeff.taylor@childwise.org.au | M: 0417794383 Child Wise is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children. Child Wise acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional owners and custodians of the lands on which we work. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.