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Dear Parents and Carers,
It’s increasingly common for children to have social media accounts, even in Primary School, so learning how to use these responsibly is an important skill they need to develop.
Social media is a pretty broad term that refers to websites and applications that enable people to create and share content, or participate in social networking. The big ones such as Facebook and Instagram are widely known, but did you realise that many children have social media accounts associated with online games, or online learning communities? If your child has a username and can post comments or chat online, they have a social media account.
Online gaming sites and learning communities are common places for children to have social media accounts. It’s easy to set these up, so make sure you know what your child is using your computer for, and that they check with you before filling out a form that asks for a name or username. Check the privacy policy of the site together and talk about what it means. If you decide to let your child create an account, teach them the basics of choosing safe usernames and passwords and keeping them secure; and set up the privacy settings together.
Through the use of Seesaw in our Kinder to Year 2 and Google Classrooms in our Year 3 to 6 classes we have created a secure online learning community that enables students to interact with each other and their teachers to discuss topics, work collaboratively and submit assignments. This can be a good way for them to learn the techniques and etiquette of social media, and how to use it responsibly; and to become aware of online issues such as bullying and scams.
When your child wants to set up a social networking account on one of the main public platforms, it important to remember that many have age restrictions, so make sure the platform your child wants to sign up to is appropriate for their age. For example did you know that Fortnite the online battle game that a lot of our students are talking about and accessing at the moment is not recommended for children under the age of 12 years? Like wise Tik Tok a Chinese video sharing social networking service requires that users be at least 13 years old, although recommends that users be 15+ due to privacy issues and mature content.
It is worth visiting the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner Website at the following link https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents to get the latest expert advice on how to keep safe online, and make sure you discuss it with your child.
If you are wondering whether you should be their online ‘friend’, the short answer is yes. However this may be difficult with platforms such as game or special interest forums that you may not have an active involvement in. By being your child’s online friend, you can see what your child is posting and give them guidance if needed.
God bless.
Rachel Smith
Principal
Late Arrivals
We ask that all students arriving at school after 9am be signed in at the Front Office by a parent or appropriate caregiver. Thank you for your support with this.
Carpark Etiquette
We ask that all parents and carers using our carpark for pick up and drop off please do so with caution. With the increased use of the carpark we must all work together to ensure the safety of all our students. Please drive slowly through the carpark and park front in into a designated carpark. When reversing please be mindful of those around you and the flow of the traffic. The carpark space is limited and not designed for cars to turn around and go against the flow of the traffic. Thank you for your help with this.
School Board
Last Friday we sent home a note regarding School Board. We are seeking two interested parents to join our School Board. The Board meets the second Tuesday of every month has a decision-making role on certain policy areas and an advisory role in others. Specifically, the Board is responsible for developing, approving and monitoring the School’s annual budget; contributing to the longer term planning of the school; and consulting with the P & F on the expenditure of funds raised on behalf of the school community. Additionally, the Board has responsibility to provide advice on curriculum offerings, educational and student welfare policies and parent support processes. Please complete the form attached if you are interested.
School_Board_nomination_form.pdf
Tuckshop
Just a reminder that our Tuckshop is open each Tuesday and Thursday and has a variety of food available for the students. With many schools, including those larger than ourselves, moving away from have a Tuckshop this is a privilege that can only continue to be maintained with the support of the community through purchasing lunch and volunteering. Please watch this space as restrictions lift and we seek volunteers going forward.
Leaving St Benedict’s
If you anticipate that your child will leave St Benedict’s at the end of this year, could you please notify the Front Office where they a heading to. We need to begin planning for staffing and class configurations for 2021. Naturally Year 6 parents need not respond to this request.
COVID-19 UPDATE
In the case where your child is displaying flu-like symptoms, it is advised that your child and any siblings at St Benedict’s remain at home until the student seeks medical clearance. Once the student has been cleared and if necessary, tested and cleared of COVID, they can return to school. Until then, the student and siblings are not to return to school.
The Feast of Corpus Christi 14th June
(Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ)
The Feast of Corpus Christi celebrates the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the Last Supper. This feast day reminds us that at every Mass, we are called to:
CELEBRATE what we believe. We express our faith in the risen Christ, who gave his life for us out of love. LIVE what we believe. We give witness to the risen Christ by our way of life. BECOME what we receive. We become Christlike, so that others might see in us and in what we do the one who gave his life for us.
As a family take some time to share photos and memories of First Holy Communion’s that you have attended and celebrated. Together thank God for the gift of Holy Communion and pray together the Lord’s Prayer.
Community Meals Program: HELP NEEDED!
The Community Meals freezer is one way we can assist families who are experiencing hardship. Unfortunately we are currently unable to accept donations of homemade meals, but we are seeking donations of store bought frozen meals and vegetables, and non-perishable can items. All frozen and non-perishable donations can be brought to the Front Office. If your family requires temporary meal assistance, you can speak in confidence to any of our staff members.
Thank so much to those who have made donations to this service. Your support is greatly appreciated!
A few important dates to note for this term are:
Hats off for June and July
26 June Semester 1 Reports sent home
29 June Optional Parent Teacher Interviews
30 June Optional Parent Teacher Interviews
3 July End of Term 2
20 July Commencement of Term 3
Morning assemblies continue till the end of Term 2 for students only. We will let you know as soon as restrictions lift and parents and carers can attend once more.
All Friday afternoon assemblies will be cancelled until further notice.
The following notes have gone home this week.
- School Board Nomination
- First Reconciliation Note
First Reconcilation 27th June 2020
Please remember to check the Schoolzine App (SZapp) for all the latest school information. You are able to register via either:
Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pidigi.schoolzine&hl=en_AU
Happy birthday to the children who celebrate their special day this week: Oscar Q.
Year 1/2B: Fergus K, Olivia D, Hector V and Alex N
Year 1/2G: Matilda B, Isabella M and Vincentia B
Year 3/4B: Alana W
Year 3/4G: Alec C
Year 5/6B: Brigid N, Uma J, Jade C, Adam AM and Matthew S
Year 5/6G: Santino E, Oliver J
Year 1/2G: Dianna N
Year 3/4B: Elizabeth K
Year 3/4G: Cooper W
Year 5/6B: Samuel F
Year 5/6G: Fionn L
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our normal school clothing pool processes are not in place. If you need uniform, please email the school office.stbenedicts@cg.catholic.edu.au or contact Mrs McRae with a list of items required. We will endeavour to fill your order and reply to you as soon as possible.
Due to current circumstances all clothes in lost property will be emptied and clothing will be washed and returned to the clothing pool, all other items will be cleaned and donated to St Vincent de Paul.
PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILD/REN'S CLOTHING IS LABELLED WITH THEIR NAME.
Please check your child/ren are bring their uniform home. If they have accidently picked up someone elses, please return it to the front office so it can be returned to the correct child.
St Benedict's Parish
Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday 9am to 12noon
Phone: 62957879
Email: narrabundah@cg.org.au
Web: www.cg.org.au/narrabundah
Parish Team:
Fr Dan Benedetti MGL
Fr Rembert Fernando MGL
Fr Baiju Thomas MGL
Monica Nulley-Valdes (Parish Secretary)
Dear St Benedict’s community,
St Benedict’s Live Stream Masses
Facebook Page: “St Benedict’s Church and Mission Centre Canberra”
St Benedict's Church is open for masses at usual times with a limit of 20 people for weekday masses.
Sunday mass continues to be streamed at 10am. If you wish to attend, please contact Father Dan or the Parish.
Daily Mass from the Archdiocese is available online at https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/mass-online/ .
If you would like to have email updates from St Benedict’s Parish, please contact narrabundah@cg.org.au . Be assured of our prayers for the whole St Benedict’s community at this time. Please keep safe and if anyone would like to contact Father Dan, he is available through the Parish or through the school.
St Benedict, pray for us.
God Bless
Fr Dan Benedetti MGL PP
Parish Priest
St Benedict's Catholic Community Narrabundah ACT
This month is Marriage and Family Month in the Archdiocese of Canberra/Goulburn.
Because of Covid-19 restrictions we’ve planned a series of live-streamed interactive events to take place immediately after the 11am Sunday Online Mass at the Cathedral for the next three Sundays of June.
There is also an online international Catholic Marriage Summit taking place this Friday-Sunday.
We realise, of course, that many of our school families do not include the experience of an intact marriage. This is something we are all sensitive to. I’m sure you agree though, that the need to support, encourage and equip those who are married still stands.
We hope you will be happy to support these two online initiatives – one local, one international, by advertising them, with or without the graphics, in your school communications with parents this week.
Thanks for your assistance,
|
Lara Kirk | Manager, Family and Relationships Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn |
NOTICES:
Live Streamed Marriage Seminars Sundays in June
The local Archdiocese has organised a series interactive live-streamed presentations for Marriage & Family Month immediately after the 11am Online Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral for the next three Sundays (14th, 21st, 28th June).
Listeners will be able to interact online and ask questions of our impressive line-up of international, interstate and local Catholic couples speaking at 11.45am each Sunday from mid-June. See full program at https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/marriage-family-month-june-2020/
Free Online International Catholic Marriage Summit this week
Starting this Friday, 50+ high profile Catholic speakers & social media personalities will be appearing online with their spouses to share openly about the highs, lows and challenges of married life.
This free International Catholic Marriage Summit is the first of its kind. The instructions to the committed Catholic speakers was to ‘keep it real’. Talk topics include finances, grief, communication, conflict and sex. It should be a great resource for any engaged or married couple. Register for free here or at https://www.joyfuleverafter.org/
Award winning Canberra wine maker Tim Kirk and his wife Lara, a Catholic marriage educator, will be speaking on the topic: “I Can’t Make You Happy”.
All bus and light rail services, including special needs transport, are operating as normal.
To keep our community safe from #COVID19, only use public transport if necessary or consider walking or riding to school for those shorter trips.
The safety of our drivers and our customers is our highest priority and in response to #COVID19 increased cleaning is taking place across all areas of public transport including at stops, stations and within the vehicles.
If you are required to use public transport to get to and from school, please be aware and remember the following:
- No cash accepted on buses - please use MyWay
- Top up (and register) your MyWay card
- Use the rear door to enter and exit on buses
- Be aware that light rail vehicles have auto doors opening at all stops
- Where possible maintain physical distancing
- No front seat access on buses
- Always practice good hygiene
For more: https://bit.ly/2Ws5mZs
Kind regards,
|
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to read this. We hope you and your family are keeping well. On Thursday 4th and 18th of June, Marymead will be hosting virtual trivia nights and we would love for you to join us. These nights are designed both to help us re-coup funds lost by the cancellation or postponement of face-to-face events and to contribute to our current Tax Appeal, raising monies to replace our existing Kids' Companions bus. Play one night or two for just $15 each (plus small booking fee) and enjoy 3 rounds of Trivia. Winning team also walks away with a prize. Players can be an individual team, play as a household or request (at the event) to join others. Upon ticket purchase, a link will be shared with individuals for your access to event. We promise we have made this a very simple process to ensure as many people can play. BOOK NOW Our Kids' Companions support group provides critical inclusion support for children and young people isolated due to disability or mental illness. This support is done via social activities within our community. Our bus, lovingly named Big Ben, which currently transports individuals to and from these activities is now at the end of its days and needs replacement. In February this year, Australia saw its worst bush fires in history with Marymead communities also impacted. Thanks to supporters of Marymead, we were still able to raise $17k at our Rolfe Property Services Charity Race Day towards the bus. We are now asking our supporters during another critical time of the COVID19 pandemic to come together to achieve $13k across our Tax Appeal, to raise the money we need (along with trade-in value) to buy our new bus. We are today just over $6,000 away from our end goal. Thank you to those who have already supported our Tax Appeal. Read more or contribute directly to our Tax Appeal here. We hope you can join us. Thank you! Kind regards, |
Just advising that the opening hours for Savvy Tuggeranong have changed to the following. The below changes to opening times will be taking effect on 8th June 2020.
Uniform will continue to be available online via https://www.savvyschoolwear.com.au/schoolwear/school and is the preferred method of purchase.
We are still encouraging families to purchase online but would also like to encourage families to call ahead to ensure the store is open and availability of uniform.
Savvy Tuggeranong current opening hours
Monday Closed - Public Holiday
Tuesday 10am to 4.30pm
Wednesday 9am to 4.30pm
Thursday Closed
Friday 9am to 4.30pm
Saturday 9am to 3pm
Sunday 10.30am to 2.30pm
Thanking you and stay safe,
Justin Newcombe
ACT/NSW Account Manager
P: 0499 056 234
E: justinnewcombe@lowessavvy.com.au
Shop 37 Homeworld, Soward Way, Tuggeranong ACT 2900
UNIFORM UPDATE
I am contacting you to give you an update on some out of stock uniform items for St Benedict's Primary School, mainly our Track Jackets and Track Pants. Whilst we are not totally out of stock, we are certainly missing some sizes in both these garments.
We would usually have these items in stock by now, however with recent interruptions to production out of China, our deliveries have fallen behind. To add to this situation, we now have more challenges with securing freight. Our supplier had told us that our orders would be received by the end of April (we usually have this stock at the beginning of March). Obviously this has not happened, and the latest advice now, is that the goods have been shipped and are due in our stores late June.
We fully understand the disappointment and frustration from parents and schools regarding not having stock available. Changes to planned full return of students has also added to our dilemma with a huge increase in demand. Please be assured that we are trying our best to manage this difficult situation. We will certainly keep you updated on any changes.
Justin Newcombe
ACT/NSW Account Manager
