Dear Parents and Carers,

You may be aware of a recent social media incident where inappropriate and distressing content was shared, from outside of Australia, on various platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. The Australian Office of the eSafety Commissioner is working closely with the social media companies to have this content removed; however, at this stage the content is still widespread on some platforms.

Your children may be able to access this distressing material through their personal devices, should they actively look for it or if it is shared by a friend.

We would urge extreme caution in how you raise this issue with your child if they have not already heard or been exposed to this video. Drawing undue attention to the issue may cause unnecessary worry or distress and increase its exposure. If you do wish to discuss the matter with your child, please emphasise the significant distress that may be caused when accessing such material.

If your child has inadvertently viewed this content, please support your child’s wellbeing by:

• Reporting this content to the social media platform that it has been viewed on, or to eSafety at esafety.gov.au/report/illegal-harmful-content.

Seeking support:

• Calling 000 in life threatening circumstances.
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 - phone support all day every day and online support from 8am-midnight every day (AEST).
• Headspace 1800 650 890 - open 9am-1am daily (AEST).
• Lifeline 13 11 14 - phone support all day, every day and online support 7pm-4am daily (AEST).
• Beyondblue 1300 22 4636 - phone support all day, every day and online support 3pm-midnight every day.
• Suicide Call-back Service 1300 659 467 - phone support all day, every day, and follow-up calls.
• Your child’s teacher.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has resources available to help children, young people and their families navigate the online world. The following links may be useful to support your conversations with your child.

• https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/online-safety-basics
• https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/hard-to-have-conversations

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school or your child’s classroom teacher.

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.

Water Bottles
Just a reminder that children are required to bring their drink bottles filled with water everyday. In this present climate of COVID restrictions the bubblers remain locked and the weather is warming up so water bottles are essential.

School Hats
School hats are to be worn before and after school, at recess and lunch, for sport, outside class activities and excursions where appropriate. Please ensure your child’s hat is clearly marked with their name. The school hat is available to purchase from the Front Office for $10.

School Uniform
A reminder that Summer Uniform commences in Term 4, so please check the wardrobe and visit the Clothing Pool and Savvy if any items are needed. We will have the usual transition period early in Term 4 to cater for the unpredictable weather.

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.

First Holy Communion
We wish Kate, Finn D., Finn M., Frederick and Mia all the best for their First Holy Communion this evening. We pray that they will always know the peace of Jesus, the light of his love and the joy of his life within them.

Amen.

Parents/Carers Mass                                                                                    

Thank you to our Year 1/2 students for leading our school in celebrating our Parents/Carers Mass. It was lovely to hear all the reasons why our students are grateful for their parents and carers - the hugs and kisses, day-to-day care, quality time spent teaching a new skill, fun holidays and outings, delicious meals and times of celebration. Our children cherish these experiences and memories! We hope that all our parents and carers enjoyed their special treat!

Does your child know what personal information is?
Does your child understand the importance of keeping information private? Are they aware that by uploading a video or photo online, they may actually be sharing private information without realising? For example, have they (or even you) ever uploaded a photo or video with the following in it:

• Wearing their school uniform or wearing a local club shirt?
• Showing their local area in the background, perhaps inadvertently including street names, shop names or house numbers?
• Celebrating their birthday?

Talk to your children, do they realise the potential consequences of posting their personal information? Do they truly know all of their online ‘friends’? By sharing photos described above, a follower might be able to work out what school or clubs they attend, where they live and their date of birth. Do you want people knowing this information about your child?

Online Chatting

What are your children saying online?
Most games now include some form of chat facility; this can be via a headset or via a messaging feature within the game. It is very easy within these chats to behave in a way that children wouldn’t if they were face to face with each other e.g. it is easier to call another child a nasty name via a screen than to say it to their face. These type of incidents can quickly escalate as online environments are often unsupervised, whereas an incident of name calling on the playground is brought to the attention of a teacher.

Talk to your children about how they are speaking to their friends online. Sit with them while they are playing the game to see how your child chats with others. Is it always appropriate? Explain to them what to do if they are called a nasty name, how they should respond or what to do if it escalates.

Fortnite Battle Royale – Fact Sheet

13+  Minimum age according to Fortnite

What is Fortnite?
Fortnite is a third-person shooter game where up to 100 players compete to be the last person or team standing. You can compete alone or join a team of up to four. You progress through the game by exploring the island, collecting weapons, building fortifications and engaging in combat with other players. You can make purchases for access to the full game or for bonus weapons. Players communicate with other players through online messaging or voice chat. Fortnite Battle Royale is a free version of the Fortnite game. 

Fortnite Battle Royale is used for: gaming, in-app purchasing, messaging/online chat, online relationships and voice chat. 

What are the concerns?
You may have heard concerns about:

• Communication between players: a chat function allows players to talk to each other, either over a headset and microphone, or using messaging. Children could use it to speak to strangers, or it could put them at risk of cyberbullying.
• In-app purchases: players can build up large bills on their parents’ accounts by buying cosmetic items like outfits for your character and better looking weapons (otherwise known as ‘skins’).
• Addictive nature of the game: anecdotal stories tell of children staying up all night to play, or falling asleep in lessons after playing for too long. Some commentators attribute this to the communal feel of the game – you can play with your friends – and the game is different every time you play, keeping it fresh.

What safety options are available to parents?

Use the parental controls on the gaming device.

• Most devices allow you to set time limits on game play, set age limits for content, and restrict in-app purchases.
• Turn off the voice chat feature
  Speak to your child to make sure they know this feature exists, and encourage them to use the options below if they encounter someone who is offensive or inappropriate. You can disable the voice chat function in the game if you: 
  
  - Open the settings menu (the 3 lines on the right-hand-side of the screen), then choose the ‘cog’ icon 

        - Select the audio tab

        - You should be able to turn off ‘voice chat’ by tapping the arrow next to it.

• You can also ‘mute’ players in the game by:

        - Pausing the game

        - Hovering over the player you wish to mute

        - Selecting the mute button (a loudspeaker icon)

Make sure your child knows how to report inappropriate behaviour 
You or your child can report players who make them uncomfortable using the in-game feedback tool (located in the main menu). 

You can also use the ‘support’ section of the Epic Games site (the makers of Fortnite). You’re asked to select the platform you play the game on, the game mode you’re playing, and then you can select ‘report player’. You can provide more detail such as the player’s name and attach a screenshot.

Where can I get further information about online gaming?
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/gaming#grooming-and-bullying-through-in-game-chat

We have tried to keep as many of our usual school events as possible. Please understand that in the current environment these events may be cancelled or the style in which they are held may change.         

9 Sep   First Holy Communion, 6pm
11 Sep DTT Session
16 Sep First Holy Communion, 6pm
18 Sep Ways of Being Award Ceremony
21 Sep International Day of Peace
23 Sep School Photos (Full Winter Uniform)
25 Sep Mindfulness  and Student Fun Day
25 Sep Last day of Term 3
12 Oct First Day Term 4 (Summer Uniform)

No notes sent home this week.

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

School Photo day is Wednesday 23rd September 2020. (Week 10)

Full winter uniform will need to be worn. 

Envelopes went home a couple of weeks ago and sibling envelopes can be collected at the Front Office. Please return the envelopes once you have paid online or send the envelope with the cash into the Front Office prior to the day as no late payments can be made.  No envelope - no photo.

Each child needs to return their own envelope, even if payment is enclosed in a sibling's envelope.

St Benedicts School Cookbook 

The Harmony Day Cookbook’s publication is underway, and we would love more recipes from your cultural heritage. Also, please include your full name on the recipe, and if you have already entered a recipe please put your name down on the clipboard located in the front office. We would love it if we could credit you and your family in the cookbook as you have been a huge part of sharing your culture with our community. If you do decide to add recipes, the due date is Tuesday, 29th of September, 2020. We are very excited to be sharing all of these recipes with our school community. 

Thank You

Year 6 Community Leaders

Commonwealth Student Banking is Wednesday.  Please ensure your bank book and money are sent to the Front Office via the class notebag.

Happy birthday to the following children who celebrate their special day this week: Rocky-James B, Ava K, Maria C, Petar B, Amiah G, Claudia K and Georgia W.

Kinder:        Molly F and Zoe N

Year 1/2B:  Mackenzie C, Saanvi G and Isla Mc

Year 1/2G:  Thisagari R, Jayden L and Nyx H

Year 3/4B:  Sarah R

Year 3/4G:  Erik E

Year 5/6B:  Alain K, Hamish M and Natalija M

Year 5/6G:  Marissa M and Elvira H

Year 1/2B:  Alex N

Year 1/2G:  Elias S

Year 3/4B:  Ruby S

Year 3/4G:  Tessa P

Year 5/6B:  Finn W and Angus C

Year 5/6G: Zac W, William C, Fionn L and Obi O

St Benedict's Front Garden

The St Benedict's P & F are embarking on an exciting new project for the school!

Click on the link below to find out more about this exciting new initiative.

St Benedict's Front Garden

The lost property box was emptied last week with uniforms either returned to students if named or washed and given to the clothing pool for resale.  Thank you to all the families that have kindly donated uniforms to the clothing pool.  

This morning I noticed that the lost property box is overflowing once again.  Of a morning when you drop your child or children off to school please ask them to go and have a look and find any of their missing items.

Please check your child/ren are bringing their uniform home.  If they have accidentally picked up someone elses uniform,  please return it to the front office so it can be returned to the correct child.

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.

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)
Anjalie Upasena  (Parish Youth Minister)

Dear St Benedict’s community,

Dear brothers and sisters,

Our links for booking our Saturday 6pm Mass and Sunday 9am Mass are below. Please remember that 9am Mass is being streamed live and the 10am live streamed Mass has finished.

These bookings closed at 11.30am this Friday. Please feel free to come if you fail to book as these numbers just give us an indication.

Mass - Saturday 12 September: https://www.trybooking.com/BLJIQ 

Mass - Sunday 13 September: https://www.trybooking.com/BLJIS  

Those who wish to attend the Friday Healing Mass and the Sunday 6.00pm Charismatic Mass still need to contact Carmel Henry on 0409777743 or email  carmelhenry2@gmail.com

Please book for the Weekend Masses by 11:30am this Friday:

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

Spring Tennis Canberra coaching registrations are open!
Tennis Canberra's professional coaches are running junior tennis coaching programs at both South & North Canberra clubs this Spring.  We welcome first time players and those who are ready to play competition tennis.

The 2020 Spring Season starts the week of August 24th however you are welcome to join at any time.

For more information and to book please visit www.tenniscanberra.com.au/junior-tennis or email play@tenniscanberra.com.au 

All bus and light rail services, including special needs transport, are operating as normal.