Dear Parents and Carers,

Normally we undertake several processes in order to plan for the year ahead. We review our current achievements against the goals of the Annual Improvement Plan and Strategic Plan and use data from other sources to inform our priorities for next year. We would also analyse the feedback provided through the school surveys completed by students, parents and staff from the previous term and look at our NAPLAN data. 

Staff would be involved at all levels of the review and analysis of data. We view this as an exciting opportunity to strengthen key improvement goals and to ensure students and student learning is central to all processes undertaken at the school. This year the planning for next year is somewhat different as Catholic Education has launched Catalyst, a professional learning program designed to strengthen our performance in Catholic schools across the Archdiocese. Catalyst is a program informed by the science of learning to help all schools realise our bold goals;  

1. Every student is a competent reader 
2. High Impact Teaching Practice is visible in every classroom 

To achieve these goals, the Catalyst Program focuses on four key initiatives; 

• High Impact Teaching Practice – face-to-face workshops, coaching and online units to support improvement in teaching practice, 
• K-2 Literacy – professional learning in evidence-based early literacy instruction,
• Curriculum – system-wide curriculum improvement through high quality resources, and 
• Instructional Leadership – professional learning to support the implementation of evidence-based instructional leadership techniques 

The Catalyst program is to be completed over three years with schools identifying their priority areas and Instructional Leadership occurring every year. St Benedict’s will concentrate on the other key initiatives in the following order; 

2021 – High Impact Teaching Practice, 

2022 – K-2 Literacy, and 

2023 – Curriculum.

Thank you for your ongoing care and partnership in your child’s learning.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal

World Teacher’s Day
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated internationally on the first Friday in October. As this is usually during Australian school holidays, Australia celebrates the day on the last Friday in October of each year. So, this Friday 30th October is World Teachers’ Day! I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the incredible staff that I feel privileged to lead and work with. At St Benedict’s we are indeed blessed to have teachers that are passionate, dedicated, enthusiastic and committed to improving the learning outcomes for each student. They are also incredibly generous with their time and energy. Thank you to all the staff for helping to making St Benedict’s the wonderful community it is.

St Benedict’s Front Garden Make Over
Work has already begun on our front garden, with the students planting shortly. If you missed the opportunity to purchase plants at the end of last term, you may still do so. Payments can be made at the front office or via Qkr!.

P&F Working Bee
The P&F will be holding a Working Bee on Sunday 15^th November between 10am – 1pm. Due to Covid restrictions this is the only working bee we will be having this year. If you can help in any way, we would appreciate your support. More details will follow shortly, but please save the date on your calendar.

MGL Manila Christmas Hamper Appeal
During this most difficult time our MGL Manila Parish (also St Benedict’s!) is raising money for Christmas Hampers to bring some joy into the lives of families struggling just to survive. A family hamper costs between A$12-15. Our Canberra “MGL Mission Account” will transfer directly into our Manila Account. The bank details are: BSB 062.786. A/C number 027325, with reference “MANREL”. 

2021 School and Term Dates
Please be aware the term dates will be as follows for next year;

• Term One             1 February  -           1 April
• Term Two             19 April      -           25 June
• Term Three           12 July      -           17 September
• Term Four             5 October  -           17 December

Community Meals Program: HELP NEEDED!

The Community Meals Program freezer is one way we can assist families who are experiencing hardship. We are seeking donations of frozen meals (homemade or store bought), frozen food and non-perishable food donations. If making homemade meals, please ensure that they are in a disposable container clearly labelled with the date made and ingredients. All 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!

School Mass 6^th November 10am

Our school will celebrate Mass next Friday (6^th November). Students in 3/4 Blue will lead the Mass in the church while classes participate online from their classrooms. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, Catholic Education has advised that parents, carers and visitors will not be permitted to attend school Masses. Thank you for your understanding.

Remembrance Day Liturgy 11^th November 10.30am

Our school will celebrate Remembrance Day outside in the courtyard in front of the Remembrance Cross. We are currently seeking advice from Catholic Education on how we can ensure the safe participation of our Defence families at this event. Catholic Education has advised that additional parents, carers and visitors who do not have an active role in the service will not be permitted to attend. We encourage all our Defence families to let our Defence Support Teacher (Linda de Salis) know if you would like to be involved in this service. linda.desalis@cg.catholic.edu.au

All Saints’ Day Prayer

Dear God,
Bless the memories of your saints.
Thank you for the tremendous sacrifices made by those who have gone before us.
May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of faith, dedication, worship, and love. 
Let us rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place.
May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

DAY FOR DANIEL
Day for Daniel is Australia’s largest day of action to raise awareness of child safety, protection and harm prevention. Held annually on the last Friday of October, Day for Daniel honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe.

We at St Benedict’s place great emphasis on child safety and believe it is vital that we not only keep our students safe, but help them to develop personal safety skills. We believe it is not about scaring or frightening children but increasing communication and learning new skills. We are here to listen, believe and support.

This Friday 30^th October, students at St Benedict’s Primary will be participating in additional lessons on child safety. These activities will be delivered in each classroom and will supplement the ongoing teaching about child safety and protective behaviours, that occurs in each class throughout the year.

As parents and carers, we encourage you to start a conversation with your child/ren about personal safety and ensure that they can identify which people they can talk to as part of their 5 finger network.

Please see the attached link to a fact sheet for support in having this conversation with your child/ren. https://danielmorcombe.com.au/fact-sheets/

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.         

30 Oct   Day for Daniel
1 Nov    Feast of All Saints
2 Nov    Feast of All Souls
3 Nov    Melbourne Cup
4 Nov    Year 5 & 6 Zoo Excursion
4 Nov    Kinder Orientation 1, 9.00—11.00am 
6 Nov    1/2 Blue Mass 10 Nov School Board Meeting, 6.00pm
11 Nov  Remembrance Day
11 Nov  Remembrance Day Liturgy, 10.30am 3/4 Blue
13 Nov  DTT Session

15 Nov  P&F Working Bee, 10.00am - 1.00pm
16–20 Nov  Year 5 &6 Activities Week
17 Nov  Year 5 & 6 Mini Golf Excursion
18 Nov  Kinder Orientation 2, 9.00—11.00am 
20 Nov  Year 5 & 6 Galleries Excursion
24 Nov  Parents & Friends Meeting, 6.30pm
3 Dec    Learning Showcase, 2pm
4 Dec    Mini Vinnies Giving Mass
4 Dec    DTT Session 8 Dec School Board Meeting, 6.00pm
9 Dec    Kinder & Years 3 & 4 Advent Liturgy
11 Dec  Ways of Being Assembly
11 Dec  Semester 2 Reports sent home
14 Dec  Optional Parent Teacher Interviews
15 Dec  Optional Parent Teacher Interviews
16 Dec  End of Year /Graduation Mass, 10.00am
16 Dec  Year 6 Graduation Dinner, 6pm
17 Dec  Whole School Fun Day
17 Dec  Year 6 Big Splash Day 18 Dec Christmas Concert, 12.30pm (Tentative)
18 Dec  Last Day of Term 4

The following notes were sent home this week.

Crazy Camel Card Order
Crazy Camel
(Sorry no late orders will be taken after Thursday 29th October 2pm.)

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 Fees

School fees were emailed or sent home with your child last week. Please have fees paid by 11th November 2020.  If you have any concerns regarding fees, call or email Mrs McRae or Ms Smith.

If you are having difficulty paying School Fees due to Covid 19 please contact Mrs McRae or Ms Smith to see what assistance is available.  We are always here to help.

On the 23rd September 2020 Mr Kimber the piano teacher (from Bellchambers Music) and his wife welcomed Juliet into the world.  As you can see big brother Alexander is supper proud.

Student Banking

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

Outside Education Day
Toward the end of year we may be having an outside education day.

Mrs Tomadini is collecting any unused CD's and reels of fishing line.

Please send all unused CD's to school and place them in the box that is outside the Kinder classroom.

Thank you.

Happy birthday to the following children who celebrate their special day this week: Matilda B, Santino E, Lorenzo F, Daria F, Tilly R and Mitchell S.

Kinder:        Zoe N and  Molly  F

Year 1/2B:  Nathan W and Hector V

Year 1/2G:  Geordie B and Jayden L

Year 3/4B:  Clancy B

Year 3/4G:  Ava W and Annabell W

Year 5/6B:  Lachlan H, Adam A and Hamish M

Year 5/6G:  Petar B, Sarah D, James N and Amelia C

Year 1/2B:  Jack O

Year 1/2G:  Dianna N

Year 3/4B:  Trinity M

Year 3/4G:  Mia F and Sophia R

Year 5/6G:  Alain K and Michael R

Crazy Camel

The Crazy Camel orders are now over due.  Due to the number of families that have not returned their paperwork we are extending this opportunity till 2pm Thursday 29th October.  Please find the order form below, if you have ordered via Qkr! and have not returned a note for each child please also complete for form and return it to Mrs McRae at the front office either in person or via email office.stbenedicts@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Crazy_Camel.pdf

Summer uniform is to be worn now.

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.

PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILD/REN'S CLOTHING IS LABELLED WITH THEIR NAME.

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

If you require any summer uniform please email the front  office. office.stbenedicts@cg.catholic.edu.au

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,

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

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

Saturday 31 October: https://www.trybooking.com/BMICU

Sunday 1 November: https://www.trybooking.com/BMICW

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:

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

School Travel for 2021 2021 school travel applications are now open
Applications for student travel in 2021 opened from Monday 12 October 2020.

Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass for 2021 can now apply online. A new application should be submitted if a student is applying for a school travel pass for the first time or requesting an additional pass as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation (e.g. joint custody).

Students who have changed school/campus, changed address, repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for their school travel entitlement should re-apply or update their details.

*Applications must be completed by the student's parent or legal guardian if the student is aged under 16 years. Students 16 years and over must complete the application form themselves.

Where there is a change of distance eligibility based on a student’s grade, the system will automatically update a student’s entitlement if they meet the new criteria. If they do not meet the new eligibility criteria, they will receive an expiry notification via email.

Students who have an entitlement approved under a medical condition which is due to expire will receive a notification advising them to re-apply.

Term Bus Pass holders will receive a notification to re-apply.

If a student needs to update their information or re-apply, they should go online to
https://apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/updateDetails 

Applications need to be submitted before 31 December 2020 to ensure that current student entitlements are updated and their current entitlement/card remains valid. If their application is submitted after 31 December 2020, the system will automatically cancel an entitlement/card and a new one will need to be issued.

Students in the Opal network applying for a SSTS or Term Bus Pass entitlement for the first time will receive their card at their nominated postal address. Cards will be mailed out from January 2021.

Students residing in Rural and Regional (R&R) areas should receive their travel pass at the commencement of the new school year from their nominated operator, this may be distributed via the school or sent direct to their address. Note: some R&R operators do not issue travel passes. Students/Parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.

New Concession Entitlement Cards
Transport for NSW will be replacing the below cards with Transport Concession Entitlement Cards (TCEC) from October 2020:  Senior Secondary Student Concession Card (16 years and over) – also used by Mature Secondary Students (18 years and over), Distance Education Students and Home School Students  Proof of Age card (when a student under 16 years of age looks older)  Boarder Rail Pass. All previous cards will be valid until they expire. Students who require a Transport Concession Entitlement Card should speak with their school administration staff.

Enquiries regarding school student travel can be submitted to Transport for NSW at:
https://transportnsw.info/contact-us/feedback/passes-concessions-feedback