Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week we had the first of our Easter liturgies, through the commemoration of the events of Palm Sunday. Thank you to Year 5 and 6 Blue for leading us through this liturgy. Tomorrow Year 1 and 2 Gold, Year 3 and 4 Blue, and Year 5 and Year 6 Gold will lead us through the events of Holy Week and Easter.

Holy Week is a time of great highs and lows. It begins with the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem, welcomed with great fanfare. The story then leads us to his eventual rejection by the masses and resulting crucifixion.

It is easy to miss the relevance of Holy Week when we stop reading, watching and listening to the story. Each time we hear the Holy Week story we have the opportunity to experience a greater understanding about the person of Jesus, the nature of the human condition and the cost of infinite love. Even more than this, Holy Week points us to the wonder of God’s love celebrated at Easter.

Our children’s liturgies and the Holy Week events held in the Parish are perfect ways to experience the story again. I encourage you to take the time to attend some Holy Week events and hear the story again with a curious and open heart and mind. You never know what could happen.

The school holidays are a perfect opportunity to read! Our students are in the habit of reading for 20 minutes every day at school and it would be wonderful if this could continue in the holidays. The only way to improve reading is to read every day.

I hope that all families have a happy and restful break. I wish all those who are travelling safe travels. I know that the staff are looking forward to a very well deserved break. I thank them for the dedication, enthusiasm and passion that they demonstrate daily.

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

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal

Reconciliation
Congratulations to our students who will experience the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time tonight. Thank you to each family for their partnership in preparing the students. Thank you also to Nat Wright, Breena Walshe and Samantha Slocomb for the support they have given the students and thank you to Fr Rem for making this sacrament such a prayerful and reflective experience for all involved.

Working Bee Thanks
Thank you to the parents, children and staff who assisted with our working bee last Friday afternoon. We were quite a productive team, with all the fresh mulch distributed across all the front garden beds. A particular thank you to Mrs Sally and Mr Luke Veikkanen who coordinated and organised the replanting and development of the front garden of the school. Their hard work has been greatly appreciated.

Uniform
As we begin Term 2 it is time to switch to the winter uniform. As the weather can still be warm there will be a transition period, but all students will be expected to be in the winter uniform by the beginning of Week 3 – Monday 3rd May. If you experience financial hardship in securing the full uniform, please do not hesitate to contact me.

School Disco – Save the Date
Please mark Friday 30^th April as School Disco on your calendars. Our P&F Committee work hard to make our school discos a wonderful community event. More details to come shortly.

Term Two Starting Date – Tuesday 20^th April
Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn has declared Monday 19^th April as a pupil free day for all Catholic schools in Canberra. Students will commence Term 2 on Tuesday 20^th April.

Holy Week Easter Vigil

Mark 16:1-7
The women find that the stone from Jesus’ tomb has been rolled back, and an angel reports that Jesus has been raised from the dead. In the Easter story, we learn that God responded to the Crucifixion of Jesus by raising him from the dead. This act of God was more than anyone could have imagined. Mark’s Gospel reports that the women who found Jesus’ tomb empty were utterly amazed. Young children delight in surprises. In the Easter story, we discover one of God’s most wondrous and amazing surprises: God raised Jesus from the dead! The women found much more than what they were looking for. At Easter we celebrate this discovery by the women. God raised Jesus from the dead. With God, we often find so much more than what we are looking for, much more than we can ever imagine or hope for.

This weekend, as you gather as a family, name some of the signs you have observed of God’s power in the world and in your lives. Talk about how you feel when you experience the awesome mystery of God. Remind yourselves that at Easter we celebrate God’s power over death as he raised Jesus from the dead. Read together today’s Gospel, Mark 16:1-7. Pray together praising God for his wondrous deeds. Invite each family member to name some of the wonderful things God has done for us. After each is named, pray this response: Alleluia! Alleluia! God has done wondrous deeds!

Sacrament News
Please pray for our First Reconciliation candidates as they prepare to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation this evening.

May you know the greatness of God’s love and forgiveness on your special day.

Reminder: All Sacrament of Confirmation Enrolment Forms are due to St Benedict’s Parish Office by tomorrow 1^st April 2021. Thank you

Holy Week Liturgy
Tomorrow, (1^st April 10.15am) 5/6 Gold, 3/4 Blue and 1/2 Gold will be leading our school in our Holy Week liturgy. Together we will journey through the sacred events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Resurrection. All are welcome to attend.

Vinnies Superhero Day: Let your superpower shine!
Our school had a supertastic day reflecting on the all superpowers that our Vinnies Volunteer Superheroes use to protect the vulnerable in our community! Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful costumes and generous donations!

Online gaming

Online games can be great fun for your child, but make sure you can help them manage the risks.

Many games can improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as help build social skills through online interactivity with other players. But it is also important to understand what might go wrong and have a negative impact on
your child. 

How common is it?

81% of children aged 8 to 17 have played an online game

64% have played a multiplayer online game with others

52% have played with people they did not know

17% have experienced bullying or abuse while playing a network game with others

34% have made an in-game purchase and this rose to 45% when they played a network game with others

How to create a safer gaming environment for your child

Prepare

• Locate the computer or games console in an open area of your home, or if your child is playing on their handheld device, get them to do it in the family room.
• Install current security software on all devices to protect against viruses, malware and other online threats. 
• Activate parental controls and safety features on the device or in the app or browser. These controls can help restrict access to certain content and limit spending on in-game and in-app purchases.

Build good habits

• Help your child to protect their privacy online — get them to use a screen name that does not reveal their real name. 
• Teach your child not to click on links provided by strangers, like ‘cheat’ programs to help with game play, which might expose their device to viruses or malware.
• Agree on strategies to help them to switch off, like a timer that signals game time is nearly over, with consequences for not switching off.

Stay involved

• Talk regularly with your child about their gaming interests and who they play with online. Help them understand the risks.
• Play alongside your child to get a better sense of how they are handling their personal information and who they are communicating with.
• Monitor the time your child spends online and keep a look out for any changes in their activity, school or social behaviours.
• Encourage your child to tell you if they experience anything that worries them or makes them uncomfortable. 

Be aware of what they are playing

• Games vary in their level of violent or sexual content, and may contain themes, language and images that are unsuitable for your child. 
• You can check the age guidelines and classification for an individual game on its website or product packaging, or from the Australian Classification Board’s public database.
• The Australian Classification Board also has useful information on violent video games to help parents and their children decide what video games are appropriate for them.
• Useful information about games ratings can also be obtained from the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) and the US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
• Review sites can also be a good source of information about age appropriate content – check out the Australian Council on Children and the Media, Kiwi Families (NZ), Common Sense Media (US), Parents’ Choice (US) and Ask About Games (UK).

Empower your child

• Wherever possible, help them make wise decisions for themselves, rather than tell them what to do. 
• Try to provide them with strategies for dealing with negative online experiences that will build their confidence and resilience.
  
  

Is your child spending too much time gaming?

There is no magic number of hours, but your child may be spending too much time playing games if their gaming starts to have negative impacts on them or your family. 

Look out for signs such as:

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• not doing so well at school  
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches or eye strain 
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• anger when being asked to take a break from online activity, or appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family

In some cases, setting firm limits as a family may be enough to help address too much gaming. But there may also be underlying problems like depression and anxiety that are linked to problematic internet use. 

Important dates to note for this term are:

1 Apr      Holy Thursday

               1/2 Gold, 3/4 Blue and 5/6 Gold

               Holy Week Liturgy, 10.00am

               Outdoor Education day

               Term 1 concludes

20 Apr     First Day - Term 2 - Full winter uniform.

The following notes are going home this week.

Harmony Day - Last day of Term
Harmony_Day.pdf

Letter from the Director - 1st Day of Term 2
Letter_from_Director_regarding_pupil_free_day_Monday_19th_April_2021.pdf

School Fees
Thank you to all the families that have already paid their school fees, unfortunately we still have 20% of families that have not paid school fees. If you do not have a current direct debit set up your school fee are due by Thursday 1st April. 

If you have any concerns regading paying your fees, particularly due to COVID-19, please contact either Ms Rachel Smith or Mrs Belinda McRae at the Front Office.

Today (31^st March 2021), the Royal Australian Air Force will mark 100 years of service in Australia.

Men and women of the RAAF have achieved great success in serving Australia in both, conflict and peace missions, and in its national interests over the past 100 years.

Let us remember in prayer, the RAAF personnel, some of whom are parents at our school. We thank them and their families, for their selfless sacrifice in serving for our country.

God bless.

Linda de Salis
Defence School Mentor

Happy Birthday to the following children who celebrate their special day this week: Elias S, Lachlan H, Jack K and Violeta B.

Over the Easter school holidays the following children will be celebrating their special day: Brock O, Mason H, Verona N, Mia N and Jayden L.

Term 1 - Be Welcoming

Kindergarten: Scarlett L and Patrick S

Year 1/2B:  Henri R and Lydia P

Year 1/2G:  Catelin S and Elias S

Year 3/4B:  Zachary H and Sarah R

Year 3/4G:  Hunter R and Charlie W

Year 5/6B:  James N and Ruby S

Year 5/6 G: Finn W and Lalia D

Parent Representatives 2021

Thank you to the parents who volunteered to be the Parent Representatives for 2021.

The Parent Representatives for 2021 are:

Kindergarten (Mrs Tomadini) - Gemma Stark

1/2 Blue (Ms Wright) – Chris Harrop & Sally Veikkaanen

1/2 Gold (Miss Maple) – (please let us know if you are happy to help)

3/4 Blue (Miss Walshe) - Erosha Bakmiwewa

3/ 4 Gold (Miss Slocomb) – Clementine O’Sullivan

5/6 Blue (Mrs Quirk & Miss Reedy) – Kellee Rollston-Francis

5/6 Gold (Miss Donaghue) – Mella Wilkins

Our school tuckshop is still currently closed.

We will let you know as soon as it is open and students are able to order from the tuckshop.

A reminder that when the tuckshop opens counter sales only occur at Recess time and lunch orders must be ordered in the morning. Don’t forget to use the Qkr! App to place your child’s order. Volunteers are always welcome. No amount of time is too small.

Apple slinky Tuesdays
We would like to thank the wonderful parents that have offered to come and do slinky apples for students each Tuesday morning.  There is no cost, we just ask that students bring their own apple to be slinkied for fruit break.

St Benedict's Parish
Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday 9am to 12noon
Phone: 62957879
Email: narrabundah@cg.org.au
Web:  website: http://cg.org.au/narrabundah/Home.aspx

Parish Team:
Fr Rembert Fernando MGL
Fr Baiju Thomas MGL
Monica Nulley-Valdes and Cathy Schneider (Parish Secretaries)

Mass Times:
Saturday Vigil - 6pm
Sunday - 9am
            - 6pm Charismatic Mass
Youth Mass every 4th Sunday (6pm)

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