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Dear Parents and Carers,
As a school, we aim for our students to become lifelong learners. To help do this we as teachers are continuously learning and developing our knowledge of current practice and educational research. We study for at least four years to learn what we need to begin our professional journey including child development, health and well-being and the knowledge, skills and effective teaching strategies in each curriculum area. Then when we enter the profession, we continue learning about new and updated research about how children learn and look to apply it in our classrooms. We are always striving for the strategy and thinking that will have the greatest impact.
This year, as part of Catholic Education’s Catalyst project, our teachers are undertaking in learning in the Science of Learning and Cognitive Load Theory. As part of this project, our classroom teachers engaged with Mrs. Debbie Neilson from COGlearn on Monday. She will be working with us this year on our High Impact Teaching Practices as we fine-tune and re-shape some of the practices at our school to have the greatest impact on the learning of our students.
High Impact Teaching Strategies are based on a number of sources of research. One significant area is called Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). CLT is simply the understanding that in our learning environment there are limitless amounts of information for us to access and learn from, i.e. everything we see, hear, taste, touch, smell, etc. Our body and brain notices, collects and filters this into our working memory, a temporary holding space for processing the information - sorting it, connecting it to ideas, and relating it to previous knowledge. The problem is that our working memory is not limitless. In fact, it can hold only 4-7 items in there at once as it processes them. Learning happens when the information we take into our working memory is organised into larger concepts, understandings and complex skills and then moved into our long-term memory. The long-term memory is limitless. The real skill is to be able to retrieve these facts, concepts, understandings and skills when we need them and in some cases develop 'automaticity'.
Have you ever driven home from work and wondered 'How did I get home? I don't remember that drive?' Well that is because driving is an automatic skill for you and the path from work to home is also an automatic path.
When you first learnt to drive, you were consciously thinking of all the little things you had to do, e.g. check mirrors, change gears, operate pedals, remember road rules, etc. These were all separate aspects being processed in your working memory. The more you practised, the more you started to develop patterns and order to your behaviours. You did not have to remember separate steps, just one pattern of steps. You also developed a greater awareness about typical driver behaviours on the road, and the paths to get to familiar venues, enabling you to predict your journey and anticipate what you will need to do. Driving became automatic. Some of the journeys you undertook became automatic too. Especially those you took on a daily basis.
The same theory of learning can be applied to everything we do at school, from reading, to sport skills, to music and mathematics. This understanding about learning helps us to shape highly effective teaching and learning experiences for our students. We ask questions such as:
- How many new ideas can we teach at one time to not overload a student's working memory?
- What knowledge and skills do the students already have with which to connect the new ideas and experiences to, enabling them to move it to their long-term memory?
- What strategies can we use to help students practise recalling the information and skills they learn to help it become embedded in their long-term memory and automatic?
The more we unpack the research, the more we realise that our genetics play a smaller role in our learning than we realise. It is the environment, the opportunities and the learning we experience that has the greater impact on achieving our potential. It is also the belief we have in ourselves and the persistence and resilience we show in the face of challenging learning that also plays a major role.
God bless.
Rachel Smith
Principal
School Disco
A wonderful night was had last Friday night at the first school disco of the year. Thank you to all those who attended and those who volunteered on the night. A particular thankyou to Mrs Hannah Norgrove and Mrs Sonia Brown for their hard work in organising the night on behalf of the P&F Committee. The disco would not have been the success it was without their tireless work behind the scenes.
Enrolment period 2022
Catholic Education Enrolment Period is from Monday 3 May to Friday 28 May. The theme this year is 'Faith and Hope in the Future'. Application for enrolment is completed online at:
https://enrolments.stbenedicts.act.edu.au/act-primary-enrol/start
We will be holding Open Days and Open Evenings at the following times;
- Monday 10th May – 9.30am – 11.30am
- Tuesday 11th May – 3.30pm – 5.30pm
Please spread the word.
Celebrating our Mothers
With Mother’s Day this Sunday the First Friday Mass this Friday will focus on being thankful for our Mothers. Kindergarten and Year 3/4 Blue will be leading us at this time and we encourage all mothers and grandmothers of our students to come to Mass and be a part of the celebration. We will be having morning tea in the library after the mass.
Mothers’ Day Stall
Don’t forget that the Mothers’ Day stall will take place this Friday. If you are able to help with the set up in the morning at 9.00am or gift wrapping at 11.30am please contact the front office. Don’t forget to send your child with $5 on the day.
Winter Uniform
Just a reminder that as of Monday 3rd May all students are expected to wear their full winter school uniform. We ask that any additional winter clothing your child wears is navy in colour. Unfortunately, we still have a large number of clothing items that are in the lost property box unnamed. Please encourage your children to look through the lost property items for any of their missing belongings. I ask that you label each of your children’s item clearly with their name.
Sacraments
First Holy Communion Prayer Evening 12th May 6-7.30pm
Candidates and a parent/carer must attend.
Important: DATE CHANGE
Please note that the Sacrament of First Holy Communion will now be celebrated Saturday 19th June 3.30pm
Please email Nat Wright if you have any questions.
Natalie.zarb@cg.catholic.edu.au
Mother’s Day Mass 7th May 10am
This Friday, Kindergarten and 3/4 Blue will be leading our school community in celebrating our Mother’s Day Mass. All are welcome to attend. Parents and visitors are also welcome to join our staff in the library afterwards for morning tea.
A Prayer for Mothers
All-loving God, we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old.
We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need; May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.
We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us; May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.
We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict; May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.
We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.
We remember mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen.
Religious Education in the Classroom: Year 1/2
Year 1/2 have been Artwork Detectives this week. Student’s have been looking carefully at artworks of Mary to find clues about what aspect of Mary’s life the artist is depicting. We have discovered that Mary is often shown in the colour blue or white, with a crown or halo, with Jesus or an angel, with flowers or Rosary Beads.
Important dates to note for this term are:
3 May Enrolment Period to Friday 28th May
6 May Athletics Carnival (Postponed to 24 Jun)
7 May Mothers’ Day Mass, 10.00am
Mothers Day Stall
Whole School Assembly, 2.30pm
11 May Constable Kenny Visit K-2
School Board Meeting, 6.00pm
12-21 May Naplan Yrs 3 and 5 students
12 May First Communion Prayer Night, 6.00pm—7.30pm
14 May Walk Safely to School Day
19 May National Simultaneous Storytime
21 May Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
23 May Pentecost Sunday
24 May Feast of Mary Help of Christians
26 May National Sorry Day
28 May Yr5/6 Excursion To Jerrabomberra Wetlands
31 May Reconciliation Day (Public Holiday)
1 Jun Reconciliation Day Liturgy, 10.30am
Parents & Friends Meeting, 6.30pm
4 Jun First Friday Mass, 10.00am
Whole School Assembly, 2.30pm
8 Jun School Board Meeting, 6.00pm
11 Jun World of Maths Visit
14 Jun Queen's Birthday (Public Holiday)
17 Jun Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge
Ambassador visit
Yr5/6 Silence is Deadly visit
Learning Showcase, 2.00pm
18 Jun Semester reports sent home
Whole School Assembly, 2.30pm
20 Jun First Communion Mass, 9.00am
21 Jun Parent—Teacher Interviews (Optional)
22 Jun Parent—Teacher Interviews (Optional)
23 Jun Mini Vinnies Winter Woolies Day
24 Jun Athletics Carnival (Whole School) - NEW DATE
25 Jun St Benedict’s Feast Day Mass, 10.00am
Ways of Being Award Assembly, 2.15pm
Term 2 concludes
The following notes are going home this week.
Mothers' Day Stall
Mother_s_Day_Stall.pdf
Year 6 Leadership Shirts
2021_Leadership_Shirts_1_.pdf
Mothers' Day Mass
Mass_morning_tea_Yr3_and_Yr4.pdf
Year 5/6 Visual Arts Walk
5.6_Walking_excursion_note.pdf
Curriculum Overviews
Kindergarten_T2_2021_overview.pdf
Year1_2_Term2CurriculumOverview_2021.pdf
Kindergarten Parent Representative 2021
Kindy_Parent_Representative_2021.pdf
3/4 Gold
We have been practising praying through art. This is called Visio Divina, which is translated to divine seeing. Students have enjoyed exploring the ways in which God speaks to them through art. Today students were given the painting called ‘Circle of Love’ by Sofan Chan. This image depicts a mothers unconditional love for her child, and as Mother’s Day is coming up, students were asked to pray about the relationship that they have with their mother, and to respond in their prayer journals.
Athletics Carnival - Has been postponed
Unfortunatel
Kindergarten: Harry W, Airlie Mc, Saffron M
Year 1/2G: James B, Noah W, Emma D and Alisha W
Year 3/4B: Antoni T and Alexander H
Year 3/4G: Arwyn S and Zayn S
Year 5/6B: Zack W and Hubert K
Year 5/6G: Ciru N, Ava B and Ava W
Year 3/4B: Hector V
Year 3/4G: Frederick H and Bryce T
Year 5/6B: Alannah C and Niora P
Year 5/6G: Rafael V
PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILD/REN'S CLOTHING IS LABELLED WITH THEIR NAME.
Front reception has received a number of phone calls regarding missing clothing. Please check that your child/ren are bringing their uniform home as it is an easy mistake to pick up someone else's uniform. Please place the incorrect uniform in the lost property box or return it to the student or front office.
In our transition out of the COVID-19 restrictions we ask for your support in social distancing, logging onto the CBR App and signing in at the front office. Until we are able to confirm the new clothing pool arrangements we ask that you please email the school office.stbenedicts@cg.catholic.edu.auor contact Mrs McRae with a list of items required. We will endeavour to fill your order and reply to you as soon as possible.
School Hats
The new school hats have finally arrived and available for purchasing at the front office. The cost of new school hats are $12.
School Ties
As we have had a number of parents inform us that they were unable to purchase school ties, we have sourced 10 new school ties from Savvy's. These ties are now available for purchase from the clothing pool for $25 each. Unfortunately, these are the only ties we have available as all donated ties have now been sold.
Lowes 2 Day Sale
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.
One Day Retreat in Canberra
With Fr Roni George and Fr Joby George, VC on Saturday 22 May (9.30am—4.30pm at St Benedict’s Catholic Church. Admission is free BYO lunch. A boxed lunch is available at nominal cost, RSVP by 19 May to pl.rebello@gmail.com For inquires please contact: Parveen 0439 642 571; Winnie 0451 015 527; Prakash 0406 381 446; Shan 0412 310 364; Tom 0434 689 957
Parish Secretary Vacancy
St Benedict’s is advertising for a new permanent part time Secretary to work the current office hours of Tuesday to Friday, 9am-12 noon. If anyone is interested, please contact Father Rembert or the Parish Office for more information. Start date is from mid May.
St Benedict's Youth Sacramental Coordinator
St Benedict’s are looking for someone to take on this youth ministry within the Parish. For more information please contact the Parish Office.
Dear TeamKids families,
Some of you may already be aware, however, we wanted to formally notify you of Anastasia's resignation from her role as Director of Service at TeamKids.
Anastasia has taken an APS job to support her in completing her studies to become a teacher. Whilst we are sad to see Anastasia go, we wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Anastasia will be working BSC only for the remainder of week to support the transition and handover of the program.
We are happy to announce that we have successfully filled the DOS role, with our New DOS starting with us on Tuesday next week. Our Area Manager Kaylee Wandel and a regular team of educators will be here to support with the transition and to ensure that your children are best supported each session.
We understand this may cause some concerns with the children, and want to assure you that your children's needs are our #1 priority, and additional support will be available should you or your child need it during this time.
For any further questions, please feel free to contact our Customer Service Team on 1300 035 000.
Kind regards
Kaylee Wandel
Area Manager - ACT
1300 035 000
0436 469 108
teamkids.com.au
