Principal Update
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you for your warm welcome to St Benedict’s. It has been a pleasure to be able to meet many families already and I look forward to continuing to make new connections with you as the year progresses.
2025 is a Jubilee year in the Catholic Church. Jubilee years are declared every 25 years, with the Pope writing a Bull of Indiction to announce the Jubilee and the ways in which it will be implemented in Rome and around the world. The theme for this Jubilee year is “Pilgrims of Hope”.
This theme comes from the Letter of Paul to the Romans, in which he wrote “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). Pope Francis has called us to be hope-filled people, and to instil hope in others, during this year. In the Bull of Indiction, Pope Francis says:
“…Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope….”
If you would like to read the full text (and it is very readable!) it is available here:
We will have an opportunity to participate in our own Diocesan launch of the Jubilee year “Pilgrims of Hope” next month – more information related to this is in Miss Collins’ message later in this newsletter.
I pray that we can be people of hope to each other at St Benedict’s this year!
Take care and God Bless,
Dani Reed
A great start to the year!
Our students have returned with smiles on their faces and their energy and enthusiasm is wonderful to see. All the teachers have reported that the children are happy and settled in their new classes. My first impression is that they are friendly, helpful and have been very welcoming – especially to Milo who has been kept very busy! I look forward to getting to know them all.
Welcome Kindergarten – class of 2031!
We have welcomed a beautiful cohort of 58 new Kinders this year, full of enthusiasm, energy and curiosity. Our Year 6 are doing a great job of being ‘big buddies’ and guiding our Kinders in learning the ways of Big School.
Parent Information Evening – Meet the Teacher
Parents and Carers are warmly invited to come and share a sausage sizzle and meet your child’s teacher. This is a good opportunity to hear the class routines and expectations and learn what your child will be doing in their new class.
We will serve sausage sandwiches from the canteen area from 4.15pm and staff will be joining you for some social time before and after the formal info sessions which will be held in classrooms.
Sessions will be 20 minutes in duration for each stage:
Stage 1 – Years 1 and 2 – 4.30pm to 4.50pm
Stage 2 – Years 3 and 4 – 4.50pm to 5.10pm
Stage 3 – Years 5 and 6 – 5.10pm to 5.30pm
To assist us with catering, please complete the Form by following the link. It will only take a minute! https://forms.office.com/r/aiQnaNmQES
Please note that Kindergarten will have a separate information session after they have settled into school – their teachers will advise of the date for this via Compass.
HOUSEKEEPING NOTICES:
CAR PARK – The car park is for staff only. Please remember to use pedestrian access gates when accompanying your children to and from school. Don’t walk through the car park!
SCHOOL TIMETABLE
7.00am - 8.30am St Nick’s OOSH available on site.
8.30am Morning supervision begins
9.00 am classes commence
11.10 am – 12.00 pm lunch
1.30pm - 1.55pm Recess
3.00pm dismissal
3.00 pm – 6.00pm St Nick’s OOSH available on site.
For enrolments and enquiries at St Nick’s OOSH, please call 0429 022 194
Children should not be at school after 3pm unless they are enrolled in OOSH. Whilst we understand that unavoidable delays sometimes occur, please be mindful that teachers are not required to supervise children when after school dismissal procedures have been completed.
Parents and Friends Association – Upcoming Meeting
A special Annual General Meeting of the Parents and Friends Association of St Benedict's (P&F) will be held on Monday, 24th February at 6pm in the staff room.
This meeting will formally dissolve the P&F at our school (as was voted on at the final P&F meeting in 2024) and transition our school to the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) model. This transition was advised in the final school newsletter of 2024.
Attached is a letter outlining the process.
Items for discussion will include the use of accumulated funds in the P&F account along with the FACE model and the way our community would like this to be implemented at St Benedict's.
All parents and carers are invited to attend this meeting.
Communication at St Benedicts
COMPASS is our main form of communication. All excursion notes, alerts, meetings, events, newsletters, school reports and invoices are distributed through compass. Parents can also submit reasons for student absence on compass.
NEWSLETTERS will be distributed each fortnight on a Friday of even weeks of the school term.
FACEBOOK is used to promote school events and share photos of our students and community.
REPORTS progress reports are distributed twice a year in line with NESA requirements
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (FACE) group – will be meeting twice per term. Dates to be advised in next newsletter.
CONTACT WITH STAFF – If you have a concern about your child’s learning or wellbeing, your first point of contact should be with your child’s teacher. Teachers will endeavour to answer emails within one school day of receiving them. If you wish to speak to a teacher on the phone or arrange a meeting, please email the teacher directly or contact the school office to arrange a time.
