Dear Parents and Carers,

Recently, my parish priest, Fr Greg, shared a heartfelt message about the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the importance of praying for peace. It reminded me of the Holy Land Pilgrimage  I took in 2023 with Fr Greg, Mrs Mulhearn, and a group of 40 other principals and Diocesan employees. Before that trip, I had only a vague understanding of the challenges faced by people in that region. Seeing it firsthand was eye-opening.

Our group returned home just as the conflict began, and we were fortunate to have left safely. The experience left a lasting impression on me—not just because of the timing, but because of the people we met and the stories we heard. We had the opportunity to meet both Palestinians and Israelis, of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. The one thing they had in common was that they all wanted to live peacefully alongside each other and none of them stated their religions as a reason that couldn’t happen.

One thing that stood out was the stark contrast in living conditions. In Gaza, families have access to clean water only a few hours a week, while illegal Israeli settlements nearby  have it all the time. These differences are not about religion or culture—they’re about basic human needs and dignity.

It’s easy to feel distant from global issues, especially when they seem far away or complicated. But at the heart of it all are families, children, and communities—just like ours—who are hoping for peace, safety, and a better future.

As a school community, we can respond by fostering peace in our own lives: through kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. These values are not just religious—they’re human. And they start with how we treat one another, at home and at school. We can also respond through remembering those in war torn countries around the world in our prayers, and thanking God for our peaceful country!

Take care and God Bless,
Danielle Reed
Principal

SCHOOL HOURS - Important Safeguarding Message.

Together with our Diocesan Safety and Risk Management team, we have been reviewing our site safety procedures and safeguarding procedures, in light of the playground construction works and the many different contractors that are here each day from 6am.

We remind families that teacher start time, and in turn supervision start time, is 8.30am. Although teachers may be on site prior to this time, they are preparing for the school day, and not yet on duty or available for supervision until 8.30am. 

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students and school community, we ask that children are not dropped to school prior to 8.30am. We wish to advise that from Monday 18th August 2025, the foyer door will remain locked until 8.25am. This will only alter for special occasions or events, that require an earlier time, and have the supervision in place. These events will be advised via Compass beforehand. 

Similarly, school finish time is at 3pm. School staff and supervision also finish at this time. We understand that sometimes ‘life happens’ and unavoidable delays occur, so if this does happen in picking up your child, please contact school staff to arrange so that we can support ensuring your child's safety. If children are waiting at the office for parents on a regular basis past 3.10pm, please note that OOSH services will need to be utilised. We understand that for varying reasons or commitments, students may need to be supervised earlier than 8.30am or after 3pm, so we encourage the use of the OOSH service which is available on site from 7am until 6pm, and has availability. OOSH can be contacted on 0429 022 194. Alternatively, you may wish to make your own arrangements with family or friends. 

We thank you for your consideration of the safety and wellbeing of the St Benedict's school community. 

PLAYGROUND UPDATE

As we have had lots of wet weather, unfortunately there is not much to report as far as progress is concerned. Hopefully our next newsletter will contain some more photos.

Thank you to those parents who are refraining from using the car park. We realise it is inconvenient but it’s necessary to allow deliveries of materials and to keep the children safe. Material deliveries can happen between 6am and 4pm. Trucks do have priority and some charge extra for waiting time when making deliveries, so if you are in the car park and get blocked in by a truck, you will have to wait.

If you are collecting your child from OOSH after 4pm, all deliveries would have stopped and it should be safe to use the car park.