Welcome to the Week 5 newsletter as this Friday we hit the mid point of the term. My work load over the last few weeks has encompassed the celebration of Catholic Schools Week AND taking the first steps alongside a child and their parents as they begin the Primary Education journey (Kindergarten 2025 "Getting to Know You" meetings). Both endeavours have led me to reflect on the incredible, hope-filled notion of education and the privilege I enjoy in being part of such important work.
As we toil each day, we commit to never forgetting that education is a hope filled endeavour. Education has the capacity to liberate, empower and guide the adults of tomorrow. It is an absolute privilege to be part of a child’s (an even an adult’s) journey to become the best version of themselves. There is a poem/ prayer that is often credited to Oscar Romero who said many things but not this one – although he is linked to it.
In actual fact it was written and spoken by Cardinal Dearden (previously known as Fr. Ken Untener) in 1979 when he said a Mass for deceased priests (of which the Oscar Romero was one). The point is that I wish had even an ounce of the power with words to say as much in these few sentences about what it is that I love about being a teacher. Either way, I share it at this mid-point of term (when energy levels might  plateau) because it is this that energises me and sustains a sense of pride in what we do every day. 

Catholic Schools Week 

It was wonderful to welcome so many parents at our recent Catholic Schools Week whole school mass, open morning and morning tea. the children were so excited to share their learning, their classroom space and this even evolved into student led school tours of all the different zones we are now using during the break times. 

Tell Them From Me

Can I also take this opportunity to invite parents to respond to the TTFM survey if they have not already done so. Your feedback will guide our Strategic Improvement direction for the next 2 years. The link is below.

Have a great w, 

Jules Mulhearn  

Mary Help of Christians

Mary Help of Christians is one of the many names used to refer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is referred to as a helper because of her closeness to Christ and her ability to intervene on behalf of others through prayer. The title of Mary Help of Christians was first introduced in 1571 by Pope Pius V. It was at a time of great unrest in the Catholic Church Pope Pius called on all Catholics to pray the Rosary.

In September 1844, Archbishop Polding of Sydney and the bishops of Adelaide and

Hobart met with a group of priests and decided to place the Church of Australia under the patronage of the Virgin Mary. This led to Mary Help of Christians becoming the official patron of Australia. 

The Feast of Mary Help of Christians was celebrated across Australia last Friday, May 24th.  This feast day is a commemoration of the assistance and protection that Mary, the mother of Jesus, provided to Christians in times of need. The devotion to Mary Help of Christians has a special significance in Australia because it is closely associated with the early history of the Catholic Church in the country.

St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney which I have visited recently was dedicated to her honour.

Some images of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney:

Yours in faith,

Miss Michelle Collins

(Religious Education Co-Ordinator)

Maths Bee Finals

Over the past two weeks, we have held our St. Benedict’s Maths and Spelling Bee finals. It was a great celebration of our marvellous mathematical minds and super spelling strategies! All the students presented a fabulous display of skills as well as great confidence, persistence and resilience. We are very proud of all class finalists.

St. Benedict’s Maths Bee Winners

Early Stage 1- Lexie Fenner

Stage 1- Noah Jones

Stage 2- Maya Pustovoyt

Stage 3- Zak Pustovoyt

Our Stage champions will now compete in the Regional Finals which will be held at St. Joseph’s, Kilaben Bay on Friday 14th June. Well done everyone! Good luck at the Regional Maths Bee!

Spelling Bee Finals this week

Now it is time to focus on the Spelling Bee finals this week. Due to the rescheduling of the AFL gala day, Stage 3 will be holding their final on Wednesday in the school hall at 9.30am.

Thursday will see Early Stage One, Stage 1 and Stage 2 on display.

Kindergarten Disco Day

Last Friday, Kindergarten celebrated Crazy Colour Disco day. They all came dressed in amazing diso gear and were learning all about the letters C and D. Some of the fun activities they engaed in were caterpillar art, colourful cupackes, dinosaur lollies treats, D yoga and of course a fabulous disco party.

Thanks at all our parents and carers for assisting with the spectaular outfits and the Kindergarten team for their continued enthusisam and creativity through this unique and fun Kindergarten journey!

Admin/ Finance Officer Suzi Di-Nardo Monday to Friday

Admin - Tiare Collins-Grayson Monday, Thursday Friday

Kinder 2025 Enrolments have now closed. As per the enrolment timeline intial letters of enrolment will be sent to parent on the 14th June. Acceptance of these offers need to be accepted by the 1st July and secured with your enrolment deposit.

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School Fees

Billing Cycle and Payment Methods

School fees are billed annually in Term 1 and all fees must be paid in full by 30th November unless you have a prior agreement with our Principal.

By now at least one payment should have been made to your fees account as per your fee agreement. Sms & email reminders will be sent to any families who have yet to make a payment.

Payment method can be via direct debit with the CDF; BPay using the fee statement reference number; or credit card over the counter or via phone.

• Each fee payer can tailor frequency of payments to suit individual circumstances
• Direct debit payment frequency options can be established as weekly, fortnightly or monthly
• BPay can be at your discretion and can be set up as an automated payment

Medical 

From time to time students may need to take medication at school.

Our office is able to administer medication but requires the completion of consent forms to do this. As we come into the flu season please contact our office if this applies to your child.

If your child requires medication administered daily please supply our office with medication in a blister pack. This is a requirement set by our Catholic School office to ensure the safety of medications and dosages. 

Second Hand Uniforms 

Our second hand uniform shop is overflowing with lots of school uniforms.

If you are in need of anything for winter please contact our office via phone or email with the items you are in need of and the sizes required. Cost is a gold coin donation which we collect to donate to Caritas. 

If we have the items available we can send them home with your child.

ICAS – Assessments 2024

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to inform you that St Benedict’s Edgeworth will be participating again in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 38 years’ experience in educational assessments.

ICAS Assessments are designed to be challenging, targeting students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

The assessments are suitable for students in Years 3 - 6 wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.

ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to online assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.

Learn more about ICAS here: https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas

Online Parent Payment:

In 2024, students will have the opportunity to participate in the following subjects:

If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the new online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments.

The web link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

Our school’s unique access code is: ZPP158

IMPORTANT: Please enter your child’s name accurately into the System as it will appear on their ICAS certificate.

We are proud to partner with UNSW Global in offering the ICAS Assessments and      look forward to some fantastic results later in the year.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Mr Wayne Bailey - Primary Coordinator.

Allegation and Investigation 

One of the tools that we  implement at schools when an allegation of bullying is brought to our attention is the Bullying Assessment and Action Flow Chart. It allows us to determine the presence of bullying in any given situation and is outlined below. It is used as a tool to ensure that all possible bullying allegations are treated appropriately in accordance with the definition. It is important to realise that not all incidences experienced by children can be automatically defined as bullying and so the use of this flow chart is invaluable.

Communicating

When Bullying isn't Bullying

Deliberate, targeted, repeated  and harmful behaviours involving the dominance of power.”

 After careful investigation, there are times that an incident can not be confirmed as bullying. Firstly,  this does not mean it is not something that needs to be dealt with under the school’s Behaviour Managment Procedures. Secondly, it does not mean that that incident itself will not necessarily develop into a pattern of behaviour that won’t further constitute bullying.

Ultimately, there are any number of incidences in any given week that constitute the normal social interaction of children that could be perceived as bullying but, in fact, are not. If a child feels overcome while equally contesting a ball, it is not necessarily bullying. A careless comment or crass joke at a time of high energy is not bullying. An incident of anger that results in a negative, random outlet of emotion is not bullying. They most certainly are incidences needing to be dealt with and each is recoded to ensure that repeated incidences are tracked. However, they are dealt with under the Behaviour Support Procedures.

And finally, we as a school need to respond to incidences as they occur. It is difficult to address an alleged pattern of behaviour if we only begin to respond to it at the end of that pattern when past incidents are difficult to investigate. To this end, we are committed to hearing, investigating, tracking and responding to any concerns parents have as they arise and continue to invite your vigilance in bringing some of these unseen incidences to our attention.

 Next week in our final part of this series we will cover: Responding to bullying (once confirmed), Consequences and Actions, Supporting Anti Bullying strategies.

 

AFL Paul Kelly Cup

Best of luck to our Stage 3 students who will be competing in the AFL Paul Kelly Cup tomorrow at Warners Bay. Our Boys and Girls teams will compete against a variety of local schools in a round robin tournament in an attempt to progress to the Regional Finals later in June. 

Diocesan Touch Football Trials

Well done to Cadence Hopkins, Alexis Huntriss and Archer Guihot who represented the Lakes Region at the Diocesan Touch Football Trials last week. A special congratulations to Archer Guihot who has been selected to represent the Maitland/Newcastle Diocese in the Polding Trials, held in Parkes later in June. Another fantastic effort!! 

Library News

ALIA’s National Simultaneous Storytime

Last Wednesday, 22^nd May our school participated in the Australian Library and Information Association’s (ALIA) National Simultaneous Storytime. This event occurs every year. A picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.

Our infants' students had a wonderful time reading this year’s picture book, Bowerbird Blues written and illustrated by Aura Parker. They also enjoyed participating in activities in response to the text.

Ms Mateos

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised for their efforts in Learning, Improvement and Kindness to Others last week. 

The school assists local organsiation to promtote their child related services, events and activities. The school is not directly linked to these events but we are happy to support the greater edgeworth and Cameron Park community. 

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