Welcome Back to Term 3. As we begin this term I would like to formally welcome Mrs Michelle Collins to the Acting Assistant Principal Role and Mrs Mega Hunt to the Acting Religious Education Coordinator role. Megan and Michelle join Wayne and I on the School Executive as we work collaboratively with all staff to ensure Term 3 is productive, positive and engaging for all members of our community. 

Happy St Benedict Feast Day - SBE Feast Day #1

During the holidays, we celebrated the Feast of St Benedict (July 11th) for whom our school is named (as well as 16 Popes). It is important to use our patron saint's special day to link their teaching s to our school identity. Almost like an annual check in with what we do every day with what our name challenges us to be. Below is an extract from our School Parent and Staff handbooks that articulates this connection very well. I wonder how much of it we know.

Who was St Benedict?

Saint Benedict was a simple Italian Monk of the sixth century. He wrote his famous ‘Rule of Benedict’ that became the blueprint on which thousands of Monasteries were formed, first in Italy, then all over the world. The Benedictines were known as the ‘Educators of Europe’. Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of Students. At the heart of Benedictine Spirituality is a way of living in the world today by focusing on how to work, learn, pray and live in community. It is not a spirituality that requires a departure from everyday life but rather a way that embraces and becomes fully engaged within our daily existence.

The Story of our School Emblem

A shield shape with the school colours and motto wrapped around a sword with a cross shaped handle. The story of the sword: There once was a sword that hung within the chapel at Monte Cassino when St. Benedict lived and governed. It is said that the holy St. Benedict would display the sword as a symbol of the war in which monks fight every day. 

“This sword,” St. Benedict would say, “Represents the Truth of God which is sharper than any two-edged sword. Look on it every day when you enter the chapel for liturgy and remember the battle (for truth) in which you fight.”  The sword went missing about 40 years after St Benedict’s death but remains a reminder to those who follow the traditions and teachings of St Benedict. 

The story of our School Motto

St Benedict's motto was: 

• Ora et Labora (prayer and work).
• Laborare Est Orare (To work is to pray).

He was known to say, “He who labours while he prays, lifts his heart to God with his hands”. Our School Motto was developed from this Benedictine motto, and we live it each day.

Next week, we will link our school values to the second of our school saints - St Mary of the Cross Mackillop whose Sisters of St Joseph's founded our school. St Mary of the Cross Mackillop feast falls on the 8th August. Next week our school will celebrate the feast days for both of our school saints in a whole school mass and feast day celebrations (Thursday 1st August.)  

Partners in Learning (Goal Setting) Meetings

We are about to launch the bookings for the Partners in Learning Meetings for Semester 2 where teachers, parents and students come together to discuss learning goals for this semester in light of the information shared in the recent Semester 2 reports and the things discussed in the meeting itself. Parents will be able to book their Partners in Learning Meetings as of Monday 29th July and the actual meetings will be held between Monday 5th to Friday 6th August (Weeks 3 and 4 of Term). I will put a separate notice on COMPASS when bookings go live. 

Life Wide and Life Long Learning 

Term 3 always presents as our most productive term. It is also a term when we have many different opportunities to experiences outside of the classroom (such as gala days, theatre visits, class excursions, community celebrations). This is what learning can and should look like inside (and outside) the contemporary classroom. Learning is lifelong but also “life-wide”. It cannot be, nor should it be, narrowed to the classroom or behind a desk. Just as every baby learns the countless thing that they learn in their first years (none of which occur in a classroom), so too do our young people learn across all different experiences and opportunities.

If we are genuinely committed to the education of the whole person, then we must create a calendar of opportunities and allow our school experience to reflect just this. Learning can be busy, active, noisy and even messy. It can be frustratingly slow, and it can be impressively quick. It can be individual or collaborative and it doesn’t always happen when we think it is going to. Learning is unique to every learner. As we launch into Term 3, it is our ongoing commitment at SBE to ensure we are meeting every learner where they are at, provide opportunities for their best learning by always knowing, supporting, and enabling their next steps. We look forward to another great Term at SBE. 

Have a Great Week, 

Jules Mulhearn 

School Office 

Phone: 4958 1858

Email:admin@edgeworth.catholic.edu.au

Admin/ Finance Officer Suzi Di-Nardo Monday to Friday

Admin - Tiare Collins-Grayson Monday, Thursday Friday

School Fees

As we enter term 3 it is expected that families are well on their way to extinguishing their fees for 2024.

School fee payments were expected to have commenced by 31 March if you have not paid a payment as yet this is now overdue.

School Fees are to be finalised by 30 November 2024, please contact the school office if assistance is required to work out a best payment method or frequency to accomplish this requirement.

Payments can be made via B/pay, Direct debt, EFTPOS,  over the counter at our school or over the phone. These payment can be set up through your internet banking to be paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly.  

We ask that all Fee Payers closely review your current account, paying particular attention to:

• Only one charge for DFSBL (Building Levy) across all schools; and
• Check sibling discount has been applied at ALL schools (if applicable).

Diocesan Pastoral Contribution- This charge of $300 is a voluntary fee. Parents can decline or accept via Compass Parent Portal.

If you have not received your statement please check your Junk mail and contact our office. 

St. Benedict

St. Benedict’s feast day fell in the second week of the school holidays on Tuesday 11th of July. As members of the St. Benedict’s Catholic school community it is important that we have some understanding of St. Benedict’s life and his contribution to the Catholic faith.  

St. Benedict was born at Narsia in Umbria, Italy. Coming from a rich Italian family,

his life was full of adventure and wonderful events. As a boy, he was sent to Rome to study in the public schools but was troubled by the bad behaviour of the other students. 

When he was old enough St. Benedict left the city and went looking for a place where he could be alone with God. He found the right spot a quiet cave in the mountains. Here he spent three years praying, meditating and contemplating a myriad of aspects of life. He was challenged and tempted many times. 

After three years, people started coming to Benedict. They wanted to learn how to become holy. Later, St. Benedict became the leader of many monks. He started twelve monasteries. It was in one of these that St. Benedict wrote the wonderful rules for the Benedictine order. He taught his monks to pray and work hard. Just as we do here at St Benedict’s every day. St. Benedict was able to do good because he prayed all the time. He died on March 21, 547. The pope proclaimed him the patron of Europe.  

St. Benedict is the patron saint of our school and as so we not only celebrate his feast day but we also try our best to emulate his teachings of: Community, Hospitality, Humility, Reverence, Stewardship, Inclusion and Good Judgement. 

Explicit Wellbeing (Resilience and Positive Mindset) Programs at SBE 

This term we launch with a dual Wellbeing Program for students in our school. Beginning with the Year 2 cohort, students will have the chance to participate in one of 2 programs that explicitly teach foundational skills in Wellbeing for Life. The Primary cohorts will have an opportunity to be part of this program in Term 4. Below is an overall outline of the two programs. I will post specific information on each class COMPASS page as that cohort engages with the programs. Year 2, this will be posted for you today. 

Wellbeing Survey Check-Ins

Another program students will participate in this term is regular student centred Wellbeing Check-Ins via surveys conducted in their explicit wellbeing lessons (the first began today). In collating this data up to 3 times this term (The first rotation is under way) we hope to gain:

• Insights into student perception of their wellbeing at school.
• Tracking movement between those insights to gauge any areas of concern emerging to which we can respond.
• Use our understanding of the challenges students are facing to drive the content of the Wellbeing lessons every Tuesday. 
• Noting students who are reaching out for support in this area. 

This survey was developed within the schools Wellbeing Framework and followed on from the work the staff did during the Pupil Free day early last term. 

NAPLAN RESULTS

• Year 3 - Our school average is above the national average in Numeracy, Reading and Spelling, on average for Grammar and Puctuation and just below for Writing.
• Year 5 - Our is school on average with the national average for Writing Numeracy, Reading, and in the Conventions of Language - Spelling and Punctuation.

Where to from here? Even a quick glance of our data tells us that we need to continue to look at Numeracy and Grammar/ Punctuation which are both already on our radar for focused improvement. We look forward to aligning this data for each cohort, as well as each student, with other assessment data that we collate across the year to ensure the picture we are developing is across a number of days, contexts and assessment platforms. We will aslo spen some time looking at the specific areas for development within each KLA (Item analysis) and use these areas as a starting point for improvement. 

Individual Student Report

Parents of students in Year 3 and Year 5 who sat the Naplan Assessment in March will receive an individual report on Wednesday outining your child's achievement and placement across the 4 assessment areas. The report can seem a little overwhelming in the first instance and we wanted to provide support on how to read the ISR (Individual Student Report). While there is some information on the report itself to guide parent understanding of what the report is saying, we recommend this video as very helpful in unpacking the depth of infomation including in the report.

Further, parents can find more infomation in the attached flyer. 

ICAS – Assessments 2024

A final reminder 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:

The web link to register 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.

Subject	Sitting dates	Cost	Closing Date
ICAS Digital Technologies	5th – 9th August. Term 3 Week 3.	$19.25 (inc. GST)	Monday, 29th July 2024
ICAS Writing	5th – 9th August. Term 3 Week 3.	$23.65 (inc. GST)	Monday, 29th July 2024
ICAS English	12th – 16th August. Term 3 Week 4.	$19.25 (inc. GST)	Monday, 29th July 2024
ICAS Science	19th August – 23rd August. Term 3 Week 5.	$19.25 (inc. GST)	Monday, 29th July 2024
ICAS Spelling Bee	19th August – 23rd August. Term 3 Week 5.	$19.25 (inc. GST)	Monday, 29th July 2024
ICAS Mathematics	26th August – 30th August. Term 3 Week 6.	$19.25 (inc. GST)	Monday, 29th July 2024

 

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.

Wayne Bailey (Primary Coordinator).

BYOD Year 4 2024 Launch 

We are in the final stages of preparation to launch the Year 4 BYOD porgram that will continue through the student's Stage 3 journey at SBE. We are looking forward to sharing this exciting phase of their education with the students in the coming weeks. I will post specifc timeline and instructions for Parents on the Year 4 COMPASS page today. 

Upcoming Events

Touch Football

Touch Football Gala Days run by NSW Touch- Stage 2 (Tues 23rd July) and Stage 3 (Tues 30th July).

Information and required Permission/Payment for Stage 3's Gala Day is available on COMPASS - Upcoming Events, for children who indicated an interest to participate.

Tennis Gala Day - Todd Woodbridge Cup

Tennis NSW has invited St Benedict's to enter teams into our local 2024 Todd Woodbridge Cup gala day on Friday 16th August at District Park Tennis Centre Broadmeadow.

The Todd Woodbridge Cup is a primary school team tennis competition for Stage 2 (years 3&4) and Stage 3 (years 5&6) students that uses modified equipment, numeric scoring, and mixed gender teams. Events are designed to be fun and inclusive, meaning it is not just for experienced tennis players. 

Further details for interested students in Stage 2 and 3 will be sent via COMPASS in the near future.

Specialist Sports Term 3 - Gymnastics 

An 8 week specialist coaching delivered program in Gymnastics has been organised for our Monday and Tuesday sport days, commencing next week. Primarily Active will provide accredited coaches who are passionate, enthusiastic and knowledgeable in the area of gymnastics. Programs have been developed for each stage (early 1, 1,2 & 3). Lessons will be differentiated to suit a range of skill and ability levels. There will be a large range of equipment provided to ensure maximum student participation and engagement. We look forward to continuing our association with Primarily Active this term.

Diocesan Athletics Carnival  

Congratulations to all of our athletes who represented St Benedict’s at the Lakes Regional Athletics Carnival at the end of last term. We had some fantastic results, and each student should be very proud of themselves.

The following athletes were successful in moving forward to the Diocesan Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 7th August at Glandale.

Scarlett Hunter, Isla Hopkins, Allira Weet, Rupert Miller, Axel Ferguson, Billy Johnson, Taj Bennett, Isaac Rose, Rhys Toohey, Connor Fitzhenry, Abel White and Henry Bailey.

A COMPASS permission has gone out to these athletes and a note sent home with event details.

We wish these athletes all the best.

Jacquie Slade

If you can lend a hand for the stall please email parentsandfriends.sbcps@gmail.com

Canteen Update 

Volunteers for the next fortnignt:

• Monday 22nd July- H. Fenwick
  
• Tuesday 23rd July - Closed
• Wednesday 24th July - J. Van Der Zee 
• Thursday 25th July - N. Price 
• Friday 26th July - J. Fenwick
• Monday 29th July - F. McPherson 
• Tuesday 30th July - Closed
• Wednesday 31st July - H. Fenwick
• Thursday 1st August - C. Boyle 
• Friday 2nd August - N. Tickner

We are always welcoming new parents to help in the canteen. If you are interested in volunteering in the Canteen please contact the office and Canteen Supervisor Haley Fenwick. This can be a one off occasion or a couple of times a year. All help is appreciated. 

Reminders: QKR orders cut off at 8:45am

 *Please ensure your child’s reusable lunch bag is cleaned and remind your child to put it in the box out side the canteen prior to 9am. 

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised for their efforts in Learning, Improvement and Kindness to Others in week 10 of term 4. 

Pictured in our Gallery are:

2 Black: Jacob Lovett and Kobie Googe 

3 Black: Rhys Toohey and Prisha Ghimire