Welcome to the final newsletter of the term. 

I imagine that by now you would have heard or read the communication yesterday regarding my appointment as Foundation Principal for Catherine McAuley Primary School for next year. I am very much aware that this news has an impact on the SBE community and so wanted to use the Newsletter as a chance to share a little of the joy, challenges and reflections I have had in undertaking this opportunity. 

Firstly, it is a great privilege to be part of the foundational journey of a brand new school. While I am very excited to accept this opportunity for my own professional challenge and personal path, I am mindful that it result in my time here at SBE being cut somewhat short. In my experience, life’s most ideal opportunities rarely present themselves with ideal timing. We don't always know what is in front of us, but we can know and be deeply proud of the what we are and have been part of.

I am very proud of the work we have done in the last 3 years to set SBE on a path of excellence brought about by continual improvement. I am particularly proud of the work we have done in the area of Partners in Learning project, the Wellbeing for Life initiative and the Faith in Action initiative that culminated in today's Catholic Social Teachings Mascot Launch. I have loved the connections and relationships we have built as a community, especially those with the wonderful children of SBE. It is these very aspects of my role at SBE that gave me the courage and confidence to consider the honour of being foundational principal at Catherine McAuley Primary School, Medowie. I have great faith that the work we have done here at SBE will maintain momentum and trajectory because  of the trust and value I have in the work of the staff at SBE.  The  journey of improvement, best practice and collaboration for the best outcomes of all students is because of their commitment and belief. It is this that will continue well into 2025 and the next 3 year strategic plan under new leadership. While excited to be accepting the next challenge on my own path,  I shall miss being here with you to see where SBE can go. There is no doubt that I shall be watching with pride knowing I was part of something pretty special, even if it was just for a while. 

Ironically, this announcement, while not starting until 2025, also coincides with my upcoming 4 weeks Long Service Leave (the 1st four weeks of Term 4) while I travel to UK and parts of Europe with my family. For this shorter absence, we will be welcoming Mrs Kate Wilson back to SBE as she continues her recent Acting Principal Role by now filling my seat at SBE. It is with confidence in the executive team currently in place continuing under Kate’s leadership, that I take this leave,  knowing that SBE 2024 continues in great hands. I will return on Monday 11th November. 

After all that, this Newsletter has a large amount of sharing and celebration as we approach the end of term so I will sign off my report and leave the rest for your enjoyment. Before I do, I leave you with the key dates of Term 4 in the PDF below. Please refer to this document to note important events of the upcoming term and as always reference COMPASS updates and this newsletter as each event approaches. 

Jules

STEM Fair Recap – A Celebration of Innovation!

Last week, St Benedict’s Primary School hosted its first-ever STEM Fair, and what an incredible event it was! Our Year 5 and 6 students showcased their hard work and creativity as they presented their innovative projects to parents, teachers, and the wider community.

Over the past two terms, our students have been engaged in real-world problem-solving through the Engineering Design Process. They tackled a variety of important issues, from water conservation and waste management to mental health support and cultural connections. Each group worked diligently to design and create prototypes that addressed these challenges in exciting and thoughtful ways.

Visitors at the fair were able to explore a wide range of projects, ask questions, and witness the students' enthusiasm and deep understanding of their topics. We were particularly proud of the collaboration and teamwork displayed by all groups, as well as the creative solutions they developed.

A special thanks to the parent volunteers, teachers, and community members who supported our students throughout this journey. Your guidance and feedback have made a lasting impact!

The STEM Fair was a wonderful celebration of learning, innovation, and community, and we are already looking forward to continue this event in the future. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the next generation of problem-solvers!

Mrs Amanda Lewis 

Yr 5 Classroom Teacher

First Eucharist

Congratulations to the students from St Benedict’s who received their First 

Eucharist on Sunday at Holy Cross Church at Glendale. Together with the students from Holy Cross these 30 students celebrated their final sacrament for the year and we thank Miss Collins who has guided them through most of this journey.

Socktober

On the 17th of September the school and social leaders went to the Socktober launch at the McDonald Jones stadium. The theme was “let’s go and invite everyone to the banquet” and “lets kick goals for good”. It was a fun, educational experience and an overall amazing day.

We started off the day with a liturgy and the priest was very funny and was saying skibidi, “praying is so sigma” and “do you have catholic rizz?”. After we did six stations of soccer related activities led by St Bede's high school students. We had the option to do arts and crafts to do when you were tired. We were able too colour in a cross or make a rosary bead keychain. We also got lunch which was sandwiches, a juice box and a piece of fruit.

The aim or goal of socktober this year was to help the kids in Mongolia living standards. This includes things such as lack of food, education, health care and the experience of being a child. The theme “let’s go and invite everyone to the banquet” was about inviting everyone into our lives and sharing what we have with the people who need it most.

By Scarlett, Ruby and Josie

On September 17th, six of the school leaders went to McDonald Jones stadium to celebrate Socktober. As soon as we arrived, we were kindly greeted and sat down for a liturgy. We enjoyed the lovely music by the exceptionally talented Aspire students. Not long after Father greeted us by telling us a story about how Jesus greets everyone into his home. He decided to use very interesting vocabulary, by using words such as rizz, ski bidi and top G. This added humor to the liturgy. After the liturgy we went on the field and did many fun soccer activities. Afterwards we were greeted by a tower of sandwiches. Overall, this was an incredibly fun day and Socktober is going to be incredibly fun for the leaders next year.

Thank you, Father, and everyone else that helped with the day.

By Jack, Hudson and Zaidyn

Thank you for a wonderful term and enjoy the holidays,

Megan Hunt

(Acting REC)

Today we welcomed the 7 newest members of our school with the launch and welcome of out CST Mascots.

Our assembly today was a great collaboration of storytelling, drama and dance ending with a commitment to make the world a better place, beginning with our own SBE backyard. Thank you to the families for the launch and we hope to have our Mascots part of our everyday challenges here at school. A nice way to end the term. 

A lovely foot note for the CST project launch:

Yesterday, a teacher was walking a line out to dismissal with a student who noticed some rubbish in the garden The comment and commitment that followed is a perfect example of how our new friends can help. The student's comment of "Frankie the Tree Frog needs to grab some of his friends and sort this out" (Frankie teaches us to care for our common home). The student then bent down and started the challenge by picking up the concerning piece of rubbish. 

Year 3 Drama Incursion

Edge of the seat! Improv galore! Stage presence, expressive body movement and positions. Year 3 Black and Red have done our school proud working with Upstage Theatre in an all day drama workshop. Team and individual performances were appreciated by a supportive Year 3 audience. Some of whom, knew their friends were taking a risk expressing themselves on stage. 

Thank you to the two ladies from Upstage Theatre who came out and guided us through the activities. Students were engaged and captivated throughout the day. 

Year 3, Miss Brazel and Mr McGill were very proud of your conduct and efforts on the day. 

We look forward to seeing you in ASPIRE productions soon.

 Miss Brazel and Mr McGill

Year 4 Science 

Year 4 have been busy in science growing herbs in handmade terrariums as part of our Farm to Plate unit. These herbs will be used in the students’ final product, making a healthy pizza. Over the term, students have been observing their terrariums; recording the changes and making any improvements as needed.    

Throughout the term’s learning sequences, students have researched and compared traditional, indigenous and modern farming methods and the production food and fibre.  

As part of the Farm to Plate unit, students will be participating in the Week of Tastes program this week. The aim of the program is to take the students through a series of fun exercises to discover how all 5 senses are used to appreciate food, teach them how to discern sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami as well as develop a positive attitude towards tasting new foods.  

CULTURAL ART ACTIVITIES

Kinder Excursion

On Wednesday Kinder visited Hunter Valley Wildlife Park. They met a shingleback lizard up close and personal, fed the kangaroos and hungry goats. They were lucky enough to see a baby giraffe on it’s second day in the open. Lots of fun was had and a few tired little people (and big people) on the bus on the way home.

Breakfast Club 

Another great term with Breakfast Club fast becoming a morning favourite at SBE. Looking forward to another term of volunteers to kick start our Wedensday, Thursday and sometimes Friday. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP

Whilst working with some of our students in the wellbeing space I was interested in the conversations some of them were having about sleep. Some comments being:

"If I sleep good I get out of bed no problem", "If I go to bed too early I wake up in the middle of the night. But, I do eventually go to sleep", "I get a good night sleep if my cat sleeps on my bed".

These are just a few of the interesting comments made about students sleep. And, yes I know we are meant to be talking about Diet and Nutrition but one of the slides we look at for our lesson does mention sleep as a key component to a healthy lifestyle.

I thought it would be great to share with our parents some useful resources around sleep that can be found on our SCHOOLTV Channel. 

Here is an overview of this article on SCHOOLTV

Children these days seem to be going to bed later and later. Distractions such as TV, computer games, internet, texting friends and social media are all having a negative impact on a child’s sleep time. Sleep is vital to a child’s wellbeing. When children sleep well, they are more settled, happier and ready for school the next day. Sleep also strengthens their immune systems, supports overall development and their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of difficult behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation. Recent studies have shown than many children, especially teenagers, are missing out on vital REM sleep, which is particularly important for memory and learning.

Please follow the link below to find out more.

https://edgeworth.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/sleep 

God Bless

Miss Michelle Collins

(Acting Assistant Principal)

Book Fair 

Raffle winners 

The following students were lucky enough to win a $10.00 Book Fair Voucher at our Book Fair this year. Congratulations to the following students. 

Lyla Bashford (4B) 

Blake Bird (3B) 

Payton Kinnaird (5B) 

Gracie Reis (4R) 

Archer McNamara (KB) 

Allyra Chapple (K

Canteen update 

• Thank you to all of the many people who gave their time assisting Haley in the canteen this term. 
• The canteen cannot run smoothly without your help. We are now calling volunteers for term 4.

• The Canteen’s regular open days are Monday, Wednesday Thursdays and Fridays. If you have time from 9am – 12pm on these days and are interested in volunteering in the Canteen please let the office and our Canteen Supervisor Haley Fenwick know. It can also be a one off occasion or a couple of times a year

Congratulations to the following students who acheived a Bennies milestone and Spirit of Jesus award this week.