Welcome to the new year. I hope that all our families had a special time with loved ones throughout the Christmas/ New Year period and that the children have had a relaxing break throughout January, perhaps even enjoying a holiday away at some point.

The first full newsletter of the year will be published next week (which is techinically Week 2), so this mini-newsletter outlines some information better shared today as the students begin their year.  

Some changes around SBE during the Summer 

We have had a very busy summer onsite at SBE since farewelling 2023 last year. There will be some  big changes to note and that you may have already noted if you have passed by the school in recent weeks. 

Old Demountable Removal and Landscaping 

The demountable that has hosted out Chapel and EALD rooms for more than 10 years was retired during the break and we have landscaped the space for playground use. (Although the grass still needs a few weeks of TLC before it is open for use. However, it looks great and we are already working our playground duties around the use of this space for students. 

New Chapel Space

The new location of the St Mary of the Cross Chapel is now installed in the room across the way from the library - it is a standalone classroom that has previously been used as the Music Room (2022) and more recently The HSIE RFF room. We made the decision to locate the chapel in this room as the central heart of our school which ties in very well to our Catholic Identity. We will hold Class Liturgies and Masses with parents and the Parish in that Space throughout the term and it will also become a quite "sacred" space available to all during the week. Sometimes in the busiest days, we can find peace in a sacred space. It is also centrally located near our Indigenous Garden with the new totem Poles that share the Awabakal Stories of this Country on which our school stands.

As an important sacred space within our school, we will be marking the Blessing of the New chapel as part of our Open School Liturgy (details for this in the Save the Date notice below) 

New Play Equipment Installed 

We are also very pleased to announce that our long-awaited Play equipment has been installed and ready for use. It is located over near the teepee and sand pit on the bottom playground and we have plans to further develop this space into a natural , interactive play space in the Easter Holidays. However, rather than delaying installation until then, we prioritised its use as of Term 1. Today we had Kid safe certify it and it is ready. We will likely need to control traffic in the excitement of the first few days/weeks but we will work with the students on how bests we can do this. Please note, this is not a morning play equipment – only during class time with teachers and of course, lunch and recess.

WORK IN PROGRESS Bubbler Area and paved space under the Large Trees of the Bottom Playground. 

This project is now underway and includes the landscaping of the ground surrounding our two large deciduous trees on the bottom playground, the roots systems of which have become exposed in the last 12 months due to ongoing erosion and foot traffic. The plan is to install a garden in this space with footpaths to direct students down to the bottom play space and sand stone blocks to retain the ground at different levels. This will both eliminate the trip hazards presented by the exposed tree roots but protect the trees themselves while installing a shaded sitting area in the coolest spot on the summer playground. This area will then lead "down the slope" to the two spaces we currently use for football fields. After the garden works have been completed, we will then have a scope of works (staggered) that will allow us to re-turf the soccer fields, but this will be an ongoing project through the next few terms as each "grassed" space needs considerable remediation. When the students return today, they will see the Phase 1 of this scope of works fenced off with work to commence next Monday. I will be updating parents with further details of this project as it unfolds. 

With so much going on it is sure to be another busy term but it is very exciting to have positive changes happening and planned for our playground spaces. The classrooms and teachers are ready as they can before we welcome the students back today. We are so very excited for the year ahead. Welcome to 2024. 

Stay tuned for a calendar packed with engaging events, from academic competitions and sports tournaments to cultural celebrations and community outreach activities. Be sure to mark your calendars for the follwoing in the next few weeks as we launch the new year. 

A note re curriculum Weeks 1 - 3 will be a focus on setting up the year with clear expectations, unpacking school identity and classroom routines and building positive relationships. Students will be working on several aspects of community, class and individual wellbeing as well as establishing the skills needed to collaborate, take risks, and set goals in their learning. It is an exciting time of year to begin with a fresh start and one is worth taking the time to do at the beginning before launching into in depth learning concepts and skills. Wellbeing before learning because there is no learning without wellbeing. This launch period will still have learning based activities but just with a different focus (for example, next Tuesday is National Safe Internet Day which will have students participate in awareness and skill set building when interacting on the internet. The teachers will still be conducting screening assessments to ensure we have a continuation of data from last year that allows us to place the best learning in front of each child. It will culminate with the Opening School Mass and Parent Teacher Meet and Greet on Thursday the 15th of February and the School Photo Day on Friday 16th February (Info re photo day will be posted on compass this week and in next week's newsletter). The students will be equipped with all the skills and understandings together with a sense of belonging ready to launch into full currkulum after these first 3 weeks (but really 2 given this week is short). 

Below is a summary of the uniform requirements at St Benedicts Edegworth for your reference. We thank parents in advance for your support in ensuring all students enrolled at St Benedicts are able to wear their uniform with pride and a sense of belonging.