Dear Parents and Carers,

Community

Community is very important to us at St Benedict’s. Visitors to our school often comment on the strong sense of community they felt when they visited and how welcomed and included that they felt during their visit. There are three distinct ways we express Community at St Benedict’s:

Welcoming

Our motto ‘All guests who enter shall be welcomed as Christ’ (words of St Benedict) points to the importance we place on accepting and loving new children and families when they begin their journey with us. Established students take new students under their wing in their own class and the buddy program. Teachers support and assist new teachers in learning how St Benedict’s ‘works’ and where to find what they need. Parent representatives contact new families and create opportunities to build connections and relationships with others.

Celebrating

We come together regularly to acknowledge who we are and what we value, especially in the way we celebrate Eucharist, gathering as a community to give thanks to God. During assemblies we acknowledge the achievements of our members and thank those who recently contributed to our ongoing work. Our Meet and Greet and Disco are two examples of times when families can relax and enjoy each other’s company.

Giving outwardly

What value does our community have if we cannot share and spread what we have with others? Through examples like our Giving Mass we create opportunities to give to others in need from the abundance we have. We look to participate in local community events and spread our joy. We build relationships with local community organisations. We celebrate important times such as Easter, St Benedict’s Day and First Friday Masses with our wider Parish.

We have a wonderful community that is always seeking the balance between welcoming in and giving beyond ourselves. Thank you to our parent community who lead by example by being continously continously giving of their time and resources. Thank you for your support for the work of myself, the staff and the students of the school and for being part of our collaborative journey.

Recharge, Reflect, Reset, Restart

We all know the three Rs of school, but what about the four Rs of the holidays? My hope is that everyone in our community experiences a nourishing break over the holiday period and have lots of opportunities to Recharge, Reflect, Reset and Restart! We look forward to having everyone return to us safe, happy and healthy next term.

God bless.

Rachel Smith

Principal