Student Absences
Parents, please note that even if you have made a phone call informing the school that your child is away (and for one day this is not necessary, longer absences we do appreciate a phone call), we still need a written note or email upon their return explaining the absence, otherwise your child will be marked as ABSENT WITHOUT REASON in the Class Roll. If a child arrives at school after 9.00am they need to be signed in at the front office. St Benedict’s Primary School is regularly audited by the Education Department re - Student Absences. If you know in advance that you will need to pick your child up early from school, please notify your child’s teacher ahead time via a note or email.

Home Reading
Home reading should be an enjoyable, stress-free activity where students can practice and consolidate their skills and really learn to love literature. If your child arrives home with a library book or home reader that is challenging, why don’t you try echo reading or just read the book to them. If it’s too easy, congratulate them and stress how much fun and easy reading is. Children need to see themselves as readers. Often children who struggle to read lack confidence and ability to take risks with their learning. Students in the older grades are also required to read NIGHTLY. Parents are asked to assist teachers with closely monitoring the home reading. In our experience many older children choose not to read.

Sickness At School\ Guidelines for Parents/Guardians
Parents will be contacted when their child receives a knock to the head, sustains an injury that is considered serious or in need of a second opinion, soils their underwear, constantly complains of feeling ill requiring extended supervision, complains of a severe headache and presents at school with an infectious or contagious illness. When contacted, parents will be asked to collect their child or make other arrangements, as we are unable to provide the necessary supervision for such cases at school. In extreme situations we will negotiate the best possible solution with the parents eg. take the child to hospital for a second opinion.

To help limit the spread of contagious illnesses we ask that if your child has diarrhoea or is vomiting that they stay at home for at least 24 hours after their last episode. Thank you for your support with this.

Staff Illness
Unfortunately, like many of our students some teachers have been struck down by gastro and the flu. Some have been so ill that they have required a series of days of leave in order to recover fully. However, it is often not clear as to how many days leave the individual teacher will require. When teachers are away every effort is made to engage a casual relief teacher but there is a limited number available and it is not always possible. In this instant students will need to be split across other classes. Please know that we do our best to ensure that the learning of students is not impacted. Thank you for your understanding.

New Bus Timetable in Term 2
As you will be aware, the ACT Government is introducing a new public transport network including bus and light rail services for Canberra for the beginning of Term 2, 2019. The Government has recently released timetables for the new network, which will commence on Monday 29 April 2019. I encourage all parents and carers to find out how they can use the new services from Term 2 by planning their journey to and from school in the Transport Canberra journey planner at www.transport.act.gov.au.

Please see attached pdf sent with this newsletter.