Today Archbishop Christopher visited the parish and celebrated Mass in the St Monica's Church. The St Monica's Year 6 Youth Ministry Team also attended Mass and were provided with the opportunity to meet with the Archbishop and members of the parish. Over the next two days, I will be attending the annual Principals' Systems days with the Director, regarding planning for 2021. In my absence please direct any concerns or issues to Luke Donnelly. 

Tomorrow our Year 6 children will be taking part in their Confirmation Retreat Day. This will be a special day for the children to reflect on their learning and preparing the artwork for the church. The children are to wear casual clothes and will be provided with lunch. Please continue to pray for the children as they continue their spiritual journey towards Confirmation.

Congratulation to our wonderful Classroom Support Assistants who received the Children's Week Community for Children Award 2020, ‘for making an outstanding contribution to young people in the community’

The St Monica’s Classroom Support Team is a group of passionate and dedicated professionals that always put the student’s needs first. They go above and beyond their roles to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the students they support. Their commitment to meeting the diverse needs and ensuring the wellbeing of our students shows a deep commitment to children. They make our school an inclusive place for children to thrive under their care and guidance. Our teachers and students are better for having these incredible people in our community. We want to recognise their quiet competence and the special contribution they make to our students.

Missing on the day of our school celebration were Unnati Shah and Josh Dalton 

In week one the Year 5 students received a letter from Mrs Foster regarding their Year 6 leadership groups. As part of their literacy assessment, the children will be asked to write a letter to the Principal expressing their interest in a leadership group and their reasons; this will replace the traditional speech. I am looking forward to receiving the leadership letters by Friday 13 November. As the letter is to be written at school I strongly encourage parents to speak to their child about the qualities of an effective leader. Our leadership areas selected by the children for 2021 include Arts, Library, Service, Social Justice, Sport, Stewardship and Technology. 

Uniform Shop

Do not forget our uniform shop has been relocated from the hall to a classroom in the portable building near the blacktop/basketball pick up area. Our preference is still for families to submit orders via Qkr. Orders processed by Thursday night will be filled on a Friday morning and sent home. Any parent accessing the uniform shop will be asked to sign a register for COVID tracing purposes. Thanks to our wonderful uniform team, they are very generous with their time. 

Kinder Orientation

While beginning school is a very exciting time for all, it can also be rather intimidating for the little ones. To help the child settle into the routines of school life, our orientation program will include the attendance of all 2021 Kindergarten students at two afternoon sessions on Wednesday 18 November  (3.30pm – 4.30pm) and Thursday 19 November  (3.30pm – 4.30pm) 2020. This is a change to our traditional approach due to COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. Letters have been sent home to the parents involved regarding the afternoon arrangements.