Dear St Monica's families and friends,

I’m not sure what it is like at your house in the mornings but I’m guessing at times it is the same as mine! Why aren’t your shoes on? Where is your hat? Turn the TV off? ‘Now I’m running late’ … It’s fast paced, loud and stressful. I came across this article during the week and it made me think about slowing down, particularly during this time of Advent. 

We wait in Joyful Hope ‘This is the season of watchful waiting. We prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ first coming, and we look ahead to his return in glory. As each Sunday liturgy proclaims, “We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.”  But waiting isn’t just a spiritual discipline that we practice during certain liturgical seasons. It’s an inescapable part of life. Traffic is slow. Dinner is late. A work project drags on. There are whole periods that have a waiting flavour—pregnancy, engagement, unemployment, illness.

What would it mean to adopt an Advent attitude in these waiting times in family life? What if we learned to wait with joyful hope, certain that the Lord is in them to work out his loving plan for us and those we love? What if we invited him into our waiting, gave it to him, and then kept watch for signs of his activity?

It’s true that waiting is not made easier by the fact that we all crave speed. We like fast foods, overnight delivery, instant messaging. And yet we know from experience that it takes slow maturing to produce anything of value, whether it’s a baby, a friendship, a work of art, a beautiful garden.’

Read the full article here: The WORD Among Us, 2015 (A Catholic Devotional Magazine on the Daily Mass Readings)

https://wau.org/resources/article/on_the_lookout_for_the_lord/

School Fees: Today you will have received, via Compass, information regarding our 2023 School Fees. Despite the disruptions wrought by the Covid pandemic we have appreciated families meeting their financial obligations in 2022 to ensure our school continues to thrive.

We are very mindful of the impacts any fee increase incurs on families and have therefore carefully considered what would be most appropriate for the year ahead.We are committed to our policy in the Archdiocese that no student should be refused enrolment, excluded, or disadvantaged because of their inability to afford the fees.

If you have any questions regarding school fees for 2023, please contact me or Kirra Thompson (Finance Manager).

Community Events: We look forward to welcoming you to several end of year community events!

Next Tuesday 6 December, our Year 6 cohort will graduate from Primary School. In celebration of this important milestone, the students will be treated to a special lunch. Thank you to the Year 5 parents for coordinating the lunch for our Year 6 students.

I can’t wait to see families at the Community Christmas Carols next Thursday evening. Please bring along picnic rugs, camp chairs, supper & snacks and… your best singing voices! Get ready to be entertained by our students singing Christmas Carols!

In week 10 we have the Passing of the Light ceremony, Final Awards and Pride badges Assembly, Meet & Greet your 2023 teachers and the Year 6 Big Day out!

Pupil Free Day - The last day of Term 4 is Thursday 15 December. Friday 16 December is a Pupil Free Day. SMOOSH care is available on this day.