For busy working parents and families, finding silence and stillness in the everyday can be tricky.

The clock is ticking, the traffic is heavy, your mind flits from one thing to another, lists to be ticked off, the kids are nagging and dinner needs to be decided. Everything is in constant motion, how can I possibly find a minute of quiet to myself?

What if I was to say to you, it can be done even in the busiest of settings? When you’re waiting at the traffic lights, in a line or any other time that you stop? Whilst not quite the same as ultimate silence and stillness. It is in stillness that you can find refuge, even if it is only for a short period of time.

What do you do, when you have moments when the house is quiet and there is nothing left to do. Moments when you find yourself sitting in relative peace. Most of the time when these moments come, we tend to fill them and start ‘doing’ things again but why not relish the stillness? Why not open yourself to that stillness fully? Take a pause from the momentum of your life and luxuriate in that time to just to be.

Our Archbishop, Christophe Prowse, is passionate about having his followers find silence and stillness in the everyday. Christian Meditation is one easy to way to focus on simplicity, silence and stillness. Meditation is what leads from the mind to the heart and it can be practised by anyone, wherever they are on life’s journey.

Class Structures for 2024 – I am pleased to announce that Catholic Education has confirmed we will have 17 classes for the 2024 school year. The structure of these classes is as follows:

Kinder: 2 classes

Year 1: 2 classes

Year 2: 3 classes

Year 3: 2 classes

Year 4: 3 classes

Year 5: 2 classes

Year 6: 3 classes

Class Placement Considerations for 2024 –Teachers are beginning to consider class groupings for next year. Please trust that we know your children well and have a very good understanding of their academic, social and emotional needs. We endeavour to balance classes in a variety of ways and any parent requests, regarding placement of children for 2024, must be sent to me, in writing, by 5.00pm on Monday 21 November. It is important to note, requests from previous years will not be carried over or considered for 2024.

BYOD- On Monday night there will be a presentation for families with children in Years 4-6 in 2024, with a focus on our BYOD program here at St Monica’s. This information session will provide parents and families with an understanding of how the BYOD program works and considerations when purchasing a Chrome Book. Our school’s commitment to digital learning has not changed and we value the importance of being connected with our community and developing students that can interact with respect as informed citizens on a global scale.