Dear St Monica's families and friends,

World Teachers' Day - I have no doubt each of us has had an extraordinary teacher who inspired them! For me, it was Mrs Ashcroft. She taught me in Year 4, loved teaching, cared deeply and most importantly saw potential in me and always encouraged me to do my best.

The teachers at St Monica’s are incredible. They wear a number of hats, are experts in multi-tasking, super flexible and juggle constantly to make sure our school runs as smoothly as possible. I could not do my job, without the amazing teachers I have in each of my classrooms.

So hats off to teachers! Especially all the St Monica’s teachers. Thank you for the work that you do, each and every day in support of our students. Thank you for believing in every child, for seeing each child’s potential, for going above and beyond to ensure all children feel happy and safe at school. Thank you for providing hope, igniting imagination and instilling a love of learning in all our students.

Grandparents and Special Friends' Day - Last Friday we celebrated the fabulous Grandparents and Special Friends of the students in our community. We can never underestimate the positive influence they have in a child’s development. Grandparents are pillars of wisdom and sources of support, they possess a unique understanding of a family’s history and traditions. They love their grandchildren unconditionally, matching that of a child’s own parents. Though some families are separated by distance or circumstance, being able to connect with a grandchild frequently fosters a relationship that can influence a child to define values, flourish in self-confidence and strengthen the bonds of family.

Children's Week Grant and Award - Last week was ACT Children's Week and St Monica's was lucky to receive a $150 grant that went towards the purchasing of library resources that support the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our very own Ms Melville received an ACT Children’s Week Excellence Award, for being a long standing member of the Children's Book Council of Australia (ACT Branch) and for her support to introduce and provide quality literature and local authors to the children in the ACT.

School Council News – Due to the resignations and term of membership expiring for some of our current sitting members nominations to be a member of the St Monica’s School Community Council Executive are now open. Sitting members of the council contribute to the school through their interest, expertise, advice and commitment to the development of the school. While all parents in our school community are automatically part of the broader council, the council executive is the key body responsible for leading Council activities and providing advice and support to myself and the Leadership Team. I know that a number of parents are keen to support the school, but struggle making it to meetings or think they shouldn’t be on the Council because ‘that’s for other people in the school’.  Please consider nominating for the council by filling in the form below and returning it to me by Monday 24 November.

The new annual School Engagement Survey is launching mid-November, and you will have the opportunity to reflect on your experiences at the school as a parent or guardian and provide feedback. Your feedback will be valuable to help us understand how to better support your child and improve our school.

The new survey has been developed with the support of JWS Research. It will take around 10-15 minutes to complete, and your responses will be kept completely confidential and only reported at an aggregate level.

You can expect the 2025 School Engagement Survey to be distributed through Compass as a News Item and push notification in the coming days! If you have any issues accessing the survey link, please contact the Catholic Education Office through Strategy.Survey@cg.catholic.edu.au