Dear Parents

We had a busy and very enjoyable first week of term with our Athletics Carnival, held at Merici College, and our ANZAC ceremony on the Friday led by Mr Evans and 5EM. Thank you to the teachers involved in the organisation of the carnival and the parents who were able to assist on the day. It was great to feel the sense of community back again. 

Staff Arrangements

This Friday we farewell Allison Walsh, our Finance Officer. Allison has worked at St Monica's for the past 11 years and has contributed so much to the school community. She not only coordinated the school finances but helped with fetes, fundraising activities and over the years assisted with maintaining our P&F accounts. We will very much miss Al's bright personality around the office and her willingness to step in when needed. All the very best Mrs Walsh!

Following a successful interview round, I am delighted to announce that Kirralea Thompson will be joining St Monica's staff as our new Finance Officer. Kirralea comes with prior school office experience. Kirralea's official first day will be the 11 May, however, you may see her around the school when she is dropping off or picking up her children. A warm welcome to Kirralea. 

SMOOSH Arrangements

Our Director, Molly Uelese, is currently studying towards an early childhood degree. With a change in practicum arrangements, Molly is required to complete a period of time in another centre. During Molly's absence this term please direct any enquiries or concerns to Qin Bao or myself. The following schedule outlines the days Molly will not be available. 

During these times Qin Bao will be answering all family’s emails and any requests. To ensure that an email for SMOOSH is promptly answered you must email  smoosh.stmonicas@cg.catholic.edu.au

Continue to stay safe and healthy and may God's blessing be with everyone.

Principal  

Please register with the Compass Parent Portal as we are removing the absentee bottom on SZine on Friday 30 April 

Last week parents should have received an email inviting you to enrol into Compass. For security reasons, the new web and available app are only available to parents legally authorised to access student information. Unfortunately, grandparents or other relatives are not given access to the parent portal. If you have not received an email in the last 24 hours providing your user name and passcode please advise the school office to update your email and mobile contact number.  

The school's Compass portal is available through both desktop and mobile applications. 

If accessing the Compass portal on your desktop you will have to enter the school’s Compass portal URL (provided to the parents in the invitation log-in) in a web browser.

Compass has a mobile app for both IOS devices as well as Android devices.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/compass-school-manager/id778415974  Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jdlf.compass&hl=en_AU

Alternatively, the apps may be downloaded directly from the App store or Google Play store.  Then look for/type in the school -  St Monica's Primary School 

Please Note: The mobile applications are not designed for complete use of the Compass platform; it is designed for quick access to a set of specific information and specific actions.

Parents Logging into the Parent Portal

Every family will have a separate account to log into the Compass Parent Portal. When parents log in using the credentials sent to them for the first time, they will be prompted to change their temporary password.

Parents will not be able to navigate through the Compass portal unless they have confirmed their contact information. This is to ensure that all Compass communications are sent to the correct email address/mobile number.

If a parent forgets their Compass portal log-in details, they can reset their password through the log-in screen. The link takes the parents through the password recovery process which includes being sent a confirmation code via their selected method (email/sms).

Please note: If the parent tries to recover their account information using an email address or mobile phone number which do not match the information stored in the school’s Compass Portal, they will be advised to contact the school office and not sent an account reset code.

All families to use the Compass Parent Portal -  Attendance Note

We are removing the absentee bottom on SZine on Friday 30 April 

Sacramental Program 2021 – First Eucharist for Y4 students in 2021

The Sacrament of First Eucharist will be celebrated in term 2 of 2021 on the following dates:

• Tuesday 8 June at 6pm in St Michael’s Church
• Wednesday 9 June at 6pm in St Monica’s Church
• Thursday 10 June at 5.30pm in St Monica’s Church
• Thursday 10 June at 7pm in St Monica’s Church

Please keep the candidates for First Eucharist in your prayers.

Information Night for First Eucharist

The parent information night will be held on Thursday 29 April 2021 at 6pm via zoom (https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/94062726919).

Registration for the Sacrament of First Eucharist

Registration must be made via the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Qkr! App. Registrations opened on 30 March 2021 and will close by 16 May 2021.
No further registration will be accepted after the closing date.

Commitment Masses

Students and parents must attend one of the weekend Masses at either St Monica’s Church (6pm Saturday or 10am Sunday) or St Michael’s Church (8am or 5.30pm Sunday) on one of the dates listed below to make their commitment for the Sacrament.
Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 May
Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 May
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 May 2021

There will be no additional commitment masses beyond these dates.

Purchasing a stole for First Eucharist

Purchasing a stole is optional and is not compulsory. If you wish to purchase a stole, please make a payment of $20 through the Qkr! App and send an email to sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au and arrangements will be made for delivery/pickup.

For further information please contact the Sacramental Program coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au

The students have been busy participating in a weekly lesson from the You Can Do It! Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum. While an explicit lesson is taught each week, the skills and language are something that teachers and students are using and practising in their daily social interactions and when problems need to be resolved. Across the program we are learning about the “keys to success” which are: PERSISTENCE, ORGANISATION, GETTING ALONG, CONFIDENCE and RESLIENCE.

Arina – COONFIDENCE is taking pride in yourself and what you do. It is believing that you can be successful when you have a go.

Anthony – RESILEINCE is being able to get back up and have another go at something. It’s okay to make a mistake and start again.

Jye – OGRANSISATION is keeping your workspace tidy and getting ready to learn.

Sam – GETTING ALONG is not arguing and being able to work and play with different people, not just your best friends.

Maddie – PERSISTENCE is when you keep going and keep trying even when something is difficult.

To the Book Fair and Beyond! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming soon so get ready for some out-of-this-world excitement! You’ll go where no reader has gone before as you explore the coolest array of books in the cosmos. This stellar reading celebration will run in the library from 25 May - 28 May. Just visit the Fair with your family and you will go in the draw to win FREE BOOKS! This is one far-out event that you won’t want to miss!

Throughout Term One teachers have been working with Chris Higgins from Catholic Education and myself to improve our teaching practices in Mathematics. At the core of this teachers have been collecting and analysing data from student assessment and from observations in their classrooms. This process has been fruitful so far and all of our teachers have been working extremely hard to meet the needs of our students. We will be working with Chris again throughout this term. 

We also have a Numeracy Working Party made up of teachers from across all grades who ensure Numeracy goals are being met in our Annual School Improvement Plan. We also have small individual goals in this team which help address the areas of improvement needed across the school.

Writing in 2RR

The students in 2RR have been busy learning different strategies they can use to improve their writing. Last week they wrote and published a  recount of their school holidays and they are amazing. Sophie A and James G share their thoughts on writing. 

A great day was had at AIS for Joel M (5E), Fletcher B (6J), Annabelle F (6H) and Arina M (6J). Results will be published in Week 3 Newsletter.

Volunteer opportunities for "Canteen Volunteers - Term 2 -  2021" are now open.

Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:

volunteersignup.org/XF84H

To sign up just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do.

Thank you for volunteering!

Walk Safely to School Day- Friday 14 May

Now in its 22nd year, Walk Safely to School Day is happening on Friday 14 May 2021. National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is an annual event when all Primary School children will be encouraged to walk and commute safely to school. It is a Community Event seeking to promote Road Safety, Health, Public Transport and the Environment. On arrival to school, students who complete their walk or ride to school will be provided with a light snack. Students may even wish to organise a group to walk or ride to school together. Please see the flyer attached or access the website below for more information.

Happy Birthday to the following students  celebrating a Birthday this week 

Patrick H, Raylah O, Oliver V, Maddison C, Paige H, Catherine V, Ella F, Leila M, Eliana D, Braxton N, Scarlett B

If you have any ideas or concerns please email them through to our Secretary Noel Chan at council.stmonicas@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Reminder all families: 

Catholic Education COVID-19 Website - Click to open web updates