St Monica’s Primary School - Evatt eNewsletter

Friday 20 August	2.30 Looking at how we can announce the Star Awards
Friday 27 August	Class Meetings Virtual Book Parade

Dear Parents

I trust everyone is looking after themselves as I know it is a very anxious time for everyone. When possible please enjoy the beautiful weather by taking a walk or playing a family game in the yard. Like everyone my morning routine now consists of checking the ACT Health website for daily updates of the contact sites around Canberra. I am aware that many people have been notified to be tested in recent days, due to several contact locations being identified in our local school area.

As we are in a hard lockdown only minimal staff are be at school each day. The teachers and support staff rostered to attend school will provide support, guidance and care for those children at school. We have arranged for most teachers and support staff to work from home to deliver the remote learning programs. This is a change to our 2020 approach where most staff were able to work at school.

Please reach out if you are experiencing issues with remote learning as we do not want this to add additional pressure to your day. We have endeavoured to scale back the learning demands at home, knowing parents are also trying to work from home. Please contact the school if you still require a device for home use and if you are experiencing any technical problems with the iPad we have assigned to your family. There is bound to be teething problems so that is what this week is all about - getting everyone online, organised and setting up a routine. Thank you for your patience as I know the staff are working very hard to respond to all your questions.

Remote Learning Engagement

The teachers are required to keep a roll of student engagement and your child's attendance at MS Teams class and small group meetings. Should your child be sick or not able to access their days learning, it is very important to submit an absentee note, via Compass or send an email, so that our records reflect the reason for no engagement.

Families Leaving

It is that time of year when I am required to submit our expected enrolment numbers for 2022 to Catholic Education. If you are aware your child will not be returning to St Monica's in 2022, please advise via email as soon as possible.

School Check-in

Parents and visitors must check-in via our CBR Check-in app and our Compass Kiosk, both located in the school foyer, if entering the school.

We are here to help and support our families so please do not hesitate to contact me directly - carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au

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

Carmel Maguire

Principal

Saint of the Week

Name: St Therese of Lisieux

Lived: 1873 - 1897

Patron Saint of missions and florists

Feast Day: 1^st October

Bio: Therese was born in France in 1873, the pampered daughter of a mother who had wanted to be a saint and a father who had wanted to be monk. Her parents had nine children, five of which were girls who were all very close.

Tragedy and loss came quickly to Therese when her mother died of breast cancer when she was four and a half years old. Her sixteen-year-old sister Pauline became her second mother -- which made the second loss even worse when Pauline entered the Carmelite convent five years later. A few months later, Therese became so ill with a fever that people thought she was dying.

The worst part of it for Therese was all the people sitting around her bed staring at her like, she said, "a string of onions." When Therese saw her sisters praying to statue of Mary in her room, Therese also prayed. She saw Mary smile at her and suddenly she was cured. She tried to keep the grace of the cure secret, but people found out and badgered her with questions about what Mary was wearing, what she looked like. When she refused to give in to their curiosity, they passed the story that she had made the whole thing up.

Without realising it, by the time she was eleven years old she had developed the habit of mental prayer. She would find a place between her bed and the wall and in that solitude think about God, life, eternity.

Therese would often have emotional outbursts and would cry at the tiniest things. She really wanted to join the Carmelite convent but was worried that others would think she would be able to handle the rigour of a Carmelite life. So she prayed to Jesus for the inner strength to handle life’s emotions.

After her conversion at Christmas, where her emotional fortitude was tested and she succeeded through prayer, Therese joined the Carmelite convent where her sisters were. However, the Mother superior refused to take her because she was so young. Therese decided to go to the Bishop to ask for his approval. She was refused again! This time she went to the Vicar General, who was so impressed by her courage, gave his blessing to join the Carmelite convent where her sisters were.

Not long after this, Therese’s father suffered a series of strokes that affected him physically and mentally. He was taken to an insane asylum and as a cloistered nun, Therese was unable to visit him. This upset her greatly and affected her ability to pray. It was during this time that she began showing her love through small deeds. The small deed was to spread flowers, which she considered a small sacrifice. Therese was also known as the “little flower".

Quote:

“Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.”

Sacramental Program 2021

Sacrament of Confirmation for eligible Year 6 students – will be celebrated on:
- 7 September in St Michael’s Church at 6pm
- 8 September in St Monica’s Church at 6pm
- 9 September in St Monica’s Church at 6pm

Trybooking – is open for you to book your family for the service you have chosen. The links to book the service are listed on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Saint’s Name and Sponsor

If you have not indicated this information on your registration form – could you please send an email to sc.belconnennorthg@cg.org.au with the information as soon as possible.

Covid Restrictions

Updates regarding Covid restrictions relating to the Sacrament of Confirmation will be provided in the school bulletins and on the Parish website.

Further Information

Please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au or check the parish website for updates at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Last week we published our daily guide in preparation should the ACT go into lockdown without realising it would happen the following day.

Now that you've experienced two days of remote learning we're wondering how it's going? Is the daily guide, weekly overviews, remote learning website, MS Teams and Google Classroom or Seesaw working?

If you have any feedback from a parent perspective we would love to hear from you.

Remote_Learning_2021_Preparation_Letter_to_Families.pdf

Remote_Learning_2021_Preparation_Letter_to_Families _pdf 160.80 KB

Good Communication

In Year 2 this term we have been enjoying lessons that incorporate different aspects of social awareness. We have been identifying practical ways to care for others and ways of making and keeping friends. We have been developing an understanding that part of getting along is listening attentively to others.

Five Good Listening Rules

Look at the person who is talking

Listen and don’t interrupt

Ask questions to find out more

Nod or say something to show you understand

Repeat what you have heard in your own words

Being a good friend doesn’t mean you always have all the right words to say. Sometimes it means you just know when to be a good listener.

Due to our current lockdown we have made the decision to postpone teaching the remainder of the protective behaviours unit in K-6 and commencing the puberty unit in 5/6. These are both learning areas that require face to face teaching in the supports of the school environment.

We would encourage our parents in Years 5 and 6 to continue to engage with the My Body, My Life home program in preparation for the puberty program commencing on our return to school.

Puberty_Parent_Letter_2021.pdf

Puberty_Parent_Letter_2021 _pdf 175.56 KB

The allocated time for reading during remote learning is 25 minutes each day. This can be broken up throughout the day and should include a combination of your child reading aloud to someone and reading to themselves.

If you have run out of reading resources at home remember there are plenty of them online.

Our school has many subscriptions so please check them out.

Click on the link for school log in details.

School Subscriptions for Reading

KINDERGARTEN AND YEAR 1 PARENTS

There is a great set of decodable readers by Little Learners Love Literacy available to download for free at the Apple Store until the end of September. Titles include Pip and Tim and The Wiz Kids.

Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Announcement

Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week starts on Saturday 21 August. The Book of the year will be announced this Friday at noon. The announcement will be live streamed or can be watched later, https://cbca.org.au/news/the-2021-cbca-book-of-the-year-awards-are-coming

Virtual Book Week Parade

On Friday 27 August students will be able to wear a mask or even dress up as a book character for their whole group meeting. This is a chance for the students to be creative with the theme in designing their mask. The theme opens a world of possible whether it be other cultures, an ancient world, or aliens or a book character from an old world, new world or other world. Dont forget to have your book ready to show everyone

Reading and Sora

The students have been able to borrow extra books for the remote learning. If they read all these books, they can access eBooks and audio books. Your ACEN Overdrive and Sora eBook/audiobook online system is accessible to you with your CE network login 24/7.

The ACEN OverDrive website is located at http://acen.lib.overdrive.com or by searching in the Apple store or Google Play for the OverDrive app. (link). When asked to search for a library, click to search by ‘Name’, not location, and then search for ‘ACEN’.

Belconnen Athletics

Due to the current lockdown the Belconnen Carnival has been postponed indefinitely. I will advise of a new date and arrangements when we have the information. Thank you to the 9 parents who volunteered to help, I will be in touch when the carnival is rescheduled. All other school sport events have been postponed until further notice as well.

Oz Tag

Last week we were lucky enough to squeeze in the Oz Tag Gala Days. On Wednesday we had 4 boys teams compete. Mr McFadden, Mr Fletcher and our parents reported that all students played with fantastic skill and showed tremendous team spirit. On Thursday I attended with our 5/6 girls team who played really well as a team and with great sportsmanship. While we did not have any teams make it through to finals games, all teams had some great wins and close losses. Special thanks to Mark Field, Mel Wrenford, Simon Carey, Erin Gilligan and Jonno McPhllips for coaching our teams on the day.

Physical Activity in Lockdown

As we are in lockdown for the next few weeks it is so important to get out and exercise as a family. Ideas to keep active include:

Go for a family bike ride
Go for a walk around your neighbourhood
Play a game in the backyard
Set up an obstacle course around the backyard- see who completes it the fastest
Do some skipping and running

Some resources that you could access:

Cosminc Kids Yoga- https://www.youtube.com/cosmickidsyoga
PE with Joe- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyCLoPd4VxBsXs1WmPcektsQyFbXTf9FO
Go Noodle- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyCLoPd4VxBsXs1WmPcektsQyFbXTf9FO

Fees for Term 3 were due on Monday 16 August, if not paying by instalments or direct debit.

In line with our St Monica's Way, our Stars for 2021 will take on a new approach. This year through our St Monica's Stars we will emphasise the ways we live out

Respect, Resilience, Engagement and Growth

through a focus on

Myself - Academic

Others - Social

Our Surroundings - Community

so we come to know Jesus.

Class	Student	Focus
KB	Zoe P	Others
KB	Archer P	Myself
KCH	Valentino A	Myself
KCH	Leonardo S	Myself
1BH	Billy K	Myself
1BH	Jacob O	Others
1BH	Matthew P	Others
1R	Dominic G	Myself
1R	Aria K	Myself
1R	Alessandro S	Myself
2E	Mitchell C	Myself
2E	Phoebe D	Others
2RR	Alec F	Our Surroundings
2RR	Ryan W	Myself
3CF	Christian M	Our Surroundings
3CF	Louis T	Myself
3LG	Lucas B	Myself
3LG	Eden L	Myself
4M	Tessa S	Others
4M	Jett S	Others
4R	Elliott B	Myself
4R	Ella K	Others
4R	Jacob P	Myself
4SG	Ramia B	Others
4SG	Aria F	Myself
5EM	Vsevolod K	Our Surroundings
5EM	Dallas M	Myself
5MM	Cody M	Others
5MM	Mason N	Myself
6J	Gabe J	Myself
6J	Yianni K	Others
6H	Isabella P	Others
6H	Jasper T	Myself
6M	Finn D	Myself
6M	Declan H	Our Surroundings

Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating a Birthday this week

Aidan H, Amelia H, Stacey L, Amour A, Daniela S, Levi T, Cooper D, Jack R

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

insights_prioritising_mental_health_in_the_digital_world _pdf 144.12 KB

Snooker.pdf

Snooker _pdf 389.67 KB

Reminder all families:

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