Filter Content
- Thank You - Emma Russell
- Weekly Happenings
- Principal's Message
- RE News - Haley Stonham
- Saint of the Week - Haley Stonham
- Parish Sacramental News
- Remote Learning - Kid's DIY Week
- Just Like You Program
- Library News - Veronica Melville
- Star Awards for Week 6
- Star Awards for Week 9
- Happy Birthday
- Community Council News - Evelyn David-Hoole
- COVID-19 Updates
- Parent Corner
A shout out and huge thanks to those in our St Monica’s Community who are supporting the wider community as essential workers.
It is so important that we support each other during this time, no matter what our role.
It’s important to look after yourself during this time. Check out these useful tips to remember
| Thursday 9 September |
R U OK? Day |
| Friday 10 September |
Online Wellbeing Day Magic Mike - Tune in for the magic Show Footy Finals - Wear your team colours to your class meeting Star Awards - Published in this week's newsletter |
| Tuesday 17 September |
Virtual Inclusion - Inclusion |
Dear Parents
R U OK? Day (Thursday 9 September 2021) is our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?” and support those struggling with life's ups and downs.
As part of our Remote Learning program the teachers have been asked to check in on families regularly with a phone call and/or emails. We have very much appreciated your positive feedback regarding our current approach to learning and engagement with the children. What we have discovered is that we have a number of families who are struggling due to news regarding a sick family member, relative or friend. For many, they are unable to visit a loved one in hospital or have an interstate family visit to provide support. We keep all those families in our prayers. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need support.
With only one more week to go in Term 3, I am very aware that everyone is getting very tired - teachers, children and parents. Go gently as I know everyone is anxious about what is happening in Term 4. Lots are asking, "Will there be more remote learning?" At this stage, we are not expecting an answer from the Chief Minister or our Director until the first week of the holiday. However, the teachers are currently planning for at least the first two weeks as remote learning as we want to be prepared. We are currently considering our return to school approach and what it will look like. This will be influenced by the current vaccination rate within the community and restrictions set in place across Canberra. Many of our Term 4 calendar events are now on hold until we have a clearer pathway ahead. Continue to check your Compass Parent Portal for regular updates and arrangements.
Magic Mike - the Magician
Be ready on Friday to tune into your virtual incursion with Magic Mike. Session links will be sent to the children via Teams on Friday morning. Mike is hosting three fun-filled sessions appropriate to the various grade levels. This is the children's wellbeing treat for the term.
Council Support
At our Community Council meeting on Wednesday night, Council members once again approved the spending of P&F funds to purchase an additional $3000 worth of reading material across all year levels. These books will replace the many well read books that support our class and home reading programs. Thank you so much.
Several general reminders
- Remember to check your child's weekly schedule; they are sent out on Fridays via Compass. This will help you organise your week.
- Children are expected to attend their daily class meeting, their scheduled small groups session/s and submit quality work to be registered by their class teacher as attending school for the day.
- Please send through an absentee notification via Compass, if your child is sick and is unable to report in for their daily check in sessions or submit any work.
- In an effort to keep everyone safe and maintain our Remote Learning programs we only have a few staff at school each day. They are providing supervision and support to children whose parents are emergency essential workers or are in a vulnerable situation requiring support.
- If you need to send your child, advise the school via email as soon as possible. This helps with our organisation and communication with their class teacher.
- School counselling is continuing. Please refer to the attached document should you require support.
Other Support Available
Screen Time During Remote Learning
COVID Fee Relief
Catholic Education will again support families who have been financially impacted as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Term 3. The position of Catholic Education is that no child will be denied a Catholic education because of financial circumstances. For more information refer to the message in your Compass Parent Portal or contact carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au
Families Leaving
School Check-in
Welcome to the world
Continue to stay COVID safe and may God's blessing be with everyone.
Principal
Following on from St Francis, there are some great ways to pray and celebrate all of God’s creation. Talking with Ms Rheinberger yesterday, she said that on her walks she is trying to really see all that is around her. She is taking photos of the wonder that maybe she had not really seen before. This got me thinking!
It is spring – many flowers are out, and new life is all around us. How are you and your family really seeing God’s wondrous creation? Yesterday Jay, Emily and I went on a bike ride. The path runs alongside the upper Queanbeyan river. We noticed that the river was quite high and was running faster than our last bike ride. It was beautiful!
We are still in lockdown – there is nothing we can do at the moment to change that. What we can do, is take our 1-2hrs of exercise time to feel the sunshine on our skin and open our eyes to the wonder of God’s creation that is abundant in Canberra. I would love to see the wonder of creation that we see in our part of Canberra!
Birth/death: Birth:1181 Death: 1226
Patron Saint of Animals, Merchants and Ecology
Feast Day: October 4
Francis enjoyed a very rich and easy life growing up because of his father’s wealth and permissiveness. Francis was loved by everyone and was a confident, happy child who was a born leader. If he was picky, people excused him. If he was ill, people took care of him. As he grew up, Francis became the leader of a crowd of young people who spent their nights at wild parties. He has reflected on this time as “living in sin”.
Francis fell in love with the country France. He loved the songs of France, the romance of France, and especially the adventure that France had to offer. Francis was also very good at business. During this time, he wanted more than wealth – he wanted to be a noble, a knight. Francis believed that it was in battle that would bring him the glory he sought after. He got his first chance when Assisi declared war on their long time enemy, the nearby town of Perugia.
Most of the troops from Assisi died in the fight. Francis survived but was taken prisoner by the enemy. After a year, he was ransomed and returned to his partying life as though nothing had changed. The battle didn’t change what he wanted from life either – and that was Glory! Finally, there was a call for Knights for the Fourth Crusade. He answered this call as it gave him a chance to live out his dream. Before he could go, Francis had to have a suit of armour made – which was no problem as he was the son of a rich father! He had his suit of armour decorated with gold with a magnificent cloak.
Before he left Assisi, Francis had a dream in which God told him he had it all wrong and told him to return home. Francis listened to God and returned home. Francis was humiliated and was laughed at by the town for not going to battle, for spending a grand amount of money on his armour and called a coward.
Francis’ conversion did not happen overnight. God had waited for him for over 25 years. Francis began to spend more time in prayer, waiting – listening for God. He went off to a cave and wept for his sins. One day, while out riding, Francis came face to face with a leper. He was repulsed by the man but got down from his horse and kissed the hand of the leper. When his kiss of peace was returned, Francis was filled with joy. As he rode off, he turned around and the leper had disappeared. He looked at this as a test from God, which he had passed.
Eventually, Francis started a religious order. His brotherhood practised honour, respect and love to every person whether they were poor or the Pope. His brotherhood also included all of creation. Francis felt that nature, all of God’s creations, were part of his brotherhood. There are many stories of Francis talking with birds and calming wolves.
Many years later, after living a life of preaching and wandering, Francis became ill and started to go blind. He never recovered from the illness and died on October 4, 1226. Francis is considered the founder of all Franciscan orders and the patron saint of ecologists and merchants.
Quote:
“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows” – St Augustine
Sacrament of Confirmation – Change of Dates
Due to the current COVID lockdown in the ACT the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation has been postponed from Term 3 to Term 4.
Dates will be advised as soon as they are finalised and will be published via the school bulletins and 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 sue.coll@bigpond.com with the information as soon as possible.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Parent Information Night
Parent Information Night will be held on Thursday 7 October via zoom. Please note this is the first week of school in Term 4.
The zoom access for this meeting is https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/66013617186 and this link will also be listed on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth in the week of the meeting.
The Sacrament will be celebrated on 9, 10, 11 November 2021 (additional information will be advised via the school bulletins in Term 4).
Registration for the Sacrament
Registration will open on Monday 13 September and close by Monday 25 October 2021. Registration and payment must be made through the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Qkr! App.
Commitment Masses
Dates will be advised once more information is available post lockdown.
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
Updates during the School Holidays will be on the Parish Website (address above).
Next Tuesday our students in Years 3-6 will participate in a 45 minute Just Like You workshop. Just Like You came to St Monica's in 2019 to promote the importance of inclusion and was a great success. The students will be provided with the link for a Teams meeting at the following times:
9:00-9:45: Year 3
10:00-10:45: Year 5
11:30-12:15: Year 4
12:30-1:15: Year 6
Australian Reading Hour 2021 will be celebrated on Tuesday 14 September 2021. "Australian Reading Hour 2021 celebrates the stories that matter and explores the role of storytelling in transforming lives and shaping our sense of identity, belonging and understanding- as individuals and as a nation.” Host your own Australian Reading Hour. This is a great opportunity for families to spend some time engaging with stories together by sharing a story or individually sitting with a book for an hour at some stage during the day. This is a great way to look after our well being by relaxing and escaping for all that has been happening during lockdown. The website has ideas and resources for families. Follow along and join in @australiareads on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
| Class | Student | Focus | Reason |
| KB | Zoe P | Others | For being a kind, supportive and calm friend to her KB classmates when we commenced lockdown. Thank you for looking out for others! |
| KB | Archer P | Myself | For using his sounds to stretch out tricky words in his sentences and build his writing stamina. You should feel so proud of your effort Archer! |
| KCH | Valentino A | Myself | For using his sentence starters to complete interesting sentences that were written neatly and clearly. Fantastic effort Tino! |
| KCH | Leonardo S | Myself | For taking on extra Maths challenges during remote learning. You wrote out your numbers all the way to 102 in the correct order and with neat numeral formation. Way to go Leo! |
| 1BH | Billy K | Myself | For taking greater care with his written work. Billy is thinking clearly about his ideas and editing his work once he has finished. Well done! |
| 1BH | Jacob O | Others | Jacob has shown the footstep of engagement by making new friendships within the classroom. He is sharing his ideas with his peers and has been a loyal friend to others. |
| 1BH | Matthew P | Others | Matthew shows the footstep of respect by listening when others are speaking, showing excellent manners and being an encouraging friend. |
| 1R | Dominic G | Myself | For his persistence and improvement with his reading. |
| 1R | Aria K | Myself | Settling well into 1R and her ability to cope with the many changes/challenges she has faced. |
| 1R | Alessandro S | Myself | For his engagement in tasks during Home Learning. What a Home Learning Superstar! |
| 2E | Mitchell C | Myself | For the way you engage in your learning and always give your best! What a positive growth mindset you have! |
| 2E | Phoebe D | Others | For the way you notice and step in to care for all those around you. What a caring and nurturing classmate you are! |
| 2RR | Alec F | Our Surroundings | For always reaching out to those around him and being a kind and considerate friend to others in the class. |
| 2RR | Ryan W | Myself | For making a fabulous effort to always work to the best of his ability in the classroom and at home in remote learning. |
| 3CF | Christian M | Our Surroundings | For always helping others making sure our classroom is always neat, tidy and ready for work! |
| 3CF | Louis T | Myself | For giving things a go even when you find things challenging. Keep it up! |
| 3LG | Lucas B | Myself | Showing the footsteps of engagement and growth by listening carefully, asking questions and completing his best work. |
| 3LG | Eden L | Myself | Showing the footsteps of resilience and growth by completing challenging tasks and asking questions to help with understanding. |
| 4M | Tessa S | Others | For always checking in with her friends to make sure they are happy and on the right track. |
| 4M | Jett S | Others | For supporting his classmates by encouraging them to do their best and assisting them with their work. |
| 4R | Elliott B | Myself | Engaging in all class activities with enthusiasm. |
| 4R | Ella K | Others | Becoming a valued member of 4R. |
| 4R | Jacob P | Myself | Working hard to be engaged in all activities and discussions. |
| 4SG | Ramia B | Others | For checking in with others during our first few weeks of remote learning and asking how they were. Thank you Ramia! |
| 4SG | Aria F | Myself | For always asking thoughtful, clarifying questions and showing resilience during our first few weeks of remote learning - what a great example for our class! |
| 5EM | Vsevolod K | Our Surroundings | His pride and care for our school, both as an environment and a community. Vsevolod always works to make our school the best possible place! |
| 5EM | Dallas M | Myself | The hard work he puts into all his learning! Dallas puts a consistent effort into everything he does, and I hope that he is proud of his achievements! |
| 5MM | Cody M | Others | For always thinking about the needs of others and ensuring he treats people with respect. |
| 5MM | Mason N | Myself | For his improvement in Maths and always giving it a go before asking for assistance. |
| 6J | Gabe J | Myself | Applying his time management skills and working on his home learning task promptly. Little by little, Gabe is completing each section. So good to see! |
| 6J | Yianni K | Others | Engaging during remote learning by responding to his peer's questions and encouraging others to get their learning done. What a supporter! |
| 6H | Isabella P | Others | Always showing respect and being willing to set the example to others as a Year 6 leader. |
| 6H | Jasper T | Myself | Showing maturity and growth by applying yourself more readily in learning and social situations. |
| 6M | Finn D | Myself | For stepping out of his comfort zone and performing his awesome rap for the class. |
| 6M | Declan H | Our Surroundings | For consistently showing initiative in looking after our classroom environment, identifying what needs to be done and volunteering to help out. |
| Class | Student | Focus | Reason |
| KB | Jade A-C | Myself | For working incredibly hard and showing persistence when completing her writing tasks during remote learning. You should feel very proud of your effort! |
| KB | Hugh B | Myself | For learning to tackle his remote learning tasks with minimal help. Well done listening carefully to the instructions and always trying your best. You are a champion learner! |
| KCH | Lucy D | Myself | For completing all remote learning tasks with care and pride. Lucy has shown great improvement in her writing skills and confidence to share her work. What an amazing learner you are! |
| KCH | Elijah L | Myself | For showing initiative with his home learning. Especially when sharing his completed Maths challenges and Science experiments. |
| 1BH | Jamie L | Myself | It is lovely to see Jamie's enthusiasm towards remote learning during our daily whole class connect. She shows engagement in all tasks and continuously produces her best work. Great Work Jamie! |
| 1BH | Bonnie C | Myself | Bonnie has completed her maths tasks accurately and confidently during remote learning. She is showing initiative to complete her work on time. Keep it up Bonnie! |
| 1BH | Kane O | Myself | Kane has shown a high level of engagement with all of his learning tasks. He takes pride in the work he submits and perseveres when tasks are challenging. Well Done Kane! |
| 1R | Dieron B | Myself | For your effort and enthusiasm to stay focused and complete Home Learning tasks. What a superstar! |
| 1R | William H | Myself | For your improvement with writing during Home Learning. You are writing in more detail and remembering your punctuation. Well done Will! |
| 1R | Agamveer M | Myself | For your improvement with writing during Home Learning. You are trying your best to write neatly and add more detail. |
| 2E | Harriett B | Myself | For the care you take with your work and engaging in remote discussions respectfully. |
| 2E | Lola B | Myself | For engaging in your learning and taking on remote learning so enthusiastically. |
| 2RR | Andreas K | Myself | For persevering with his remote learning activities and showing a positive attitude to his learning. You have demonstrated a Growth Mindset on many occasions and should be proud of your achievements this term. Well done! |
| 2RR | Layla H | Myself | For displaying a positive attitude to her remote learning activities and taking on board the feedback given to her from her teachers. Your smiling face has been a "ray of sunshine" in our class Teams meetings. Well done! |
| 3CF | Adeline B | Myself | For working hard on remote learning set tasks and helping others in her house to complete their learning tasks. |
| 3CF | Daniel H | Myself | For the fantastic effort, he has put into completing all remote learning tasks! |
| 3LG | Piero C | Myself | The effort he has put into remote learning, by engaging and submitting his best work. |
| 3LG | Alexis B | Myself | The interest she has shown towards remote learning, by engaging in class meetings and submitting her best work. |
| 3LG | Lachlan D | Myself | The effort he has put into remote learning, by engaging and submitting his best work. |
| 4M | Flynn G | Myself | For working hard to achieve his online learning goals. |
| 4M | Toby Mc | Myself | For applying himself in every meeting and putting in 100% effort to complete his work. |
| 4R | Lisia F-J | Myself | For being engaged and focused during remote learning. |
| 4R | Paddy K | Others | For being present and engaged during our class and group meetings. |
| 4SG | Ivana P | Myself | For using the footsteps of Respect, Resilience and Engagement during remote learning to continue her Growth during Term 3! |
| 4SG | Adriano M | Myself | For using the footsteps of Respect, Resilience and Engagement during remote learning to continue his Growth during Term 3! |
| 5EM | Sophie C | Myself | For her hard work in all our remote learning and for going the extra mile in adding detail to her work! Your care and attention to your work is very much appreciated by your teachers! |
| 5EM | Sophie S | Myself | For taking the time to ask great questions about her work and ensuring that everything she does is the very best it can be! Her inquisitive spirit often helps other people to understand their own work better! |
| 5EM | Joel M | Others | For his great work in so much of our online learning and his upbeat contributions to all our class and small group meetings, where he works hard to bring joy to other people's days! |
| 5MM | Zak D | Myself | Using the footstep of engagement to improve his reading comprehension skills during remote learning and always giving his best effort. |
| 5MM | Lucas S | Myself | Improving his standard of work in remote learning and using the footstep of resilience to ask for help. |
| 6J | Fletcher B | Myself | Engaging with and going deeper in the Confirmation Retreat Day whilst helping others come to know Jesus too. |
| 6J | Samantha S | Myself | Getting work done, attending small group sessions during remote learning and being adaptable to the changing situations positively. |
| 6H | Ashton Mc | Myself | For his hard work and effort during remote learning. |
| 6M | Michael H | Myself | For his engagement and perseverance in completing learning tasks to a high standard during remote learning. |
| 6M | Jade W | Myself | For engaging with great commitment and perseverance in Maths during remote learning. |
Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating a Birthday this week
Drew G, Ainsleigh M, Ciresa K, Archie S, Louis T
Community Council Meeting via MS teams for Council Members is tonight at 7.00pm.
If you have any ideas or concerns please email them through to our Secretary Noel Chan at council.stmonicas@cg.catholic.edu.au