Dear Parents

My final St Monica's newsletter and must say I'm a little lost for words. So many thank yous and goodbyes are occurring this week. Please take the time to read the school magazine sent home today as it captures in words and pictures my thoughts and reflections. It has been a privilege and very special to lead such a beautiful community. 

Staff Farewells

I wish the staff leaving all the very best as they have contributed so much to the community. 

• Luke Donnelly - St Thomas More's as Principal
• Christopher Evans - Rosary, Watson
• Bob Fletcher - retiring to enjoy the family and hoddies at home
• Jamie Austin - further study

Principal  

Words just can't express how overwhelmed I am feeling with the beautiful expressions of thanks and reflection on my time at St Monica's. It only feels like yesterday that I walked through the doors and now I'm leaving. I have been blessed with thirteen amazing years filled with so many memories, as became very clear on Monday night with how the years were reflected on. The song created and shared by the choir captured is only a snapshot of my amazing journey. Thanks to to the creators - very clever.

To the staff and community for the beautiful artwork that captures not only the St Monica's Footsteps in the sand but reminds me to place my life in the hands of God.

For the beautiful Pandora bracelet and charms selected, it will be worn daily as a permanent reminder of the special place St Monica's holds in my heart.  The charms and the reasons for the selection - 

• Tree of life/family tree - representing growth and the St Monica's family.
• Owl - to represent your wisdom shared with our children, staff and parents.
• A thankful heart.
• Horseshoe and four-leaf clover - wishing you the best of luck in your new school.
• Globe - You mean the world to us and no matter where you go, we remain connected.
• Inspirational stars - Dream It. Wish it. Do it.
• Cross - a symbol of faith.
• Princess cut charm - just because it is pretty.

To the children for my beautiful books of reflections which I enjoy reading and will treasure. 

It was lovely to see families gather on Monday in a way we haven’t been able to do for quite some time. On Monday we celebrate Christmas and also farewelled staff, with a special farewell to Carmel who are led our community over the last 13 years.  Carmel and Luke have undertaken significant work to further increase the standard of teaching and learning at St Monica’s and through their work have situated us well to move to forward. I’m sure the community is both immensely grateful and will miss all the staff we have farewelled.  

I know we are winding down for a break and some rest over the holidays but I’d like you to ruminate on our lovely community and consider how you can get involved next year.  I’m sure many of you know that research shows that children have increased academic and social benefits from school when their families are engaged in their learning. When your kids see you engage with their schooling, they see firsthand how much you value education.  I understand that families have busy lives at work, at home and with other communities that they are a part of.  And as such we have a varied number of opportunities for involvement with differing levels of time commitment. I will highly recommend our school fete which is such a fun day but only occurs with the help of a large team of volunteers.

Volunteering at St Monica’s also provides you with a better sense of the total education picture, and what is happening at school.  I’ve been privileged to be on council for the last 6 years and have gained an appreciation of the staff we have here and an understanding of all the behind the scenes work they undertake to deliver engaging and customised education to each child.    

Lastly, the most important benefit of volunteering is the opportunity to connect with the lovely families we have here. Getting involved provides parents/siblings/grandparents an opportunity to engage and connect with students and other families in this lovely community. There will be connections made with families here that outlast your child’s time here at school. 

On behalf of the community council I wish you a merry Christmas and a safe and restful break. Blessings, Evelyn.

Our 2022 Staffing Guide

Haley Stonham (Monday - Wednesday)	Helen Houghton (Thursday & Friday)
Yvette Rosenfeld (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday)	Viviana Dawe (Thursday)

Clare Battye (Monday to Friday)

Yesterday we presented our annual Year 6 Awards at a ceremony attended by the school outside. We also introduced a fourth award - The Footsteps of St Monica, Carmel Maguire Award. This award ensures that our Footsteps of St Monica and Carmel's legacy will live on for many years to come.

Congratulations to the well-deserving award recipients.

Amour Anyang - The Footsteps of St Monica Carmel Maguire Award 2021

Amour is a respectful, resilient and committed leader who has demonstrated considerable academic and personal growth in her time at St Monica’s. Amour has consistently shown respect for herself in her strong work ethic and her pursuit of excellence. She has a genuine concern and consistently engages for improvement in the wellbeing of others, our school community and for the world around her. Amour often sees a need long before others and steps in to make things right - whether it be picking up rubbish, assisting in the canteen or helping younger students on the playground. She always strives to be inclusive and is not afraid to call out injustice where she finds it. Amour has maintained her infectious enthusiasm and sense of humour despite the challenges of 2021. During remote learning, her positive attitude and willingness to support others at school earned her the respect and admiration of staff and students. She is an outstanding role model who embodies the footsteps of St Monica.

Bella Pope – Academic Achievement Award

Bella is a meticulous and creative student who always puts her unique mark on everything she does. She always goes the extra mile to produce work to the highest standard. Bella approaches learning tasks with a positive attitude and seeks out ways to improve and challenge herself. Bella takes on any feedback given by teachers to improve the quality of her work. She works well independently and has a positive attitude towards her learning. Bella is excellent at collaborating with her peers in group situations and is a team player, defining and accepting roles and responsibilities. She actively participates in whole class, small group and paired discussions, with her ideas being thoughtful and insightful. In addition to her excellent scholastic achievements, Bella is involved in many extracurricular activities such as Maths Olympiad, Lit Quiz and Youth Ministry. She has also managed to successfully balance her schoolwork with a rigorous callisthenics dance program. Bella is to be commended on all she has accomplished in primary school and is encouraged to  continue her excellent academic achievements into high school and beyond.

Annabelle Field – Pastoral Care/ Christian Values Award

Annabelle is a highly motivated and intrinsic learner. She displays excellent leadership qualities and embodies the many values that we look for at St Monica’s. She shows a deep and heartfelt commitment to equality, fair play, tolerance and compassion.  As a part of her role as a Sports Captain, Annabelle has developed and led small and whole school activities. She has guided and led younger students and has been a model of leadership for her peers. Annabelle is deeply and personally committed to Christ’s message of service to others, showing this through her actions. She shows dedication in even the smallest of tasks, working as a mediator, organiser and leader to ensure that groups and friends get along and get their work done.

Archie Stirling - Citizenship award 2021

Archie has been an exemplary Year 6 leader who has consistently demonstrated a positive attitude towards his peers, school and the wider St Monica’s community. He has been an enthusiastic participant in all aspects of school life - particularly sporting pursuits - and has sought opportunities to be of service to others. An outstanding team player both on and off the field, he is inclusive and collaborative and is willing to make personal sacrifices for the greater good. He is caring and compassionate towards others which has earned him the respect and admiration of his peers. Archie’s passion for history has enabled him to think deeply about issues of local and global significance and develop an appreciation of civic responsibility. He has tremendous strength of character, personal integrity and the courage to stand up for what is right. He has a strong sense of responsibility for himself and those around him, and a maturity beyond his years.

Congratulations to the following children who represented the ACT in the following areas of interest and enjoyment.

The following items are not included as part of the supply pack provided to each child. Please send in or provide in the first week in Term 1. The school will be providing covers for the exercise books so you do not need to purchase contact.

Thank you to all the Year 5 families who contributed to making the Year 6 farewell lunch a very special event.  Whether you donated your time, money, decorations, drinks, chips or lollies, it was all utilised to put on a fantastic and memorable lunch for our wonderful Year 6 children.  Special mention goes to Rowena Thompson and Daniela Agnello for their time and effort to coordinate the decorations; Kath Stiller, Simone Hogan, Daniela Agnello, Megan Rhind, Evelyn David-Hoole and Chris Regan for your time to make lolly bags and wrap cutlery and serviettes; Rowena Thompson, Alyce Miletic, Megan Rhind, Simone Hogan, Viki O’Brien and Chris Regan for decorating our hall so beautifully; Elena Kolie for our superb rocket ship prop; and Katherine O’Sullivan, Fiona Steinberg, Katarina Pilatic, Jacinda Vaughan, Kirsty Godschalx and Chris Regan for food preparation and serving.  It certainly takes the efforts of a village to make a successful community event and I think that our Year 6 students would agree that this was an amazing and special function.  Many people went over and above with their generosity, some giving both cash, goodies and time, thank you especially to the Nott family for your generous gift.  There was a whole lot of love put into this event.  Special thanks to Alex A, Brock S, Jack R, Ellie V and Zarah for help with the lolly bags for the fun day and special place mats too.  I would like to recommend Take Make Bake, (Lara) a local cookie creator in Fraser for the lovely cookies for the event and Belconnen Turkish Pide House in Jamison – Sally went over and above to ensure that the food was affordable, plentiful and delicious.

Sacramental Program 2022

If you will have a child in Year 3, 4 and 6 next year (2022) – this will be a Sacramental year.

If your child is in Year 5 and they have previously missed the Sacraments of Reconciliation and/or First Eucharist this will be a Sacramental year for them.

A Parish Sacramental Program Information evening will be held on Thursday 17 February 2022 at 6pm for Year 3-6 families.

The Sacrament of First Eucharist will be celebrated in Term 2, 2022 (in June).

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated in Term 3, 2022 (in September).

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in Term 4, 2022 (in November).

Further updates regarding the Sacraments will be provided in the 2022 school bulletins, the Church bulletin and on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Further Information regarding the Sacramental Program – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au or check the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Library Books

A huge thank you to all the families who have returned library books. There are still a number of books that need to be returned. Overdue notices were emailed to families on Monday and it would be greatly appreciated if you could return these books by the end of the week.

Sora Link

Students have access to eBooks and audio books 24/7 everyday of the year using the Sora App. If your child is looking for a book to read over the holidays Sora is the student-friendly App that links to the same Overdrive database of titles. 

Visit https://soraapp.com in your web browser or download the free Sora app from the Apple and Google Play stores on a mobile device.

When asked to search for a library, click to search by ‘Name’, not location, and then search for ‘ACEN’. 

Happy Birthday to the following students  celebrating a Birthday this week and throughout the school holidays

Elijah L, Isaac P, Agamveer M, Xavier M, Lachlan P, Jaiden B, Talija M, Andreas K, Ashlee H, Keir F, Piero C, Zavier T, Ethan G, Emma O, Mitchell C, Aria F, Sarah R, April A-C, Anandvir B, Ivan P, Hugh B, Taylor H, Ruben V, Samuel W, Nellie R, Archer S, Natalie R, Arabella A, Alison C, Matthew P, Bol K, Penelope R, Leila W, Nikolas H, Arina M, Patrick K, Huxley T, Michael H, Clementine A-C, Faustina A, Angelo R, Joshua S, Massimo S, Nicholas K, Owen D-C, Blake R, Jemima B, Flynn A, Joel S, Jack B, Molly O, Giorgio P, Violet P, Gabe J, Ater A, Marianna R, Adeline B, Charlotte G, Grace R-F, Axel R, Donato A, Christian M, Maddie N-H, Gus O, Valentino A, Beau B

Attention Parents with Children in Years 4  - 6 in 2022 - Bring Your Own Device Program (BYOD)

With technology continuing to develop at such a fast rate, it is easy to feel a little overwhelmed and unsure about its possibilities. This information aims to help parents with the transition into the BYODD program at St Monica’s.

Following a review of the current technology use at St Monica’s and changes across education, a decision has been made to move to Chromebooks in Year 4 from 2022. Many of the local primary schools have moved to Chromebooks for their BYODD program, due to cost and ease of use. Moving to a Chromebook will prepare the children as they move into high school where laptops are the preferred option.

In 2022
·       the Year 3 children will access a bank of Chromebooks available at St Monica’s. They do not need to purchase a device to bring to school. A set of iPads will also be available for specialised small groups activities including taking photos of work, Reading Eggs etc.
·       the BYODD program for Year 4 will focus on the use of Chromebooks. Please note – as we are in a transition phase any child who already has an iPad will not be required to purchase a new device to start the year. We ask that you purchase a Chromebook when replacing the iPad. Chromebooks offer access to a built-in keyboard, are cheaper and provide cloud storage for work so a child can work at school and at home with ease.
·       the Years 5 & 6 BYODD iPad program will continue. We are very conscious that many of the children in the current Year 4 group purchased new iPads so we are not asking families to purchase another new device. The children in Years 5 and 6 will have access to a bank of Chromebooks for publishing work when required.

Should the purchasing of a device place a burden on a family’s finances please speak to Carmel Maguire, as soon as possible. We do have a small bank of iPads that will be available for use by families experiencing difficulties in Years 4 to 6. Due to the limited supply of Chromebooks for use across each of the cohorts, they will not be part of our student loan program. Many children have access to a family computer at home if required.
 
Why BYOD?
With the development of the Australian National Technologies Curriculum, technology subjects have become a focus in education. Consistent with this research, industry surveys show that STEM literacy is increasingly becoming part of the core capabilities that Australian employers need. In order to carry out authentic learning tasks with technology, it is important students are equipped with the right tools. St Monica’s has a range of devices for students to access however CE has a policy that all IT hardware should be replaced every 3 years if a school wants access to technical support for school hardware. This creates a huge burden for a school budget if we want to achieve a 1:1 ratio of students to devices.

The current IT budget goes towards the purchase of school-owned devices which now includes three banks of Chromebooks, sets of iPads for use by Kinder to Year 2, specialised activities in Years 3 - 6, maintenance of classroom eboards and the ongoing purchase of other technologies including robots and STEM resources.

Technical considerations when selecting a Chromebook for use at St Monica’s for 2022?

•  11.6” Screen Size (available up to 15.6” but not required as this increases weight and space required for storage and transporting)
• 4Gb RAM (or greater)
• 32GB storage capacity (or greater)
• Built-in webcam and headphone/microphone jack

There is no preferred brand, and they all function in the same way:

• The Good Guys - Lenovo
• JB Hifi – Lenovo, HP, Asus
• Harvey Norman – Lenovo, HP, Asus

Parents can choose between a clamshell (opens and closes) or 2-in-1 (touch screen and 360-fold options).
As the device is used for school purposes, you do not need to purchase Office 365 or Google One add-ons that may be made available to them via a retailer.

The BYOD Chromebooks are not managed by the school. Parents are responsible for managing updates, breakages or technical errors.

Setting Up
The Chromebook will need to be set up with the student’s school email details for use at school. A personal or private Google account can be used for personal use at home. https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1047362?hl=en

Due to a change in CE policy, regarding passwords, students entering Year 4 will be issued a new password in late January before school returns. The new sign-in to Google and their Chromebook will be done as part of the start of the new school year upon return to class. Passwords for students entering Year 5 & 6 will remain the same, but please note the child has 5 attempts to enter the password before accounts are locked and need to be unlocked by someone at the school.

For your information only - Specifications of the Chromebooks purchased by St Monica’s

• Dell Chromebook 3100 Touch Dell Chromebook 3100 Touch
• Intel Celeron N4020
• Camera and Microphone
•  WLAN Capable
• 4GB Non-ECC
• 32GB eMMC Storage
• 11.6" HD Touch Screen – this is optional
• Please purchase a protective cover

Benefits of the Chromebook
One of the benefits of Chromebooks is that they’re some of the easiest tech tools for both students and teachers to learn how to use. In fact, they take a lot of the intimidation out of computer learning.
A few of the many practical benefits of working (and learning) with Chromebooks.

• They can boot up and connect to the network in seconds, which means teachers and students don’t have to drum their fingers at the start of class.
• They offer plenty of cloud storage, which means even if students share a Chromebook (such as a from a Chromebook cart), they can sign in and still get a personal learning experience.
• They come with a long battery life that lasts throughout the school day, which means fewer interruptions in learning.
• They protect students from viruses and malware without requiring heavy maintenance, keeping learning safe and secure.

From basic keyboarding skills to advanced ethics in online research, Chromebooks continually allow students at almost any grade level the chance to experience and sharpen their knowledge of how technology works, and how it can be used for everything from a simple homework assignment to a semester-long group project.

Any questions please email carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au

Kinder regards

Carmel Maguire
Principal

Please find our school fee schedule for 2022. The schedule includes the CE tuition, circulated earlier in the term, and now our local school levies that support the running of the school and student resources. We have continued to keep our overall local budget increase to 3%, mindful of the year families have experienced over the last 12 months. 

In preparation for the 2022 school year, please find attached, Direct Debit, Direct Debit Amendment and Systemic School Forms for families wishing to set up or amend their Direct Debits or to notify us of a child/children at a systemic school.

Families wishing to set up or amend a Direct Debit please see the below table with calculations of payments based on your families circumstances for 2022.

*Please note this does not take into account Systemic School Families.

If you require further clarification please do not hesitate to contact the Finance Officer – Kirralea.Thompson@cg.catholic.edu.au

Fees must be finalised before the end of this week unless you have a final direct debit payment due in the week prior to Christmas. Our school accounts work on a calendar year so it is important that all accounts are brought up to date.

On Wednesday evening the Community Council meet and approved the following fee increases or our before and after school care program from 31 January 2022. The increase reflects current fees changes in our other centres around Canberra and in the local area. The fee increase is to ensure our Center is cost-effective and meets all current budget needs following a difficult year due to COVID-19.

Before School Care 

Casual $24.00    Permanent $20.00

After School Care 

Casual $36        Permanent $32.00

Vacation Care  $75 + Excursion costs 

Please ensure you have submitted your 2022 enrolment form and your preferred days. Daily limits may need to be introduced due to the cost of employing extra staff as our centre must meet the correct daily staff to student ratios. 

Reminder all families: 

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