Filter Content
Dear St Monica’s families and friends,
We are all valuable and worth full price
A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read "Puppies for Sale." Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner's sign. "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he asked. The store owner replied, "Anywhere from $30 to $50."
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he said. "Can I please look at them?" The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.
One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.
The little boy became excited. "That is the puppy that I want to buy." The store owner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you." The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for." The store owner countered, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies."
To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!" Dan Clarke
Enrolments to Catholic Schools are now open!
| Today and next Tuesday we welcome prospective St Monica’s families to our school. I thank the Year 6 student leaders who confidently and enthusiastically gave our visitors a snapshot of the daily routine of the school. Please continue to spread the word about St Monica’s, we know that ‘word of mouth’ is our best source of advertising! The Catholic Schools Enrolment Period concludes on Friday 27 May. |  |
WORKING BEE – Thank you to those families who were able to help at our Working Bee last weekend. The photinias were trimmed, the gardens pruned and weeded, the vege patch prepped for new veges, the tanbark was raked and……….. the fence around the Kinder playground was removed. We still have some planting to do, so if this is something you can help us with please get in touch.
PUPIL FREE DAYS
Tuesday 31 May and Friday July 1 will be pupil free days. On these days St Monica’s staff will be involved in teacher collaboration, planning and programming and focusing on our wider system Catalyst priorities. SMOOSH will offer out of school care on both of these days. Enrolment for the 31 May date is now open. Enrolment for SMOOSH on Friday 1 July will be included in the School Holiday Vacation Care enrolment form.
Peace and blessings to all families,
Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating a Birthday this week
Charlie C, Max S, Ryan W
Join Sarah Rose, CECG Officer for Family Engagement, and other families from Catholic Schools in our Archdiocese for an online family event. Monday 16 May at 7.30pm. Once you have registered you will be sent a link. See the attached
flyer for more information.
Parish Sacramental Program 2022
If you have a child in Years 3, 4, or 6 in 2022 this is a Sacramental year.
Sacrament of First Eucharist - will be celebrated on the weekend of 18 and 19 June 2022 (Corpus Christi Sunday) across the four Parish Sunday Masses.
5pm - 18 June at St Monica’s Church – Evatt;
8am - 19 June at St Michael’s Church – Kaleen;
10am – 19 June at St Monica’s Church – Evatt; and
5.30pm – 19 June at St Michael’s Church – Kaleen.
‘Trybooking’ for the Sacrament of First Eucharist - Bookings are capped at a maximum of 20 candidates for each celebration.
Please note: When you make the booking, please only book for the candidate for the Sacrament – all families will be allocated a pew in the church (if you have additional guests they can overflow across the aisle).
The ‘trybooking’ opens on 16 May 2022 and the links will be available on the Parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Confirmation will be celebrated in Term 3, 2022 – Registrations will open on 27 June 2022.
Reconciliation will be celebrated in Term 4, 2022 – Registrations will open on 19 September 2022.
For further Information regarding the Sacramental Program – 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
Who Do You Say I am?
This Year the St Monica’s community is exploring the last part of our St Monica’s Way – ‘So we come to know Jesus.’ Last Term, Fr. Loi and Haley Stonham shared with us who they say Jesus is.
This week, Nicole Jenner, who is one half of our wonderful Year 6 teaching team, shares her thoughts with us about who she says Jesus is.
‘Jesus is and resembles someone and something different to everyone. When asked to explore our relationship with Jesus and who we say he is, I had to pause. It brought me back to when a relative used to ask me as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answers would typically change, determined by my latest craze. But this one required thoughtful and reflective deliberation. Of course, there are superficial and spiritual answers. Guided by Mrs Stonham, we came to understand that Jesus is more than just the Messiah.
Who do I say Jesus is? Words like: Leader, guide, mentor, an example; stable, consistent and unconditional; source of inspiration; companion; and, present within others and the surroundings come to mind. The image above strongly resonates with my understanding of who I say Jesus is.
He is that mentor throughout life regardless of challenges or successes. He is the presence I seek when conflicted, needing guidance or reassurance. Steadfast, he celebrates with you, implores you to live by example and invites you to go on a journey. Most of all, he is that person you message, fully intending to catch up, but something else always distracts.’
Mother’s Day Photos
Thanks for your emails with your Mother’s Day photos!
Here is how some of the mums at St Monica’s celebrated.
Have a blessed weekend!
Scholastic Book Club
Issue 3 of Scholastic Book Club for 2022 orders need to be placed by Monday 16 May. This is a fantastic way to build your child’s/ children’s personal library and love of reading. All purchases support the school library with the library receiving a percentage of the sales to purchase books for the library.
It is easy to order. All orders are placed using Book Club LOOP platform which allows parents to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school and the books will be delivered to class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
St Monica’s Scholastic Book Fair
The Bookfair is an important fundraiser for the library as the library receives a percentage of the sales from the bookfair. Each book purchase contributes to new books for the library. The funds raised from this book fair will be used to purchase books for the fiction section of the library that we are focussing on updating with current titles. Last year we sold 362 books. This year our goal is to sell 380 books. Please support the library to reach this target.
It was such a great vibe in the canteen last week and around the school. We were so blessed to have the assistance of our lovely volunteers (some of whom also doubled up helping on the Mother's Day stall too)- Tracy D'Ambrosio, Katherine O'Sullivan, Jane Rabbets, Chris Regan, Angalea Turnbull, Anoushka Goodger, Sarah Clark and Evelyn David-Hoole. Thanks also to our wonderful Year 6 students who were excited to help too.
The canteen continues to operate for all orders via Qkr! However, on Friday at lunch playtime we will open the window for cash sales for ice blocks and other treats.
I would appreciate having some lovely volunteers to help tomorrow. I have no doubt with the chilly and wet weather we will be busy with children looking for something to warm for their tummies. To sign up please click on the link below (you just need to hold a current WWVP card).
MERICI COLLEGE ENROLLING NOW CAMPAIGN
A wonderful opportunity for prospective families to see the College in action, meet our students and attend the Principal’s Address, Year 7 and 11 Information Evenings and lots more.
We are enrolling now for 2023 and beyond!
Please visit www.merici.college for all dates and information for our Open Day, Be a Merici Girl Days and Talk and Tours. Register online now!
Open Day, Principal’s Address and Year 7 2022 Information Night: Tuesday 3 May
Be a Merici Girl Days: 29 April, 2 and 9 May