Filter Content
- Principal's Message
- Happy Birthday
- Parent Teacher Conferences
- RE News - Haley Stonham
- Parish Sacramental News for 2022
- Star Awards for Week 6
- Monty Story Writing Competition - Melinda Brown
- Community Events - Dates for your diaries!
- Sport News - Ryan Matchett
- Honey for Sale - Front Office
- Evatt Scouts - Fundraiser
- Coerver Coaching Camps - January 2023
Dear St Monica's families and friends,
When I deliver the Morning Assembly on Monday and Wednesday I say to the children about how it is their choice as to how their day will go. I often remind them that they make the choice to be happy and to make others happy too. We often hear about how one act of kindness can make a person’s day but makes us feel good as well.
I recently read an article by Max Lucado, ‘100 Happy People’ the article talks about a challenge to make 100 people happy. I’m going to give this challenge a go!
‘You might not find the cure for cancer. You might not crack the code on global warming, world hunger, or tainted water. But you can do this, you can make people happy. This mission requires no Ph.D. or M.D. It demands no funding or travel. Age, ethnicity, and gender are not factors. You don’t have to change jobs or change cities or change neighbourhoods.
You can do it, make a hundred people happy! Intentionally…. Purposefully…. Practically. You can increase the number of smiles on our planet. You can lower the anger level in your city. You can cause a hundred people to sleep better, laugh more, hum instead of grumble, walk instead of stumble. You can lighten the load and brighten the day of one hundred human beings!
Suppose you actually took the “Happy People Challenge” To make one hundred people happy over a 40-day period? Here is how it works…..
Set out to create “100 extra mile moments” between now and Christmas, in which you intentionally seek to make someone happy by doing something more than you would typically do.
Keep a journal in which you list the names of people and ways you tried to brighten their day. Make note of the moment. What did you do? What did you learn? What was the setting?
Happiness-givers are made, not born. The inertia of self-centeredness has a strong pull. That is why the Bible has so much to say about sharing joy. Heaven knows, we need all the help we can get and God gives it!’
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‘God calls you to make definitive choices, and He has a plan for each of you: to discover that plan and to respond to your vocation is to move toward personal fulfilment.’ Pope Francis, World Youth Day, RIO 2013 |
2023 School Fees – We are in the final stages of setting the 2023 school fees and will communicate this information to you early next week. I am very mindful of the impacts any fee increase incurs on families and have therefore carefully considered what would be most appropriate for the year ahead. In setting 2023 fees, we have worked hard to strike an effective balance between our essential work of providing an excellent education for our students and keeping any increase manageable for families – especially given the current economic environment.
Staffing – We welcome Youngmin Jin, Emily Hudson & Benjamin Munroe to the St Monica’s Classroom Support Team. Your children have already embraced their presence around the school!
Grounds person / Maintenance Officer – Would you or someone you know like to work at St Monica’s? We are seeking a person who is interested in looking after the school grounds and undertaking small maintenance jobs on a Part-time basis (30hrs per fortnight). Click on the following link to apply: Catholic Education Careers (cg.catholic.edu.au)
Peace and blessings to all families,
Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating a Birthday this week
Gus O, Annabelle W, Amity W, Rory H, Jacob O, Harleen T
Instructions for Parents when booking Parent Teacher Conferences
Our Parent Teacher Conferences will take place in Week 8 of this term (Monday 28 November, Tuesday 29 November and Wednesday 30 November). On Friday 18 November, the Parent Teacher Conferences will be accessible to you on COMPASS.
Attached are directions to book these conferences online through COMPASS. Please contact your classroom teacher if you are experiencing any issues booking these sessions.
St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal
It is that time of the year again where we are starting to think about Christmas and what the season has to offer us. As a Catholic school community, we also take the time to think about those within our community who need support this Christmas. In doing this, we are called to action through giving. St Monica’s, along with Catholic School’s in our Archdiocese, support the good works of the St Vinnies Christmas Appeal.
Our baskets have arrived and each Grade has been allocated a particular food item set, which is outlined below. Please note that all items must have a minimum expiry date of 3 months. We ask that all donations be brought in by the End of Week 8, Friday 2 December.
As a thank you for your generous donations, we will have a ‘Spirit of Christmas’ Christmas dress up day on Friday 2 December. More information to come!
Vinnies Christmas Appeal 2022
Non-Perishables/Christmas Treats *Minimum 3 months expiry
Kinder and Year 1 - Sweet Treats - Chocolates, Lollies, Candy Canes, DrinksIf you have a child in Years 4, 5 or 6 in 2023 this is a Sacramental year.
A Parish Sacramental Program Information Evening will be held on Thursday 16 February 2023 at 6.00pm in St Monica’s Church for the families of students in Years 3-6 in 2023. You are very welcome to attend the information evening where all the relevant information will be available.
First Eucharist will be celebrated on the weekend of 17 and 18 June 2023 in Term 2, 2023.
Confirmation will be celebrated in September of Term 3, 2023 (dates to be confirmed with the Bishop).
Reconciliation will be celebrated in Term 1, 2024.
For 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
| Class | Student | Focus |
| KB | Charlotte C | Myself |
| KB | Bella O | Myself |
| KRD | Paige K | Myself |
| KRD | Guneet T | Myself |
| KSH | Sienna D | Myself |
| KSH | Milenna P | Myself |
| 1BC | Ayla W | Others |
| 1RC | Ella F | Others |
| 2E | Fraser C | Others |
| 2E | Selina L | Myself |
| 2L | Billy B | Myself |
| 2L | Hamish H | Myself |
| 2MD | Alessandro S | Others |
| 3CG | Hannah A | Myself |
| 3CG | Isabella H | Myself |
| 3R | Sophie C | Others |
| 3R | Aya T | Others |
| 3R | Ryan W | Myself |
| 4C | Lewis H | Others |
| 4C | Nikolas H | Myself |
| 4LG | Charlie G | Myself |
| 4LG | Ivan P | Others |
| 4LG | Kushi R | Myself |
| 5FM | Toby Mc | Others |
| 5FM | Sophia R | Myself |
| 5H | Esther L | Myself |
| 5H | Ivana P | Myself |
| 5M | Raylah O | Myself |
| 5M | Jett S | Myself |
| 6J | Grace B | Myself |
| 6J | Gabe J | Myself |
| 6M | Tyler B | Myself |
| 6M | Evie K | Myself |
A big congratulations to the winners of our Monty Story Writing Competition. After reading over 70 stories from students in Kindergarten to Year 6, a tough decision had to be made to select the winners.
Emma O, a very talented writer in Year 5 was the overall school winner taking away a prize bundle with many goodies. The other winners selected from different grades had creative stories, exciting complications and descriptive language. They each won themselves a book fair or canteen voucher. Well done to the following students.
Oscar S, Lucy D, Henry C, Isabelle A, Karlin O, Ava C, Sophie C, Ruby S, Sophie P and Isabella H.
A special mention to Dylan and Grayson A, and Bailey and Owen D-C. These boys submitted sibling entries which was wonderful, winning themselves a notebook and pencil pack.
We look forward to publishing these stories so they can be enjoyed by other students and families.
We wish Nicholas P (5H) all the very best as he competes at the School Sport Australia Track and Field National Championships in Brisbane this week. Nicholas is competing in the 100m and 200m.
Swim 4 Life Program
Nominations for the Royal Life Saving ACT “Swim 4 Life” January 2023 program are now open. This program is available to families in need during the January 2023 school holidays. The 2023 program is supported by the National Inland Waterways Drowning Prevention Project.
Swim 4 Life aims to develop confidence and water safety skills for all participants and is based on the well-known Royal Life Saving Swim and Survive Program.
Swim 4 Life program dates:
WEEK 1: Monday to Friday between the 9January – 13January 2023 (5 days)
WEEK 2: Monday to Friday between the 16 January – 20January 2023 (5 days)
Swim 4 Life program locations:
- Canberra International Sports & Aquatic Centre, Bruce
- Lakeside Leisure Centre, Greenway
Note - Friday lessons each week will be held at a different aquatic location:
- For children attending North Side (CISAC, Belconnen), the Friday location will be Yerra Beach, Lake Ginninderra (Macdermott Place). (click link for Google map)
- For children attending South Side, (Lakeside Leisure Centre), the Friday location will be Pine Island Reserve, Greenway (Pine Island Road). (click link for Google map)
Swim 4 Life lesson information:
- All lessons are 30 minutes, delivered between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
- Individual lesson times will be distributed to nominators and parents prior to the program start date.
- Spaces in this program are limited and are not guaranteed.
Swim 4 Life eligibility:
The Swim 4 Life program is offered for FREE to those families in need. Eligibility includes children who:
- Are from a culturally or linguistically diverse background, OR
- Identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, OR
- Have never had swimming lessons before, OR
- Identify as belonging to a low-income family/household, OR
- Live remotely (at least 25km) from an urban town centre; OR
- Are currently living in temporary care; AND
- Are aged between 4 years and 14 years old.
Please contact Ryan Matchett on 6258 5105 or ryan.matchett@cg.catholic.edu.au by Friday 25 November if you meet the above eligibility and would like your child to be registered for these lessons.
If you are interested in purchasing some Pure Flow Hive Honey from Young NSW pop in to the Front Office and chat to Kirra. 1Kg Tub is $15. Plenty available, get ready to honey glaze your ham for Christmas.
Coerver Coaching ACT Holiday Camps January 2023
Players who attend a Coerver® Coaching ACT Holiday Camp receive
- 9 hours of programmed Coerver ® Coaching sessions delivered by Coerver® Diploma accredited coaches
- Coerver® Coaching training Shirt
- adidas training football
- Coerver® Coaching Home Study Program
- Coerver® Coaching Home Study Program Online Support
- Coerver ® Coaching certificate of attendance
Dates: Monday 16 January – Wednesday 18 January 2023
Times: 9:00am - 12:00pm each day
Venue: Northside – University of Canberra, Bruce. Southside – Trinity Christian School, Wanniassa.
Registration Link: https://coerveract.com.au/holiday-camps