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Dear St Monica’s families and friends,
Catholic Leader’s Day - Last week I had the privilege of attending Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn Principal’s Day. Our keynote speaker was Dr Tim McDonald and his presentation on ‘Classroom Mastery – Why we need to teach behaviour’. My key take-away message from Tim’s presentation was, “Calm and predictable classrooms gives everyone a better opportunity to learn”. I feel very affirmed by the expectations and processes we have in place for quality learning to take place here at St Monica’s.
School’s Building Fund - Last week Director of Catholic Education Ross Fox wrote to all families in our Diocese about the continued support for voluntary contributions to the School’s Building Fund. Your contributions go towards the upkeep of our school facilities and is used exclusively for capital expenditure such as repairs, renovations and facility upgrades. This ensures our school remain safe, modern and functional. All contributions are tax deductible too. Please refer to the flyer below for more information.
Drive-Thru pickup - Following a recent Safety and Risk Audit conducted at the school, from the beginning of the 2024 school year the drive-thru pickup area will be closed from 2:50pm - 3:20pm. With two crossings and the high volume of students conglomerating at the front of the school, it is our highest priority to keep everyone safe. Further information and visuals will be sent out to families regarding the changes and what the Front of School collection will look like moving forward.
Class Placement Considerations for 2024 –Teachers are beginning to consider class groupings for 2023. Please trust that we know your children well and have a very good understanding of their academic, social and emotional needs. We endeavour to balance classes in a variety of ways and any parent requests, regarding placement of children for 2024, must be sent to me, in writing, by 5.00pm on Monday 21 November. It is important to note, requests from previous years will not be carried over or considered for 2024.
Religious Education at St Monica’s
In Religious Education Year 3 are focusing on prayer this term. They will explore the different reasons we pray (to thank, bless, praise and for intercession) and different ways of praying including Christian Meditation, traditional prayers and using psalms. The psalms offer us a wealth of material for prayer and offer it in such beautiful language. It is believed that the psalms were once possible set to music, but this has been lost over time. Many modern hymns, however, use the psalms as their source. I’m sure The Lord’s my Shepherd is familiar to most people as is Joy to the World both of which are sourced in the Psalms as well as other scripture. Year 3 will enjoy sharing their learning at home about the importance of prayer and different ways to pray that they find particularly enjoyable.
Religious Life of St Monica’s
Wednesday Parish Mass
Yesterday Year 1 attended Mass with the parish and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They were keen to share their thoughts on going to Mass for All Saints’ Day:
Ava – Fr Mick talked about all the saints
Dulce – Fr Mick said it was All Saints Day
Lara – we prayed the Hail Mary and other special prayers
Bella – we all kneeled down at a special time
Harry – there were purple cloths everywhere because it was a special day
Fred – I liked how the grown ups read us stories and explained about the bible
Azalea – we got to kneel down and be reverent
Jackson – we prayed the Hail Mary and Our Father which we have been learning about in class.
Next week Year 5 are invited to join the parish at Mass on Wednesday morning at 9.30am. Families and friends are welcome to join them in celebrating Mass.
Whole School Prayer
Tomorrow’s Whole School Prayer Time will be led by Mr Green and 3 White. The focus of that prayer will be the feasts of All Saints and All Souls days, very important days in our Catholic Church calendar. All families and friends are warmly invited to join whole school in prayer tomorrow morning, Friday 3 November at 9.10am in St Monica's Church.
Week Five Whole School Prayer Time will be led by Year 4. This prayer time we will have a final focus on our year long theme, Walking Together – You’re Invited. All families and friends are warmly invited to join the whole school in prayer on Friday 10 November at 9.10am in St Monica’s Church.
Journey with Jesus
Next Thursday, 9 November, Year 5 will be involved in a special time of prayer, reflection and fun activities exploring their relationship with Jesus. Journey with Jesus is led by our own Youth Minister, Mr Mass, the Year 6 Youth Ministry Team and a visiting Youth Ministry team.
2024 Parish Sacramental Program
For students who are baptised and in Years 4-6 in 2024.
Information Session
An information session for the 2024 Sacramental Program will be held at 6pm on Thursday 8 February 2024 in St Michael’s Church, Kaleen.
If your child is baptised and will be in years 4-6 in 2024 please put this date in your diary.
Sacraments to be celebrated in 2024
Sacrament of Reconciliation - will be celebrated in Term 1, 2024.
Sacrament of First Communion - will be celebrated in Term 2, 2024.
Sacrament of Confirmation - will be celebrated in Term 3, 2024.
For further Information – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au or check the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Year 1 were very excited to be going to Copland College to watch the musical Frozen. We had a wonderful time and had lots to write about on our return to school.
On Tuesday we watched Frozen. First, we walked to the College and then we walked to the concert. I sat next to Sam and all of a sudden the lights turned off and then we watched the show - Jack R
On Tuesday we saw Frozen the musical. First, we got into the theatre at Copland College. Then it started and my favourite character was Christof. I sat next to Mrs Russell and I liked how Olaf likes summer. Finally, my favourite part was when all the trolls came out and it was a really good show - Harry V
On Tuesday we went to the Frozen show. First, we had to walk to Copland College. I liked the walk. Then we went to the theatre. I sat next to Olivia and Tilly and Ava was in front. After that the lights went off, but then the lights went back on! Finally, the show started and I was excited to watch it. My favourite character was Elsa because she was pretty and I liked her outfit on her. At the end of the show, they all bowed and I liked the song that they sang in the middle of the show. One of the songs was Let it Go and Don’t Let it Feel. Those were my favourite songs. I loved the Frozen show! - Sienna D
Our school is proud to have a Story Dogs team visit the school. Story Dogs reading sessions are also available at Libraries ACT in Woden, Tuggeranong, Dickson and Gungahlin. These sessions are open to all children from Year 2 through to Year 6. Bookings are essential. For more information and to book a session visit the Libraries ACT website. Bookings can be made up to a week in advance.
Dear Parents and CarersYou are invited to an Information Session to discuss our School BYOD Program for 2024.
Date: Monday 13 November 2023
Where: School Library
Time: 6pm for a 6.15pm start, concluding by 7pm
Who: All current Year 3 parents, new families and any other families who wish to join.
What will be discussed:
- What is a BYOD program and how does it work at St Monica's
- BYOD policy and expectations
- Specs for the purchasing of devices
- Q and A time.
Please contact Ryan Matchett (ryan.matchett@cg.catholic.edu.au or 02 6258 5105) for further information or if you have any questions.
We would like to thank everyone who took part in the school survey about the School's Yearbook/Magazine. The survey took part in Term 3 and during this time 160 responses were received from parents, carers and teachers. Overall, the feedback was that parents, carers and teachers place low value on the production of the yearbook with over half (52%) saying that there is low value on the continued production. There was just over one third (35%) placed high value and the remaining 13% provided a neutral rating.
With this in mind, the School has made the decision to not produce a Yearbook in the traditional manner. We will replace the Yearbook with a School Calendar outlining all the key dates for 2024, this will also include pictures of students and celebrations that have taken place throughout 2023. Our Year 6 students will be creating their own memory box which will include items and mementos such as photos and memories in celebration of their time throughout St Monica’s.
We understand that some parents may find this news upsetting, however we are working on improving work life balance and ensuring that the quality of education is our core focus. We will continue to work on capturing school memories and celebrations throughout the school year, rest assured these will be regularly shared with you all on various platforms throughout the school year. If you would like to view the survey results and comments from the St Monica’s community a hard copy of this will be available in the Front Office.
