Dear St Monica’s families and friends,

This coming Sunday marks the beginning of Advent and whilst this is an incredibly busy time of year, I always try to take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the season.  The Advent season is a four-week period before Christmas which celebrates the anticipation and coming of Jesus. The origin of "advent" is from the Latin word adventus, which simply translates as "coming" or "arrival." It is the Christian meaning for preparing and celebrating the coming of Jesus Christ and his birth at Christmas. Tomorrow, our Kindergarten students will begin the Advent Season at our Whole School Prayer Liturgy. Over the next two weeks our students engage in thoughtful activities and reflections to appreciate the importance of gratitude, compassion, and togetherness during this Advent time. 

The End of Year is near!

As we draw tantalisingly close to the end of the year, many of us are already turning our thoughts to how best to navigate our children through the long Christmas break, that ultimately leads into the 2024 school year. For some of us, this break is one that offers many opportunities for quality time to be spent with family and close friends, for others it can be a time that causes a degree of stress and anxiety as the pressure of keeping children occupied for such a long period of time can appear overwhelming. Listed below are a few handy tips that may prove helpful as you and your family journey through Christmas and into the New Year. 

• Set priorities - Learn to say “no” to some things - choose quality over quantity. Your main priority may simply be spending time with your children and enjoying each other’s company.
• Look after yourself - To take care of others you need to first take care of yourself. A healthy diet, regular exercise, learning to relax and getting enough sleep will also help to reduce stress.
• Laughter - Nothing reduces stress as quickly or as effectively as a good laugh!
• Plan ahead - Take charge of your holidays in advance by making lists of things to do and setting aside some time each day for them - nothing creates more stress than last minute shopping and preparations. When entertaining children, even one small activity each day will keep them excited.
• Deep breathing - Spend five to ten minutes several times a day practising the art of deep breathing. It helps to raise your energy levels.

Community Council - Following our final meeting of the year, I wish to publicly thank the Community Council for the work they have done for our school, and their support of all that we do. It has been another busy year, and our Council, chaired by Alicia Prest, has been actively involved in so many ways. Thank you to each of the members: Katherine O’Sullivan, Madeleine Taylor, Kate Carey, Melinda Brown, Melinda Gowty, Maggie Lloyd, Cecilia Willis, Erin Gilligan, Sarah Clark, Hannah Dwyer, Fr Mick.  

Community Events - We look forward to welcoming you to several end of year community events!

Wednesday 6 December: St Vincent de Paul Giving Mass, 9.30am in the Church. Thank you to all families who have donated to the Christmas Hamper appeal.

Thursday 7 December: Community Carols Evening, 6.00pm on the School oval. We can’t wait to see families at this fun family event. Please bring along picnic rugs, camp chairs, supper and snacks and… your best singing voices! The canteen will be open on the evening for light refreshments.  

Friday 8 December:

• Year 6 Graduation and Awards Ceremony, 12.00pm in the Church. Our Year 6 cohort will graduate from Primary School. In celebration of this important milestone the students will be treated to a special lunch. Thank you to the Year 5 parents for coordinating the celebration lunch for them.
• Semester Two reports available on Compass – 3.30pm

Monday 11 December: Passing of the Light, Candle Ceremony 9.15am in the Church.

Wednesday 13 December: wear Christmas clothes, 2024 Teacher Meet & Greet session – 9.30am

Thursday 14 December: Final Awards and Pride Badges Assembly and the Year 6 Big Day out!

Last Day of Term 4 – Friday 15 December is a Pupil Free Day. As such, Thursday 14 December is the last day of Term 4 for all students. TeamKids OSHC is available on the Friday for any families who need this service.

Peace and Blessings to all,

Religious Education at St Monica’s

In Religious Education Year 4 have been learning about the rules God has for us to follow to help us always make good choices and be kind to each other. They have explored the Ten Commandments and the role that rules and laws have when we make decisions. Year 4 have reflected on how their own actions can affect others and their community both positively and negatively. They are looking at how Christian morals are rules of behaviour that Jesus taught us to live by.

Religious Life of St Monica’s

Whole School Prayer

Our final Whole School Prayer Time will be led by Kindergarten tomorrow, Friday 1 December. This prayer time we will celebrate the first week of Advent. All families and friends are warmly invited to join the whole school in prayer at 9.10am in St Monica’s Church.

Advent Assemblies

Year 1 will lead the whole school in prayer celebrating Advent out in the courtyard at the start of the school day on Thursday 7 December and Thursday 14 December. You are all invited to join us in celebrating our Advent season.

Illuminate

Last Friday our Youth Ministry Team (and some keen Year 5s who would like to lead this next year) attended the Illuminate Conference at St Vincent’s Aranda. It was a day of prayer, fun and reflection, sharing in faith with other like-minded young people. Thank you Mr Mass for organising this special event for our Youth Ministers.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers

As we prepare for Christmas it is important to keep in mind those within our own community who are struggling and are facing hardships. To support our local chapter of St Vincent de Paul we are once again inviting families to donate to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers Appeal. Your children’s classes have each been given a basket and a suggested list of items for donating to the Christmas Appeal. All food donated must be non-perishable (not fresh food but rather tinned, jars, boxes and packets) and have an expiry date of not less than 6 months. Please check with your child as to the items being asked for within their class but of course all donations will be welcomed. How lovely it would be if we were to need to get more baskets if we fill these up quickly! All items in the baskets will be donated to St Vincent de Paul at our Giving Mass on Wednesday 6 December. Thank you in anticipation of your generosity.

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

• Wednesday 6 December - St Vincent de Paul Giving Mass
• Thursday 7 December -  Community Carols  

• Friday 8 December -  Year 6 Graduation and Special Lunch 

• Friday 8 December -  School Reports available on COMPASS  

Week 10 Events 

• Monday 11 December - Passing of the Light Candle Ceremony  

• Tuesday December 12- Year 6 Big Day Out  

• Wednesday 13 December - Christmas Clothes Day and Teacher Meet and Greet

Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews 

Teachers are well into assessment and compiling your child’s Semester 2 Report. These will be available through Compass on Friday of Week 9. This Semester your child’s teacher will be providing grades and a general comment that outlines student success and areas for development.   An enormous thanks to our teachers who work tirelessly to prepare these for all students.  

Optional parent/teacher interviews will be available should you require a follow up conversation. We ask that you contact your child’s teacher to make a suitable time.  

Please ensure that all unexplained absences are updated on COMPASS as this will be reflected in your child’s report.  

Year 1- Year 6 Achievement Scale  

When a student receives a ‘C’ grade it means they have demonstrated the quality of learning described in the Achievement Standard, based on the content studied in the reporting period. If a student receives a ‘C’ in both semester 1 and 2 reports it indicates that the student has made progress, and learned new knowledge and skills based on the new and more challenging material studied. 

Kindergarten Scale of Assessment 

Our Kindergarten students will receive an alternative scale to A-E as outlined below. 

Engagement with Learning 

 Kindergarten Grade Scale  

On Thursday 23 November, Year 6 students presented their concert, Many Dreams, One Land. Through a combination of dance, drama and music, students told the story of Australia’s rich multicultural heritage. Beginning with pangea and the landforms of the Earth separating and moving to the First Australians and ‘the Dreaming’, it traced the hopes and dreams of those who have arrived on our shores: from convicts and early settlers on the First Fleet, to prospectors during the Gold Rush, post World War II European migrants, Vietnamese refugees and more recent migration from all over the world. Interspersing African drumming, expressive dance and dramatic tableau, it also incorporated poetry, songs, letters and speeches, with a couple of nods to iconic Aussie films. Many of the scenes were choreographed by the students themselves as part of their learning in history, dance and music.

Students have gained a lot from the experience: not only in developing their confidence and skills in dance and drama, but also thinking about what it means to be Australian. As Lily in 6B described it, ‘Australia has not always had a great past, but it has shaped who we are today’. They’ve had the opportunity to reflect on where they and their families have come from, and develop their understanding of how war and migration have shaped our history.  And ultimately, they have learned what a diverse community we live in, and how important and enriching that diversity is.​

Congratulations to all students on a fantastic performance. Special congratulations to Patrick I who created the beautiful artwork for our poster, our sound and lighting technicians - Mitchell R, Toby Mc, Billy S and Harley T and to Nicola B for her beautiful crocheted costumes. We also owe a HUGE thankyou to our janitor, Frank, who spent his time blacking out the hall windows to help make the concert really special and to Ms Frogley for getting behind the camera to take some stunning photos of the event. 

Update from the Fete Committee – Mark your diaries for 6 April 2024!

Our school fete is a wonderful annual celebration of our community, and we were thrilled it was able to return earlier this year after a pause due to COVID. It is also the major fundraising event for our school with funds raised from this year’s fete going towards the new shelves in the library and lovely new instruments for the performing arts classroom. None of it would be possible without the generosity of our teachers, families and local businesses – we are very grateful for everyone’s support.

Planning is already underway for next year’s fete, which will be held on 6 April 2024. Next year’s fete will celebrate our school community by reflecting our rich cultural diversity through our food, activities and entertainment.

We’d love to hear from you:

• Previous stall coordinators and sponsors – please get in touch if you’d like to coordinate and/or sponsor a stall. Our fete staples were a huge success last year and we’d love for these to return.
• Food trucks – if you operate or know of someone who operates a food truck, we’d love to hear from you. We’d love to offer our community delicious dishes from our different cultures.
• Entertainment – if your family participates in a cultural dance and/or music group and would be keen to perform at the fete, please get in touch.

You can reach us via stmfete@gmail.com.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and the newsletter for regular Fete Committee updates. More information will follow in the new year regarding volunteering – in the meantime, please get in touch if you are interested.

Fete Committee