Dear St Monica’s families and friends,

It has been such a joy to welcome our families back to school. Witnessing the smiles on the faces of your children on Wednesday morning as they were re-united with their friends was a delight to see. As I’ve wandered the halls these past few days I have seen very calm and settled classrooms. Even our smallest students are adapting to the routines of school life!

The dedicated staff of St Monica’s has worked hard over the summer break to create a positive and engaging learning environment for our students. I extend my sincere thanks to the teachers for their commitment to deliver high quality learning experiences, informed by the Science of Learning. 

This year, our whole school theme is ‘Flourishing in the Footsteps’ All members of our school community are invited to deepen their relationship with God, themselves, others and creation because when these relationships are right, we flourish and we help others to flourish too.

You’re invited to join in the many celebrations, events and opportunities at St Monica’s Primary School. I encourage you to stay connected with the school through our various communication channels. Compass, social media, the school newsletter and email correspondence will keep you informed about important dates, upcoming events and highlight the achievements of our students.

In 2024 you’re invited to:

• be part of your child’s learning this year by attending the Parent Information Evening in Week 2, the Get to Know you Meetings in Week 4, reading the communication that comes from your child’s classroom teacher and communicating with your child’s classroom teacher through the appropriate channels.
• to join in our numerous whole school celebrations such as Class Masses, Whole School Prayer Liturgies, Friday Awards Assemblies, Sports Carnivals, Harmony Day, FETE, Book Week, Grandfriend’s Day, Mothers’ & Fathers’ Day celebrations.
• to share your skill set with our community such as gardening, communications and marketing, fete committee, giving a talk or presentation.
• to volunteer in a range of capacities, cover library books, become a reading tutor, assist in the canteen!

A very warm welcome to the folllowing families who are joining the St Monica’s Primary School Community this year: Barrett, Beard, Blinksell, Callaghan, Chapman, Crisp, Dowling, Gaffney, Hallam, Hensgen, Hindson, Jones, Long, Mavromatakis, McCusker-Cross, Munday, Orefice, Read, Roland, Selles, Singh, Stewart, Stratford, Thomas, Troung, Ward and Warren. We wish you a very long and happy association with us!

Dates for your diaries:

• Tuesday 6 February: Parent Information Night
• Friday 9 February: Opening School Mass and  Year 6 Leadership Commissioning Ceremony 9.30am 
• Wednesday 14 February: Ash Wednesday Mass 9.30am
• Monday 19 February: School Swimming Carnival *NB: change of date from the printed calendar.
• Monday 19 – Wednesday 21February: Get to Know you Meetings                                                     
• Tuesday 19 March: School Photo Day
• Friday 29 March – Monday 1 April: Easter Long Weekend
• Saturday 6April:  St Monica’s School Fete
• Wednesday 10 April:School Athletics Carnival

Wishing you a fantastic school year filled with joy, discovery, and meaningful connections.

Students with a known medical condition are required to complete an Individual Medical Response Plan. Students who suffer from seasonal or sport induced asthma will also need to complete a plan. The school will attach photos of the students to these plans.

A Medication Authorisation Form needs to be completed for any student requiring medication to be administered throughout the school day. The school will attach photos of the students to these plans.

Attached are both forms. The forms can be printed, filled in by hand and returned to the Front Office or completed electronically and returned via email to office.stmonicas@cg.catholic.edu.au. Please complete and return to school by Friday 23 February 2024.

2024 Parish Sacramental Program – for students who are baptised and in Years 4-6 in 2024.

A Parish Sacramental Program Information Evening will be held at 6pm on Thursday 8 February 2024 in St Michael’s Church, Kaleen for the families of students who are baptised and are in Years 4-6 this year and wish to celebrate the Sacraments.
You are very welcome to attend the information evening where all the relevant information will be available. If you are unable to attend, please check the school newsletters or the parish website for relevant dates regarding the Sacramental Program.

Sacraments to be celebrated in 2024

Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated during Term 1 with registrations opening on 19 February via the parish Qkr! app (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) not the school app.

Sacrament of First Communion will be celebrated on the weekend of 15 and 16 June.

Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated in Term 3, 2024 (dates to be confirmed).

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

Borrowing of library books has commenced this week. Classroom teachers will let parents and students know when their borrowing day is. Students are also able to come to the library on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at lunchtime to read and borrow books.

The library is open to parents to come with their children on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8.30am onwards to read and borrow books. I am available to discuss books and assist with book selections.

Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 can borrow 3 books each week.  Students in Year 3-6 can borrow up to 4 books, but generally are encouraged to borrow just 1 or 2 due to the length of time it takes to read a chapter book.

Students in Kindergarten to Year 4 must have a library bag with them to borrow a book and Years 5-6 are strongly encouraged to have a library bag due to the number of books returned last year that were water damaged.

Update from the Fete Committee – calling all volunteers!

Our school fete is a wonderful annual celebration of our community. It is also the major fundraising event for our school with funds raised from last year’s fete going towards the new shelves in the library and lovely new instruments for the performing arts classroom.

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

There have been lots of exciting fete developments over the school holidays. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the local businesses who are coming on board again as major sponsors – including Herbert’s at Evatt, Supersmile Orthodontists and ACT Home Improvements. Our entertainment activities so far will include pony rides and a Virtual Reality game experience (for the first time!). Chocolate wheel prizes are coming in fast – from a $300 Bunnings hamper through to Four Winds Winery vouchers. Many thanks to the previous stall coordinators who have volunteered to come back again this year! We can’t wait to have our regular stalls back in action.

We are ready to open our volunteer sign up. There are a range of roles available to suit your availability – from fete set up through to helping out at a stall for an hour or so. Click the link here to sign up or get in touch with the fete team if you have any questions.

We will be holding a volunteer information session on Tuesday 13 February between 6-7pm in the library for new stall coordinators and general volunteers. If you are interested in helping out and want to know more about the opportunities, please come along and enjoy a glass of wine and cheese.

We’d love to hear from you:

• New stall coordinators and sponsors – please get in touch if you’d like to coordinate and/or sponsor a stall.
  • We are seeking coordinators for the following: Chocolate Wheel, Devonshire Tea, Garden stall and Pick a Duck.
  • Do you know how to apply henna tattoos? Would you be interested in running a henna tattoo stall? We’d love to hear from you.
  • We are also interested in your ideas for new stalls that reflect our diverse community.
• 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.
• Market stalls – we are seeking expressions of interest from our creative community. Only $30 for a stall. We supply the spot and customers. You supply whatever you need to operate.

You can reach us via stmfete@gmail.com.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and the newsletter for regular Fete Committee updates.