Dear St Monica’s families and friends,

Fiona Dyball - (Musician, teacher, composer, conductor, writer, consultant and liturgist)

Last week I was blessed to attend the annual Principal’s Retreat. We were privileged to listen to Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, Master of the Order of Preachers 1992 – 2001 and awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Oxford University in 2003.

Just like the prayer above, Fr Tim proposed, “through the chaos, God brings order. This happens in ordinary ways.” We were invited to think about times in our personal and professional lives where things were spinning out of control and what we needed to do to, to bring order out of the chaos. I reflected on some of the difficult decisions or impactful moments I have experienced in my role as Principal. I thought back to what made me feel more at peace and what helped me to gain more clarity about the position I was in. For me, a quick visit to the Kindergarten classrooms, some time with Monty, a conversation with a trusted colleague, some fresh air outside; was all I needed to bring peace and calm to the situation. I believe these ordinary things are the ways that God is accompanying me in life’s challenges.

NAPLAN – This week, students in Years 3 and 5 are completing their NAPLAN tests. All students have brought an “I’ve got this!” attitude to school each day, we are so proud of this growth mindset attitude. At St Monica’s, we treat these days as ordinary school days and we know, NAPLAN is merely a snapshot of one week in the learning life of the students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9. 

School Photos – Next Tuesday is school photo day! All students are to come dressed in full summer uniform please. Ordering of school photos is available on the Compass Parent Portal, with family photos also available for purchase.

Dates for your diaries:

• Tuesday 19 March: School Photo Day
• Thursday 21 March: Harmony Day 
• Friday 29 March – Monday 1 April: Easter Long Weekend
• Saturday 6April:  St Monica’s School Fete
• Wednesday 10 April: School Athletics Carnival

Peace and blessings to all families,

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

Sacraments to be celebrated in 2024

Sacrament of Reconciliation – will be celebrated during Term 1 on:

Tuesday 2 April in St Michael’s Church, Kaleen;

Wednesday 3 April in St Monica’s Church, Evatt; and

Thursday 4 April in St Monica’s Church, Evatt.

Registrations are now open and will close this Friday 1 March 2024. 

Registration for the Sacrament must be made via the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Qkr! App (NOT the school app).
If you are registering more than 1 child you will need to fully complete and pay for each separate registration.

No late registrations will be accepted after the closing date.

Commitment Masses – Sacrament of Reconciliation
Students and parents must attend one of the weekend Masses at either St Monica’s Church (6pm Saturday or 10am Sunday) or St Michael’s Church (8am or 5.30pm Sunday) on one of the dates listed below to make their commitment for the Sacrament.
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March
Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March
There will be no additional commitment masses beyond this date.

Sacrament of First Communion - will be celebrated across the four Sunday Parish Masses on the weekend of 15 and 16 June.

Sacrament of Confirmation – will be celebrated on 17, 18, and 19 September.

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

Ribbons will be handed out at Assembly on Friday 8 March 

St Monica’s Swimming Results 2024

8 years Boys

8 Year Girls

9 Year Boys

9 Year Girls

                                                                1^st - 100Bk Molly O      1^st - 100Br/s Molly O

10 Year Boys

10 Year boys

10 Year Girls

10 Year Girls

11 Year Boys

11 Year boys

11 Year Girls

11 Year Girls

12 Year Boys

12 Year boys

12 Year Girls

12 Year Girls

School Sport ACT - ACT Teams Selection - Important Information 

Please see the School Sport ACT webpage http://www.schoolsportaustralia.edu.au/stateterritory-school-sport-offices/school-sport-act/ or Facebook page for the most up to date information. On this site you will see the sports listed as opportunities to trial for. They are generally open for 10-12 year olds. 

SCHOOL SPORT ACT TRIALS – Please keep an eye on the School Sport ACT website www.schoolsportact.asn.au for upcoming ACT trials. The process for registering can be found below. If you need any assistance registering your child please feel free to ask for assistance. Please note this is not a school based activity and parents are responisble for taking their child to these trials.

School Sport ACT now collects all registration information online – this is to prevent the movement to and fro of a paper note and have all information readily available to officials prior to the trial. As this process incurs a fee for data storage, system maintenance and admin, a small fee payment via credit card will be required.

1. Go to the School Sport ACT website – www.schoolsportact.asn.au
2. Click Register (top right corner of homepage) for an Account – enter parent details and password
3. A confirmation email will be sent to your chosen email that will contain a link that you must click on to verify the email account.
4. Click Log In (top right hand corner of home page) enter password then click on top tab My Profile
5. You will see a ‘dashboard’ of your information, click green box to Add Student – enter student and medical details and save.
6. Go to the Sports Tab – choose your specific sport, click on Trial Information box then click on the Register to Trial link.
7. Select your child’s name from the dropdown box and then enter the optional fields for Playing History, Preferred Position (if applicable) and Representative Experience. 

Please contact me if you have any questions or need any assistance.

Rugby Union- Summer Comp

Get into Rugby – Budding Brumbies presented by Allhomes!

Get into Rugby - Budding Brumbies program provides a fun, safe and inclusive learning environment for participants 4 – 12 years of age and their families. The program is across 4 weeks on a Friday evening at a Central Hub in the Canberra region.

Over the four weeks, players will learn the basics of rugby, improve hand-eye coordination and ball handling skills along with making new friends.

Each of the sessions will be delivered by accredited coaches with support from the ACT Brumbies Development Officers. The program also encourages and welcomes any new or old volunteers to the game.

Key Information:

When: Friday Nights

Time: 5pm – 6pm (60mins)

What: Skills and Modified Games

Where: RMC Kapyong

Both boys and girls are welcome to register to our program, as we lead into the 2024 junior season kicking off in May.

Player Registration Link:  https://myaccount.rugbyxplorer.com.au/choose-registration?name=Budding%20Brumbies

We are also calling for any Expression of Interest for volunteers who would like to start their journey as well. There are a number of roles to assist with across the program whether that is coaching, managing or even the running of the BBQ.

Volunteer EOI Registration Link: https://form.jotform.com/240438559181057

If you require further assistance or questions, please contact Cory Larsen (Rugby Development Manager) at c.larsen@brumbies.com.au

Upcoming Dates

• ¾ Netball Gala Day Lynheam 5/3
• Belconnen Swimming Carnival AIS 26/3
• Year 6 Futsal Gala Day- Fadden 27/3
• Year ¾ Futsal Gala Day- Fadden 4/4
• Athletics Carnival K-6 Merici College 10/4

Online Safety Basics

Help your children safely navigate their digital world and educate them to avoid harmful online experiences. Explore websites, games, apps and social media together and set some rules. 

Your support and guidance can give your children the confidence to make sound decisions online – and ask for help when they need it. 

Three Key Strategies

1. Be engaged, open and supportive

• Get involved. Share online time with your children as part of family life. Play games together. Talk about favourite apps, games or websites.

• Keep lines of communication open. Ask about their online experiences, who they are talking to and whether they are having any issues.
• Reassure your child they can always come to you, no matter what. Let them know you will not cut off internet access if they report feeling uncomfortable or unsafe when online – this is a real concern that may stop your child from communicating with you openly.
• If you notice a change in behaviour or mood, talk to your child about it. If you are concerned, consider seeking professional help – from your GP, a psychologist or school counsellor.

2. Set some rules

• Set age-appropriate rules for devices and online access, with consequences for breaking them.

• Get your child’s input — this will help them understand risks. As they get older you can review your rules together. 
• Consider creating a family tech agreement (sometimes called a family media plan or family online safety agreement). This is a set of rules about how devices, like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and gaming consoles are used in your home. It is written down and agreed to by all family members and kept in a place where everyone can see it, such as on the fridge.
• Your family tech agreement could cover the type of websites that can be visited, time spent online and acceptable online behaviour. 
• eSafety has created downloadable family tech agreement templates for families with children under 5 or those with kids aged 5 to 8 years. For families with older children, The Family Online Safety Contract from ThinkUKnowExternal link Australia is a good starting point.
• The consequences for breaking the rules should be clear. Negotiate these with your child when you create your agreement so they mean something to them – Raising Children NetworkExternal link has some useful tips and advice.
• Consider making some ‘rules for parents’ too and stick to them! Model behaviour that you would like to see.

3. Use technology and get information

• • Get to know the devices you and your children use and set them up for privacy and online safety. Take advantage of parental controls to monitor and control screen time and access to content, based on your child’s age and experience. See our guide to parental controls.

• Choose apps and games carefully and visit the App Store or Google Play for age ratings and consumer advice. Read the Australian Classification Board’s online databaseExternal link for information about movies and games.
• You can visit Children and Media AustraliaExternal link and Common Sense Media (US)External link for information about apps, games and websites searchable by age.

As a school we continue to have these conversations with students about online safety and appropriate access. Please reach out to me if you need any advice or assistance- ryan.matchett@cg.catholic.edu.au

Catholic school families are invited to enter a treasure hunt competition being run by Catholic Schools Guide. The winner will receive $2000 worth of school fees, and runners up will receive Roblox vouchers. For further details - catholicschoolsguide.com.au/competition

What a fantastic day for all at the Rugby League 7's Gala day this week. St Monica's was represented by three teams for this event. Two Year 3/4 teams and our Year 5/6 team. All teams involved came away with some wins under their belt but even better than that was the amazing way that each student represented St Monica's with great pride. Thank you to all the students who took part on the day. You showed exemplary sportsmanship and respect for your coaches and referees. A huge thank you to our team coaches - Matt Brown, Andrew Lomu and Peter Dermody for supporting our teams on the day. It was amazing to see so many parents and friends of our St Monica's community there to support our players.