Welcome back and Happy New Year - St Monica’s families and friends,

What an absolute joy it has been to see the smiling faces of our students and their families as they walked onto the school grounds on Tuesday to begin the 2025 school year. A special and very warm welcome to the following new families who have joined the St Monica’s community for the very first time this year. We wish you a long and happy association with us -

Adnan, Akinwumi, Alexander, Barrimore, Berenguer, Bolitho, Brinkley, Cooper, Dauda, Davis, Ehsani, Gilles, Gold, Handoko, Hooper, Howard, Jenkin, Kingsford, Kleber, Lockley, Macleod, Olsthoorn-Franklin, Paccha, Pantano, Peldon, Pitt, Price, Quinton, Sangston, Sidhu, Smith, Smith, Swan, Thwaites, Unga, Wilson-Gemmell.

The start of the school year offers fresh opportunities for your children to discover and achieve new goals. This just doesn’t happen and I am incredibly grateful to the Classroom Teachers who have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks preparing the classrooms and their teaching programs. Our support, administrative and operational staff have been assisting the teachers to create a nurturing environment where every child feels welcome, safe and supported.

Tomorrow, You’re Invited to our Opening School Mass. This important event officially launches the 2025 school year and our theme ‘Opening our Hearts to the Holy Spirit’. All staff and students will be blessed and our Kindergarten and new students warmly welcomed. Please note the Front Office will be closed from 9:10am – 10:00am tomorrow morning as all staff will be up at Mass.

In 2025 you’re invited to:

• find out about what your child will be learning about this year. Please join us next Tuesday 11 February for the Parent Information Evening and book in for an optional ‘Get to Know you Meeting’ with your child’s classroom teacher.
• join in our numerous whole school celebrations such as School Masses, Class Masses, Whole School Prayer Liturgies, Friday Awards Assemblies, the Fete, Sports Carnivals, Book Week, Grandfriend’s Day and the Community Carols evening.
• share your skill set with our community such as helping out with the garden, communications and marketing, fete committee, giving a talk or presentation.
• volunteer in a range of capacities; cover library books, become a reading tutor, assist in the canteen!

Whatever your capacity to offer help, we would love to hear from you.

This year I, in consultation with my Leadership Team, have made one of our school improvement goals to stay focused on annual priorities. As organisations and individuals, we like to add more and more to our plates, when in fact subtracting or 'pruning back' on activities would be more beneficial. As such, one activity we are going to prune back on is the weekly release of the school newsletter. Instead, it will be issued once a fortnight in Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 each term. Important events, messages and alerts will be continue to be sent out via Compass. 

Have a fabulous 2025!

Warm wishes,

Parent Information Night – will be held on Tuesday 11 February starting at 5.30pm. Two sessions will be delivered across grade levels and teachers will provide a brief summary of key information covered so that if you are unable to attend we can send this information home.

• Session 1: 5:30 - 6:00
• Session 2: 6:00 - 6:30

Please join us after for light refreshments in the courtyard following Session 2. Come and meet other teachers and families over some light refreshments!

Parent / Teacher Meet and Greet sessions (students in year 1-6) – will be available following our PIN night. This is a 10-minute optional opportunity for you to meet with and share any information about your child with your child’s teacher. The interviews are available for parents who have concerns or important information to discuss with the teacher, particularly matters the teacher may not already be aware of.

The booking times are available on COMPASS which is now open for inputting requests. These will close on Monday of Week 2. Please note these bookings are only for students in Year 1-6.

Welcome to 2025.  This year our focus theme is ‘Opening Our Hearts to the Holy Spirit’. Our theme builds on flourishing in the footsteps of St Monica and calls all of us to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit so that we can be who we were created for in our relationships with ourselves, others, God and our surroundings. Our focus scripture in 2025 is John 14:15-16,23-26 “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything.” 

Last Thursday all St Monica’s staff spent the day exploring our theme in a full day Spirituality Day Retreat at the Australian National Botanic Gardens where we explored scripture from Acts and John and shared a meal in fellowship.  

You are invited to our join our community as we begin our journey in Opening Our Hearts to the Holy Spirit as a whole community at our Opening School Mass tomorrow at 9.10am in St Monica’s Church.  

Opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit 

2025 Sacramental Program – for students who are baptised and will be in Years 4-6 in 2025.

Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in Term 1, 2025. Information Evening will be held on 13 February 2025. Retreat Day and Parent Prayer Night will be held on 20 March 2025. Sacrament will be celebrated on 25, 26 and 27 March 2025.

Sacrament of First Communion will be celebrated in Term 2, 2025. Information Evening will be held on 1 May 2025. Retreat Day and Parent Prayer Night will be held on 12 June 2025. Sacrament will be celebrated on 22 June 2025 (Corpus Christi).

Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated in Term 3, 2025. Information Evening will be held on 31 July 2025. Retreat Day and Parent Prayer Night will be held on 4 September 2025. Sacrament will be celebrated on 10 and 11 September 2025.

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