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Dear St Monica's families and friends,
World Teachers' Day - I have no doubt each of us has had an extraordinary teacher who inspired them! For me, it was Mrs Ashcroft. She taught me in Year 4, loved teaching, cared deeply and most importantly saw potential in me and always encouraged me to do my best.
The teachers at St Monica’s are incredible. They wear a number of hats, are experts in multi-tasking, super flexible and juggle constantly to make sure our school runs as smoothly as possible. I could not do my job, without the amazing teachers I have in each of my classrooms.
So hats off to teachers! Especially all the St Monica’s teachers. Thank you for the work that you do, each and every day in support of our students. Thank you for believing in every child, for seeing each child’s potential, for going above and beyond to ensure all children feel happy and safe at school. Thank you for providing hope, igniting imagination and instilling a love of learning in all our students.
Grandparents and Special Friends' Day - Last Friday we celebrated the fabulous Grandparents and Special Friends of the students in our community. We can never underestimate the positive influence they have in a child’s development. Grandparents are pillars of wisdom and sources of support, they possess a unique understanding of a family’s history and traditions. They love their grandchildren unconditionally, matching that of a child’s own parents. Though some families are separated by distance or circumstance, being able to connect with a grandchild frequently fosters a relationship that can influence a child to define values, flourish in self-confidence and strengthen the bonds of family.
Children's Week Grant and Award - Last week was ACT Children's Week and St Monica's was lucky to receive a $150 grant that went towards the purchasing of library resources that support the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our very own Ms Melville received an ACT Children’s Week Excellence Award, for being a long standing member of the Children's Book Council of Australia (ACT Branch) and for her support to introduce and provide quality literature and local authors to the children in the ACT.
School Council News – Due to the resignations and term of membership expiring for some of our current sitting members nominations to be a member of the St Monica’s School Community Council Executive are now open. Sitting members of the council contribute to the school through their interest, expertise, advice and commitment to the development of the school. While all parents in our school community are automatically part of the broader council, the council executive is the key body responsible for leading Council activities and providing advice and support to myself and the Leadership Team. I know that a number of parents are keen to support the school, but struggle making it to meetings or think they shouldn’t be on the Council because ‘that’s for other people in the school’. Please consider nominating for the council by filling in the form below and returning it to me by Monday 24 November.
Have your say! 2025 School Engagement Survey - Catholic Education is distributing a new survey, called the School Engagement Survey, to students in years 4-12, parents and guardians, and teachers. The purpose of this survey is to capture satisfaction and engagement within our schools. This information will support in the development of school annual reports, school strategic plans, and initiate important discussions at both the school and the CECG office.
The new annual School Engagement Survey is launching mid-November, and you will have the opportunity to reflect on your experiences at the school as a parent or guardian and provide feedback. Your feedback will be valuable to help us understand how to better support your child and improve our school.
The new survey has been developed with the support of JWS Research. It will take around 10-15 minutes to complete, and your responses will be kept completely confidential and only reported at an aggregate level.
You can expect the 2025 School Engagement Survey to be distributed through Compass as a News Item and push notification in the coming days! If you have any issues accessing the survey link, please contact the Catholic Education Office through Strategy.Survey@cg.catholic.edu.au
Religious Life of St Monica's
Whole School Prayer
Next Friday K White will lead our Whole School Prayer on Opening our Hearts to the Holy Spirit using the Footstep of Growth with a focus to engage with others. You are warmly invited to join our community at St Monica’s Church at 9.10am.
Children’s Liturgy
Did you know that our parish has started Children's Liturgy at our 10am Sunday Mass in St Monica’s Church? Children’s Liturgy is a special time during Mass where young children are invited to hear the Gospel in a way that is meaningful and accessible to them. Through storytelling, prayer, and reflection, they explore the message of Jesus in a child-friendly setting. Parents are welcome to come along with their children.
Father Mick News
We are so blessed to have Father Mick lead our parish. Father Mick will be away from 10 November for a few weeks as he is travelling to Rome for the Jubilee Year. Father Mick wishes to take the prayer petitions of parishioners with him to lay on the Altar in St Peter’s Basilica while he celebrates Mass. Please take a petition form and fill it out and return to the box in the Church foyer. The petitions can be sealed or unsealed. Fr Mick will not read them, they can be completely anonymous. Fr Mick will celebrate Masses in Assisi and Rome for the intentions of all parishioners, for the gift of Jubilee hope for each one. This is Fr Mick’s blessing for all parishioners.
Pope Leo
Pope Leo is helping guide the Church with a focus on peace, unity, and care for others. He recently spoke about the importance of working together with people of different faiths, and he encourages schools to help children grow in kindness, wisdom, and hope. He also celebrated new saints who showed great love and service, reminding us that holiness can be found in everyday life.
Opening Our Hearts to the Holy Spirit
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Term 4 Liturgical Life of St Monica’s Primary School |
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Whole School Prayer |
Masses |
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Week 4 |
Whole School Prayer Focus: Come Holy Spirit Growth with Others Friday 9.10am Led by: KW
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Buddy Mass Wednesday 9.30am: 1M and 5B
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Week 5 |
Whole School Prayer: Remembrance Day Commemoration Tuesday 11 November 10:15am led by 2W |
Buddy Mass Wednesday 9.30am: 1W and 5P
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Week 6 |
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Buddy Mass Wednesday 9.30am: KW and 6W
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Week 7 |
Whole School Prayer Focus: Advent Friday 9.10am Led by: 1W |
Buddy Mass Wednesday 9.30am: KM and 6M
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Week 8 |
Whole School Prayer Focus: Advent Friday 9.10am Led by: KM |
Buddy Mass Wednesday 9.30am: Year 4, and Year 3
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Week 9 |
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Week 10 |
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Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating their birthday throughout the month of October
| Class | Student | Focus |
| K Maroon | Jack G | Myself |
| K Maroon | Ella T | Myself |
| K White | Olivia A | Myself |
| K White | Keenan F-D | Myself |
| 1 Maroon | Ariela A | Myself |
| 1 Maroon | Roya E | Myself |
| 1 White | Priya F-J | Myself |
| 1 White | Bailey S | Myself |
| 1 White | Archie T | Myself |
| 2 Maroon | Zach B | Myself |
| 2 Maroon | Angus J | Myself |
| 2 Maroon | Olive Mc | Myself |
| 2 White | Francisco D | Myself |
| 2 White | Hunter H | Mysef |
| 3 Blue | Luella C | Myself |
| 3 Blue | Harry V | Others |
| 3 Maroon | Mariam B | Myself |
| 3 Maroon | Ava R | Myself |
| 3 White | Dylan A | Myself |
| 3 White | Darcy G | Myself |
| 4 Maroon | Payton B | Others |
| 4 Maroon | Ella C | Myself |
| 4 Maroon | Owen D-C | Myself |
| 4 White | Robin C-O | Myself |
| 4 White | Noah Z | Myself |
| 5 Blue | Fraser C | Myself |
| 5 Blue | Daniela S | Myself |
| 5 Maroon | Clementine A-C | Myself |
| 5 Maroon | Abhijot S | Myself |
| 5 Purple | Isabella A | Others |
| 5 Purple | Matthew P | Myself |
| 5 White | April M | Myself |
| 5 White | Thomas S | Myself |
| 6 Maroon | Niko M | Myself |
| 6 Maroon | Ruby S | Myself |
| 6 White | Grayson A | Myself |
| 6 White | Isabella H | Myself |
The Child Safe Standards were proposed in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Royal Commission), which shone a spotlight on thousands of cases where organisations in Australia failed to protect children in their care from abuse.
The Child Safe Standards provide us with tangible guidance about how to create cultures, adopt strategies and act to put the interests of children first, to keep them safe from harm.
The Child Standards include:
Child safety is everyone’s responsibility. Our staff have an important role in following all our school policies and procedures, immediately raising concerns, and being proactive in managing child safety risks.
If you have any questions or feedback about the Standards, please email me - maggie.lloyd@cg.catholic.edu.au
Milla F (6M) and Eliana D (6W) attended the SchoolSport Australia Championships in Ballarat in the U12 Girls Football team.
The week started with a wash out. Following the rain clearing up games all went ahead with the girls winning a couple of games, as well as coming up against some tough competition from some of the states. A great experience for them!
 We would like to inform you about an upcoming program we have available for 5-12 year old girls to give AFL a try. |