Achieve - all that you can

Jesus said therefore

‘What is the Kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like the mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches’.    

Luke 13: 18-20

St Monica - A Model of Patience

School - Patience, Stewardship, Acceptance

Last night the Church was filled with the Holy Spirit as we celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation with our Year 6 students and fellow parishioners. Archbishop Christopher led a beautiful Mass making all in attendance feel welcome.

I was particularly encouraged by Archbishop Christopher's homily in which he linked his recent conversation with the Pope to our mission in the Church. His Grace talked about the importance of CONNECTION. Connection to God, Connection to our Family, Connection to our Neighbours and Connection to those most in need. Our Pope speaks of those in need as the least, the lonely and the last. Who are the least, the lonely and the last in your life that you could connect with?

I would like to congratulate all of our candidates and their families for their commitment to the Sacramental program. I would also like to thank Fr. Loi, Carmel Rheinberger, Chris Evans, Kathy Moir and all the members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish who supported the preparation of our students. 

ThinkUKnow - Cyber Safety

Following on from our newsletter last week, I am pleased to announce that we have been able to secure a ThinkUKnow Parent Workshop on Monday 23 September from 6:30-8:00pm. Each student will be coming home with an invitation to the workshop. We would encourage all families to be present at this important workshop aimed at the safety of our students. 

Were you able to spend some time looking at the ThinkUKnow parent portal? The portal is where our information flyer about YouTube came from and has many other resources to support families.

One resource that I would encourage all families to consider is the Family Online Safety Contract. The contract can be printed and signed by all members of the family.

Walkathon

Tomorrow is sure to be a fun-filled day of excitement as we gather on the oval to head off for our Walkathon! At this stage, we have raised over $7,000 and are close to our target of $10,000 and our final whole school reward of a movie day. Remember to pack a drink bottle and hat for your child/ren and some extra money to purchase a special treat from the canteen at the end of their walk. Each child will be given one sausage at the end of the walk. It would be a good idea to order extra lunch from the canteen or to pack some extra food.

RoboCup

Over the weekend Sean, Harry and Elijah competed in the Robocup ACT Rescue Competition and were thrilled to take second place out of the 51 teams competing. 

The boys, under the guidance of Mrs Richards, had been preparing for months and spent Friday afternoon at SFX setting up for a full day of competition on Saturday.

What a fantastic achievement for the boys and our school. Special thanks must go to Mrs Richards for the hours of extra time committed to supporting the team.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

We look forward to parent-teacher interviews next week. If you haven't had a chance to book into an interview please do so via the link below.

Special Prayers

We would ask that you continue to keep Christine Richards, mother-in-law of Monica Richards, and all of her family in your prayers. Christine was taken to eternal rest on Monday. 

Yours in Christ

Luke Donnelly

Acting Principal

This week we have our final lesson for Protective Behaviours. The learning intention is for students to know what to do when they are not feeling safe. 

Each student will participate in role plays for displaying the skills they have learnt. In addition to this, they will also complete an individual task regarding body boundaries.

We would like to thank our families for engaging in our learning through the Protective Behaviours unit this term. It has been a valuable time for all in our community.

Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge

All reading records need to be returned to the Library by Friday 13 September.

The Australian Reading Hour

On Thursday 19 September we will be participating in the Australian Reading Hour from 8.00am to 9.00am.  We will be starting the hour watching Noni Hazlehurst read Leigh Hobbs’ yet to be released book “Mr Chicken All Over Australia”.  There will be lucky door prizes of limited edition books written especially for Reading Hour. This is a wonderful way for parents and children to start the day by sharing a story in the chill out space in the Library.   Please email your RSVP to St Monica’s School email - office.stmonicas@cg.catholic.edu.au 

The Uniform Shop is selling off all Winter Second-Hand items from tomorrow afternoon.  There will be racks of clothing in the hallway at school available to purchase. All items are $1 each. Please make payment at the Front Office.

All parents volunteering at our school must have a current WWVP card.  When your card is due for renewal please ensure you have your updated card copied at the Front Office.

Happy Birthday to the following students - 

Ciresa K, Archie S, Louis T, Ava R, Oscar G, Elsie F, Evan L, Lachlan P, Sophie P, Layla H

Term 3 School Fees Due:  Friday 30 August

Full payment of fees is due within four weeks each term, except for families on Direct Debit payment arrangements.

A reminder to families that

Enrolment of children at a Catholic diocesan school in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn carries with it the undertaking by parents/guardians to accept the obligation to pay all school fees. It is, however, a matter of Catholic Education Commission policy that inability (not unwillingness) to pay school fees should never exclude any child from a Catholic school.

Please contact the School Finance Officer, or Principal should you be experiencing genuine hardship and will not be able to pay your fees in full by the due date.

Canteen Roster - Term 3, Week 9

Monday - Vacancy

Tuesday - Evelyn David-Hoole

Wednesday - Vacancy

Thursday - June Manning

Friday - Samantha Cox, Tracy D/Ambrosio, June Manning, Katrina Ciampa, Wendy Regan

Samantha Manning - Canteen Manager - 6258 4687

If you have any ideas or concerns please email them through to our Secretary Fiona Steinberg at Council.StMonicas@cg.catholic.edu.au

Come and Try

If you are interested in your child trying the game of Teeball Mr Fletcher is going to have a fun game in the playground between 3.20pm - 4.00pm on Friday afternoon for anyone who is interested. All equipment is provided. If you have any questions or require further information Mr Fletcher is happy to talk with you on Friday afternoon.

Competition - Under 8 Years Teeball

Games are played each Saturday morning during Term 4 (2019) and Term 1 (2020). No games are played during the holidays. All games are played at the ACT softball grounds in Walhallow Street in Hawker.