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 Praise

School - Forgiveness, Service & Thanksgiving

Dear Parents

Class Allocations Concerns are now closed

Thank you to the parents who have written to me to share concerns for class placements for next year. This has now closed as teachers begin putting classes together for 2020. Determining the placement of children in classes for 2020 involves current teachers recommending class groupings. In doing this, teachers use the knowledge gained throughout the year of each students’ social mix, their abilities and talents, and their needs.  The overall aim is to have classes which are broadly balanced across many areas. This is a huge job with all teachers considering gender, friendships, behaviour, academic abilities etc when placing students. Classes will be announced to students in the final week of school.

Uniform 

Despite only 5 weeks until the end of term, I would like to remind parents that our uniform code should continue to be followed. There has been a trend across the primary grades of children requesting parents to buy particular velour hair accessories to be part of the 'in group'. Please refer to the social media article in this weeks newsletter. "What parents need to know about social pressure linked influencers."

Holiday TLC for our school gardens 

With a hot summer predicted, we desperately need volunteers to help with watering over the holiday period. The more volunteers (parents or grandparents) we have, the more we can spread the load. If you are able to spend some time watering at the school in December/January, please contact Caroline Weller (email:  c.weller@internode.on.net), indicating what dates you are available. We will draw up a roster before the end of the year. Families can pick and take home any ripe produce available when they water – what a bargain!

Carols on the Oval  - Save the Date 5 December

This year our Kinder, Year 1 and 2 children will lead our Carols on the Oval. This is an evening for our families to gather for a picnic evening meal, watch the nativity story and join in carol singing. The evening will commence with families gathering from 5.30pm for dinner and the singing to commence at 6.15pm. Orders for a sausage sizzle will be sent out soon. Canteen drinks and snacks will also be on sale. Volunteer help will be needed with cooking and serving, request to be sent out next week. 

Remembrance Day

On Monday the children gathered to mark Remembrance Day. Thank you to Christoper Evans and 6E for leading our very special celebration.

May God's blessing be with you 

Carmel Maguire

Principal

The following students will be sharing a Pride Badge Lunch with Ms Maguire on Monday 25 November - Willem A-C ((3L), Giselle S (5MF), Geordie T (5MF), Nethan W (5MF), Ella K (5MF), Charlize S (5W), Sophie S (5W), Isabella C (5W), James Mc (5F), Aiden S (3/4C), Natalie R (2R), Layla R (5F), Caitlin M (5W), Tyler S (5MF), Angelino S (5F), Violet P (3M), Freya S (2R), Amelia H (3L), Madison R (3/4C), Anneliese L (3L) and Riley Mc (5F).

Children are allowed to wear casual clothes and runners on the day.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to the following students who all made their First Reconciliation last night at St Monica’s church: Alessandro A, Willem A-C, Sophie B, Amelia B, Grace B, Lachlan B, Mitchell B, Tyler B, Sophie C, Luca C, Domenic D, Mia D, Zak D, Eamon F, Logan F, Drew G, Jack G, Emilia H, Amelia H, Cameron, H, Zachary H,  Evie K, Vsevolod K, Mya L, Christian M, Joel M, William Mc, Jessica Mc, Talija M, Nathan M, Marquez P, Jack P, Violet P, Aiden R, Jack R, Grace R, Lorenzo S, Alaina S, Patrick S, Sophie S, Luca S, Brock S, Lachlan T, Zavier T, Annaliese V, Amelia W.

We thank Fr Loi, Fr Johny, Fr Tom and Fr Kimi who celebrated with us last night.

Also, we thank our teachers, Mrs Lustica, Miss Markovic, Mrs Carswell and all those involved in any way in our preparation. Our celebration was very reverent and prayerful. Thank you to all who prayed for and walked this journey with the children.

 St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

Each year St Monica’s School participates in the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. The local conference of the Society packs and distributes over 50 hampers to families in our parish just prior to Christmas. Over the years, the generosity of the St Monica’s School community has filled many hampers. The Appeal will launch again shortly. St Monica’s School will collect items up until Monday 16 December. This year classes have been allocated a food group to collect. Donations are not limited to the listed items but providing these will enable the Conference to provide a Christmas dinner to their clients.

6E -Minced pies and fruit tarts

6M - Long life custard and packets of jelly crystals     

5MF - Sweet and savoury biscuits

5W - Packets of muesli bars/fruit bars

5F - Tinned vegetables - beetroot, potatoes

4M -Tinned vegetables – carrots, peas, corn,

4H - Tinned fruit – pineapple, peaches, pears

3/4C - Packets of pasta

3M - Packets of chips/pretzels/etc

3L - Packets of coloured popcorn

2RD - Boxes/packets of chocolates (without nuts)

2D - Christmas Bon-Bons

2R – Drinks – Fruit juice 1 litre

1E -  Drinks Cordial – 1 litre

1B – Tin salmon

KRC - Sponge jam rolls – check expiry date is after Christmas

KGH - Packet of sweet biscuits

Many thanks for your generosity.

Term 4 School Fees

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

The school is running on an extremely tight budget, every cent of fees income is expended on students curriculum, resources and school running costs. 

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.

With technology developing at such a fast rate, it is easy to feel a little overwhelmed and unsure about its possibilities. This information sheet aims to help parents with the transition into the Bring Your Own Designated Device program at St Monica’s.

In 2020,  we will maintain the current implementation process for Years 4-6.

Should the purchasing of an iPad place a burden on a family’s finances please speak to Carmel Maguire, as soon as possible. We do have a small bank of iPads available for use by families experiencing difficulties in Years 4 to 6.

Year 3 students will have access to a bank of iPads to be shared throughout the week. As we did this year the students in Year 3 will have an option to bring their own device if they wish however this will not be required until early Term 1 following a parent information session. 

Why BYODD?

With the National School STEM Education Strategy (2015) and the development of the Australian National Technologies Curriculum, technology subjects have become a focus in education. Consistent with this research, industry surveys show that STEM literacy is increasingly becoming part of the core capabilities that Australian employers need. In order to carry out authentic learning tasks with technology, it is important students are equipped with the right tools. The school has iPads available to students however the CE has a policy that all IT hardware be replaced every 5 years if we want access to technical support for hardware. This creates a big cost to the school and still does not provide the ideal 1:1 ratio of students to devices. Our school IT budget is also going towards apps for school owned devices, new laptops, Wi-Fi and other technologies like robots and STEM resources. By implementing the BYODD program, students have the tools they need to engage in individualised learning and having access to school work at home. We will also be reporting on Technology outcomes from the Australian Curriculum in our school reports in 2019.

What apps will my child need for school?

The school does not provide apps for BYODD devices. Parents will need to download school required apps at home. This will mean the app is licenced to the child and not the school. A list of apps is currently being compiled by the teachers for publication

What are the technical requirements of BYODD at St Monica’s?

Minimum Specifications if purchasing 

We are asking students to bring Apple iPad devices only.  If purchasing, we are recommending Education IPAD WI-FI 32GB. This is the ideal model however other iPad models will be compatible. Unfortunately, the earlier iOS systems no longer work as paps can not be updated. The iPad must have a durable cover, preferably with a keyboard.

Will the school cover any damages?

The school takes no responsibility for breakages or damage. We encourage families to include the iPad under their home and contents insurance cover.   For insurance, parents could try https://www.insurance4that.com.au/

Where do I go if there is a problem with my iPad?

For minor problems relating to software please see Mr Evans or Mrs Richards who will forward issues onto the CE Tech support team. Issues relating to hardware will need to be looked at by the Apple store (or place of purchase).

Will the iPad be safe at school?

According to the student agreement, students will only use their iPads during supervised class sessions. During recess and lunch iPads will be put away and the classroom or area will be locked. In the event of wet weather, students will be permitted to use iPads under strick teacher supervision. Students are not permitted to use their iPads before or after school.

How often do students use the iPad at school?

The iPad is used as one tool for learning. It is used for tasks such as research, creating projects, coding and using app tools. It will be used in conjunction with exercise books, reading books, laptops etc. Students will not be working on the iPad for long periods of time as the school day is broken into a variety of activities. Time on the iPad will vary depending on tasks, so it’s best to speak to your child’s teacher if you have any concerns.

How can I manage screen time at home?

Families should sit down and come up with some shared rules about using the iPad at home. There are ways you can restrict settings on the iPad to stop children from accessing the iPad, or certain apps, at certain times. I strongly recommend the following options are implemented.

Set password protected restrictions on the iPad in General Settings. The password can be different from the one your child uses to unlock the iPad (something we can cover in the workshop early next year).

• Family Sharing through Apple – allows parents to create an account for their children that limits their access. Visit their website for more information https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201060

Is my child ready for their own iPad?

We understand the angst some parents feel when providing their child with their own iPad. Before students can bring their iPad to school, we educate them about the risks of technology and teach them to be responsible digital citizens. We also ask that every student signs a Student Agreement that outlines the acceptable use of technology. Parents will also be asked to sight and sign the agreement. This is will be done at the beginning of 2020. We will also run a parent support session early next year to assist with further queries. 

More Information for Parents: http://www.ipadbootcampforparents.com/  

Apple Support for iPad Troubleshooting: https://support.apple.com/ipad.

Is your daughter currently obsessed with wearing a velvet scrunchy in the top of her hair with a messy bun? Are you aware of where this latest trend has come from? After scanning the school at assembly two weeks ago the staff questions why so many girls were wearing velvet scrunchies and quickly realised it was because they were responding to the latest round of influencers on social media apps including Tik Tok and Instagram; VSCO girls.

A VSCO girl is all about branding and a certain look which will likely include the following items: A T-shirt so big that it covers the bottom of her shorts, which are maybe from Nike. If she’s not wearing a scrunchie in her hair, she’ll almost certainly keep one (or three) on her wrist, alongside a bracelet by the Costa Rica-founded brand Pura Vida. She’ll carry a backpack by the Sweden-based Fjallraven and a sticker-covered Hydro Flask. The rest of her outfit will be composed of Birkenstock sandals, Burt’s Bees or Carmex lip balm topped with Glossier gloss, and a shell necklace. 

Our National Online Safety guide this week addresses the nature of influencers on children and the unrealistic lifestyles they portrait. Whilst many of our students are innocently wearing scrunchies to be like their friends, we need to ask ourselves if there is a greater issue to address in educating our kids about who influencers are and their disconnect with the real world.

To see the full list of guides head to https://nationalonlinesafety.com/resources/wake-up-wednesday/ 

This week each class has been lucky enough to participate in a Little Athletics session with staff from Little Athletics ACT. Students have been practising their running, jumping and throwing skills. Thank you to LA ACT for providing these free clinics for our school.

 Soccer Clinics

As part of our PE program, all classes will be participating in soccer clinics with Capital Football on Monday and Wednesday in weeks 6-10 here at school. Please see the timetable below. All students are asked to wear sports uniform on these days.

This year a group of students from Year 3 – 6 were selected by their teachers to participate in a series of challenging Mathematical competitions run by the APSMO for students in Australia and New Zealand.

The selected students participated in weekly sessions to learn valuable problem-solving skills. They then applied these strategies and techniques to a series of competitions throughout Term 2 and 3.

The students are to be commended for their efforts and improvement throughout the program.

Certificates and awards will be presented at this Friday’s Assembly.

Congratulations to Michael H (4M) who has received Gold Queen Award from Sydney Academy of Chess. This award is for receiving 20 chess merit awards in 2019. Well done Michael, a wonderful achievement!! 

AMEB Exam results

Congratulations to all the students who recently participated in the AMEB piano exams.

Results - Honours - Sarah D-H (3M), Credit - Mary D-H (5F), Joseph O (6E),  Laura G (5MF), Caitlin M (5W) and Sam G (4M).

Congratulations and well done to all the students.

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

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 -

Zander R, Lucas B, Sam G, Gus O

Canteen Roster - Term 4, Week 6

Monday - Vacancy

Tuesday - June Manning

Wednesday - Alyson Barnes, Rachele Pentes

Thursday - Vacancy

Friday - Jenny Fulivai, Wilma Hird, June Manning, Wendy Regan

Samantha Manning - Canteen Manager - 6258 4687