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- School Theme Term 2
- Principal's Message
- RE News - Haley Stonham
- Protective Behaviours - Luke Donnelly
- Child Mental Health and Families - Emma Russell
- Library News - Veronica Melville
- School Counsellor
- Happy Birthday
- Community Council News - Evelyn David-Hoole
- Holiday Happenings
- Working With Vulnerable People Card
Dear Parents
Food at SchoolSABBATH Week
This week has been set aside for families to take some time to go for an afternoon walk, play a board game etc and not worry about homework. It is also a time for the teachers to spend time with their families following a very busy few weeks moving from remote learning back to face to face. As a thank you to the staff for their amazing effort and commitment and to acknowledge the importance of their wellbeing I have invited Sarah, from Hands On Corporate Massage to provide all interested staff with a 10 minute neck and shoulder massage on Friday.
School Fees
A friendly reminder to families that full payment of fees is due on Friday 12 June. Please contact the School Finance Officer should you need to discuss your fees account.
Enrolling Now
Enrolment applications can be submitted online, please share this information with neighbours and friends. This year, due to social distancing restrictions, I will be conducting virtual tours, via Zoom, to share all the wonderful qualities St Monica's has to offer with new families. Spread the word! https://www.stmonicas.act.edu.au/enrolments
Multipurpose Wipes
We still have lots of small packs of wipes for the children to purchase for $1.00 at the front office. No change will be given as we need to reduce the handling of cash.
Continue to stay safe and healthy.
Carmel Maguire
Principal
The Most Holy Trinity
On the weekend we celebrated the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is one of the most abstract concepts that is central to our faith as Catholics. So how can having a deeper understanding of the Trinity, help to strengthen our faith and guide us to continue to grow together?
Every time we make the sign of the cross we pray, ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen’. This prayer expresses the mystery of the Trinity, that God reveals himself in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But how can God be three persons!
In a snapshot, a great way to look at the Trinity is to think of God as having three parts: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each part is its own part, meaning they are not the same as each other. We pray to God the Father and God the Son and we often recognize how the Holy Spirit works through us and asks for guidance from the Holy Spirit.
We have to remember that no one analogy will capture the Holy Trinity entirely, but they are helpful in trying to understand that we have one God not three.
No matter the analogy that you use, what we know for certain is that the Holy Trinity is central to our faith, even if we don’t fully understand it. The Mystery of the Holy Trinity is the source of all the mysteries of our faith.
As Our Faith helps us to believe, and when we believe together, our faith is strengthened.
This week the learning intention for the protective behaviours unit is for students to understand that they can tell someone in their safety network when they have a bad or uncomfortable secret.
When we teach the unit next term, K-4 will continue to read their allocated books and complete lessons appropriate to the learning intention. Year 5 and 6 will be reading a new book titled 'Some secrets should never be kept'. The book is a narrative about a boy who experiences an uncomfortable event with the king and experiences his early warning signs. He decides he shouldn't keep the secret and tells his mum which results in him getting the help he needs.
We would encourage you to view the book and decide if you feel your child would benefit from previewing it before it is read in class next term.
| Kinder | Years 1 - 4 | Years 5 and 6 |
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As always, we encourage you to have these conversations with your children as we prepare to teach the unit to the students in Term 3.
Child Mental Health and Families
Support Options For Children
So, you’ve noticed changes in your child’s moods, emotions or behaviour that are worrying you. What next? Well, the best thing you can do for your child’s wellbeing is to speak to a health professional about what’s going on.
Taking the first step
Your local GP is often a good starting point when your child needs help. Depending on the situation, the GP might provide ongoing care or suggest that another mental health professional or support service get involved. Mental health professionals who specialise in working with children can be accessed through your GP, community health centre, public mental health services, and private health clinics. Your child’s school may have a counsellor or psychologist who can help, or the school’s staff might be able to suggest other local services or health professionals.
What happens next?
Your GP or other health professional will need to get an accurate picture of what’s going on so they can provide tailored treatment for your child’s needs. This is done through a mental health assessment.
As part of this assessment, the health professional will look at your child’s difficulties, background and current needs. They’re likely to ask questions about your child’s early history, progress and difficulties at school, and your family situation.
The discussion might cover:
- the situations your child finds difficult
- how they get on with other children and family members
- whether they have any learning difficulties
- how your child and family have tried to manage difficult or stressful situations up until now
- their strengths and interests.
You may also be asked to keep a record of your child’s behaviour – usually for a week or two, or until your next appointment.
Based on all of this information, the health professional will decide what kind of support will be most appropriate for your child and family. Information from Beyond Blue.
This week Issue 4 of Scholastic Book Club was sent home with the eldest child of each family. Orders need to be place by Monday 22 June. The books can be ordered through the Loop at www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP and orders will be delivered to classes on arrival. It is a fantastic way to grow your child’s love of reading. If you have any questions please contact me.
Parents and carers are welcome to contact the school to make an appointment with our School Counsellor if you have any questions and/or concerns about your child’s emotional wellbeing. Please contact your child's teacher or Carmel Maguire for a referral form for your child. Our counsellor works every Tuesday and for a morning every second Friday.
Happy Birthday to the following students
Vsevolod K, Jeremy R, Akol A, Jesse H, Luciarna G, Charlie D, Jessica Mc, Margaret S, Sarah D-H, Yianni K, Isabelle J
The Community Council met last week. We expressed our thanks to the staff for their tireless work in the lead up to remote learning, in assisting parents and students as we upskilled in remote learning, and also in readjusting their teaching plans and welcoming students back to school. The Community Council are also grateful to our new Uniform Team who have transitioned responsibility for the Uniform Shop. We would like to express our thanks to the outgoing team for their work over a number of years which included the arduous process of introducing new sports shirts. The Uniform Shop not only provides our community with free delivery of school uniforms but also uniforms that aim to be cheaper than retail prices. This service is only possible through the volunteer effort of our team. The funds raised through the shop enable the P&F to make contributions to our kids learning.
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.