Dear Parents

St Monica's Goes National

This Friday morning Mitchell B (4R) has been selected as the ACT Year 4 representative to take part in the Sunrise Morning Zoom Quiz competition. Tune into Network 7 from 5.30am to cheer Mitchell on, from the comfort of your home.  Go Mitchell!

Footy Fever Friday

To mark the end of the term and the footy finals the children are permitted to wear the colours of the favourite team and/or a footy jersey. We would love the children to bring in a gold coin donation to support the Joe Maths community, our Global Partnership Community who had to close their school due to COVID-19. 

The ACT election is scheduled for Saturday 17 October. Now that this election is a month away it is important that we are aware of what parties are promising regarding Catholic Education in the ACT. Education funding is central to the continued provision of quality education. In the ACT we are poorly served in comparison with our State/Territory counterparts. We receive the lowest State/Territory funding in Australia.

In the lead up to the 2020 ACT Election, the Catholic Education Commission of Canberra-Goulburn endorsed three policy priorities for all parties to consider in relation to:

1. Equitable School Funding

• Provide Catholic schools with 25% of the cost of education in an ACT Government school, per-student (Currently only 20%).

2. Land Release and Planning

• Make land available for Catholic schools.
• Improve planning policies to include Catholic schools.

3. Support for Catholic Early Learning Centres

• Provide financial support to Catholic Early Learning Centres to support equitable access and construction of new centres.

Recently, the Canberra Liberals announced a commitment to support Catholic Education’s funding and land release policy priorities. The challenge for Catholic Education in the ACT is to continue advocating for this policy to be adopted by other parties. The election outcome remains uncertain and our System is focused on ensuring that all major parties commit to our policy priorities.

As soon as other parties commit to one or more priorities, Catholic Education will announce to all parents.

What can you do as parents of children who attend a Catholic School in the ACT?

You, as parents and supporters of Catholic Education, can assist by engaging with candidates in the lead up to the ACT Election, making it clear that equitable funding of Catholic schools is an important election issue for you. Feel free to contact/approach candidates or current MLA’s from other parties that have not committed.

Continued follow up to our Annual Parent Survey

Through the comments, several parents express concern that a number of popular teachers have left St Monica's. Teachers are appointed to a school, following an interview process. A number of our current teaching staff hold a permanent position while several have been granted temporary contacts. Temporary teachers are employed to fill the positions created by staff members taking leave or requesting a change in the number of days they wish to work. Teachers holding a permanent position will often elect to apply for a move to broaden their teaching experience or apply for a leadership position. Teachers holding temporary contracts are required to reapply for a position each year with positions dependent on staffing arrangements and the staffing allocation granted to a school by CE. 

The iPad is a tool to support learning and should never be seen as a way to replace the importance of quality teacher input and direction. The iPad is a way to capture the learning and explore alternatives to present and investigate areas of learning. 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 goes towards apps for school-owned devices, laptops, 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. 

Term 3 School Fees

Principal  

Sacramental Program – Confirmation Liturgy 2020

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on:
Tuesday 10 November in St Michael’s Church at 6pm
Wednesday 11 November in St Monica’s Church at 6pm
Thursday 12 November in St Monica’s Church – 2 liturgies at 5.30pm and 7pm.

Due to the overwhelming interest from students wishing to make the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday 12 November 2 liturgies have now been included and the liturgy that was initially scheduled for Tuesday 17 November has been cancelled.

Thank you for your registration for the Sacrament of Confirmation. You are now required to formally book the liturgy date and time for your family. This can be done through ‘Trybooking’ from Friday 25 September on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

COVID-19 Restrictions
Due to Covid-19 restrictions:
- the number of people attending is restricted to family only (This means those who live in one house, Mum, Dad and siblings of the candidate only) and the sponsor; and the number of candidates to receive the sacrament on each night.

Registration for the Sacrament of Confirmation can be made via the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Qkr! App. Registrations will close by 28 September 2020 and no further registration will be accepted.

Purchasing a stole for Confirmation
Purchasing a stole is optional and is not compulsory. If you wish to purchase a stole, please make the payment of $20 through the Qkr! App and send an email to sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au Arrangements will then be made for delivery/pickup.
Parish stoles are available for loan on the night.

Parent/Child Formation Night
The parent/child formation night is compulsory and will be held on 29 October 2020 via Zoom at https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/99770997965

Commitment Masses
Students and parents must attend one of the commitment Masses listed below to make their commitment for the sacrament. 
Please remember to make a booking for the Mass in advance, through the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September
Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October

There will be no additional commitment masses beyond these dates.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is available in 2020 for the School of Religion. Any queries can be made to sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au

For further confirmation updates during the school holidays, please refer to the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Teams have been formed for our In-School Sports competition. Team lists will be displayed at school by the end of the week and a draw will be sent out early next term. Some important information for parents and students to know:

• There are only 2 teams in 3/4 Netball and 5/6 Netball meaning teams will play each other every 2 weeks in odd weeks (1,3,5,7,9). These games will take place Wednesday on the Blacktop.
• There are 4 teams in 3/4 and 5/6 Soccer. Games will be held each week on Thursday for 5/6 and Friday for 3/4 students on the school oval. 
• There are 3 teams in 3/4 and 5/6 Touch Football. Games will be held each week on Thursday for 3/4 and Friday for 5/6 students at the Greenspace. 
• Students will be required to wear their sports uniforms on the days in which they are playing. Games will take place from 1:45-2:15pm and will be umpired/refereed by our Year 6 Sport leaders and supervised by a teacher.
• Other school clubs and initiatives such as Lit Quiz and Chess will be earlier in the week so they do not clash with these games.

I would also like to reinforce our earlier message that these games will be fun in nature and all teams have been formed as mixed ability. The school leadership teams and 3-6 teachers have also looked at team lists to ensure equity across all teams and so that all children will have a chance to enjoy themselves. 

If you have any further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact my directly at school or by email ryan.matchett@cg.catholic.edu.au

One of the tools we have used to break open the Assessment Waterfall is Bump it Up Walls. Bump it Up Walls show a progression of learning in a certain subject or focus and include Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. Teacher and students use these walls for Descriptive Feedback, Peer and Self Assessment and for Individual Goal Setting. Here are some examples of the Bump it Up Walls in our school and what some of our Year 3's had to say about their use.

'It helped me because it made me take advice from my Peers and do drafts' Paddy 'Every time I used it I got better and better. I could improve a lot'        Esther 'When I first saw the Bump it Up Wall it made me really try in my school work'                                                                                              Patrick 'It made me think, what can I do to improve my writing? and I looked and compared my writing and the features I had missed'                             Emma 'I learnt that you can't make it perfect on the first try'                             Gus 'The Bump it Up Wall helped me because it is a representation of what I can do'                                                                                                          Cooper 'It helped me bump up my writing and showed me how to add more descriptive words'                                                                                Laura 'It's so good for learning more information'                                                 Raylah

Overdue Library Books

This week overdue library book notices have been emailed to parents. If you have received an email could you send the books back to school before the end of term.  If there is an issue with a book could you please email me - veronica.melville@cg.catholic.edu.au

Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week

The Children's Book Council of Australia made the decision to postpone Book Week until October due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Book Week will run from 17 October to 23 October (Week 2 of Term 4). We will be holding our traditional character dress up day on Tuesday 20 October. There will not be the traditional parade in the hall due to Covid-19 restrictions. Organising your children's costumes may be a fun and creative holiday activity. The students will be engaging in activities about books organised by our Year 6 Library leaders, as well as some smaller activities that celebrate books. This year's theme is Curious Creature Wild Minds. 

Children's Book Council of Australia ACT Branch Reader's Cup

This year the Children's Book Council of Australia ACT Branch will be running Reader's Cup. We have 3 teams competing. The students have been enjoying the five books that they are required to read and have participated in lively discussions about the books.   They will then compete with 17 other school teams to answer quiz questions from the books on Thursday 15 October. Due to Covid-19 restrictions the students will participate online here at school between 10am and 1pm. Readers Cup competitions challenge students to read widely, work collaboratively in a team and continue developing a love of reading.

Redgum Bookfair

We will be holding our Book Fair in Week 5 of Term 4. Due to Covid-19 restrictions we will not be holding a traditional book fair but a virtual book fair.  Students will view the catalogue of books online and write their wishlists. Parents will also  be able to go online to view the catalogue and make purchases. Some of the advantages of the virtual book fair are that the book fair will be open 24 hours a day from Monday 9 November to Monday 16 November also giving parents time over the weekend to make purchases. The range and selection of available books is  much higher with over 1100 products to choose from. 

Sport and Library  Days for Term 4 are as follows:

 

In celebration of this year’s NAIDOC Week theme “Always Was, Always Will Be,” young artists aged 6-16 years old are invited Australia wide to create an original artwork that shares their culture, ceremony and spiritual connection to country. The entry that best reflects the theme will receive a $500 Bundarra voucher and have their design printed as a limited edition Bundarra collection. Follow the link below for more information and how to enter. https://paint4.bundarra.org/

Reminder all families: 

Catholic Education COVID-19 Website - Click to open web updates

Thank you for supporting the canteen and utilising Qkr to order food on Fridays.  This really assists with our time management, hygiene and less wastage.  

As Fridays are so busy now, the shut-off time for Qkr orders will be amended to 8:45 am form Term 4.  This extra 15 minutes of preparation time will make all the difference on a busy Friday morning.

Some parents have advised me that when they look on Qkr the food that they are seeking is not showing.  My suppliers do deliveries on Thursdays, therefore I am unable to update my stock counts until this time.  I have counts on all the popular items to ensure that what children order is what they receive.  I appreciate that this is a short window for ordering, but appreciate your assistance.  Optimal ordering times for a Friday lunch are Thursday 3:30pm - Friday 8:45am.  Remember, if you child is sick to either call-up or email me and I will be happy to hold onto their order for the next week."

Happy Birthday to the following students and to students celebrating a Birthday throughout the holidays

Archie N-H, Ante B, Sarah R, Timofei S, Paddy P, Lisia F, Lexi R, Natalia S, Joseph J, Jack P, Charlize S, Angelino S, Ella K, Mia D, Hamish C, Ruby S, Giorgia M, Flynn G, Jett T, Alexis B

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

Passion & Purpose Academy is Canberra’s fastest growing dance school with the most affordable hip hop classes for 3 - 17 year olds. To arrange a free trial at our Melba Copland Secondary School studio, please enrol online at www.passionandpurpose.com.au

Details below for upcoming Holiday Program.

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.