St Monica’s Primary School - Evatt eNewsletter

Thursday 22 October	Tennis - Year 5
Friday 23 October	Tennis - Year 6
Friday 23 October	Hockey - Kindy - Year 2

Dear Parents

The school was filled with so many amazing characters yesterday as the staff and children celebrated Book Week in style!. Congratulations to the children and parents for your creativity. The children really had a wonderful day.

Next week the teachers in each year level will come together to analyse the result of the recent PAT diagnostic assessment test completed by the children in English, Spelling and Mathematics. The results will provide the teachers with an overview of your child progressing and areas to focus on in the coming weeks. The teachers will compare the assessment information with the knowledge they know about your child and also consider any adjustments to the learning goals set last term.

Year 6 End of Year Liturgy

As restrictions are still in place for school events we will be holding three end of year daytime liturgies to accommodate our Year 6 cohort and parents. The date set is Tuesday 8 December. A detailed letter will be sent home early next week outlining the specific arrangements for the day and timing of the liturgies.

Year 5 Leadership Letters

Last week the Year 5 students received a letter from Mrs Foster regarding their Year 6 leadership groups. As part of their literacy assessment, the children will be asked to write a letter to the Principal expressing their interest in a leadership group and their reasons; this will replace the traditional speech. I am looking forward to receiving the leadership letters by Friday 13 November. As the letter is to be written at school I strongly encourage parents to speak to their child about the qualities of an effective leader. Our leadership areas selected by the children for 2021 include Arts, Library, Service, Social Justice, Sport, Stewardship and Technology.

Class Groups for 2021

Much care and deliberation occurs when forming our class groups. Teachers are highly professional and have the main responsibility for placing their current students in the most appropriate class for next year. Over the next three weeks, the teachers will be observing friendships to assist with class groupings.

While forming class groups we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics when forming a class group. Every care will be taken to ensure that your child is placed in the best situation to enhance learning and social development.

Class Formation for 2021

Class	K	1	2	3	4	5	6
Number	2	2	2	2	3	2	3
Size	22	26	23	23	23	29	24

Confidential concerns should be brought to my attention in writing, by Friday 23 October, even if you have raised concerns in previous years. Please email directly to carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au. General concerns should be raised with your child's teacher. As Principal, I will make the final decision on all class placements. Late requests are very difficult to consider once groups are finalised.

Hockey Clinic for Kinder to Year 2

This Friday the Kinder to Year 2 children will commence a four week Hockey Clinic as part of their sports program. This is a wonderful sport to develop hand-eye coordination. The program will occur on our school oval. The cost of the clinic is being covered by the Curriculum Levy. COVID protocols will apply to the handling of equipment.

Uniform Shop

Our uniform shop has been relocated from the hall to a classroom in the portable building near the blacktop/basketball pick up area. Our preference is still for families to submit orders via Qkr. Orders processed by Thursday night will be filled on a Friday morning and sent home. Any parent accessing the uniform shop will be asked to sign a register for COVID tracing purposes. Thanks to our wonderful uniform team, they are very generous with their time.

Medication at School

Just a reminder that any medication to be taken at school must be sent up to the Front Office in a clearly labelled container/zip lock bag.

As it is that time of year where hayfever is prevalent some children are needing to use their ventolin as a one off. Children are required to send their puffers up to the Front Office.

Please continue to pray for our Year 6 Confirmation candidates and their families as they continue their preparation for the sacrament.

Continue to stay safe and healthy.

Carmel Maguire

Principal

Fees are due by Friday 13 November

Term 4 school fees invoices have been issued this week. Statements were sent home with the eldest child on Tuesday afternoon as we are still unable to email them. Please check your child's bag. Statements were posted to any families who have a split account.

Please let us know if you have not received your fees statement. Statements were not issued to families with a direct debit arrangement in place, however, please let us know if you wish to receive it.

Please make every effort to settle your account on time, and get in touch with our School Finance Officer, Allison Walsh should you need to discuss your account.

Any families who are leaving us this year must ensure their account is settled in full, please.

Sacrament of Confirmation – the second step in the process of Christian Initiation.

Confirmation occurs between Baptism and Eucharist and is closely related to them. Already incorporated into the Body of Christ at Baptism, the child now prepares for a fuller reception of the Holy Spirit so that they can be led to the table of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the repeated sacrament for the life-long affirmation of our belonging to Christ. This is the ultimate sacrament of mature commitment.

Our Year 6 candidates are in their last week of their home preparation. They have been revising their Baptismal Call, looking at what it means to belong to their family and God’s family. Exploring the Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit is also another important part of the preparation for Confirmation.

Family Prayer experience – the Holy Spirit in our lives

Because we cannot see God, the Bible uses images for God’s Holy Spirit. This week, I invite you and your family to talk about times when the you have experienced the Holy Spirit. Was it through a feeling, a sign, an action? As a family how do you picture the Holy Spirit? Often, we see the Holy Spirit being represented through wind, fire, a dove, or breath.

Activity: As a family, design a picture representation of the Holy Spirit. I would like to create a display using your designs, as we continue to grow together as a school community. Please send your design in via the front office by Thursday 29 October.

Confirmation Retreat Day and Sponsor letters

Next Thursday 29October, Year 6 will be participating in the Confirmation Retreat day. This is a day of formation for our Year 6 students as their preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation draws to a close. A note with the outline of the day will be sent home to families early next week.

All Sponsor letters are due back to school. Any letters that have not arrived need to be sent in by Tuesday 27 October. This is to ensure that all Confirmation Candidates have a letter to open during the retreat day.

Sacramental Program – Confirmation Liturgy 2020

The Sacrament of Confirmation is to 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.

Please arrive at the church/liturgy that you have booked for, at least 15 minutes prior to commencement of the sacrament.

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 Thursday 29 October 2020 via zoom at https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/94273514916

Home Booklets

Families should now be working through the home booklets with their children in readiness for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The home booklets should be completed ready for the parent/child Formation night on Thursday 29 October 2020 and the booklets are then, to be returned to the school no later than Monday 2 November with the ‘Parent’s Discernment of Readiness’ (the last page of the booklet) completed and signed ready for Fr Loi to also sign. The booklets will then be returned to the candidates on the night of the Sacrament liturgy along with their certificates. .

For further information please contact the Sacramental Program coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au

In preparation to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Candidates are to attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation before being Confirmed. This is a great opportunity for the children to renew their heart, mind and spirit, with the support of their family, as they continue their preparation to be a confirmed member of God’s family.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish offer times for Reconciliation. The times are:

St Monica’s Church every Saturday 4:30pm - 5:30pm
St Michael’s Church every Sunday 4:30pm - 5:15pm

There will be opportunities for candidates to attend Reconciliation at school, over the coming weeks, if families are unable to attend on a weekend before the Sacrament. These sessions will occur during the school day and supervised by a Year 6 teacher.

Please note Library Day for KB will remain as a Thursday.

In School Sport Competition

Our in School Sport Competition kicked off last week and by all accounts students really enjoyed the friendly competition and there was a wonderful vibe on the oval. Our Netball competition started today after last weeks postponement. Thank you to the students in Year 6 and teachers who have been refereeing games.

Week 1 Results

3/4 Touch - Bulldogs 5 drew Sharks 5

3/4 Soccer - Victory 5 defeated Wolves 2, Red Devils 5 drew Dragons 5

5/6 Touch - Raiders 3 drew Storm 3

5/6 Soccer - Wanderers 5 defeated Glory 2, Roar 9 defeated United 0

I will keep you updated each week with results.

You may have noticed some signs around St Monica’s outdoor areas and wondered what they are about. These signs help to remind us how we can resolve relationship problems when they occur on the playground, or in the classroom.

Restorative Practices assists teachers, students and parents to build, maintain and restore relationships. Restorative Practices helps us at St Monica’s build capacity to enable students to self regulate behaviour and contributes to the improvement of learning outcomes. This week the children in Kindergarten have been learning about Restorative Practices in their classroom. They are learning to use the questions below to resolve problems when they arise.

To find out more visit https://www.restorativepractices.org.au

Last Thursday Charlize, AJ, Mary, Josephine, Laura, Sam, Darcy, Fletcher, Scarlett, Dylan, Rohan, Paige, Archie and Max competed in the the first Children's Book Council of Australia ACT Branch Readers Cup. There were 20 teams from 10 schools competing. All the students had a great time answering 40 questions about the 5 books they had been busy reading. Our Team 3 Josephine, Archie, Dylan, Scarlett and Fletcher finished 6th. Well done. The year 5 students are now looking forward to participating again next year.

This term St Monica’s will be asking the children in Year 3 to 6 to take part in the Six-Star Wellbeing Survey to review the general well-being of our student community. This is a new survey, we have elected to trial, as it is designed to provide an overall picture of our student population, sub-groups and individual students in six areas of general wellbeing. The six categories that define the Six-Star Student Wellbeing Survey are: mood; resilience; school engagement; communication; relaxation; and positivity.

We know that students with high levels of wellbeing may be more motivated and display greater levels of engagement and academic achievement, compared to students with low wellbeing. Higher wellbeing may also be associated with fewer mental, emotional, and behavioural concerns.

As the Six-Star Student Wellbeing Survey is not a clinical or diagnostic survey Mr Donnelly will be responsible for administering the 10-minute online survey to the students as part of our student voice initiative.

All sub-categories relate to student feelings from the past four weeks:

Mood

The sub-category relates to worry, mood fluctuations and happiness. Assessing mood allows for the identification of students that require further targeted testing from an appropriately qualified professional or a specific clinical survey. Such information also allows for specific staff within schools to play a critical role in preventative mental health programs with students or determine which students may be appropriate for external or internal referral for review or additional/specialist support.

Resilience

Resilience represents successful adaptation in the face of challenges. This sub-category measures an individual’s capacity to value effort, stay determined, and bounce back from challenges. Resilience is both a positive wellbeing construct, as well as an important target for identifying students with concerns. Research indicates that the resilience of students can be developed, and schools can play a critical role in this.

Engagement

School engagement is beneficial for learning as well as personal development. The engagement sub-category provides information about effort, feeling safe at school, and feeling comfortable with peers and teachers. Engagement can also be related to motivation and may be linked with school retention and performance.

Communication

Communication is critical for students to be able to function in a school environment. This sub-category encompasses questions related to listening, speaking with others, and asking for help. Effective communication is often associated with healthy relationships and is also an area that can be developed through programs conducted either with individuals or groups in schools.

Relaxation

This sub-category is an inverse reflection of frustration and anger. The capacity for children and adolescents to be able to relax, both physically and emotionally has been recognised as an important skill. Relaxation has been shown to be able to be developed as a skill with intervention. The sub-category specifically identifies tension, managing frustration and a capacity to relax or calm down.

Positivity

This sub-category reflects confidence, optimism and positivity. It also identifies how well students know their strengths. There is growing evidence that being positive through a range of strategies, is a skill that assists individuals to flourish and high positivity has been linked to health and wellbeing. It is also an area that can impact on the culture of a group or broader school environment.

DATA COLLECTION & CONFIDENTIALITY

Students completing the survey will not be required to provide date of birth, address or contact details. All Six-Star student survey data is stored securely and remotely on a dedicated server within Australia in accordance with Elite Performance Pty Ltd’s (trading as Six-Star Wellbeing) Privacy Policy. Reports do not include individual responses from items linked to any individuals completing the survey and only a summary of responses from survey items is provided in the report.

Any parent who has concerns or does not wish their children to participate in the survey should email carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au by Friday 23 October.

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Reminder all families:

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

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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 Wednesday (odd weeks).

Happy Birthday to the following students celebrating a Birthday this week

Lucas C, Nicola B, Bailey D-C, Alexandra B, Harry B, Lucas S, Aya T, Grace R, Lorenzo S, Giuseppe C

Last Sunday 9 students from St Monica's Primary School represented St Moncias' at the ACT Junior Chess League Primary School Championships - (Mary D-H (6FH), Charlize S (6M), Angelino S (6H), Rohan G (5SM), Micheal H (5E), Sarah D-H (4MF), Annalene L (4R), Zarah L (3L) and Ostin D (3GB).

Congratulations to Mary D-H (6FH), Charlize S (6M), Sarah D-H (4MF) and Annalene L (4R) who are the 2020 ACT Primary School Girls Champions!!

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

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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.