Dear Parents

The St Monica’s Classroom Support Team is a group of passionate and dedicated professionals that always put the student’s needs first. They go above and beyond their roles to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the students they support. Their commitment to meeting the diverse needs and ensuring the wellbeing of our students shows a deep commitment to children. They make our school an inclusive place for children to thrive under their care and guidance. Our teachers and students are better for having these incredible people in our community. We want to recognise their quiet competence and the special contribution they make to our students.

Missing on the day of our school celebration were Unnati Shah and Josh Dalton 

Principal  

Each year schools are required to prepare a report for their community that is published on our school webpage. For convenience, I have published the report in this weeks newsletter. Unfortunately, the publication by CE of the 2019 Annual School Reports was delayed. For families new to our school community this year, past reports can be view on our school website.

Restorative Practices in schools is about building relationships for learning and for life. It is about getting to know each other better, it is about listening and sharing. It is about teaching the children questioning techniques so that they can learn to solve their own problems. What happened? Who was hurt? How can we fix it?

Restorative Practices Circle Time

At St Monica’s we use Circle Time for a variety of purposes in developing emotional literacy and relationships for learning. Some of the circles we are using across the school include:

Morning Prayer Circle - to gather, pray and set the tone for the day.

Learning Circle - an opportunity for children to share their work and understandings.

Restorative Circle - may be a whole class circle focussing on a particular concern or a circle to repair harm following an incident.

Formal Restorative Circle - requires a formal script and are to be used only when appropriate, when all who have been affected agree to the process and have been prepared.

Read more at https://www.restorativepractices.org.au

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.

Sacramental Program – Confirmation Liturgy 2020
The Sacrament of Confirmation is to be celebrated on:
Tuesday 10 November in St Michael’s Church at 6 pm
Wednesday 11 November in St Monica’s Church at 6 pm
Thursday 12 November in St Monica’s Church – 2 liturgies at 5.30 pm and 7 pm.

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 29 October 2020 at 6 pm 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 tomorrow night. The completed 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.

St Monica’s Online Book Fair will run until Monday 16 November 2020. An alert has been sent out with the link to the Redgum site.

In class, students will complete their wish lists which they will take home.  It is just a wish list, not an order form. The wish list has the link.  Students in Years 3-6 have received the link in Google Classroom. The site can then be accessed and browsed from home with all orders then entered online. 

Our Library will receive a commission for our sales which we will take in the form of new books for our Library so don’t forget to nominate our school when you make a purchase.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to own new books and parents or grandparents to do some early Christmas shopping.

On behalf of our students, we thank you for your support. It is much appreciated.

In School Sport Week 2 Results

3/4 Netball

Swifts 6 defeated Giants 2

3/4 Touch

Titans 5 drew with Bulldogs 5

3/4 Soccer

Victory 3 defeated Red Devils 0

Dragons 4 defeated Wolves 2

5/6 Netball

Diamonds 3 defeated Sapphires 2

5/6 Touch

Tigers 6 defeated Raiders 5

5/6 Soccer

Roar 7 defeated Glory 0

Wanderers 7 defeated United 1

Music News - Piano Exam results

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

Results are as follows - 

Honours - Sarah D-H (4MF), Sam G (5SM), Caitlin M (6M), Rohan G (5SM).

Credit - Mary D-H (6FH), Laura G (6FH).

Well done everyone!! 

SAVE THE DATE - CRAZY SOCK DAY – FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER

Wear your craziest socks and bring in a gold coin donation to help fundraise for Catholic Mission!

Reminder all families: 

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

There is no denying that 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for everyone across the globe. With this uncertainty come big emotions and feelings from the children in our lives - both at home and in the classroom. It's totally understandable given the unpredictability surrounding our current situation. 

The  'How Are You Feeling Today?' poster may assist children to understand and manage their changing feelings and emotions, and to talk confidently about how they are feeling.

Download a copy - it's free! Stick it on the fridge at home or somewhere easily accessible. It will serve as a great tool to prompt conversations and help kids discuss and unpack their emotions, particularly for children who may be non-verbal or are feeling shy. 

Suggested strategies from the 'Talking About Feelings' children's book that you can use at home or in the classroom.

What could you do if you feel angry?

Have the child focus on taking a deep breath followed by a slow-release. Using a bubble blower is an ideal way to practice this. 

Have the child think of their favourite food that is eaten hot, and imagine they can smell it. Ask them to take a deep breath in and then slowly blow out as if they were cooling the food. 

What could you do if you feel sad?

Ask the child to wrap their arms around their body and give themself a big hug. Then they could tell you how 'sad' makes them feel.

Suggest the child reads their favourite book or watches their favourite TV show snuggled up with their special toy or blanket. 

What could you do if you feel worried or scared?

Talk with the child about the situation of why they are anxious, e.g. going to class or swimming lessons. Go over where it will be, how they will get there, what will happen once they arrive. They could even role-play the bus ride and what they will do once they are at the venue.

View the children's book 'How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear?' for more ideas on how to help children with anxiety. Click here for more information. 

What could you do if you feel lonely?
Suggest to the child that they talk to someone that makes them feel safe about how they are feeling. 

If the child is lonely at school, suggest they take some paper and pencils with them and draw or write stories in a safe space at school. The teacher could encourage others to join in.  

From the Educate2Empower Publishing Team

Happy Birthday to the following students  celebrating a Birthday this week

Sonny S, Emma N, Aaliyah S, Alessandro S

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.