Dear Parents

The school magazine was sent home today with the eldest child, to the parent responsible for the payment of the school account. One copy is allocated per family unless a second copy has been arranged via a split billing arrangement. As the cost of the magazine is included with the fees please ensure you are up to date with your payments. Additional copies will be available for purchase from the front office for $30.00 until sold out. Payment will be accepted via Qkr from Friday.

Principal  

Yesterday was celebrated our End of Year Awards Ceremony where our 3 awards to Year 6 students were handed out, medals given to ACT Representatives on a national scale and farewells for students and staff leaving St Monica's. Congratulations to the Year 6 recipients of our awards for 2020.

Laura Green – Academic Achievement Award

Laura is a meticulous and creative student who always puts her unique mark onto everything she does. She always goes that extra mile to produce work to the highest standard. Laura takes on any feedback given by teachers to improve the quality of her work. She works well independently and has a positive attitude towards her learning. Laura is excellent at collaborating with her peers in group situations and is a team player, defining and accepting roles and responsibilities. She actively participates in whole class, small group and paired discussions, with her ideas being thoughtful and insightful. In addition to her excellent scholastic achievements, Laura is involved in many extracurricular activities such as Maths Olympiad, Lit Quiz, Reader’s Cup and Music Tuition. Laura is to be commended on all she has accomplished in primary school and continue her excellent academic achievements into high school and beyond.

Josephine Hose – Academic Achievement Award

Throughout her years at St Monica’s, Josephine has always given 110% in everything she does. She consistently strives to excel in her learning and has achieved excellent results. Josephine approaches learning tasks with a positive attitude and seeks out ways to improve and challenge herself. She engages with issues of local and global significance, from the past and present, and makes connections between areas of knowledge. Josephine has made the most of all that St Monica’s has to offer, extending herself through Lit Quiz, Reader’s Cup and Maths Olympiad. She has also managed to successfully balance her schoolwork with a rigorous dance program that takes her to many places. Josephine participates actively in all class experiences and always shares her insights and ideas with the class. 

Sarah Rabbets – Pastoral Care/ Christian Values Award

Sarah consistently demonstrates our school value of respect through her actions and words. She is an outstanding role model to her peers and younger students. Sarah is the epitome of inclusion, making sure that everybody around her feels valued and cared for. She is a considerate and compassionate student who can see and understand things from another person’s perspective. Sarah goes above and beyond to lend a helping hand and be a positive influence on others. Sarah is the perfect exemplar of someone who displays a sincere commitment to personal excellence. There is no doubt that when Sarah puts her mind to something, she can accomplish great things. It is because of this drive and genuine care for others; that she has and will continue to be a great leader that inspires the masses.

Claire Hinds – Citizenship Award

Claire is a highly motivated and intrinsic learner. She displays excellent leadership qualities and embodies the many values that we look for in a model citizen. She shows a deep and heartfelt commitment to equality, fair play, tolerance and compassion. As a part of her role as a Sport Leader, Claire has developed and lead small and whole school activities. She has guided and lead younger students and has been a model of leadership for her peers. Claire is deeply and personally committed to Christ’s message of service to others, showing this through her actions. She shows dedication in even the smallest of tasks, working as a mediator, organiser and leader to ensure that groups and friends get along and get their work done.

Congratulations also go to those students who have represented the ACT on a national scale in 2020:

Chess – Mary D-H, Charlize S, Sarah D-H, Annalene L

Golf – Vselolod K

OzTag – Archie E, Grace B, Tulli H, Layla R, Emily R

Soccer – Finn D

Hip Hop Dancing – Amelia H, Grace R, Jesse F

Hip Hop and Basketball – Mya L

Calisthenics – Annabelle F, Bella P

Sacramental Program 2021 – First Eucharist for catch-up students from 2020
The Sacrament of First Eucharist for the students currently in Year 4 in 2020 will be celebrated in term 1 of 2021 on the following dates:

• Tuesday 23 February at 6pm in St Michael’s Church
• Wednesday 24 February at 6pm in St Monica’s Church
• Thursday 25 February at 6pm in St Monica’s Church

Registration for the Sacrament of First Eucharist is now closed and no further registration will be accepted.

Commitment Masses
Students and parents must attend a commitment Mass to be able to celebrate the sacrament.

This weekend - Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December 2020 is the last opportunity to attend a commitment Mass.

There will be no additional commitment masses beyond these dates.

For further information regarding the Sacramental Program for 2021 please contact the Sacramental Program coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au

During the school holidays – updates regarding the sacramental program will be available on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

Christmas Mass Times

Christmas Eve

• St Michael’s -  6.00pm and 8.00pm
• St Monica’s -  6.00pm and 8.00pm

Christmas Day  

• St Michael’s -  8.00am and 10.00am
• St Monica’s -  10.00am

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available at both churches on Thursday 24 December - 10am-12noon.

Parish website is www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth

In School Sport Week  9 Results

Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the In-School Sport Competition this term. We completed our final round of games this week. I would like to especially thank the Year 6 sports leaders who assisted with umpiring and refereeing games and to the teachers who helped supervise games. Final round results are below. 

3/4 Netball

Swifts 4 defeated Giants 1

3/4 Touch

Sharks 10 defeated Titans 1

3/4 Soccer

Victory 6 defeated Dragons 1

Red Devils 5 defeated Wolves 2

5/6 Netball

Sapphires 8 defeated Diamonds 2

5/6 Touch

Storm 4 defeated Tigers 3

5/6 Soccer

United 1 drew with Glory 1

Roar 5 defeated Wanderers 2

Attention Parents with Children in Years 3 – 6 in 2021

BYODD – Bring Your Own Device Program Year 4 - 6

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 BYODD program at St Monica’s.

With changes in technology we will undergo a review of technology at St Monica’s in 2021. With many of the high schools moving to laptops we need to evaluate our curriculum needs and explore the devices that best serve our needs for learning.  We will be considering iPads, laptops, Chromebooks or a combination of all three for use across the school.

In 2021 the Year 3 children will access the iPads available at St Monica’s. They do not need to bring an iPad to school.

In 2021, the BYODD iPad program will continue in Years 4-6. Any future changes will be via a transition program coming in 2022 from Year 4.

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.

Why BYODD?

With 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 3 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 going towards apps for school owned devices, new laptops, a trail set of Chromebooks, 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 continue to report on Technology outcomes from the Australian Curriculum in our school reports in 2021.

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. We are in the process of refining our list of apps and will advise once finalised. Students will be permitted to use other apps at school only if they assist with completing educational tasks.

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

Minimum Specifications if purchasing in Year 4  in 2021

We are asking students to bring Apple iPad devices only.  If purchasing, we are recommending 10.2” iPad WIFI 32GB Retina display. This is the newest model for education however other iPad models will be compatible. The iPad must have a durable cover, preferably with a keyboard. Earlier iOS will work, but may limit the effectiveness of some apps.

I am pleased to advise the P&F Community Council have approved the fees schedule for 2021.

The schedule of fees is attached for your reference. Every effort has been made to keep the overall fee increase to 3.5%.

If you have older children at Systemic Catholic Schools other than St Monica's, please complete the attached form as soon as possible.

This information is required by us to ensure you are charged the correct amount for fees. If you have older children at Systemic schools you are entitled to various discounts on your school fees here at St Monica's, if you do not provide this information you will be charged the full fees.

Happy Birthday to the following students  celebrating a Birthday this week and throughout the school holidays

Agamveeer M, Geordie T, Xavier M, Lachlan P, Talija M, Tulli H, Andreas K, Keir F, Mikayla T, Piero C, Zavier T, Kara C, Emma O, Ethan G, Aurelia S, Emma T, Mitchell C, Sarah R, Aria F, Anandvir B, April A-C, Ivan P, Jack R, Taylor H, Raphael S, Nellie R, Isabella M, Natalie R, Arabella A, Matthew P, Caitlin M, Bol K, Penelope R, Leila W, Nikolas H, Arina M, Paddy K, Brock T, Michael H, Alani A, Jessamine A-C, Clementine A-C, Angelo R, Joshua S, Massimo S, Nicholas K, Mary D-H, Jemima B, Isobel C, Flynn A, Jack B, Molly O, Giorgio P, Violet P, Gabe J, Marianna R, Ater A, Charlotte G, Adeline B, Axel R, Donato A, Maddie N-H, Gus O, Christian M, Archie E, Madeline H.

Reminder all families: 

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

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