Newsletter 25th October 2023
From the Principal
Dear Parents and carers,
Last week, I had the wonderful privilege to accompany our Year 5 & 6 students on their Western Safari School Camp. This is the second year that we have run this camp, and I was impressed with the way that our students engaged with the program – as full on and jammed pack as it was.
The thing that stood out to me the most was the way in which our students actively displayed our You Can Do It behaviours – confidence, organisation, resilience, persistence and an attitude of getting along. It was great to see the students getting in and helping each other out with setting up and packing the tents, helping a friend roll up that difficult sleeping bag and mattress and showing that extra bit of resilience and determination when faced with sleeping in an unfamiliar setting. The teachers and I were really moved by the number of positive and glowing comments from members of the public and the tour company around our students’ behaviour and attitude. A big thank you to our wonderful staff – Mrs Gillam, Mrs Bruggemann and Miss Keleher – for giving of their time to help supervise and care for the students for the week.
Throughout Term 3, Mrs Gillam and I have been busy working in the background to source a new school uniform provider. It has taken a fair amount of time to bring all the options together and to source the right provider for us for the future. We are able to announce that moving forward, the company “School Locker” will be handling all of our uniform items from late November this year. Uniform items will be able to be ordered directly online, with shipping to your postal address as well as through a retail store that will be operating out of the InterSports store in Toowoomba. School Locker is in the process of acquiring all stock from our current provider and will be working hard to source and fill back to school uniform requirements for 2024. School Locker is aware of some supply timeframe issues, but they will do their best to ensure that they have stock. If there are any issues, parents will be informed of the uniform options for early 2024.
Year 4 Sleepover
The Year 4 sleepover will be on Friday 3rd of November in our school Sports Hall. All relevant information and permission forms went home yesterday with all the Year 4 children. Please check that you have all this information and kindly return the permission slip and payment by the required date. If you need any futher information please see you classroom teacher of the school office.
From the APRE
Day for Daniel
This Friday, October 27, all students will be participating in ‘Day for Daniel’. Held annually, this day honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe, and on this special day, all Australians are asked to Wear Red, Educate and Donate. On this day, Year 4/5 AQ will be leading the school in a special assembly highlighting the importance of child safety and protection. This includes the 3 ‘Rs’ – React. Respond. Report! Children are invited to wear red clothes to school on this day and bring a gold coin donation which will go to the Daniel Morecombe Foundation. Students will also participate in a fun run which is being designed by our Year 6 students.
World Teachers Day
Friday, October 27, is also World Teachers Day. The theme this year is ‘Hats off to Teachers’, aimed to celebrate the skilled work of of teachers in educating, inspiring and supporting students. On this day we celebrate and say a special thank you to the incredible talanted and dedicated teachers we have here at St Monica’s School. Year 2 will lead a special presentation as part of assembly on this day. Parents have been sent home some blank hats, where they can write a note of apreciation to their child’s teacher. Please return these to the office by 8:30am this Friday morning if you would like to participate.
Melbourne Cup Hat Parade
Next Tuesday, the 7th of November is the Melbourne Cup. Each class will participate in a Melbourne Cup sweep and are invited to participate in the ‘Fashions on the Field’ hat parade.
Prep Transition Days
Our Prep transition days will be on Thursday the 9th, 16th and 23rd of November. Our 2024 Preppies will be joining the school from 9am to 10:30am in the Prep classroom. We very much look forward to welcoming them to the St Monica’s School Community.
Family Mass
The final Family Mass of the year will be on Sunday the 12th of November at 8am. This is a wonderful opportunity for our whole community to join in prayer and spend valuable time together. Directly after the Mass, all are invited to stay for birthday cake as we celebrate our wonderful school volunteer, Gerard on his birthday. We hope to see many of you there.
Christmas Concert
It is with great excitement that we can announce the name of the 2023 Christmas Concert. This year, the students will be presenting the musical – The Animals’ Best Bush Christmas – inspired by Mem Fox’s Christmas Classic, Wombat Divine. Special thanks to Scholastic Australia PTY LTD for granting us permission to use this story.
Term 4 Key Dates
Week 4
- Friday, Oct 27: Day for Daniel (Wear Red)
- Friday, Oct 27: World Teachers Day
Week 5
- Friday, Nov 3: Year 4 Sleepover
Week 6
- Tuesday, Nov 7 – Melbourne Cup Hat Parade
- Wednesday, Nov 8: St Monica’s Annual Spelling Bee
- Thursday, Nov 9: Prep Transition Day 1
- Friday, Nov 10: Remembrance Day Liturgy
- Sunday, Nov 12: Family Mass
Week 7
- Wednesday, Nov 15 – Friday, November 17: Swimming Lessons
- Thursday, Nov 16: Prep Transition Day 2
Week 8
- Thursday, Nov 17: School Step Up Day and Prep Transition Day 3
- Friday, Nov 24: Swimming Carnival
Week 9
- Monday, Nov 27: Year 6 End of Year retreat
- Tuesday, Nov 28: Ball Games Carnival
- Wednesday, Nov 29: Graduation Mass
- Thursday, Nov 30: Christmas Concert
- Friday Dec 1: Final liturgy (Prep Nativity) and End of Year Awards assembly (11am).
School lessons finish at 12noon.
From the Classrooms
Prep
Welcome to Week 4, where we're gearing up for another exciting fortnight filled with both learning and fun.
This past Wednesday, our students took part in their first Socktober event, a delightful initiative aimed at raising funds for the Catholic Missions. It was heartwarming to see our children wearing some truly fantastic and crazy socks for the occasion.
On Thursday morning, our students have a special event planned – they will be attending Mass in honour of World Teachers’ Day, celebrating the educators who inspire and guide them.
And to cap off this busy week, Friday will see our students joining in on Day for Daniel. We're encouraging everyone to wear red and bring a gold coin donation. These generous contributions will be directed to the Daniel Morecombe Foundation, supporting their ongoing efforts to educate people on how to keep our kids safe. Thank you for being a part of these meaningful events!
Looking forward to another wonderful fortnight in Prep!
Year 1
We have begun learning about persuasive texts this fortnight in the Year One classroom. We read 'The Perfect Pet' by Margie Palatini and discussed the language used in persuasive writing. Using ideas from the text, we have been writing short persuasive letters about the pets we would like. In Maths, we have been creating appropriate questions for data collection. The students look forward to planning their surveys and representing their data.
Year 2
This week in HaSS, Mrs Paige visited the Year Two class as a guest speaker. We have been investigating the history of our school and the changes that have occurred over time. Mrs Paige spoke to the class about a significant person in the school's history- Father Edward Leo Hayes, who lived a very interesting life and who the library is named after. The students were highly engaged and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about him.
Year 3
Over the next few weeks, Year 3 students will be involved in class and whole school testing. During Mathematics students have been revisiting addition and subtraction strategies. This week we have been looking at rhythm and rhyme when writing and reading various forms of poetry. During Science lessons students have been exploring states of matter. Next week (week 5) students will be leading assembly as part of our celebration of All Saint’s Day. We hope to see you there!
Year 4/5 AQ
Welcome back to the Year 5s an 6s from their western adventure! Their pictures and stories from the camp were a real treat for all of us, showcasing the incredible experiences they had. Thank you to all the staff who accompanied the students on the camp, I am positive they have made lifelong memories! I also want to recognize our Year 4 students for stepping up as great leaders in the absence of our Year 5s. They displayed responsibility, and maturity making us all incredibly proud.
We have a busy week ahead- Socktober on Wednesday: students are encouraged to wear their most colourful, and mismatched socks as we collect much needed funds for Catholic Missions Australia! RSE Lessons: This week, we will be conducting essential Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) lessons, these lessons are thoughtfully designed to help our students navigate important aspects of their lives in a safe and supportive environment. Assembly Presentation: Join us this Friday morning as our class takes the stage presenting our Day for Daniel assembly presentation.
A reminder as the weather heats up to please ensure your child is packing a water bottle and their hat.
Have a wonderful week! God bless.
Year 4/5 B
What an awesome week we had on the Year 5/6 Western Safari. We were so impressed with the students, and it was great to see their confidence, organisation skills and resilience grow throughout the experience. They are to be commended on their behaviour and this was mentioned by a number of members of the public. It was wonderful to hear that the Year 4s had a great week working with Mrs Malone and Mrs Ah Quay.
The Year 4s are very excited about their sleepover, which will be held next Friday, 3 November. Information about the camp, including a packing list was sent home yesterday. Please return the permission slip and payment by the due date.
This week is another busy week as we celebrate Socktober on Wednesday and World Teacher's Day and Day for Daniel on Friday.
Year 4/5 M
Welcome to Week 4!
We have really enjoyed having the Year Five's back from camp. It wasn't quite the same in the classroom without them. From all accounts, they had a fabulous time and have created so many memories. This week is a busy week with Socktober on Wednesday and Day for Daniel on Friday. Next week the Year Fours will have their own sleep-over camp on Friday night. We are organising some great activities for the night and I am sure the students will thoroughly enjoy it! Please ensure that students are coming to school with water bottles as the weather is warming up.
Year 6
What a fantastic week the Year 6 students had while on their Western Safari. It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to learn all about the Queensland Outback and spend time together outside of the classroom. I was so impressed to see them all demonstrating persistence and resilience throughout the week, particularly when setting up tents in an exhausted state. Their team work and comradery to achieve a collective goal was to be commended.
With only 6 weeks to go until the end of the term, I look forward to seeing the students further develop their friendships and continue to build on their legacy in a meaningful and positive way.
From the Library
Book Club Orders for Issue 5 are due Friday 20th October.
From Music
Our Choir & Ukulele Group have been invited to lead the singing at the Oakey Historical Museum on Sunday 26th November at 4:30pm. Choir members need to meet Mrs Hughes at 4:20pm and wear school formal uniform.
It is anticipated that the performance will be finished by 6pm. There will be a sausage sizzle that evening. Parents are encouraged to bring their own chairs/picnic rugs.
Mini Monnie's Playgroup
Be Well at St Monica's
PERSISTENCE
Persistence is one of the keys to success in the You Can Do It! Program. The younger students have been introduced to Pete Persistence who encourages them to keep on trying even when things are hard or not fun, and to not give up until they have finished. Students learn that sometimes when they are learning something new, they have to practise a lot and not give up. Sometimes it can be very challenging and not fun, but they need to keep on trying. They are taught that even when things go wrong or when something feels hard to do, they need to persist.
The older students have been presented with the following attributes of persistence:
- Trying hard and not giving up easily when they are doing schoolwork that is frustrating, hard or considered to be boring.
- Trying to complete an assignment rather than becoming distracted.
- Choosing to play after doing their work, not before.
- Not giving up when they have a lot of work to do in different subjects but making the additional effort to do it.
As parents, you can help to develop your children’s persistence by:
- Not taking over when tasks become difficult
- Giving examples of times you failed, but then succeeded, in a difficult task
- Praise their effort when they display persistence
- Help to break tasks into small steps
- Encourage your children to try new and challenging tasks.
In challenging times, help is just a phone call away! Who can you call 24/7?
Lifeline 131114, Kids Help Line 1800 551800, Beyond Blue 1300 224636
Uniforms
Research has shown that one of the real advantages of an education at a Catholic School is that a special and unique pride is developed. One significant way to foster such pride is the enforcement of strict uniform guidelines. All children are expected to wear the school uniform as listed below:
School Uniform - Years 1 to 6
Girls – Formal - Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
- St Monica’s School Dress Uniform
- Dress: Pattern, Sutton no 346(B)
- Dress: Fabric, Check 8021
- Collar: Cesarella 1301, Zip: Birch 265 Bottle Green
- St Monica’s School green school hat
- Short white socks – (no ankle socks)
- All black shoes – may be leather or jogger.
Girls – Sports - Wednesday and Friday
- St Monica’s School Sports Shirt Yr.1 to Yr.5
- St Monica’s School Leader Shirt Year 6
- St Monica’s School Navy Blue Skort
- St Monica’s School green school hat
- Short white socks
- White sandshoes/joggers
Winter Variation
- As Above
- St Monica’s School Bottle Green Fleecy Pullover with embroidered crest
- Green fleecy track pants with sports uniform only.
- Navy Blue Tights (optional)
- School track top with embroidered crest (optional)
Boys – Formal - Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
- St Monica’s School Dress Shirt with tartan collar
- Shirt: Pattern, Simplicity 5581
- Fabric: Bottle Green Poplin 8021
- Shorts: Navy Blue Long Shorts (Ruggers)
- St Monica’s School green school hat (Slouch hat style)
- Short navy-blue socks – (no ankle socks)
- All black shoes – May be leather or jogger.
Boys – Sports - Wednesday & Friday
- St Monica’s School Sports Shirt Yr. 1 to Yr. 5
- St Monica’s School Leader Shirt Year 6
- St Monica’s School Navy Blue Shorts (Stubbies)
- St Monica’s School Green School Hat
- Short white socks
- White sandshoes/joggers
Winter Variation
As Above
- St Monica’s school Bottle Green Fleecy pullover with embroidered crest
- Green fleecy track pants with sports uniform only.
- Long navy-blue pants - Ruggers – Formal uniform (optional)
- School Track top with embroidered crest (optional)
It is expected that the correct and clean school uniform will be worn at all times. A school uniform can help instil in the students a sense of pride and identity. It also signifies unity and equality.
Prep students wear the sports uniform 5 days per week – Monday to Friday
All Students
Hair: Collar length hair or longer must be tied back with a green band or green ribbon. Natural hair colour is expected. Rat’s tails and tracks are not permitted.
Earrings: Girls: Sleepers and plain studs are the only acceptable earrings.
Boys: No earrings.
Other: Clearly mark all clothing with your child’s name.
NB: The school fleecy pullover must be worn first. The spray jacket may only be worn over the top of the pullover.
From the P&F
Tuckshop
Thank you to our past weeks helpers: Amanda, Gemma, Mel & Meg.
And a big thank you to this fortnight's helpers
- Week 4: Kimmi Beitzel & Kellie Cherry
- Week 5: Fiona Martin & Karyn Miller
PLEASE NOTE: there will be NO TUCKSHOP on weeks
- Week 8: Swimming Carinval
- Week 9: Last day of school
Special Lunch- Term 4
Special Lunch Term 4 will be held on Tuesday 28/11/23 second break. A letter will distributed closer to the date outlining special lunch.
Year 5 & 6 Camp Donation
This year the P & F donated $4,500.00 towards the buses for year 5 & 6 Outback Safari Camp, Paige Murray presented the P & F president with a lovely thank you letter for the donation. The P & F is delighted to help support of school families in lowering the cost of camps, and this is only possible thanks to the P & F volunteers plus the school and wider community to support the work of the P & F.
Race Day Update
A donation of $30,000 will go towards the purchase of industrial fans in the multipurpose hall, these fans will be installed at the start of November and fully functioning for the Christmas Concert.
Christmas Concert + P & F BBQ
We are again looking forward to an exciting Christmas Concert in 2023! The P & F will run the BBQ & Bar for the concert. A letter to families in coming weeks will be distributed to students requesting numbers of persons attending from your family. Please complete the letter and return to the school as this will allow the P & F to organize catering accordingly. If anyone would like to assist in the BBQ in any way, please reach out on our email address. oakpandf@twb.catholic.edu.au
AGM- 30/01/2024
The St Monica's P & F AGM will be held on Tuesday 30/01/24, week 2 of Term 1, 6.30pm at the Oakey RSL. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please send all nominations through to the P & F email account, oakpandf@twb.catholic.edu.au. As usual, all positions are open, and we look forward to seeing everyone and meeting new people at the AGM.
If you would like to get involved in the P & F, please accept this as a warm invitation and welcome. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Meg Bullock on the P & F email or see Lyndell in the office. oakpandf@twb.catholic.edu.au
Clothing Pool
Please send Tricia Brownsey a text on 0408 675 945 and she will be able to let you know if what you require is available. Tricia is also happy to package up orders and leave them in the school office.
Please only text Tricia, as she has work commitments.
Outside School Hours Care
