Newsletter 5 February 2025
From the Principal
Welcome to St Monica’s for 2025. I would like to extend a warm welcome to you all, from our very new families and students to our final year families. I hope that you all have a wonderful year at St Monica’s. We start the year with 198 students, consisting of 35 Prep students and 12 new families. We also welcome three new staff members Mrs Zoe Trost, Mrs Indigo McCollum and Ms Donna Barsby to our school. We welcome you all and look forward to the year ahead.
2025 will be another big year here at St Monica’s, with a number of wonderful learning opportunities and events planned for our students.
As always, our overall focus for the year will continue to be on providing the best learning environment for our students, where they can experience success along their learning journey. At St Monica’s we strive to provide a positive and productive learning environment for all. We work towards this by regularly reviewing and reintroducing our students to our community learning and behaviour statements. These statements outline how we all (students, parents and staff) can achieve success and develop positive relationships within our school community. The statements focus on four key messages around six learning and behaviour dispositions: Confidence, Curious, Getting Along, Organised, Persistent and Resilient. These are up on display in each classroom and within the school quad area. Mrs McGregor and I had the opportunity last week to review these statements with all of the classes. A copy is available for you with this newsletter.
As we commence another wonderful year at St Monica’s I would like to finish with a regular feature that I put into our newsletter. I always find it helpful to reshare it each year.
With the beginning of each new school year, our students can experience a mix of emotions as they become familiar with their new class. From our newest Preps and new students to our experienced Year 6s, all students will take time to adjust to the change in classroom routines, teachers and social groups. Change is necessary part of life and cannot be avoided. Change should be embraced as an opportunity to grow as a person and the school is one environment in which students can learn to deal with change by developing their coping skills. Adapting and working with change is a lifelong skill that everyone needs. If your child is experiencing difficulties in settling into the new routines, be proactive and take some time to work with your child’s teacher during these initial weeks until routines and school life becomes familiar. Please ensure that if you have any questions or queries in regard to your child, please contact your teacher as soon as possible. The staff of St Monica’s are here to work in partnership with all our families for the benefit of your child/children.
A few reminders to parents for our before and after school routine.
Parents are reminded that it is essential that you are using the supervised crossing on Lorrimer Street. With the increase in families at the school, there is also an increase in the number of vehicles in the mornings and afternoons. The school crossing shouldn’t be seen as an extra trip or long delay to get to your vehicle but an essential trip for you and your children’s safety. On Friday, our Prep and Year 1 students were introduced to our Crossing Supervisors – John and Donna – and were shown how to use the crossing safely.
In the afternoons, school students should not be using the playground equipment in Prep area. If students are waiting for pick up, they are to be seated under the Prep area tree.
Our first supervised duty of the school day is at 8:25am. Before this time students are to be seated in the quad area. Students are not to arrive at school before 8:00am as they are unsupervised at this time. If you need to drop your child off before 8:00am, you are encouraged to make use of our Before School Care. This will ensure that your child is being cared for safely.
IMPORTANT NEW DOCUMENT - PLEASE READ:
The new document, the Toowoomba Catholic Schools (TCS) Parent Code of Conduct is a companion document to our existing TCS Parent Engagement Charter.
The TCS Parent Engagement Charter affirms the relationship between parents and staff which, as we know, works best when it is based on mutual respect and acknowledgement of the unique contribution that each party makes to the education experience of students. Positive, healthy relationships are a feature of a distinctively Catholic community.
Links to both documents are included below for your information and convenience.
From the APM&I
Welcome Back
A warm welcome back to the 2025 school year. I trust that you all enjoyed a blessed Christmas season and peaceful break with family and friends. It is wonderful to see classrooms buzzing with excitement as they set up classroom routines and expectations and begin their adventures in learning.
Prayer For the New School Year
Lord Jesus, we ask for Your help as we begin this new school year.
Allow us to experience Your presence in the many blessings You put before us.
Open our eyes to the new challenges and exciting opportunities that this new school year brings.
Open our heart and mind to new friends.
Give us a generous spirit to be enthusiastic and courage to accept new opportunities.
Help us to be attentive to one another and let us experience Your presence in our new friends.
Jesus, inspire us to do our best this year.
Amen.
Jubilee 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope
Every 25 years, the Church declares a Jubilee Year, a year for pilgrimage and spiritual renewal. The theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year is Pilgrims of Hope.
A colourful logo has been designed for the event. It shows four people moving together, representing people coming together from the four corners of the world. The leading figure is holding onto a cross which is a sign of faith. There are waves beneath them as a sign of pilgrimage and also the rough times everyone experiences. The lower part of the cross is an anchor which is a sign of hope.
During a Jubilee year, we also pray that mercy, forgiveness and solidarity fill our hearts as create right relationships with all we encounter.
Staff Professional Development Week
During the week before school resumed, the St Monica’s staff engaged in a week of professional development. Included in this week was:
- First Aid Training
- Student Protection Training
- Multi-tiered Structures of Support
- The Pedagogy of Explicit Teaching
- Years 3-6 TCS Diocesan Approach to Spelling in-line with Australian Curriculum English V9.
- Religious Education Planning – Embedding our Charism
- Authentic use of Yarning Circles in Schools
- Finalising the school’s 2025 Annual Action Plan
- Completing the school scope and sequence for the Australian Curriculum Mathematics V9.
Special Assembly – Presentation of Year 6 Ministries
Today, the Year 6 students were presented with their ministry badges. The year 6 leadership ministries are:
- The Stewards of Creation Ministry
- The Liturgy Ministry
- The Good Samaritan Ministry
- The Health and Wellness Ministry
Each term the Year 6 students' carryout the responsibilities of one of these ministries. Our Year 6 students are already doing a wonderful job leading our school and being role models to the younger students.
Good Sams Day
Today we celebrated ‘Good Sams Day’, which marks the Foundation of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, who began our school in 1921. On this day we celebrate their inspiring work and the parable and values on which their order is based. To mark the day, Year 2 led us in a special prayer assembly in the hall, and we enjoyed ice-blocks together at lunch.
Weekly School Assemblies – Friday at 8:40am
Each week at assembly, one year level takes responsibility for sharing prayer with the whole school community. Parents and other members of the wider community are always welcome to join us for assembly. Assembly is held in the John Bede Poling Hall (Big sports hall) on Fridays at 8:40am. The Term 1 schedule is as follows:
Week 2 – Year 2 – Good Samaritan Sisters Day (on the Wednesday)
Week 3 – Year 4 – Getting Along
Week 4 – Year 1 – Confidence
Week 5 – Year 6 – Clean Up Australia Day
Week 6 – Year 3 – Persistence
Week 7 – Year 5M – Organisation
Week 8 – Year 5R – St Joseph’s Day
Week 9 – No assembly due to Toowoomba Show Holiday
Week 10 – Whole School – Holy Week Play.
Term 1 School Masses
Week 4, Thurs 20th February, 9am – Welcome and Year 6 Leadership Induction Mass (Whole School)
Week 5, Sat 1st March, 6pm – Family Mass (All warmly invited to attend)
Week 6, Wed 5th March, 9am – Ash Wednesday Mass (Whole School)
Week 8, Thurs 20th March, 9am – St Joseph’s Day Mass (Year 1 & 2)
Week 10, Thurs 3rd April, 9am – End of Term Mass (Whole School)
From the Classrooms
Prep H & Prep CS
What a wonderful start we have had in Prep. The children have hit the ground running and are loving the transition to big school. We can already tell what a wonderful year we will have together.
Year 1
What a fabulous few days we've had in the Year One classroom! Thank you to all the parents who have brought in their child's surveys, I'm enjoying getting to know your children better by reading them. The Year Ones are beginning to settle into their new classroom and routines, having their own desks is by far the most exciting thing to happen to them this year! We've been doing some revision of our letters and sounds and have started learning about the features of Nursery Rhymes in English. I look forward to sharing more of our learning with you in the coming weeks!
Year 2
What an awesome start we have had in Year 2 for 2025!
Last week we engaged in lots of “getting to know you” activities and learning about each other’s favourite things.
This week we have jumped straight into learning for the term! We have started our English unit which is going to be based on narratives. To start off we are looking at fairy tales. We love sharing our knowledge of fairy tales! In Maths, we have been learning how to collect and organise data. We have reminded ourselves about tables and tally marks to help organise and read our data earlier.
We were also fortunate enough to be the first class to present an assembly! We worked so hard in the last week practicing our dancing and reading our lines! They all did a great job!
Year 3
The Year 3 students have had a fantastic first week and are settling back into the school routine well. Throughout the week, we have been reviewing and practising Year 3 routines and procedures to ensure all students understand what is required of them in the classroom. Throughout the week we have also been reviewing our school prayer and charism. The students have enjoyed getting out of the classroom to find examples of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Benedictine Values and St Monica. Students then completed activities in the classroom to explore how these link to our school and brainstormed ways in which we can demonstrate these qualities in our daily lives. In the coming days we will continue to explore the Good Samaritan Sisters and the Giabal and Jarowair people.
Year 4
We have had a busy start to the year! The students have worked together to brainstorm class rules, including rewards and consequences, that will help us effectively work as a team. Everyone has settled in well and has been using our St Monica’s Learning Dispositions to support each other in the classroom.
Year 4 homework is online this year, log in details we sent home with students on Monday and can be found glued into the back of their homework books. In addition to the online homework, students are asked to write 5 sentences, using their spelling words, in proper sentences. Year 4 students are encouraged to complete 80 minutes of homework per week.
God Bless
Year 5M
We have blasted off to an amazing start to the year in 5M with Mrs. McCollum! We want to extend a special welcome to our two new students at St. Monica’s, we are thrilled to have you join 5M! In our first week, we got to know each other, practiced our school routines, and engaged in lots of fun crafts, games, and activities. One of the highlights was a STEM challenge where students worked in groups to build tables out of cardboard and tape. We measured the strength of our tables by stacking books on top until the cardboard collapsed. Every group successfully made a table with at least three legs and a top! We also discussed our school values and worked collaboratively to create our class expectations for an incredible 2025. Some of our favourite expectations are "Look out for each other", "It's okay to fail, that is how you learn" and "Always get back up and try again".
Year 5R
What a fantastic start to 2025! Our students have had a fabulous first week, settling into their new classroom with excitement and enthusiasm. A special welcome to our two new classmates and families - we're thrilled to have you at St. Monica's! Mrs. Roberts is incredibly excited to guide this brilliant group of young learners as they explore, create, and achieve great things. With their enthusiasm and dedication, the stars are their only limit this year. Here's to an amazing year of learning, growth, and success in Year 5!
Year 6
What an amazing start to Year 6! We have been so impressed with the way the students have stepped up and embraced their new roles. We discussed that leadership badges and titles don’t make a leader - a person’s choices make a leader.
Mrs Trost and I are looking forward to working with this incredible group of leaders. Please ensure that you have sent back all forms they have been sent home.
Have a great week!
From the Library
Library News
As we begin the school year, students in Year 4-6 will continue to develop skills in using our database, Accessit, and year 3 will begin their learning of this. Through this, we gain our access to Encyclopedia Britannica and to our streaming service, Clickview. Please bookmark these links on your home computer, so students are able to fully use these resources at home.
Accessit can be found St Monica's Schoolhttps://au.accessit.online/HLY07/.
Clickview can also be accessed online Primary Videos, Resources & Worksheets | ClickView.
Students may be offered to sign in using their SSO (which will be easy!) or they will have to log in using their OAKusername@twb.catholic.edu.au. Please have them insert their own username before the @sign. They will then need their school password. If you have any trouble with this or questions, please email me at mandie.tindall@twb.catholic.edu.au
The lower years spend time this term developing routines for the library, learning about our collections and how to use them, as well as listening to lots of fun read-alouds.
From Music
Mrs Hughes & Mrs Malone were thrilled to have so many students sign up for Choir last Thursday! Our School Choir is currently for years 4, 5 & 6 in preparation for Dalby Eisteddfod later this Semester. It's wonderful to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic group of singers to work with each Thursday at lunchtime.
Ukulele Club is held every Wednesday at 2nd break. Ukulele Club is very popular, and we only have 18 ukuleles here at school. If you have a ukulele at home and you would like to be part of the group, please bring this to school on Wednesdays.
Sports News
PE LESSONS
This term in PE, all students will be working on their general fitness in preparation for the annual Cross Country Carnival. The Prep - 2 students will also participate regularly in activities to enhance their gross motor skills and later in the term, the Years 3 - 6 students will participate in indigenous games.
CATHOLIC SWIMMING
Next Thursday, a number of our students will be participating in the Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival at the Glennie Pool. This is always a great day of friendly competition and we wish them all the best.
INNER DOWNS SWIMMING
Congratulations to Lilian, Mason, Tom and Lacey on qualifying for the Inner Downs Swimming Trials which will be held at Milne Bay on Monday 24 February. Good luck!
CROSS COUNTRY
All students will participate in the annual St Monica's Cross Country on Monday 24 March at Gordon Park (across from the school). More information will be provided in due course.
YEAR 4 T BALL GALA DAY
The Year 4 students will be participating in the Catholic Schools T Ball Gala Day on Tuesday 1 April. More information will be provided in due course.
Be Well at St Monica's
From the P&F
The P&F would like to extend their welcome to all of the St Monica’s community for 2025. Last night we held our first P&F meeting for the year and have locked in a few key events and fundraiser for the year.
Our first event for the year is our annual Welcome BBQ on Friday 14th March. The theme is Hawaiian Beach Party. This first event is a perfect opportunity to catch up with school parents and friends and to welcome our new families. We will be looking for helpers to assist with the running of the bar and cooking.
We would also like to extend a warm invitation to all families to come to our P&F Catch Up on Tuesday 18th March at 6:00pm. This will be a great opportunity to hear about the key priorities of the P&F for the 2025 over a drink and some yummy food. We would also love to hear from families about any suggestions for any fundraising events they might have.
At our meeting last night, the P&F have committed to purchasing two new sound field towers for the classrooms. These will greatly enhance the accessibility to learning for all students. We have also committed to funding a new set of student desks to cater for the ongoing growth of the school.
Every year the P&F commits to helping raise funds for the bus costs for Excursions and Sports trips for the students. It is through parental volunteering that we can continue to provide amazing opportunities for all our students.
Tuckshop
If you would like to get involved and help out in tuckshop, please see Kylie McCormack or Lyndell in the office. All helpers are placed on a roster, of your choice of date (where applicable).
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 the P&F email or see Lyndell in the office. oakpandf@twb.catholic.edu.au
Clothing Pool
The clothing pool is currently located in the OSHC, if you require anything please contact the school office or see Lauren in OSHC room near the Prep Classroom.
Uniforms
School uniforms are now available at School Locker online theschoollocker.com.au
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, Wednesday & 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 bucket hat
- Short white socks – (no ankle socks)
- All black shoes – may be leather or jogger.
Girls – Sports - Tuesday 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 bucket 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)
Boys – Formal - Monday, Wednesday & 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 bucket hat
- Short navy-blue socks – (no ankle socks)
- All black shoes – May be leather or jogger.
Boys – Sports - Tuesday & 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 bucket 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)
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.
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