St Monica's Primary North Parramatta Newsletter

Term 1 Week 8 2021

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

On Sunday, Mr Baker and I attended Mass at St Monica's with many of our students preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Fr Ephraim explained that the Fourth Sunday of Lent was one of joy.  In this liturgical season of Lent, the Church reminds us that joy should be present at every moment of our lives.

In the readings on Sunday, St Paul revealed one of God’s favourite ways of regarding us. “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus.”  If one has a work of art in their house, a picture of print that means a lot to you, or perhaps the first sketch by a child, do you put it in the darkest corner of the room?  Or do you allow just enough light to fall on it so as to reveal how terrific it is, why it gives you pleasure?  

If we are God’s work of art, he wants exactly the same.  Let us take a moment to pray for the courage to expose ourselves to Christ’s healing light this Lent to be more beautifully illuminated at Easter.

I thank the staff, students and parents of St Monica’s for always reminding me of this through their own joy and light.  I have seen lots of joy and light this week.  The joy on our parents’ faces to be back with us in person at our assembly, and the joy on our students’ faces seeing their parents at school.  The joy on the St Moncia’s parishioners' faces as they saw our refurbished learning spaces for the first time!  And the joy felt by our teachers and students when a learning goal has been achieved.

I can’t wait to see what joy is in store for us this Easter.

Lisa Crampton
Principal

Carpark safety

Parents are requested to please turn your car OFF when you park.  Please do not leave your car running if you exit the car to assist your child. 

In the interest of keeping everyone safe, we ask you to be mindful of our carpark safety rules. 

Please ensure your child has a water bottle!

We are requesting that parents PLEASE ensure that every child has their water bottle EVERY DAY

Many students are still attending the school office requesting cups of water each day.  

As the bubblers are not in use, it is most important that students bring at least one bottle of water each day so that they are not dehydrated.

NO glass bottles please.

Thank you in advance for your assistance. 

Winter Uniform - Term 2

A reminder that students return to school in Term 2 wearing their Winter Uniform. 

All school uniform requirements may be purchased through Oz Fashions. 

115-127 Parramatta Road, Granville 2142
(Cnr Parramatta Rd and Good St)
Phone: 9897 3121 Email: email@ozfashions.com.au
Web: www.ozfashions.com.au

Click here for Winter Uniform requirements.

Lunchtime Clubs

We have a range of exciting clubs on offer at lunchtime for our wonderful students!   What clubs will your children attend?   

A timetable of our clubs for Term 1 is below.

These usually happen at lunchtime.   Check out some photos of our clubs on our Facebook page! 

Which Lunchtime Club is on today?

Harmony Day!

St Monica's will celebrate HARMONY DAY on Monday 22 March 2021 (Week 9).

The theme is 'EVERYONE BELONGS'.  Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

All children are invited to wear a touch of ORANGE for Harmony Day. 

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A MUFTI DAY. 

School Uniform is to be worn with orange socks, an orange ribbon, an orange hat etc.         

For more information you may visit the Harmony Day website.

School Cross Country - Wednesday 24 March (Week 9)

St Monica's annual School Cross Country will be held on Wednesday 24 March 2021 (Week 9) at Hazel Ryan Oval, Whitbread Place, North Rocks.  Permission notes were due to be returned on Wednesday 17 March.

  • All students in Stage 2 and Stage 3 will participate in this event
  • Students in Year 2 who are turning 8 years of age this year are also invited to attend if they are able to run the required distance of 2km.  

Parents who have volunteered to assist on the day must complete the Building Child Safe Communities training modules PRIOR to the event. 

All spectators will be subject to the current COVID-19 restrictions.  Parents will be required to spectate from the designated viewing area which will be sectioned off and clearly labelled.  The students will sit in their class groups.  

Students and staff will be walking to the oval.  Please ensure your child has plenty of water and sun protection.

Qkr! app for cashless purchases is here!!

Parents are advised that the school is no longer able to accept cash. All payments to the school will now be accepted via the Qkr! app.

Introducing Qkr! (pronounced 'quicker') by Mastercard, the secure and easy way to order and pay for school items from your phone at a time and place that suits you.

Please follow the instructions carefully when downloading the Qkr! app.   

Parents are requested to download the Qkr! app in readiness for future Fundraising and other School Events.  Cash will no longer be accepted as payment.

Instructions to download the Qkr! app can be found here.

Skoolbag - Have you downloaded the app?

Skoolbag is the school’s primary avenue for immediate communication with parents.

Skoolbag is a communication app which all parents are strongly advised to install on their smartphones, ipads etc. 

A note will be sent home shortly, requesting you to advise whether you have downloaded the Skoolbag app. 

We would appreciate you returning the note to the office as soon as possible so that we can update our records.  

We thank you in advance for your assistance. 

2022 Kindergarten Applications due 31March

Kindergarten 2022 Enrolment Application packs are available from the school office.  Enrolment Forms must be submitted by Wednesday 31 March 2021.

Kindly let your family and friends know that we are now accepting enrolments for Kindergarten next year.

Enrolment Forms may also be downloaded from our  website www.stmonicasparra.catholic.edu.au

Due to COVID-19 restrictions , completed Enrolment Applications, together with all supporting documentation, may be emailed to the school email address stmonicasnparra@parra.catholic.edu.au

Please note that the original Enrolment Application, together with original supporting documentation, will need to be submitted at a later date.


School Fees - 1st instalment now overdue

Thank you to those families who have paid their first instalment.    

For those families who have not accepted the Flexible Payment Plan, your first instalment payment was due on 17th March 2021.

Families who have not received their first Invoice are requested to contact Mrs Lata Rebello in the school office on 8832 4100.  

Mrs Lata Rebello
Senior Finance Officer

Book Fair - Thank You!

A big thank you to the very generous families who made book purchases from the Fair last week.

Every purchase directly benefits the school.

The students had a great time shopping and were so excited to see their favourite books and authors on display.

Many students were even able to discover some new books to add to their next birthday or Christmas wish lists!

Mrs Rita Davino
Teachers' Assistant / Library Assistant

Students enjoying the Book Fair!

Project Compassion Fundraiser

On Monday 29th March (Week 10) we will be having a fundraising event to raise money for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion appeal.

This will be a Mufti Day. Children are not required to wear school uniform. They can wear modest, casual clothes (no short shorts, singlet tops, crop tops etc.), closed-in shoes and a hat.

This day will mark the beginning of Holy Week. As we enter Holy Week this year, we continue to reflect on the lives of people vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice and how we can respond. 

This Lent, we take the time to recall the teachings of Saint Oscar Romero. He taught us to live a simple life, commit to bringing peace to the world, speak the truth and aspire not to have more, but to be more. 

Teaching our children to give alms is one of the fundamental ways that we put our faith into action during the season of Lent. As they wear mufti clothes to school, we remind them that they can be more in the world and that they can make a difference to the lives of others through their donations. 

As we move towards becoming cashless at St Monica’s, we ask that donations for the Mufti day be made using the QKR app (see instructions for how to download and use).  We encourage you to carry out this donation with your child so that they know you have made the donation and they understand what they have donated and why they get to wear mufti clothes. We will let you know when donations can be made via the QKR app.

All Project Compassion boxes and envelopes with cash can be returned to the PARISH at Easter or during the first week of Term 2. 

Mr Andrew Baker
Religious Education Co-ordinator

Swimming Congratulations

Congratulations to Pare N who was awarded Junior Girl Champion at the Cumberland Zone Swimming Carnival. 

Pare N and Lucas A will now compete in the NSWCPS Swimming Championships which will be held on Monday 22 March at the Sydney Aquatic Centre, Homebush. 

We wish them both the best of luck!!

Merit Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have recently received Merit Awards!


Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten)Hunter C, Aayra J, Jade S
Year 1Aiva B, Keira F, Mateo N
Year 2Marco J, Angela L, Isla S, Archie L, Marcus L, Monica C
Stage 2Angus G, Enzo I, Imeth W, Markus N, Maan P, Ivy T
Stage 3Ethan G, Abbi M, Mia S, Onur James U


Term 1 Last day for Ice Blocks - Tuesday 30 March

The last day for Term 1 Ice block sales will be Tuesday 30 March (Week 10). 

A reminder that Ice Blocks are on sale at lunchtime.

Zooper Doopers (Monday - Thursday)          50c each  

Icy Poles  (Fridays)                                            $1 each 

Ice blocks will be on sale again during Term 4.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate birthdays in March!


Taylor IGregory MKyra AAayra JJosip D
Cassiel MNoah DAshton DGrace ML'lysse P
Czermielle Sarah TMia ROlivia SVictoria YMia S
Ruby EAngelique HMariah BMartin SSara Y
Christopher SAlexandra CMariah TStephanie SSophia C



LIBRARY TIMES
MondayYear 1Morning & Recess
WednesdayStage 2Morning & Recess
ThursdayES1Morning & Lunch
Friday 

Stage 3

Year 2

Morning

Lunch

Morning Borrowing from 8.30am - 8.50am

Students who want to borrow will go upstairs with Mrs Davino at 8.30am.

Please encourage your children to come & visit the library (located at the back of Stage 3) during their class’s borrowing time.  

We have a great range of books to borrow and a “class bee” is given when books are borrowed and then another when it’s returned!

Our library monitors & Mrs Davino are in the library during these borrowing times to help any students.

The St Monica’s message bag or a material/cloth bag can be used to protect borrowed books.

Mrs Rita Davino
Teachers' Assistant / Library Assistant

Bookworm of the Term

Each term we will be looking for the student in each class/stage who borrows & reads the most books from the library.

That student will be crowned the “Bookworm of the Term”

These students will win a prize and have their name & face displayed on our Bookworm Farm in the Library.

Mrs Rita Davino
Teachers' Assistant / Library Assistant

PBS4L Reward System at St Monica’s

 “We are SAFE, RESPECTFUL LEARNERS”

CLASS JARS
Students are continuing to work hard in class to earn "bees" from teachers acknowledging the appropriate behaviour they see. 

 Each grade/stage is rewarded with a fun classroom game or an extra 5 minutes of play as soon as they fill their class jar with these green bees.

Students encourage each other to contribute to the class jar so a whole class reward can be enjoyed 

 Bees are given out freely and frequently so students can contribute to and enjoy a whole class reward often.

Bees can also be earned in the library when borrowing & returning books and even when students visit the office and display respectful behaviour.

The grade/stage is rewarded as soon as they fill the jar 

Some of the class rewards that can be earned are:

  • 5 minutes early playtime at lunch
  • 5 minute game of Heads Down,Thumbs Up 
  • 5 minutes free choice sport
  • 5 minute game of 4 Corners/ Kahoot

PLAYGROUND CASES
Safe, respectful playground behaviour is also acknowledged with a white “bee” given out by teachers. 

Students place these bees into the class boxes in the playground which are then closely monitored by students to see who will be the next winner and what fun activity they will get to enjoy

Some great ideas for reward time might be

crazy sock day/jersey day/crazy hat day/class party/movie afternoon

CONGRATULATIONS to  our recent winners of the Playground reward!

** Stage 3      ** Year 2     ** Kindergarten

Mrs Rita Davino on behalf of the PBS4L Committee

Stage 3 celebrated their win by having an extended recess play!

Year 2 celebrated their win with an extra 10 minutes of playground play!

Kindergarten celebrated their win with a movie afternoon - watching 'Finding Nemo'!

Munchbox Matters with Monica Mango

Introducing Monica Mango!!  She loves all things about healthy lifestyles, that means being healthy on the inside and the outside.

Each newsletter Monica Mango will share a new recipe to try at home. She’d love to see some of the recipes tried and packed for school. If you can show the yumminess in your ‘munchbox’ at school, we’ll take a photo and put it on the school Facebook page. (At the end of the term each person who has a photo taken will go in the draw to win a special little surprise). Happy cooking!!

Eating well and being active are critical to children’s health and wellbeing.

Research indicates that eating well and being active are critical to children’s health and wellbeing in both the short and long term. They also have a direct impact on children’s performance at school.

The school day is busy, filled with learning, concentration and physical activity. Food is fuel for our bodies and healthy food provides your child with energy and nutrients to get them through the day. Children should eat a wide range of foods so that they have the energy for learning and growing.

This weeks’ recipe is a great snack for the lunchbox and perfect for helping hands too!

 

Banana, coconut and oat bars

Ingredients

5 large ripe bananas

4 cups of oats

3 tablespoons of water

¼ cup moist coconut flakes

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

Line a square baking tray (a 25x25cm size would be ideal) with baking paper and evenly spread the ingredients until the mixture is about 2cm thick.

Cook in the oven for 25minutes or until lightly golden.

Let the bar cool completely before cutting with a sharp knife to your desired size.

Notes: if you want them a bit sweeter, you could add 2tablespoons of honey. You can also add in any other ingredients you might like too (like diced dates, sultanas, dried apricots dried apple)

Recipe credit @munchy_lunchies

Prayers

Prayers are requested for members of our school community and for family members who are here and overseas, who are unwell at the moment.

There are a few families that especially need our prayers at this time.

Sympathy

We wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the LOOF family (Aimee Akiko S3) on the passing of Aimee Akiko's grandmother. 

Please keep the LOOF family in your thoughts and prayers at this very sad time in their lives. 

Student Absence Requirements

NSW Health and CEDP have issued us with further guidelines and restrictions to ensure the health and safety of our students, staff and Community.

A standard email will be sent to all families who have children absent from school. 

If your child is absent from school, one of the following must be done BEFORE they may return to school: 

If they displayed flu-like symptoms during their absence or were sent home with flu-like symptoms:

Return a negative COVID-19 test and be symptom free.   Provide us with a copy of the NSW Health or COVID-19 Testing Centre correspondence (e.g. SMS screenshot or email).

If they were suffering from a medical condition without flu-like symptoms:

Provide us with a Medical Certificate or Letter from a Medical Practitioner, clearly detailing medical condition and clearance to return to school.

If they were absent due to a non-medical reason:

Provide us with a detailed description of the absence.

If they were absent due to ongoing medical symptoms

  • In circumstances where children have other medical reasons for recurring symptoms, a letter from their treating doctor is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test. 


Thank you for your support and understanding as we continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community.

NO SHARING OF FOOD

We remind students that there is NO SHARING OF FOOD at St Monica's. 
Parents are requested to please send only healthy food options for your children to eat at recess and lunch. 

Chocolates, lollies and lollipops are treats for home and should not be sent to school.

Thank you for your support. 

Early Arrivals

Parents are reminded that morning supervision commences at 8:20am
Students ARE NOT supervised before this time.
It has been noticed that a number of students have been arriving at school well before 8:20am. 

If you need your child/ren supervised before this time, please contact COSHC.  (Details below)

Phone: 0429 990 179
Email:  COSHCStMonicasParra@parra.catholic.edu.au  
Morning 6:45am to 8:45am            Afternoon 3:00pm to 6:30pm

How to access the school Google calendar

To keep informed of upcoming events, parents may subscribe to the School Google calendar.  The Google calendar will be the primary source of information about school dates in the future.

Go to our School Website and scroll to the bottom of the calendar.

Click  “subscribe" near Parent Calendar.

Please LABEL everything!

Please ensure that every item of your child's clothing, lunch boxes and drink bottles etc have a clearly marked name label.

It is easy to return items that are clearly marked with a child’s name. 

We thank you in advance for your support. 

Emails

For all urgent enquiries, please contact the school office on 8832 4100 or stmonicasnparra@parra.catholic.edu.au as teachers do not always access their emails during the day. 
Please do not email teachers directly unless it is a specific enquiry related to learning.

Building Child Safe Communities - Volunteer/Contractors Undertaking

Dear Parents/Carers 

All Volunteers/Contractors who now visit St Monica's School must have a BCSC number before they will be allowed to enter the school grounds.

In Catholic Education Diocese Parramatta (CEDP), we see parents and carers as partners in your child's learning journey. Parents and carers are encouraged to become involved in our schools in many important ways such as supporting classroom learning, being part of advisory groups, mentoring programs, coaching sporting teams and supporting other extra-curricular activities, canteen support and other kinds of help.

Please see the link below for more details.

CEDP has launched a new Building Child Safe Communities form and online training module that all volunteers/contractors are required to complete

ALL Volunteers/Contractors  will require a  BCSC status that is APPROVED to provide services to our school.

  • You must provide your BCSC number to the school prior to assisting at an event. (Please forward the automated email to the school email address stmonicasnparra@parra.catholic.edu.au or provide a hard copy)
  • No Volunteer/Contractors (parents included) will be granted permission to assist with a school event without a valid BCSC number. 

Uniform Supplier

Oz Fashions supply all our student uniform requirements. 

115-127 Parramatta Road, Granville  (Corner of Parramatta Road and Good Street)

Phone:  9897 3121         Fax: 9897 3222

Email:  mail@ozfashions.com.au

Website:  www.ozfashions.com.au

Opening Hours

Monday—Friday 9:00am-5:30pm

Saturday 9:00am-4:00pm

Sunday CLOSED

Feedback and Complaints

We always welcome feedback and ideas from the parent community.

Please note that at any time that you would like to make a complaint/grievance in regards to any school matter, a form is available on our school website or you may request a copy from the school office. 

All matters brought to our attention will be attended to under strict confidentiality.

Please note: St Monica's North Parramatta follows the CEDP Complaints Handling Policy

Welcomeasy Summer Menu

Parents can order student lunches online.  Lunches are delivered to school each  day.

 Menu

The SkoolBag app is the easiest way keep up with school events, last minute notices, newsletters and all school communications.