NEWSLETTER Term 4 November 9th 2017
St. Monica’s Primary School 20 Robinson Street Moonee Ponds 3039
Phone (03) 9375 1132 www.stmonicasmp.catholic.edu.au
Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Anthony Feeney Principal: Mr. Peter Moore
Parish Office: Phone 9370 5035
Mass Times: Saturday 6:30pm (Vigil), Sunday 8:00am, 9:15am in Italian, 10:30am and 5:30pm
OSHP Number 0412 616 491
Faith
Hope
Love
Dear Parents and Students,
Today we had our first Orientation Session for Foundation 2018. It was wonderful to be able to warmly
welcome back existing families with eager young siblings and also to embrace new families to the St.
Monica’s Community.
As a way of formally welcoming new families, I’d like to give existing St. Monica’s Families an
opportunity to make personal contact in order to make our newest members feel welcome. The new
families have filled in a “We’d Love to Meet You” card and these have been placed in envelopes in the
front office. If you’d like to ‘adopt’ a new family, please come and collect one.
The process from then on is simple:
• Use the details on the form (phone or email) to make direct contact
• Arrange to meet—suggested activities could include a play date, a coffee in Queen’s Park, a dinner
together, meeting at a weekend Mass, etc
• If it’s possible, I’d love someone in the group to take a snapshot and send it to me, along with a very
brief description of the gathering. I’d love to feature your ‘catch-up’ in the Newsletter.
Over the last three weekends of October,
our Year Three Students have been
participating in the Sacrament of Eucharist
for the first time. Thank You to all families
who made our Parish First Communion
Program such a success.
A special thank you to the Parents’
Association for putting on a wonderful
celebration last Thursday.
We’d Love to Meet You
Surname: Smith
Adults in the Family: Suzanne and Jeff
Children in the Family: Marco, Lily and Zac
Contact Details: Mobile Phone 0412 345 678
SHAUN TAN
RADIUS
9 - 26th November
Radius presents over 100 small oil paintings of objects and scenes found within a short walking
distance of the gallery in which they are exhibited, radiating out from a small laneway in Bruns-
wick, Melbourne: dumpsters, tram passengers, kitchen sinks, boom gates and so on. The most
ordinary and quotidian things, and the weather and light that describe them, are beautiful and
mysterious, but it is hard to realise this unless we are compelled to stop and study them beyond a
passing glance. Visitors are invited to look at the paintings, then take a short walk to consider
again the wonder of their immediate radius.
New Exhibition in Brunswick for Art-Loving Parents
From memory I have never recommended an exhibition
before - just to parents, but this one is fairly local and I
believe that you will love it.
You might remember that Shaun Tan came to our school a
few months ago to demonstrate his abilities as a children’s
book illustrator. He is a ‘fine artist’ as well and over the past
twelve months he has been working on approximately 130
small oil paintings which feature ‘snapshots’ of Brunswick.
The one illustrated here is of the railway crossing in Albion
Street—I recognised it immediately as I drive through these
boom gates a lot. Other scenes are less familiar, but all are
located within a short radius of Shaun Tan’s local
environment, close to his studio.
The paintings are tiny - 20cm x 15cm and they are intended
to be mere glimpses or moments in time.
I think Shaun is one of the most talented artists in Australia.
It’s a big call I know, but even in these small impressionistic
works, his genius is evident to me.
Let me know if you attend and agree!
Please Note: This exhibition might be suitable for your child, but I
would ask you to attend first and decide. This recommendation is
primarily aimed at parents.
Entrance to the Gallery is not obvious!
Lot 5/29 Tinning Street Brunswick
Enter via Ilhan Lane.
Thursday – Sunday 11am - 5pm
Some Interesting Reading
Over the weekend I saw an interesting article in The Age about the first ‘Life Table’ which was released in
November 1867. I am always interested in daily life in the early colony of Melbourne, because our school
started in 1855. The Life Table suggested that the average lifespan of a newborn non-Aboriginal
Australian was 45.6 years. The article confirms that the current data gives new-borns a lifespan of 82.5
years (slightly more for girls and slightly less for boys).
At the time this data was released, the inhabitants of the new colony were experiencing more luck than
their peers back in England. The Life Table revealed that the expected lifespan was a mere 40.9 years.
Alan Lopez, a demographer from Melbourne University, suggests that life expectancy will continue to
climb for the next twenty-five years, but at half the rate that we experienced in recent history. The biggest
hurdle for Australians is obesity. Roughly one-third of Australians are obese and another third are
overweight. The author reports that thirty years ago, it would have been ten per cent.
What did I take away from this article? For me, it reinforces the importance of keeping our children fit,
active and involved in sport. Sadly, the report also detailed some evidence that for our Indigenous
population, the figures are devastatingly lower. We must continue to do whatever we can to overcome
disadvantage in Indigenous communities.
Planning for 2018
At this time of the year I ask all parents to communicate with us regarding any ‘movements’ for 2018.
Sadly, each year we say goodbye to families who may be relocating interstate or overseas. At the same
time, we are constantly receiving enrolment inquiries from families who are in the same situation. In order
to ‘reconcile’ our enrolment numbers and arrangements for next year, it is vital that we know if there are
any families (other than children in Year 6) who are moving on.
Dates for 2018
We have been receiving queries about the beginning of the 2018 school year. Here are the dates you might
want to add to your calendars:
Mon 29th January School Staff return
Tues 30th January Half of each Foundation class will start today
Children in Years 1-6 will come for individual “Getting to Know You” interviews
Wed 31st January The other Half of each Foundation class will start today
Children in Years 1-6 will come for individual “Getting to Know You” interviews
Thurs 1st February All Children are back together
Thurs 8th February Beginning of 2018 School Mass
Fri 9th February Welcome BBQ after school
Regards,
Peter Moore
Principal
P.S. I loved Oliver’s
carved pumpkin to
celebrate Halloween!
A Special Welcome
We warmly welcome
Harvey Alexander
Coulter, born on
Saturday 21st October,
weighing 3.845 kg.
Mrs Coulter and baby
are both doing well!
2018 Parents Association Positions
The Parents Association will hold its AGM on Monday 4th December at 7pm. At the AGM
the election of positions for 2018 will take place.
The Parents Association helps to build a sense of community in the school & parish by
hosting and organising functions, supporting school activities and raising funds for the
school.
It would be great if all parents could seriously consider nominating him/herself or another
parent for an elected position. There are many positions available and it really is a great
way to get involved in the school and to contribute your time and ideas.
Nominations can be made by filling in the slip below and returning it to the school office
by Friday 1st December. If you would like to discuss any of the roles please feel free to
contact Abygaile Cukavac (0421 503 253).
_________________________________________________________________________
St Monica’s Parents Association Election of Positions Nomination Form
I propose ___________________________________
(name of person being nominated) for the 2018 position of (please circle)
President Vice President
Treasurer Assistant Treasurer
Secretary Assistant Secretary
School Advisory Board Liaison Special Food Day Coordinator
Class Rep Coordinator Year F-3 Class Rep Coordinator Year 4-6
Name of person nominating the candidate _______________________
Signature of Candidate ______________________________________
Date _____________
Student of the Week Certificates will be presented at assembly on Friday November 10th at 2.45pm. Whole
School Awards Assembly (Location: Church)
Joann Sijo FC For working hard in class and completing all set tasks
confidently. Well done, Joann.
Matisse Collina FC For taking pride in her work and reading with expression.
Keep up the good work Matisse.
Madison Sherer FS For working hard to refine her handwriting and taking pride in
her work. Well done, Madison!
Alimee Riley FS For her detailed drawings to accompany her writing. Keep up
the fantastic work Alimee.
Gabrielle Farrugia FT For her amazing retell of The Three Little Pigs. Keep up the
great writing Gabrielle!
Zara Giuliani FT For her fantastic dancing during our Writing Dance Party.
Well done, Zara.
Jacob Hoffmann 1L For the extra effort he has invested in writing, which has resulted in several tremendous stories. Practice really does
make progress! Keep it up, Jacob.
Charlotte Thaus 1S For giving 100% to every class task and for taking on challenges in the classroom to be the best learner she can be!
Well done, Charlotte!
Samantha McKern 2D For making a great effort in all writing tasks. Well done,
Samantha.
Jon D`Cruz 2M For doing extra work at home and using initiative in the
classroom.
Sebastian Caccamo 2T For a fantastic start to Term 4! He has been completing some excellent writing and drawing.
Max Hoffmann 3B For quick and accurate responses with Multiplication facts.
James Russo 3M For confidently sharing his thinking with the class when discussing poetry.
Benjamin Paragalli 3O For always being a respectful and helpful member of the class. He has established positive and supportive relationships with his peers, which is amazing to see.
Isaac Orellana 4D For demonstrating a strong understanding of fractions during
class tasks and challenging himself to think more deeply in
reading groups.
Isabell Moschini 4G For being able to work co-operatively and enthusiastically in groups.
Hannah Farmelo 4P For sharing her amazing acting talents in our Religion Plays
showing the importance of using our ‘moral Compas’ in
difficult situations.
Patrick Dent 5B For his continued efforts to ensure he produces quality pieces
of work. Well done, Patrick!
Aysia Hanna 5J For demonstrating maturity and dedication in pursuit of improving her writing craft.
Shauna McElligott 5M For demonstrating great focus and engagement with tasks, and
working cooperatively during independent group tasks.
Maddison Komljenovic 6C For her efforts in completing her resume.
Bridie Synan 6K For being a consistently caring and considerate classmate.
William O`Connell 6M For approaching learning experiences with enthusiasm and a
positive attitude.
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Parent Help Notes and Marquees at Sports Carnival -
Wednesday 15th November Parent help confirmation notes for assistance in Track, Field and Team events at this year’s House Sports
Carnival have just gone home with students. If you failed to receive a help confirmation note and have
nominated for a job, can you please let the office know. Also, if you are able to offer your help in
loading, transporting, setting up or packing away the marquees before or after the carnival can you please
let me know. Sonya Coleman, Jacinta Dennert and Martin Cukavac put in a huge amount of work each
year to organise the marquees before and after the event. If anyone can assist them it would be greatly
appreciated.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
Mr McGuinness.
NOTICES
YEAR 3 FIRST COMMUNION BRUNCH
Thank you to the wonderful ladies who assisted with the Year 3 First Communion Brunch
on Thursday 3rd November including Tina Makdesi, Pauline Duggan, Rachel Plunkett,
Penny Seuren, Michelle Wing, and Collette Blackmore. Also, a special thank you to Renae
Walsh for organising the supplies for the Brunch. It was a lovely celebration for the Year 3
children, and your assistance was very much appreciated.
Year 3 Class Reps
School Fees Thank-you to those families who have paid their overdue accounts. For
those families who have not yet paid their outstanding school fees refer
below to our school's policy for collecting unpaid school fees. If any family
is unable to meet their school fee commitment contact Mr Peter
Moore immediately.
I appreciate you pay all outstanding school fees within the next week.
STEPS FOR COLLECTING UNPAID SCHOOL FEES 1. Invitation to discuss fee commitment with the school
2. If payment is not received within the specified time-frame, use of an external debt
collector or legal action will follow
3. Court proceedings may be initiated
Key Dates
Term 4 November 2017 Friday 10th Whole School Awards Assembly - 2.45pm
Saturday 11th Remembrance Day
Sunday 12th Foundation Family Mass at 10.30am
Past Student Mass at 5.30pm
Tuesday 14th Bereavement Mass - 7.00pm
Wednesday 15th House Sports Carnival
Parish Education Board Meeting
Thursday 16th Buddy Class Mass 1L and 5M at 9.15am
Friday 17th 3.00pm Assembly Years Foundation - 2 hosted by FT
Saturday 18th FETE
Monday 20th 2018 Foundation Orientation
Friday 24th 3.00pm Assembly Years 3 to 6 hosted by 5M
Sunday 26th Year 1 Family Mass at 10.30am
Tuesday 28th 2018 Foundation Orientation 9.15am
Thursday 30th Sports Awards Assembly
December 2017 Friday 1st School Closure Day
Friday 8th 3.00pm Assembly Years 3 to 6 hosted by 6M
Monday 11th Whole School Social Justice Presentation 9.00am
2018 Foundation Orientation 9.15am
Wednesday 13th End of Year Christmas Carols
Friday 15th Whole School Awards Assembly - 3.00pm
Monday 18th Year 6 Mass and Graduation
Wednesday 20th End of Term 4
2018 Term 1
January Monday 29th Staff Commence
Tuesday 30th Half of each Foundation Class 8.50am to 1.00pm
Foundation individual testing 1.30pm to 3.30pm
Years 1 to 6 individual interview appointments
Wednesday 31st Half of each Foundation Class 8.50am to 1.00pm
Foundation individual testing 1.30pm to 3.30pm
Years 1 to 6 individual interview appointments
February Thursday 1st Whole School commences
Wednesday 7th No Foundation students - testing by appointment
Thursday 8th Beginning of 2018 Whole School Mass 9.15am
Friday 9th Welcome Evening BBQ - Senior Yard 5.30pm
Wednesday 14th Ash Wednesday - Mass Year 3 to 6
No Foundation students - testing by appointment
Friday 23rd Foundation and New families luncheon 12.00pm to 3.00pm
Week 5 Beginning November 6
Friday 10 - November Michelle Christian
Julie Durling-Landa
Karina Degiusti
9:30 - 11:30
9:30 - 11:30
10:30 - 11:30
Week 6 Beginning November 13
Monday 13 - November Chloe Coleman 10:30 - 11:30
Tuesday 14 - November Lisa Miller
Kelly Vandrine
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
Wednesday 15 - November NO TUCKSHOP HOUSE SPORTS
CARNIVAL
Thursday 16 - November Rebecca Jones
Ange Horton
Peta Goodyear
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
Friday 17 - November NO TUCKSHOP DUE TO FETE
Week 7 Beginning November 20
Monday 20 - November Volunteers Needed 10:30 - 11:30
Tuesday 21 - November Gianna Willoughby
Tania Lewis
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
Wednesday 22 - November Melissa Khoury
Lisa Saunders
10:30 - 11:30
9:30 - 10:30
Thursday 23 - November Andrea Palmeri
Silv Pane
Skye Palmer
Michele McMenamin
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
9 - 11:30
Friday 24 - November Carmel Rugolino
Sonia Vendramini
Annmarie Carmichael
9:30 - 11:30
9:30 - 11:30
10:30 - 11:30
NOTICES School Fees
Payment can be made by cash, cheque, Visa, Mastercard or via the Internet (our banking
details are below for your convenience). If any family is unable to meet their school fee
commitment, they are asked to contact Mr. Moore or Fr. Tony.
For Internet Banking (Electronic Funds Transfer) our bank account details are as follows:
Account Name: St. Monica’s School General Account
BSB: 083-347
Account Number: 69868 9654
Please use your FAMILY NAME as payment reference
As of next year, School Fee statements will be issued via e-mail. If you are aware that your e-mail
address has changed or if the school office does not have your e-mail address, send a note advising of the
updated/new details via e-mail to: [email protected]
NOTICES
OSHClub News
Program Update
Dear Parents and Children,
As you all know that Jess has been away last week and I would just like to say it has been a pleasure co-
ordinating and we would like to welcome Jess back into the program. Also, this week we will be focus-
ing on the importance of sustainability and recycling
We will be running a program on Friday December 1st.However, this day will only go ahead if there are
over 15 bookings before November 24th.
As we are now coming into the hotter months of the year it is important that all children bring a hat to
wear if they wish to participate in outdoor activities. Unfortunatly, if children are without a hat for
either BSC or ASC they will have to remain inside for that session.
We have a large number of items in our OSHClub Lost Property at the present. Feel free to come in and
have a look if your child is missing any of their property. Lost Property is located within our OSHClub
office.
Take care,
Mel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YOU CAN GET YOUR KIDS TENNIS LESSONS DONE WHILST THEY ARE AT AFTERCARE!
St. Monica’s Tennis Club
Contact – Steve Riley – Club Professional
0403 433 750 or [email protected]
BOOK IN FOR A FREE HOTSHOTS TENNIS LESSON Just inform your OSHClub Co-ordinator
about your tennis lesson (day & time)
OSHCLUB DROPS OFF AND PICKS UP KIDS FOR THEIR TENNIS LESSONS!!!
Next Week’s Activities
Halloween Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Before Care
Activities
-Our sustainability
poster -silent ball
-Recycling
word search -Octupus
-earth colour-
ing -Everybodys
it
-free box creations -Musical Statues
-Uno competiton -Heads down thumbs
up game
After Care
Activities
-Recycled art and
craft
-skipping -Soccer
-nature
painting
with leaves -Cricket
-Soccer
-recycled box
construction
-Tennis -Line tiggy
-recycled paper craft -times races
-Scarecrow tiggy -Footy
-food dye painting -Basketball
-dancing competition
Parent Information
OSHC program phone: 0412 616 491 (Operating hours are from 7.15am-9.00am and 3.00pm-
6.15pm) Coordinator: Jess
Assistants: Mel, Nairy, Maddie & Shannon
OSHClub Head Office: 03 85649000
All families must be enrolled to attend the program, remember this is Free!! Please create an account
online at www.oshclub.com.au all bookings and cancellations can also be managed via your online ac-
count. For on the day bookings please contact the Coordinator direct at the program.