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: accounts@stmonicasmp.catholic.edu.au

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 steve@rileytennis.com.au

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.