Dear St Monica's families and friends,

We have come to the end of Term 1 and what an amazing Term it has been. Highlights have been our Opening Mass, Year 6 Leadership Commissioning, Swimming and Cross Country Carnivals, NAPLAN, School Photos, Sacrament of Reconciliation, Harmony Day and in 2 days’ time…. Our extraordinary St Monica’s FETE.

Being your School Principal is a privilege and very rewarding. I am in awe of the amazing work my teachers and support staff do for your children every single day, by creating welcoming and calm classrooms, and where quality learning is taking place. However, I am also conscious that as we reach the end of term, many people are feeling burnt out, experiencing uncertainty, and carrying the overwhelming weight of constant decision-making. It’s exhausting, and it’s easy to feel like we’re bearing the burden alone. But…. we don’t have to.

Jesus, our greatest teacher and Saviour, invites us to surrender our worries to Him: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). He doesn’t just offer rest in the physical sense but a deep, abiding peace that the world cannot give. When we turn to Him, we are reminded that we are not alone in our struggles.

So how do we rally together and find peace?

1. Community & Support – We are not meant to go through life alone. Whether it's through family, the school community, our Parish or close friends, having people to pray with, talk to, and lean on is vital. Encouraging one another in faith keeps us grounded.
2. Prayer & Surrender – Taking time each day to be still with God, even in the chaos, allows us to hear His voice. Giving our worries to Him in prayer helps lighten the load we carry.
3. Service & Love – Sometimes, the best way to find peace is by shifting our focus from our worries to helping others. When we serve with love, we reflect Christ’s peace to the world.
4. Trust in God's Plan – Even when we don't have all the answers, we can trust that God is working all things for good. Faith gives us the strength to move forward even in uncertainty.

Finding peace doesn’t mean life is perfect—it means knowing that no matter what happens, we are held in the hands of a loving God.

FETE News - I cannot believe, it is only 2 more sleeps until Fete day! The forecast is Sunny, with a top temperature of 23°  There is always something for everyone at the St Monica’s Fete:

• For the Book Worms – it’s the Book Stall,
• for those with a Sweet Tooth – it’s the Cake Stall,
• for the Young at Heart – there are Rides & Entertainment,
• for the Bargain Hunters – it’s the White Elephant,
• for the Green Thumbs – it’s the Garden Stall,
• for those who like to ‘Try their Luck’ at winning some incredible prizes, we have the Chocolate Wheel, Tombola Stall and Pick-a-Duck.

Events such as these don’t just happen, an extraordinary and endless amount of work (that started back in November) happens behind the scenes. So, let’s put our hands together and shout from the rooftops Hip-Hip-Hooray to Kim Todd, Kirralea Thompson, Michelle Patchell, Ellie Little, Sam Gonzalez, Angalea Turnbull, Cristina Simoncini, Robyn Conway and their better halves and families for pulling together, the biggest event on the school’s calendar!!

Reconciliation – Congratulations to all of the St Monica’s students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time last week. This sacrament is a celebration of God’s love and mercy, where we confess our sins and receive forgiveness of God through the ministry of the Priest. When we acknowledge our sins and want to say we are sorry, we have undertaken a process of conversion of heart.

Holy Week and Easter - this year Holy Week falls in the first week of the School Holidays and Easter in the middle weekend. As a school, we are deeply committed to honouring the sacredness of this time. This year, as a one off, we are  commemorating and learning about Holy Week in a slightly different way. Instead of daily whole-school liturgies, we will be participating and learning about these important events through carefully planned and intimate prayer activities in the classrooms. I know this is a little bit different from what we are used to doing and I understand that Whole-school liturgies have a powerful communal impact. However sometimes, smaller settings allow for deeper engagement, where students feel more comfortable participating and connecting with the true meaning of Holy Week and Easter on a more personal level.

Year 5 Camp: Next week our Year 5s will be off to camp at Borambola, NSW. One nice thing about going on camp with the students is you get to see their personalities outside of the school environment. I sincerely thank Kathy Moir, Laura Frogley, Brendan Hague, Matilda Kelly, Melanie Stratford and Ethan Mass who have freely given up their personal and family time to look after our Year 5 students. We wish all going on camp, health, happiness, good sleeps and some warm weather!

ENROLMENT PERIOD FOR 2026 - St Monica’s is now accepting enrolments for the 2026 school year! Our Open Days will be held on:

Tuesday, 6 May

• Tours from 9:30am – 11:00am & 4:00pm – 6:00pm
• Parent Information session from 6:15pm – 7:00pm

Thursday, 8 May

• Tours only from 9:30am – 11:00am

Whilst a variety of formats will be used to promote our school during this time, we know that ‘word of mouth’ is often the best form of advertising. I sincerely thank our wonderful parent community, who always speak so positively about St Monica’s.

We welcome the Foster-Diamond, Jnani, Wright and Barsoum families who have joined St Monica's this term and we farewell the Gaffney, Lau, Clarke and Walsh families and wish them all the best in their future homes and schools.

Important dates: 

Week 10

• Monday 7 – Wednesday 9 April - Year 5 Camp
• Thursday 10 April - LAST DAY TERM 1, Star & Pride awards assembly, Swimming and Cross Country carnival ribbons handed out
• Friday 11 April - PUPIL FREE DAY

Term 2

• Monday 28 April – Pupil Free Day for all students.
• Tuesday 29 April – Term 2 begins. Students return in their Winter Uniform

Warm wishes and blessings,

Happy Birthday to the following students  celebrating their birthday this week, next week and throughout the holidays

Mayra P, Lewis M, Ella G, Sam N, Elizabeth D-H, Chelsea T, Silas L, Matteo O-C, Guneet T, Imani N, Pippa J, Sawiros B, Thomas S, Emmanuel L, Mackenzie B, Olivia B, Eddie R, Cole W, Taqdeer S, Frankie T, Olivia M, Dominic G, Elsa H, Hargun K, Norah C, April M, Sophia A, Harley B, Henry C, Bella O, Tilly C, Elijah G, Elise L, Lucy P, Catherine V

Swimming Carnival Ribbons will be given out at Assembly on Thursday 10 April 2025 at 9.10am in the School Hall