Term 1 Week 9 2023

Out of School Hours Care Update

Following consultation with the OSHC management committee and the school board, the decision has been made to open Before School Care at 7am from the beginning of Term 2. Previously the opening time was 7.30am. After listening to the input of current and future families, we recognised that having the service open half an hour earlier may make the morning a lot easier for families. Breakfast of toast, water and a piece of fruit will be available and the cost for any amount of time spent in Before School Care will be $12 per child. This will be able to be paid for on the school Qkr app. If you have any questions, please come and speak with Jodie Byrne or myself.

Learning Challenges

It was wonderful to see so many families attend our recent Parent Teacher Learning Conversations last week. Students and teachers spend a lot of time in preparing for these conversations that focus on the learning journey of each child. Thank you for your support and attendance.

We often speak to the students about the importance of resilience and persistence in not only their social engagements but also in their learning tasks. Much research has been undertaken about the importance of learners understanding that learning comes with challenges and it is in the times of confusion or challenge that these capabilities are developed.

James Nottingham is an English educational researcher who uses the metaphor of the Learning Pit to explain how ‘real’ and deep learning occurs. When we jump into the Pit of learning, we spend time drawing on our previous learning, seeking support from knowledgeable others or approach the task with different strategies. It is the challenging learning that creates the deep understandings that stay with us and get us out of the Pit.

Another researcher whose work I have recently been reading is James Anderson. His posts on his website and social pages, “Getting into the Learning Zone” are an excellent resource in understanding how to support children with learning challenges. Anderson speaks about helping our children become comfortable with the uncomfortable and the skills to help them become a skilful learner. I highly recommend his work to you as the first educators of your children.

I hope the coming week and Holy Week is a time of rest, reflection and time spent with your special people.

Emily Sayer

Next week our Catholic Church will celebrate Holy Week, one of the most significant times in the Church's Liturgical Calendar. Holy Week remembers the final days of Jesus' life, from Palm Sunday and his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, The Last Supper when Jesus shared a Passover Meal with his friends for the last time, and ends with Good Friday when Jesus was crucified on the cross.   

At St Monica's we will gather on Holy Thursday in the Church to pray the stations of the cross, where we will reflect on their significance in our world today.

The parish will also mark this signifcant week - see attached details

On Wednesday 29th of March we attended the Crows Cup carnival at the X Convenience oval in Elizabeth. All the year 5 and 6 girls went and there were three teams. We played six different games where we played against teams from other primary schools in the area. Most of the other schools have played football for a club before and had an advantage over our teams. Despite this it was a very fun experience for everyone who attended and those who hadn’t played football before. By the end of the carnival, we improved our skills on how to kick, handball and tackle safely and properly while working as a team. There was fun music playing the whole time and in the lunch break there was a dance competition. We never gave up even when times were tough; we worked together and stayed positive and encouraging. We had lots of fun and would do it again. Thank you to our volunteers who helped coach our teams and to Mr M for organising the day.

From Hellen, Mia and Ayla

On Thursday afternoon 18 students in Years 2-6 went to Marion SA Aquatic Centre for a Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival. We all competed in different strokes and relays and our school had a swimmer in every race. Many of us won ribbons but all of us had lots of fun. 

Written by Harrison, Tayla and Annabel 

Dear Parents/Caregivers of students at St Martin’s school,

Our Parish, which comprises the churches of St Martin’s and St Monica’s, will be conducting an Alpha Program commencing May this year.

In the spirit of developing the relationship between School and Parish, we are inviting parents to consider being part of this program.

Our Alpha will comprise one evening, 7 to 9 pm over 9 weeks. It is a very fun and relaxed environment where we gather in groups of 10 or so. We enjoy a provided meal, watch a video that explores important life issues and then share our thoughts on the video topic.

The outcome of attending Alpha can be amazing. It promotes friendship and importantly increases our relationship with Jesus.

We are mindful that it is often the Catholic School that nurtures the love of Jesus within our children and feel the inclusion of parents in our Alpha will be fruitful.

For further information, please contact Reg Nye 0417 892 339 or Rebecca at the Parish office 8267 6200 ( Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). Bronwyn Ridley (APRIM) also has experience with the program and is happy to share her insights with you.

2023 marks 20 years of the Premier’s Reading Challenge in South Australia!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, our students are being given the opportunity to receive a special, 20th Anniversary certificate in addition to their usual PRC award this year.

To qualify for this certificate, students need to read 20 books in 2023, and fill out the “20 Years, 20 Books” student reading record instead of the usual 12 book record. The reading limits for Reception to year 6 are 8 books from the PRC book list, and 12 free choice titles

Students who complete the 20-book challenge will have also completed the 12 book challenge hence will receive the usual award as well.

The 20-book challenge is intended to be a voluntary, enjoyable, extension of reading for pleasure for those students who choose this option.

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St Monica’s acknowledge the Kaurna People as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual connection and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to this country and commit to the ongoing journey of Reconciliation.