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| Important Dates & Reminders | ||
| Friday 28 October | Whole School Prayer Time at Church- 2.15pm | |
| Thursday 3 November | First Reconciliation Retreat Day | |
| Friday 4 November | Grandparent's Day | |
| Tuesday 8 November | Sacrament of First Reconciliaiton | |
| Saturday 19 November | 40th Anniversary Celebration Day 11am - 2pm | |
| Mon 28 Nov - Fri 2 December | K-2 Swimming Lessons | |
| Mon 5 Dec - Wed 7 December | Year 5/6 Camp | |
| Tuesday 13 December | Year 6 Graduation Liturgy/ Dinner | |
| Thursday 15 December | Last Day of the School Year for Students | |
| Friday 16 December | Pupil Free Day | |
Dear Parents and Carers,
A letter will be coming home next week regarding School fees for 2023. Catholic Education set the tuition fees for schools and the building fund. The 9% increase in fees reflects the need for ACT Primary Schools to keep pace with inflationary and funding pressures. The school adds levies to ensure we provide quality resources, excursions, stationery, a well-resourced library, Information and Technology resources and the maintenance and care of buildings, furniture and other resources and equipment. We rely on everyone in our community to support us by paying fees and encourage families to set up a Direct Debit payment plan that spreads the yearly fees across the year. Our Office Manager; Lynda Logan is happy to answer any questions around fee statements which are now sent via email to families. If you have any concerns or issues around fee payments, please contact me directly. We are committed to the Catholic Education Policy that no student should be refused enrolment, excluded or disadvantaged because of an inability to pay fees.
Building updates
Catholic Education are working with us to update the down pipes and the drainage system around the school that has been a problem in the past. There will be some work being completed around the school in coming months, mostly scheduled for the school holidays. We are also continuing with our entrance and staffroom renovations. As part of our School Reconciliation Action Plan, we are funding 2 further flagpoles so that we can fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as a demonstration of our pride and respect for the histories, cultures and contributions of Australia’s First Peoples.
Kinder Orientation
Next Thursday 3 November we are thrilled to welcome our Kinder students and families to the First Kinder Orientation in the Hall 9:15-10:30am. Information has been sent to families. Our 2023 Kinder students will spend an hour in the classroom while we share some information with families. It will be great to finally have our community back on site!
Grandparents Day
We are so thrilled to be welcoming Grandparents and special friends to school next Friday 4 November at 12pm. We welcome all family members to the Church liturgy and if assistance is required, for attending the school visit. The children are looking forward to having special time with these wonderful people.
Congratulations to our Students completing their Reconciliation Retreat Day on Thursday 3 November. We keep all our students, families and staff in our prayers, seeking the guidance of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St Michael.
Many Blessings,
Judy Egan
Maths Olympiad
This year a team of our Year 5/6 students have again accepted the challenge to participate in the Maths Olympiad. Over the course of the year they have successfully completed all 5 challenges. On Friday, we will present our team with their certificates and award the trophy to our students who scored the highest overall individual score. We congratulate all the members of the team for their commitment and eagerness to challenge themselves with their Mathematics.
2022 Maths Olympiad Team Members
John J
Stella C
Aaron L
Chloe W
Oscar W
Xavier C
Ishika G
Sierra T
Joshua P
Stella B
Caitlyn H
Sebastian R
Vanessa C
Kai W
Madison M
Lachlan M
Suraya S
Ella A
Desan P
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award in Week 3.
Well done!!
| KD | Sofia B |
| KK | Ivy- Rose G |
| 1/2B | Heliose G |
| 1/2H | Harriet S |
| 3/4F | Lydia W |
| 3/4L | Andrew M |
| 5/6H | Hugo H |
| 5/6S | Seb R |
| 5/6Y | Milenna J |
Parish Sacramental Program 2022
Sacrament of Reconciliation for eligible year 3 students (and students in years 4, 5 & 6 who have not yet celebrated the Sacrament), will be celebrated on:
- 8 November in St Michael’s Church – Kaleen from 3.30 to 5pm.
- 9 November in St Monica’s Church – Evatt from 3.30 to 6pm.
Trybooking for the Sacrament
The Trybooking for you to book which Church you would like to attend with your child ie:
November 8 in St Michael’s Church or November 9 in St Monica’s Church, opens on Monday 31 October and closes by Friday 4 November. Please feel free to book either church for this Sacrament. You will be required to book a 5 minute timeslot for your child to celebrate the Sacrament with Fr Loi.
The Trybooking links will be listed on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
For further Information regarding the Sacramental Program – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au
or check the parish website for updates at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Religious Education
RE in 1/2
Students in Years 1 & 2 will be learning about Jesus’ teachings and actions and making connections between them and the way members of the Church community live today. They will explore what life was like in Jesus’ time. Students will prepare for the Advent and Christmas seasons by investigating how John the Baptist and Mary prepared for the coming of Jesus and how we today prepare in Advent for Jesus to come again at Christmas.
Below are some of the wonderful retellings of the story of Martha and Mary:
Religious Life of St Michael’s
Parish Sacramental Program – First Reconciliation
We keep in our prayers our Year 3 students who are preparing to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in November. Families are currently supporting their journey by working through workbooks and having family discussions about the importance of forgiveness and being reconciled.
Catholic Mission
October is the month of Catholic Mission. We take time to reflect on the wonderful work done by missionaries around the world. This Friday, 28/10 we will have Whole School Prayer Time in our church at 2.15pm. 5/6 will lead us in prayer focusing on Catholic Mission.
Some of the good work being done is outlined on the website for Catholic Mission. Some stories include Maria’s:
Thousands of women in Ethiopia are compelled by poverty to find domestic work abroad. With hopes of a better life, they make the move away from their homes and their families, only to find themselves caught in a cycle of abuse and exploitation.
After visiting families in the remote town of Meki, lay missionary, Maria Jose Morales, was exposed to this reality.
Inspired by their stories, Maria was called to give back and opened the Kidist Mariam Centre.
Established to provide a safe, supportive and educational environment, the Centre has seen nearly 3,000 women complete training courses and build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
Learn more about the missionary work of Maria and the experiences of women in Meki, Ethiopia in this video.
Grandparents Day
Save the Date! We will be holding our Grandparents’ Day Whole School Prayer Time and celebration on Friday 4th November. WSPT will be at 12:00 followed by classroom visits. Grandparents are invited to bring lunch to share with their grandchildren around the grounds.
Touch Football Clinics
We are excited to start our touch football clinics tomorrow. They will be funded through our Sporting Schools grant and will be run by ACT Touch Football. The students are super keen to be able to play some footy and develop their skills.
K-2 Swimming Program
Today a Gungahlin Leisure Centre Permission note has been sent home to all students who are participating in our swimming program in Week 8. Please complete the form and return it your child’s teacher by next Friday, 4th November (Week 4). The information on this note is used to determine the initial groupings for the lessons. We very much appreciate your assistance with returning this note by the due date so as we can provide the information to the swim instructors.
ACT Athletics Ribbons Presentation
On Friday we will present Kobe (5/6Y) and Mahli (3/4L) with their ribbons from the ACT Athletics Championships. We congratulate them again on such amazing personal performances.
Winners of the ACT Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge 2022
Thanks to our students wonderful reading efforts between February and August, we have been awarded category awards for Years K-2, Years 3-4 and Years 5-6 in this year’s challenge! This is the first time we have received an award and the $300 book voucher from Paperchain Books will be used to purchase new books that the students have requested in recent weeks.
Certificates will be given to all students in the coming weeks. Well done everyone!
